Who’s responsible for the Devils mess?

Posted on December 1, 2018 by Derek

They gave it the old college try late. But a desperate Devils rally fell short against the Capitals tonight. Instead, goals from Nico Hischier and ex-Cap Marcus Johansson weren’t enough to prevent a pair of empty netters from Alexander Ovechkin and the game’s number one star, Nicklas Backstrom. The underappreciated playmaking pivot recorded a hat trick with an assist for a four-point game, highlighting Washington’s 6-3 win over the Devils on home ice.

The Capitals are very formidable. They’re defending champs for a reason. It was on full display Friday. There’s no shame in losing to them. But it’s been happening way too frequently for the Devils, who find themselves near the bottom of the division. In fact, they’re tied with the Flyers for the fewest points (22) in the Eastern Conference. A Florida overtime win over the rejuvenated Sabres got them back to NHL .500 with 24 points. So, it’s now old I-95 rivals Philadelphia and New Jersey who find themselves in a dicey situation.

As our Devils blogger Hasan is well aware, it’s been all downhill since a perfect 4-0-0 start. Since then, the Devs are only 5-11-4 with a disastrous 14 of a possible 40 points. That is unacceptable. Especially for a team that was coming off a feel good ’17-18, surprising many by making the playoffs. Taylor Hall was unbelievable carrying them to take home his first Hart Trophy, edging Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon. They both were sensational, but Hall’s performance was a little more valuable. His 93 points (39-54-93) were 41 more than then rookie Hischier (20-32-52).

As clutch as Hall was highlighted by a ridiculous 26-game point streak (18-20-38), he had help from teammates. Kyle Palmieri rounded into form after missing 20 games to finish with 24 goals and 20 assists. Eleven were power play goals. He also was second in game-winners with his five trailing only Hall’s team best seven. Hall paced them in power play goals with 13.

The ’17-18 Devils featured key performers such as Brian Boyle, who scored a good chunk of his 13 goals in the first half. An inspirational leader, who valiantly overcame cancer, #BoyleStrong continues to deliver signature moments this season. How about his first career hat trick in a road win at Pittsburgh on Hockey Fights Cancer night? He also scored another goal when the Devils hosted Hockey Fights Cancer recently.

Blake Coleman became a valuable checking forward who scored 13 goals, including three shorthanded goals to tie ex-Devil Brian Gibbons for the team lead. As a team, they totaled 12 shorthanded goals, turning the penalty kill into a weapon. Coleman has continued his renaissance this year with two more shorthanded goals pacing the team. He already has eight goals and looks poised for a breakout year.

The problem is that other key pieces aren’t getting the job done. Last season, Miles Wood was a big part of what was right, registering a career high 19 goals with 13 helpers for 32 points and 84 penalty minutes. That included a hat trick. This year, he’s been invisible with a disappointing two goals and four assists. There isn’t a more disappointing player on the roster.

With a goal tonight, that gives Johansson four points (2-2-4) over the last four games. He didn’t play in the overtime loss at Florida. Another example of the Devs failing to get the extra point in three-on-three. They basically let Mike Hoffman beat Keith Kinkaid twice. Only the second counted. Johansson has only nine points so far. When GM Ray Shero acquired him in 2017, it was because of what Johansson did with the Capitals. He scored 20-or-more goals twice and topped 40 points five times including a career high 58 (24-34-58) in ’16-17. But a dirty cheap shot by former teammate Tom Wilson cost Johansson most of last season due to a concussion.That wasn’t his fault.

Wilson is a troubled player with a bad reputation after serving 16 games of an original 20-game suspension for a ugly hit on Oskar Sundqvist in preseason. The Blues forward played in his 16th game tonight after missing the rest of preseason and the first seven this season. As for Wilson, it took just nine games for him to get into trouble. In tonight’s game which he had a goal in, a late hit on rookie Brett Seney from behind resulted in a match penalty for a illegal check to the head. After watching several replays and slowing the controversial play down, he didn’t contact the head, but rather the back of Seney’s right upper shoulder and side. It was a reputation call that will now result in an automatic suspension and in person hearing. This is how it’ll be for Wilson, who does himself no favors.

The good news was Seney was able to return. He finished with 9:45 of ice-time with three shots. However, his teammates didn’t take advantage of Wilson’s latest loss of discipline. Yes. They failed to score on a major penalty that spanned the end of the second period and start of the third. The power play was basically split up with the first 2:21 to conclude the second, followed by the remaining 2:39 to start the third.

Rather than draw even in the game which saw Travis Zajac score shorthanded from Coleman to end a six-game pointless streak, the Devils lost their discipline in the third. A Wood double minor for butt ending was followed by a Sami Vatanen hook to hand the dangerous Caps a two-man advantage. Already victimized by Andre Burakovsky for a breakaway goal that squeaked off Kinkaid and in, Backstrom found plenty of shooting room to fire home his second of the night for a 4-1 deficit.

Hall set up Hischier to cut it to two with 7:25 left. Johansson scored his fourth from Hall and Hischier with 1:50 remaining. However, it only took Ovechkin 20 seconds to gather a loose puck in from 150 feet and fire it down for an empty netter just as Kinkaid left the ice. Backstrom added one more for the final margin.

The problem when you play good teams like the Caps is they make you pay for every mistake. I saw it a week ago in a Rangers’ home loss to these Caps, who still were without Evgeny Kuznetsov and T.J. Oshie. It didn’t matter. They took full advantage of a dreadful second period to score three in a row. Even after Ryan Strome tied the score in the third, John Carlson set up Brett Connolly’s winner.

The moral of the story is if you have a chance against a good opponent, you better take it. The Devils didn’t and paid for it dearly on the scoreboard. Even if they came back, it reminded of how they’ve played too many nights so far. You have to play 60 minutes. Inconsistency won’t get it done. Whether it’s Wood underperforming or Will Butcher’s sophomore slump, the Devils need these players to step it up soon. If not, it’s gonna be a long season.

Which brings us to the issue with this roster. Whose fault is it? Of course, you can point to some players not playing up to par. Stefan Noessen was a fixture last year, going 13-14-27 with a plus-12 rating. This season, he’s fallen back to earth. In 17 contests, he has two goals and two assists. Noessen was a healthy scratch at Washington.

Pavel Zacha returned from a brief stint in Binghamton and scored three goals in two games. The 21-year old center is a former 2015 first round pick taken sixth overall ahead of notables Ivan Provorov and league leading scorer Mikko Rantanen. Who knew? Zacha is a good skater, but still is searching for consistency in his third year. He’s got four goals so far, but hasn’t recorded an assist in 19 games. The last three without a point despite skating with more purpose. It doesn’t mean he won’t become a good player. Some prospects take longer to mature. The Devils are counting on him to improve production.

Maybe that’s where Shero went wrong. By expecting too much out of Zacha. His first two seasons in the NHL were almost identical. He went 8-17-25 in 69 games last season. In ’16-17, he was 8-16-24 over 70. Counting the four markers he has this season, Zacha has 20 goals and 35 assists totaling 55 points in 160 career games. There’s not much to add here.

Only Damon Severson has performed up to expectation on the blueline. His three goals and 11 assists for 14 points pace all New Jersey defensemen. Vatanen has a goal and nine helpers. Both he and Severson are each minus-seven. Butcher has only a goal and seven assists despite being a minus-two. In his rookie year, 23 of his 44 points came on the power play. He still did okay at even strength going 2-19-21. Thus far, six of his eight points have come on the power play (6 PPA). The Butcher is being depended upon for offense. He’s their best skater and offensive defenseman.

Andy Greene isn’t a top pair guy anymore, but supplies grit. His 68 blocked shots lead all Devils. He still gets over 21 minutes a night. Vatanen has 34 blocks and 30 hits. Ben Lovejoy isn’t going to give you much either, but will finish checks. Mirco Mueller is the sixth defenseman. A defensive defenseman, the ex-Shark sat out a couple of games for Yegor Yakovlev. A move from coach John Hynes that didn’t make sense. Mueller returned on Friday night finishing plus-one in 15:04.

What’s problematic for this roster is that outside of Hall, Palmieri and Hischier, there aren’t any impact players who can make a difference. Unless the supporting cast is chipping in regularly, the Devils won’t have much success. With two assists, Hall raised his point total to 26 (7-19-26) in 24 games. Right in line with where he was at this point last year. Palmieri has a dozen goals to pace the club with a team-leading five power play goals. But he’s cooled considerably since a hot start. That means Hall must pick up the shooting. His 84 shots lead the team, but he’s been more unselfish this year using his shot as a decoy to find the open man. Don’t expect him to remain at a 8.3 shooting percentage. The same way it’s unlikely Palmieri can sustain a 16.4.

What must happen is the skaters must pick up their play both offensively and defensively. There are too many games where they leave Kinkaid hung out to dry. He didn’t have much chance on three of the four goals he allowed on 29 shots against one of the league’s elite teams. He made a mental mistake on the Wilson goal. Maybe he could’ve stopped Burakovsky, who blew past Severson and Greene like they were standing still. Kinkaid has played the role of starter with the winless Cory Schneider reduced to a little used backup. The 29-year old Kinkaid has been a workhorse getting into 20 games while winning all nine games for the Devils with three shutouts, a 2.79 GAA and a .910 save percentage. He can’t do it by himself.

Schneider will likely get the start tonight against the Winnipeg Jets in Newark. The way Patrik Laine has been going lately, yikes. In general, a rested Jets team is scary. So far, Schneider is 0-5-0 with a 4.27 GAA and .863 save percentage in six games. At some point, he has to stop the bleeding. He’s not being paid $6 million per year to be used for mop up duty. The scary part is the 32-year old is signed thru 2022.

There haven’t been many sparks. Jesper Bratt has played well since returning from a broken jaw. The second-year forward has been a solid player complementing Zacha on the second line. In 11 games, he has seven points (2-5-7). His speed certainly helps. He also plays penalty kill.

With Joey Anderson having successful surgery on his broken ankle, he’s out indefinitely. The 2016 third round pick is a hard worker, who is capable of developing into a solid third liner. 2016 first round pick Mike McLeod made his NHL debut on Friday, but only received eight shifts (5:36). Hardly enough time to do anything. He went 1-and-5 on faceoffs.

Here’s the thing. Shero hardly spent any money last off-season. He opted to stick with mostly the same group that Hynes got to overachieve last season with 97 points to squeak into the postseason. They were no match for the Lightning, falling in five games. Ironically, Schneider replaced an ineffective Kinkaid to win Game Three. However, the Bolts took the next two games to eliminate them.

Basically, it’s up to the current roster to turn it around. By the looks of the East, nobody is running away aside from the Maple Leafs and Lightning. As well as the Sabres have played, it’s hard to see them sustaining their current level. The Bruins are a one line team with a mess of a defense that’s actually being carried by Jaro Halak. Go figure. Aside from the Caps and Blue Jackets in the Metro Division, nobody else has played well. Even the Penguins have struggled due to a shaky defense and the injuries and inconsistencies from Matt Murray. The Rangers and Islanders have played better than expected. The Hurricanes have come back to the pack.

It wouldn’t take much for the Devils to move up the standings. But is there any help on the way? Probably not. Is Hynes suddenly a bad coach with the same personnel? I don’t think so. It’s up to the players to perform better.

Posted in Column, Devils | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Game #24: Capital punishment – Caps 6, Devils 3

Posted on November 30, 2018 by hasan4978

Perhaps the best way to describe tonight’s game is frustrating, yet typical of the 2018-19 Devils so far.  I was just as in and out of the game as the team was, my attempt to take a pregame nap to make up for my lack of sleep last night failed, so I turned the game on but my interest was fleeting throughout, with good reason.  I didn’t exactly expect a repeat of our 6-0 pasting of the Caps in October, we were a different team them seemingly.  And a different team at home in general given our home-road splits are now reaching hilarious proportions.  I figured on a back-to-back they’d give Keith Kinkaid the first crack especially after he was in net for that shutout win, and there was at least in theory something noteworthy to watch with the NHL debut of former first-round pick Michael McLeod.

There was no redeeming part of this 6-3 loss though, not even McLeod’s debut.  I mean really, what’s the point of calling up a kid to play a whole 5:36 on the night?  If you want someone to earn a spot as coach John Hynes professed to, well give them a chance to do so.  I get there was a lot of ‘special’ teams play in this game but if anything that’s just more of a reason to give guys like McLeod a chance, because the special teams were just flat out garden variety trash, specifically the powerless play.  OTOH Miles Wood’s 7:40 was well-earned, he’s been – to be kind – dissapointing this season, his yearning to be more of a scorer (and recent alarming statement that he thinks he’s playing well despite subpar production and poor play away from the puck) seemingly taking away the sandpaper parts of his game that got him his four-year contract in the offseason.

Of course focusing on third and fourth-liners is missing the forest for the trees, you need your best players to be your best players and they certainly weren’t tonight.  Kinkaid had one of his few truly awful games since becoming the full-time starter in February and may have just bought Cory Schneider his first home start of the season tomorrow – yippidee doo dah.  Our new ‘top’ pairing of Andy Greene and Damon Severson?  Just look at how bad both guys were on the third goal, or Severson and Sami Vatanen were on the first goal, the team in general was seriously making pee-wee level mistakes tonight with multiple bad line changes in the first period while the Caps had the puck in the neutral zone that got Hynes to nearly lose his voice on the bench:

Clearly this team is mentally going through the motions far too often this season.  Even emotionally it seems like this team just isn’t actually enjoying themselves this year.  Just look at the reactions when they score, there’s little celebration even when they actually score important goals like Travis Zajac’s shorty to cut the Caps’ lead to 2-1 in the middle of the second period.  Whatever happened to this team after its 4-0 start where they outscored teams 17-4 is a mystery comparable to Jimmy Hoffa’s dissapearance or JFK’s assassination conspiracy theories.

What’s not in doubt is too many players have been dissapointing and there’ve been way too many mental mistakes this season, both of which go back to coaching.  As a Jets, Mets and Devils fan I’m having more than my share of bad coaching at the moment.  I used to think Hynes was actually better than Todd Bowles or Mickey Callaway, and he may still be – but by default.  At least Hynes has some passion and can fill out a lineup card.  Not that any of that helps if your players show zero emotion themselves, or any aptitude for actually taking care of the basics like not going off for line changes when the other team has the puck in the neutral zone, or not letting one player split the D continually down the middle of the ice.

That’s not even getting into the worst aspect of coaching from the standpoint of tonight – the powerless play which hit its nadir in the late second and early third period failing to score on a five-minute major when (who else?) Tom Wilson hit Brett Seney from behind late, earning a match penalty and likely another suspension in an already long rap sheet.  If I ever complained about Geoff Ward’s power play last year, well the ‘Miss Me Yet?’ meme certainly qualifies now.  Geoff, my  apologies…it may have been inconsistent and ugly at times but you actually at least could coach an NHL power play.  His replacement Rick Kowalsky on the other hand looks as bad coaching a power play as hapless John MacLean did coaching the 2010 Devils.  With three failed power plays besides the major, the powerless play went eleven minutes getting a putrid four shots on goal and zero goals.

I vowed if the team didn’t score on the five-minute power play at least once that I was turning the game off and I did but only after Greene and Severson parted the red sea and let Andre Burakovsky walk in, beating Kinkaid with a shot that he got some of, but not enough of.  I figured it was over then, and while Kinkaid got no help from his defense there he also botched a play early in the second period leading to goal number two, and gave up a shortside shot to Nicklas Backstrom on the fourth goal later on – albeit it was a 5-on-3 (what a novelty, a team that can actually score a power play goal!).  Nico Hischier and Marcus Johansson scoring late cut the deficit to 4-3 amazingly enough and got me to turn it back on – just in time to see Johansson give the puck away carelessly for the first of two Cap empty-net goals that sealed the game.

Honestly I don’t even feel like going tomorrow.  I’d rather sell my tickets but secondary market prices are plummeting so I may have to either eat it or bite the bullet and go…as it is I’m going Monday for the Brian Boyle Masterson poster giveaway as much as anything else, but I’m not expecting to stay long if that game goes as most of our recent games against Tampa have and it’s 5-1 middle of the second period.  Certainly this weekend is going to put our home-road splits to the test and if we start losing at home, then the proverbial crap is going to hit the fan.

Posted in Devils | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A few thoughts on Zuccarello

Posted on November 30, 2018 by Derek

As many of you already know, a recent podcast in Mats Zuccarello’s home country of Norway caused some white noise on social media. The English translation of a interview he did made it sound like he’s waiting for the Rangers to trade him. He also indicated how much he loves playing here.

However, there’s the likelihood that Zuccarello will be traded and become a rental for a playoff contender. If the controversial interview is to be believed, it’s something he would be open to. A change is probably best for the popular pint sized right wing with the giant sized heart.

The Rangers are committed to rebuilding by continuing to give younger prospects a chance. As many as six rookies have dressed including former 2017 first round picks Lias Andersson and Filip Chytil. Both are learning on the job as regulars in their first full season. Other first-year players include Steven Fogarty, Tim Gettinger, Brett Howden and Alexandar Georgiev, who gets the start tomorrow night at Montreal.

In regards to Zuccarello, who’s led the team in scoring the past three years and four of the last five since ’13-14, the emotional 31-year old veteran has given everything to the Blueshirts. A classic overachiever, whose work ethic is unquestioned, it’s been a tough start to possibly his final season on Broadway. He’s only played in 17 games, totaling three goals and seven assists for ten points. A groin strain continues to plague him. He missed his ninth game last night with the team getting shutout 3-0 by Ottawa. He won’t play at Montreal.

For a prideful player who only missed nine combined games the past four years, it has to be extremely frustrating. He tried coming back twice in road losses to the Islanders and the Flyers. Perhaps Zuccarello rushed back due to what’s going on in the back of his mind. He earns $4.5 million in the final year of his contract. You know he wants to be 100 percent and play. There’s a lot on the line. Even if his future isn’t here, he’s playing for a contract.

Who knows what he’s thinking about? I think it does a classy player, who’s been a true professional, a incredible disservice by using the Norwegian story and taking it at its word. Zuccarello deserves better treatment than that. He shouldn’t have to go through a team spokesperson to deny the rumor, which convinced Post scribe Brett Cyrgalis to correct something in his story that appeared the other day.

I could’ve used the same information and done a post on it. But I didn’t feel comfortable. Maybe other bloggers enjoy that kinda banter for clicks. That’s not who I am or what I am about. I have never done it for those reasons. I blog because it’s my passion. I enjoy providing my thoughts on the Rangers and hockey.

Out of respect for the players, I don’t think it’s fair to use a translation from a interview that appeared in Europe. Especially during the season. I feel bad for Zuccarello. He has been a breath of fresh air. A huge part of the success here that led to a Stanley Cup Final appearance and a Conference Final with a serious injury almost ending his career, he’s been an inspirational team leader.

Whatever happens over the next three months, enjoy Zucc for what he’s continued to bring.

Posted in Column, NY Rangers | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Game #26: Awful in Ottawa

Posted on November 30, 2018 by Derek

To be perfectly honest, I skipped this one due to the special ESPN 30 For 30 on the final days of Bob Knight at Indiana. It had gotten good reviews and I wanted to see it. So, rather than watch a very predictable loss on the road, I made the right choice.

The Rangers were awful in Ottawa. They sadly were shutout by struggling veteran Craig Anderson (27 saves) in a 3-0 loss to the Senators. I knew going in what to expect. You don’t dress a defenseman like Brendan Smith as a forward due to being short a man. It makes no sense. I don’t know why coach David Quinn didn’t just do what I suggested. Work the extra D into the rotation and just double shift a good player when Steven Fogarty and Tim Gettinger get on the ice.

I also never understood why Quinn broke up his best line. Kevin Hayes, Chris Kreider and Filip Chytil have been rolling. Even when they aren’t scoring, the cohesive trio generate quality chances. You don’t change the one line that’s been going. Even if Mika Zibanejad doesn’t have ideal linemates, he’s proven that he can go against the top scoring lines head to head. Why not bump Jimmy Vesey to that line and keep Jesper Fast on it? Both he and Zibanejad just had good games on Monday. For Fast, it was two straight games with an assist. It’s ironic that he got screwed out of a goal due to a quick whistle.

Instead, Quinn made a rookie mistake with the lineup by trying to use Smith for two periods on a perplexing fourth line. He slid Fast down to the third line with cooling rookie Brett Howden and bumped Lias Andersson up. Vesey moved onto the Hayes line with Chytil while Kreider and Ryan Strome played with Zibanejad. It backfired. That line was awful. They were victimized by the Sens on two goals. Strome forgot to take the man in front on the first goal, and a lazy Zibanejad turnover led directly to Magnus Paajarvi going high blocker on Henrik Lundqvist for a 2-0 lead. Of course, I caught that part during a commercial break. Ugh.

I didn’t turn the game back on. I knew it was over. Even from the little I caught, I could tell they were getting outskated and out worked. Right as I said that came the Zibanejad failure to clear the zone followed by Paajarvi’s goal. Marc Staal couldn’t take the pass away getting caught leaning. Lundqvist should’ve had the shot. It was bad all around.

As for Matt Duchene scoring a gimme on a great sequence in the third for the third Ottawa goal, it was awful by the Rangers. They looked dizzy getting turned around with Tony DeAngelo nowhere near Duchene. It was a tough night for him. He was on for all three Senators goals. The funny thing is Quinn didn’t staple him to the bench. That dubious honor went to Kevin Shattenkirk, who never took a shift in the third period. Why him? Quinn said that will remain between them twice in the post game. Oh boy.

I have no idea why. Maybe he just felt like letting Smith take regular minutes in the D rotation. Fredrik Claesson played regularly in his return to Ottawa. From looking at the score sheet, it looked like he had a active game. But when Staal is tied for the team lead with three shots, it doesn’t say much for the offense.

The Rangers may have been credited with 27 shots on goal. But it sounds like it was an easy shutout for Anderson, who still has a GAA around 3.50 while raising his save percentage to .902. Quinn didn’t sound too impressed with his team. Neither did Staal or Lundqvist, who emphasized doing the little things better away from MSG.

They have a road problem. The loss was their second straight on the road by a shutout. Calvin Pickard did it to them last Friday. You know. The former Flyer who was claimed on waivers by the desperate Coyotes due to another one of my awful goalies getting hurt. I’m referring to Antti Raanta. Between him and Roberto Luongo, I think I should make goaltending optional.

The Rangers are a abysmal 3-7-2 on the road. They stink away from MSG. Of course, that means they’re much more successful at home boasting a 10-4-0 mark. Not too surprising considering the youth. It’s good that they win at home. But they must learn how to win on the road. Next up is the House of Horrors. Montreal on Saturday.

Sunday is the special home game honoring Vic Hadfield. The original Number 11 goes up to the rafters in a special ceremony, joining GAG (Goal A Game) linemates Rod Gilbert and Jean Ratelle. Doors open at 4:30. The game starts after 6 against Winnipeg.

Posted in NYRangers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Namestnikov and Zuccarello not on road trip

Posted on November 29, 2018 by Derek

When the Rangers visit the Senators tonight in Kanata, Ontario, they’ll be without two of their starting forwards in the top nine. Both Vladislav Namestnikov and Mats Zuccarello didn’t make the road trip that also includes a stop in Montreal this Saturday. 

Zuccarello will miss another game due to a groin strain that’s nagging him. So much for it not being serious. He’s played in two games since 11/6. He took part in games versus the Islanders and Flyers eight days apart. Both losses. The most recent was on Black Friday in a 4-0 shutout defeat in Philly. Ironically the only win they’ve posted lately. They fired GM Ron Hextall following an ugly loss to the Maple Leafs. Then, followed it up by blowing a two-goal lead in a bad 4-3 home loss to Ottawa on Tuesday. 

While the Flyers are in turmoil by also letting go of assistant GM Chris Pryor and assistant coach Gord Murphy, the Rangers will be shorthanded up front in the home-and-home rematch against the Senators. Unless they make a recall from Hartford, it looks like coach David Quinn will dress a lineup with 11 forwards and seven defensemen. 

Namestnikov was in concussion protocol due to a hit he took during the team’s 4-2 win at home on Monday. He is 2-7-9 in 24 games with a minus-six rating. While the numbers aren’t all that impressive, he’s brought more intangibles to the table since an early healthy scratch. He’s been more active on the forecheck and used his body physically. He has recorded 33 hits and 16 blocked shots. Quinn has used him on the penalty kill. Hopefully, the injury isn’t serious. 

Assuming Quinn goes with seven D, then everyone that’s active on the roster will play. That includes Fredrik Claesson, who got Monday night off following a rare poor game in a loss to the Capitals. 

It’ll be interesting to see how Quinn uses his D. He will have the luxury of rotating guys in and out for shifts. Kevin Shattenkirk has played mostly with Claesson. He has also seen time with Brendan Smith. Marc Staal has formed a good pair with Neal Pionk. They match up often against top lines. Pionk usually carries the load due to playing power play and penalty kill. 

Brady Skjei has improved since he missed two games. His skating has picked up along with his checking, which is what Quinn wants to see. He has played with both Tony DeAngelo and Smith. My guess is it’ll be a mixed bag depending on game situation. 

I would expect Henrik Lundqvist to start. He was superb on Monday with Ottawa coach Guy Boucher crediting him for making some good saves. Considering that they had two days off, Lundqvist should be ready to go. I wonder if Quinn plans to use him for the Canadiens on Saturday. The House of Horrors hasn’t treated him well. We’ll see. 

Even though they are still near the bottom of the conference with 23 points, the Sens continue to pile up goals due to Matt Duchene, Mark Stone, Thomas Chabot and impressive rookie Brady Tkachuk. As they proved on Tuesday night, they’re never out of a game. Tkachuk scored twice and Duchene notched a highlight reel game decider by batting in his own rebound with a unbelievable backhand out of mid-air. 

The Senators are a fun team to watch. They have some good young talent for the future. It’ll be interesting to see what happens with Stone and Duchene. Both can become unrestricted free agents next summer. I have to believe they’ll go all in on keeping Stone, who likes playing for them. Duchene will probably leave. 

Ottawa is shaky defensively and hasn’t gotten consistent netminding from veteran Craig Anderson. But they are 7-4-2 on home ice. The Blueshirts are only 3-6-2 on the road. 

Faceoff is shortly after 7:30 PM. 

Posted in Game Preview, NYRangers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Game #25: Andersson scores key goal as Blueshirts end skid at two with 4-2 win over Senators

Posted on November 27, 2018 by Derek

The most important part of tonight’s game was what the Rangers did before and during it to honor cancer survivors. They went out and won a hard fought game on Hockey Fights Cancer night. The Blueshirts ended their skid at two by defeating the Senators 4-2 at MSG.

In improving to 13-10-2, they had to like a few things that came out of the win.

  1. Lias Andersson scored his first goal of the season. A well deserved one on a hardworking shift.
  2. Marc Staal scored his first too. Always nice to see. He earned the Broadway Hat with another solid effort.
  3. Mika Zibanejad ended his goal drought at seven. It had been a while since the team’s leading scorer got one. After having some bad luck with the goalposts, he had an easier time stealing a puck and putting it into an empty net for his first goal since 11/10 at Columbus. He had a goal and assist in the victory.
  4. Henrik Lundqvist had a superb night making 29 saves including some clutch ones in crunch time to pickup his ninth win. It was a better ending than the crazy first that saw a shot hit his mask and then wait helplessly until a official noticed his mask was off with an Ottawa shot thankfully deflected before going into a net as play was whistled dead.
  5. Chris Kreider got his team-leading 13th that proved to be the game-winner on a nice cross ice feed from emerging rookie Filip Chytil. Kreider is tied with Zibanejad for the team lead in points with 21. He continues to lead by example on and off the ice, looking very much like the future captain.
  6. Tim Gettinger had a second straight active game playing on the fourth line with Andersson and Steven Fogarty. His size is a good fit on that line. He added five more hits in eight shifts (7:30), giving him 10 in his first two games.
  7. Brady Skjei had a strong game overall. In 25 shifts (19:00), he skated well recording three shots, two hits, a takeaway and blocked shot while finishing plus-one.
  8. Jesper Fast had an assist, giving him points in two consecutive games. Although he remains stuck on that one goal way back on Opening Night, he continues to work hard. It’s nice to see him get rewarded.
  9. How about that move by Ryan Strome skating to the middle for a dangerous shot that banked off Andersson in front for the go-ahead goal that made it 3-2? That takes skill. Strome has it and looks like a steal for Ryan Spooner. A good trade by Jeff Gorton.
  10. Vladislav Namestnikov showed toughness throughout absorbing a couple of tough hits, including one from Ottawa defenseman Thomas Chabot late that led to Zibanejad’s goal. David Quinn said he was talking afterwards. Vladdy doesn’t get enough credit for what he brings. You have fools like Boomer Esiason talking trash during games about players he doesn’t like, which is unprofessional for a former star athlete turned morning radio host on WFAN. This is the same clown who took a shot at Pavel Buchnevich for his off-season and Tony DeAngelo last season. Stick to football!

https://twitter.com/Kovy274Hart/status/1067251191892062209?s=19

I have never been a fan of Boomer ever since he gave us the cold shoulder entering the old side entrance of MSG for his old show. He’s a fraud. I wish more people had the guts to call him on it. Just because you have a show in the city doesn’t give you the right to be so ignorant. He’s supposed to be a Ranger fan. Root for the team and support everyone.

I would add more on the game, but I’m not feeling well. I’ll just say it was entertaining. Mark Stone is very good, but gets no recognition. He scored both Ottawa goals.

Brady Tkachuk had two assists and was a pest. Still think Ottawa made a mistake there? He will be a dominant power forward in no time. In 13 games, Tkachuk is 7-6-13 with 17 penalty minutes and 37 shots and a 18.9 shooting percentage. I would’ve packaged all three of our first round picks to take Tkachuk at number four.

One last note. The Blueshirts got David Quinn’s message, attempting 62 shots with Ottawa blocking 21. That’s more like it!

Posted in NYRangers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Game #23: Florida meltdown – Panthers 4, Devils 3 (OT)

Posted on November 26, 2018 by hasan4978

Now these losses are starting to run together, figuratively and literally.  Back-to-back days in the sunshine state, back-to-back brutal losses, which granted even in our good years is par for the course with this team.  This latest loss was particularly diasteriffic though, playing a struggling Panther team without goalie Roberto Luongo, who also recently lost talented pivot Vincent Trocheck to a long-term injury.  If yesterday was a typical Cory 2018 special, today illustrated all the other reasons this team is going to crash and burn out of the playoffs for the sixth time in seven seasons, a severe step back for this organization.

Yeah I know we’re still late in November, I know the East is mediocre yadda yadda yadda but when you as a team blow five two-goal leads in twenty-three games, when you blow countless late third-period leads or ties and can’t buy a win in the 3-on-3 OT then you just don’t have what it takes to hang with the better teams in the conference – or really with any team at the moment.  What game is an easy win for this team right now?  They couldn’t beat an Ottawa team in disarray after Ubergate, they can’t beat a mediocre Panthers team that lost three in a row since the Trocheck injury, playing their backup goalie, they’ve lost to a supposedly hideous Wings team twice and probably saved Jeff Blashill’s job for the time being.  Things aren’t getting any easier this weekend when we have the Capitals (road), Jets and Lightning all in a four-day span which are three more likely losses to add to the pile of suck that’s building.

As far as tonight goes, while I didn’t watch the first period, the real action started with the second period anyway when Miles Wood (tipping a Sami Vatanen shot home) and Blake Coleman (with his usual short-handed brilliance) scored to give the Devils a 2-0 lead.  Would this finally be a time the Devils could put a two-goal lead in the bank?  Eh no…Coleman’s shorthanded goal only provided a temporary band-aid which flew off after Travis Zajac took a second penalty giving Florida an extended 5-on-3.  Unlike us, they actually know how to convert a 5-on-3 goal, and did just that with mere seconds remaining on the first penalty to add insult to injury.  A Jared McCann goal minutes later completed our latest multi-goal lead meltdown, which also seems to be par for the course for our trips to Sunrise.  Maybe Adam Henrique’s double-OT goal in the playoffs used up all our good juju there for a generation, we haven’t even won a game there in the last few years since.

Of course it looked like we may actually break that spell in the third period when Jesper Bratt scored off another tip of a Vatanen shot, but there’s nothing quite as scary as the Devils in a tight third-period game – and once again our glass jaw showed itself with an assist from John Hynes’ idiotic lineup decisions, specifically scratching Mirco Mueller again in favor of Egor Yakovlev.  It was Yakovlev who not only played the tying goal badly when Johnathan Huberdeau scored 6-on-5 but then compounded it with another screwup, allowing a breakaway that nearly lost it for us in regulation.  Are we really jumping the shark looking for puckmoving from every member of the defense at the expense of actually, you know playing defense?  Not that Mueller’s great but he’s certainly a better option than Yakovlev at this point in the area where it matters most for a defenseman.  Are we a developmental team or a team trying to win?  Do we even have a system?

It sure doesn’t seem like we have a system for the 3-on-3 OT which is always a harbinger of doom for this year’s team.  For good measure, we actually lost tonight’s game twice, first when an apparent goal went past Keith Kinkaid but it turned out was only like the seventeenth post shot he was saved by in the last two weeks (including that end-of-regulation breakaway).  Clearly the magic chipotles are doing their trick.  But even the magic chipotles were no match for this team’s defensive inepititude and a subtle pick play on Bratt that Hynes bitterly complained about in the postgame.  For his part, Zajac took the responsibility for not stopping the pass on that decisive goal but really that was just the end of a lot of disasters.

One thing I’m starting to wonder is if we have a living, breathing GM right now?  It would be nice to hear from Ray Shero at some point – granted I don’t expect a state of the union off every losing streak but we’re past a quarter of the season.  It would be nice to if not hear the GM, at least see some evidence from him that this kind of braindead hockey won’t be tolerated around here forever.  I might be among the masses calling for Hynes’ dismissal if I had a viable alternative at the moment.  If you look to the outside obviously the pipedream is Joel Quenneville, but that’s all it is – a pipedream.  He’d have his pick of better jobs where he’ll likely get more say in personnel than he would here.  Do we really want Disco Dan: The Sequel after Dan Bylsma arguably cost Shero his job in Pittsburgh and flamed out in Buffalo too?

Just promote an assistant is the common answer you might hear, but what assistant are we promoting?  Rick Kowalsky and Mike Grier are literally in their first season as assistant coaches in the NHL, that’s not ideal for an in-season takeover.  Defensive ‘coach’ Alain Nasreddine is the only guy with experience on the staff but since the D’s been a huge part of the problem I’d rather stick with the Devil I know over the one I don’t.  Promoting the AHL coach is another in-season option that usually gets bantied about but our coach in Binghamton is Mark Dennehy, who’s in his first season at his current level of hockey.  Clearly the staff wasn’t exactly put together with a mind we would need a coaching change this year, especially after Hynes did a good job last year but something’s clearly missing now or a lot of somethings.

I do still like Hynes regardless, but something’s gotta change around here and soon unless Shero and ownership are content to let the season go completely off the rails by New Year’s.

Posted in Devils | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Game #22: Tampa trouble – Lightning 5, Devils 2

Posted on November 25, 2018 by hasan4978

Much like a kid who’s scared of the dark, I was actively avoiding tonight’s ‘contest’ in Tampa.  Especially after hearing the hopeless Cory Schneider was starting tonight’s game, and for good measure coach John Hynes scratched Mirco Mueller for Egor Yakovlev, restoring the struggling Andy Greene to top-pairing duty in the process.  Why would I bother watching this horror show?  I already knew what was going to happen.  Counting the playoffs and the bloodletting last month, we’d lost four straight times in Tampa by a combined score of 21-9 since April.  Struggling team, struggling goalie against a Cup contender (even if they were playing with their backup goalie too) was a recipe for disaster.

Just seeing the reports and scores during the first period tonight was cringeworthy enough.  This game managed to meet my below-average expectations and turned into yet another romp by the guys in white and blue.  Arguably it was even worse than the 5-2 score suggested, but after Tampa got up 4-1 inside the first twenty minutes and 5-1 during the second period the Lightning hardly needed to do anything but turn on cruise control from that point forward.  I hardly expected a team that’s come up small against Tampa and in general away from Prudential Center this season (now 2-9 on the road) to suddenly come up big tonight.

A big part of the reason I refused to watch is Cory himself, and not because of anger although I’m sure some fans are angry that he played well when it cost us draft position and now is a shell of himself when the team’s a playoff contender.  It’s just become pitiful at this point to watch him, and sad – however you feel about Cory, it’s just sad to watch a career go down the drain.  I don’t even want to cite the regular season record.  Even if you include the playoff win it’s bad enough, but being 0-for almost twenty games on a team over .500 otherwise is astounding.  It’s always tough replacing a legend and Cory unfortunately is another statistic in that hypothesis. 

It’s doubtful whether Cory’s even an NHL goalie at this point.  Considering there’s another three years left on his contract after this year, it’s not a problem that’s easily rectifiable.  He needs to play but he needs to play in a no-pressure environment.  Sadly waiving him and having him play in the AHL might be the only way left to get his game into gear, but even counting on that is dicey considering the first time something goes wrong at the NHL level all that progress gets thrown out.  God forbid we ever played Cory at home, the boobirds would really come out of the woodwork.  It will probably take a change of scenery for Cory at this point, but considering his contract that also isn’t an easy fix.

Not that our expensive backup goalie is the only issue with this team right now (you need only look at Friday’s disaster against the Isles for proof of that), but having a backup that wins zero games isn’t going to help.  For goodness sakes even looking at these highlights annoy me, we were outshooting the Lightning at every point while falling behind 5-1, not that shots on goal is everything but still.  It’s gotta be demoralizing for both player and team alike that always, always something seems to go wrong. 

I just have no interest in talking about it anymore, or this lousy team.  Tomorrow’s game in Florida is basically a must-win.  You have to beat a Panthers team that’s also struggling with key players Roberto Luongo and Vincent Trocheck both hurt, otherwise this could turn into a long losing streak in a hurry with the Caps, Jets and Lightning (this time at home) in a three-game in four day stretch.  Whoopee.

Posted in Devils | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Game #24: Bad finish to good game for Rangers in 5-3 loss to better Capitals

Posted on November 25, 2018 by Derek

Sometimes, you run into the wrong opponent. Saturday’s home matinee was a clear case of that with the younger Rangers giving the defending champs a good game, but like the first meeting, they lost to the better team. The Capitals defeated the Rangers 5-3 at a less than capacity MSG. James Dolan is paying for the ridiculous tier pricing that’s way too expensive for most fans, who want to go see hockey at the Garden.

As for the entertainment, it was a much better game than the crap fest we got in Philly where they were beaten to a pulp by Gritty literally speaking. To be clear, the team that took the ice 24 hours later was much better. They skated and competed hard in the second of a back-to-back against a quality foe. However, it was clearly a case of the more experienced and talented Caps doing enough to get the win.

As well as they played in taking a 1-0 lead to the locker room after one period of play on a wonderfully constructed three way play started by Kevin Hayes with Jesper Fast feeding Jimmy Vesey for a beauty, the Rangers forgot to play the second with the same passion. When coach David Quinn says afterwards, that they didn’t skate and didn’t hit in an “alarming” second period, he isn’t kidding.

Even following Brady Skjei’s first goal since an exciting home win over Colorado in overtime, the Caps began to take over. They didn’t need Evgeny Kuznetsov or T.J. Oshie. They still had better supporting pieces in Jakub Vrana and Brett Connolly, who I warned about in the game preview. Both played big roles in the Capitals coming from behind to prevail. They also had that Alexander Ovechkin guy and one of the game’s premier blueliners in John Carlson. They factored in as did Tom Wilson.

Blowing a two-goal lead happens a lot in hockey. These days, not even three or four goals are enough sometimes now that scoring is way up. The first problem was the Caps came right back following Skjei’s goal from Brendan Smith and Hayes, who had another terrific game. I wish I could say the same for Mika Zibanejad. He had plenty of company. Both Fredrik Claesson and Kevin Shattenkirk struggled mightily. Even the new third line that produced one goal had a tough day in their end, victimized on three Washington goals.

It would be easy to criticize the players for not stepping on the throat of a very capable team. But this was a rare moment where four skaters wearing Rangers colors were 20-years old or younger. Brett Howden, Lias Andersson, Filip Chytil and Tim Gettinger are the answer to a future trivia question. That doesn’t even include 22-year old rookie backup goalie Alexandar Georgiev, or 23-year old rookie defenseman Neal Pionk.

The vast majority of the team is young. Don’t forget that Pavel Buchnevich is only 23 and Skjei is 24. Even Hayes and Vesey are 25. Steven Fogarty is a 25-year old rookie getting a chance due to injuries on the fourth line. If you totaled up the amount of rookies in Saturday’s game, the Rangers had seven. That’s pretty hard to imagine. It’s never happened like this before. More and more teams are going younger to build for the future. We have to remind ourselves that it’s not about this year. But rather, what is ahead.

I can’t lie. When Carlson perfectly set up Connolly for what proved to be the game-winner with 6:24 remaining in regulation, it was frustrating. Up till that point, the Blueshirts had played a pretty good period. They showed some resolve after a dismal second that saw the Caps score three straight goals in a 9:20 span to rally from 2-0 down to a 3-2 lead. They didn’t hang their heads. Instead, a terrific shift by Vesey, Howden and Strome resulted in the former Islanders’ fifth overall pick getting his first as a Ranger to tie the game.

But a long shift for veterans Smith and Marc Staal in which they got caught out resulted in a smooth Caps transition from Vrana to Carlson across to a wide open Connolly for the dagger. It was that quick. A great skill play by Carlson, who is tremendous. He destroyed us with three primary assists and a plus-four rating. Imagine what it would be like to have a dynamic first pair defenseman with his talent. Right now, Pionk has become that guy for us with a primary assist on Strome’s wraparound goal giving him 15 points to pace all Rangers defensemen. He’s still learning on the job.

Pionk took a tough tumble in the corner on a Ovechkin hit from behind that led directly to the Great Eight tipping in a Carlson shot pass for a 3-2 Washington lead. A play that Zibanejad sleep walked on along with the other three skaters with Pionk recovering late due to the hit. The other four skaters didn’t do the job. Whether or not it was a penalty on Ovechkin doesn’t matter. That was the refs’ discretion. On a emotional day with former ref Mick McGeough passing away at age 62 due to a stroke, it wasn’t the officials who were to blame for the loss.

Sending my thoughts and prayers to his family. He sounded like a great guy. Most officials are. I know one. He’s my hero better known as my Dad. :).

The Ovechkin goal was similar to Nic Dowd’s that answered Skjei’s tally. On that one, Claesson lost Dowd in coverage for one of those uncovered freebies on a tip in from Carlson. It was like that Isles’ nightmare in Brooklyn. They left the front of the net wide open on both the Dowd and Ovechkin tallies. The tying goal from Vrana was just a world class play by an extremely skilled forward. He blew past a flat footed Howden and then went backhand top on Georgiev. A Vesey back pass started it. That can’t happen up a goal. Especially in a period you haven’t been good in.

I think the most frustrating aspect is the game was there for the taking. Once Strome tied it, anything was possible. The Caps finished with two fewer shots on goal. However, they attempted more shots. Forty-seven for the home team isn’t enough. Washington out-attempted them 54-47. They outskilled them. That’ll happen over the course of the season.

I can deal with this loss a lot better due to the response in the third. But you can’t give away periods. Something Quinn touched on in the postgame. Especially against the champs. That won’t cut it.

Hayes nearly had Chytil for the tying goal, but he missed wide. It was all set up for him. Chytil shows so much promise for a 19-year old first-year player. He’s getting more confident with the puck, trying different things. There was one instance where he had time and space, but didn’t shoot the puck. He should have. Hayes did the same thing once. But he also made a nice pass down low for a Kreider redirect try that Pheonix Copley swallowed. It was a good read, but a better save by Copley.

Wilson salted it away with a empty netter from distance. He continues to pile up points since returning earlier than expected after his 20-game suspension was reduced to 14. He served 16 games. He should’ve had to wait.

Some More Takeaways:

I disagree with Quinn continuing to use Fast with Zibanejad and Vladislav Namestnikov. It’s not that Fast doesn’t give them the yeoman effort. He sure does. That pass for Vesey’s eighth was a beauty. He finishes checks and is solid defensively. A very good penalty killer too. But for as much grit as he brings to the lineup, he can’t be in the top six. I would prefer Strome get a look. He has more skill and is solid along the boards. It probably won’t matter. They rested Mats Zuccarello due to the back-to-back with a third game over four days Monday against Ottawa. They finish November with a home-and-home series against the Senators Monday and Thursday.

I would like to see Lias Andersson get more of a look now that he’s gonna be here most of the season. He played his tenth game, meaning the first year of his entry level contract will be completed. I’m not making a big deal out of that like some hypocrites, who complain even when the organization is committed to the prospects. They don’t have to keep Andersson up for every game. If he needs to go back down, I’m good with that. They wheeled Gettinger back down following his NHL debut, which wasn’t bad for the seven minutes he played. He had five hits and nearly had his first NHL point when he took a good Andersson feed and just missed connecting down low with Skjei on the doorstep.

Skjei btw was much better throughout, playing the kind of active game he needs to to become the man. I really liked what I saw. While I didn’t get the Tony DeAngelo benching, I understood why Quinn got Smith back in. He had a decent game as did Staal, who had some good old clean physical takeouts to deny Ovechkin. He doesn’t get any credit for how honest a game he plays. Nobody gives a better defensive effort. For all the gripes about his speed due to the contract Glen Sather gave him, they quickly forget what kind of defenseman Staal was before the injuries. Remember this goal? I sure do. I was there downstairs when it happened!

Staal is still a valuable player to this group, who leads by example. He’s overcome a lot and fits Quinn’s system a lot better than the one Alain Vigneault employed. Speaking of AV, I think he could be getting a phone call pretty soon from the St. Louis Blues following the ridiculous five goal game Patrik Laine had in a Winnipeg 8-4 humiliation of the Blues. I can’t imagine Craig Berube is gonna last much longer as the interim coach.

https://media.nhl.com/games/2018020354

It wasn’t all bad yesterday. The team needs to learn from these type of games. You can learn a lot more from tough defeats than wins you squeak out.

Three Rangers Stars:

3rd 🌟 Neal Pionk assist, 6 hits including nice take out on Ovechkin, 2 blocked shots, Even Rating in 29 shifts (23:03)

2nd 🌟 Brady Skjei goal (2nd of season), 3 hits, +2 in 26 shifts (19:57)

1st 🌟 Kevin Hayes 2 assists, 6-and-5 on draws, +1 in 24 shifts (20:03)

Posted in NYRangers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Rangers look to rebound versus Capitals

Posted on November 24, 2018 by Derek

Game Preview: Capitals vs Rangers, MSG 2 PM

The Rangers look for a quick turnaround thus afternoon when they host the Capitals at MSG. The game begins at 2 PM on MSG and NHL Network for those without blackout restrictions.

They were shutout 4-0 by the Flyers yesterday afternoon. Calvin Pickard stopped all 31 shots as Philadelphia took it to a lethargic Blueshirts, who never were in sync on Black Friday. They were a step slow and made more puck decisions that forced Henrik Lundqvist (42 saves) to come up with big stops on odd-man rushes. He kept them in the game as long as possible until Sean Couturier scored the key insurance marker to put it away.

Coach David Quinn refered to the game as a stinker. Like he said, you’re going to have your stinkers. This was one to forget. In losing, they dropped to 12-9-2 in 23 games. With both the Blue Jackets and Caps winning last night, they’re third in the Metro Division with 26 points. Columbus leads it with 28 while Washington is second with 27 following a third consecutive win. In fact, seven total points separates the entire division. All eight teams are NHL .500.

Since Tom Wilson returned, the Caps have been playing better. He is becoming a good scorer while being the complement on Alexander Ovechkin’s line. So far, the controversial winger has eight points (3-5-8) in six games with seven penalty minutes. Even minus top center Evgeny Kuznetsov and T.J. Oshie, the Caps are a better team with Wilson in the lineup. He brings that missing edge.

Nicklas Backstrom must still be accounted for. He scored an overtime winner in a recent win over Colorado on a four-on-three power play. Trailing only Ovechkin in points with 25, the playmaking pivot is having another good season. His 19 assists lead the team. Ovechkin paces them in goals (16), power play goals (7) and points (26).

John Carlson is over a point-per-game with 22 points (5-17-22) in 21 contests. Always dangerous, the New Jersey native can do damage from the point at even strength and the power play. He has a superb shot and can switch spots with Ovechkin on the man-advantage. But most of the time, beware of Ovechkin in his office. Time and space must be taken away. He and Lundqvist have a unique rivalry that’s lasted since both entered the league as rookies in ’05-06. It’s always fun to watch them.

However, that’s on the back burner with Quinn going back to rookie backup Alexandar Georgiev in the back-to-back today. Hopefully, he’s up to the difficult challenge. He recorded his first career shutout in a win over the Islanders on Wednesday with 29 saves.

Rookie Tim Gettinger makes his NHL debut today for the Blueshirts. He was recalled from Hartford last night. In 20 games with the Wolf Pack, he has seven goals and four assists. It’s the first pro season for the 20-year old from Cleveland. A former fifth round pick taken number 141 in 2016, thus is a big day for him. A huge deal too because they think he can contribute on the fourth line in place of Mats Zuccarello, who is getting the day off following his return yesterday. You wonder how healthy he is. This will be the seventh game he’s missed in nine.

Even though they’re without two of their best players in Kuznetsov and Oshie, Washington has been getting contributions throughout their lineup from secondary scorers Lars Eller, Devante Smith-Pelly and Dmitry Orlov. They aren’t as deep obviously, but are finding ways to win lately. In spite of inconsistent goaltending from starter Braden Holtby and backup Pheonix Copley, they’re 12-7-3 with a goal differential of plus-five. The Rangers have a goal differential of minus-one.

Keep an eye on Jakub Vrana. A slippery player, he’s capable of contributing. He and Brett Connolly are key depth scorers on the Caps. Michael Kempny can also step up from the blueline.

On paper, this is a winnable game. Even with the Caps playing better, they’re thin minus Kuznetsov and Oshie. Contain the top line and keep them off the power play, and you have a good chance of winning. It’s easier said than done against the ever dangerous Ovechkin with Backstrom and Wilson along with rover Carlson.

The Rangers need a much better effort. Better puck management for starters. There were way too many turnovers that fueled a relentless Flyers attack. A sustained forecheck that keeps Washington on the defensive. That’s the best way to limit their star talent. Playing them five-on-five helps too as long as they don’t get pinned in.

I’ll be interested to see how they respond. Mika Zibanejad has not been as effective since Pavel Buchnevich went down. He lost Chris Kreider to the Kevin Hayes unit which right now is the team’s most effective. Filip Chytil gives them a dynamic trio that can all skate, make plays and create chances. Zibanejad is left with interchangeable parts Jesper Fast and Vladislav Namestnikov, who’s been an effective player.

Does Quinn adjust anything on the Zibanejad or Brett Howden line? The fourth line is likely to be Lias Andersson, Steven Fogarty and Gettinger. I guess that depends on who’s going well between Jimmy Vesey, Ryan Strome, Fast and Namestnikov. I wouldn’t mind seeing what Strome can do with Zibanejad, shifting Fast back to Howden and Vesey. That would give Zibanejad better skill typed in Namestnikov and Strome.

As for the D, I’m not sure that gets changed off one bad game. I guess it depends on Quinn.

Faceoff is in an hour.

Posted in Game Preview, NYRangers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment