Game #21 – Black Friday: Islanders 4, Devils 3 (OT)

Posted on November 23, 2018 by hasan4978

Sometimes it’s hard to title a recap and it only adds one more pratfall to writer’s block, that’s why I hadn’t been doing it this year.  Days like today, the title writes itself though.  Of course while most of the country was running all over each other for post-Thanksgiving discounts (maybe I’ll try to Wikipedia when Black Friday first became a thing out of curiosity), today’s retail nickname took on another meaning for the Devils and their fans after a predictable yet gutting loss to the rival Islanders in an unusual weekday afternoon game.  My only salvation was that the timing was too tight for me to consider going from work and foregoing leftover turkey dinner.  I wasn’t really looking forward to seeing the Islanders kick us in the teeth yet again.

I couldn’t even bring myself to watch – usually I don’t like to watch home games I can’t go to anyway – so it was back to the radio again for this game.  From the way it sounded I would have been better off not even bothering to listen on the radio for the first period and a half.  With the Isles coming off two blowout losses you knew they would come out ready to play, but once again our own effort level was…inconsistent at best.  Really the Devils were lucky to only be down 1-0 halfway through the game, especially when the Islanders scored again in the second period but for once a goal review went our way when the play was judged to have been offside, overturning the on-ice goal call. 

Despite catching that break, you could tell right away this wasn’t going to be our afternoon when the Devils’ powerless play botched a whole minute and fifty-one seconds with a two-man advantage.  Over the last few weeks the power play in general has been useless (when the refs have actually deigned to give us power plays) and this one actually turned momentum the wrong way when Jordan Eberle took advantage of a Sami Vatanen turnover and scored a couple minutes after our failure with the two-man advantage.  Ironically the goal review that went our way proved to be the spark to turn momentum back the other way and Taylor Hall put home his own rebound from just outside the crease to tie the game midway through the second period.

Yet even after getting that spark from the reigning MVP, it didn’t stick since less than three minutes later the Isles got their lead back, after Anders Lee outfoxed Travis Zajac to get position in front of the net for one of his typical dirty goals.  Even that wasn’t as annoying as what was to come later on, though.  At least the team finally found its compete level from the middle of the game on, and once again the Devils tied the game early in the third, this time through Brian Boyle who (like Vatanen) returned to the lineup this afternoon.  Boyle’s goal was a nice redirection in front, and since this was our home Hockey Fights Cancer game, of course Boyle had to score again.  You would think something like that might spark the Devils to the finish.

Last year it would have, not so much this year.  There’s nothing quite as scary as the Devils trying to hold a third period lead or tie.  In fact this year the team’s 0-4-3 when tied up in the third period with under ten minutes left.  That’s just frightening incompetence, crystalized by how the Devils blew this tie in the third when we somehow made the immortal Nick Leddy look like Scott Niedermayer circa the 1995 SCF on a coast-to-coast rush past our forwards and right between hapless defensemen Andy Greene and Damon Severson.  It’s one thing when guys like Egor Yakovlev are the ones making critical mistakes but when it’s vets like Greene, Vatanen, Zajac and Kyle Palmieri that’s just indiciative of larger problems.  Palmieri?  I’ll get to him in a minute.

As if blowing yet another game to the Isles wouldn’t have been bad enough we got teased with a dramatic finish to a regulation that for a brief moment made me think maybe we do have some of last year’s mojo back, or rather a MoJo we haven’t seen much of yet as a Devil.  Indeed it was a suddenly revived Marcus Johansson who tied the game after taking a shanked shot from Hall, and putting home his own rebound past Thomas Greiss with just ten seconds remaining.  You would have thought that would have sparked the Devils over the finish line.  Of course that would have entailed actually playing well in the 3-on-3 OT, which this team has not done this season (among their many ills so far).  Maybe it’s missing John Moore that’s been the difference.  I wish I was kidding but Moore did excel in the 3-on-3.

This year?  We’ve been outshot 14-4 in the 3-on-3 and lost our third straight OT game when it was the guy who is arguably the team MVP this season (Palmieri) that turned the puck over, giving Matt Barzal a full head of steam to turbo-boost his way past Severson and to the net for a breakaway OT winner past poor Keith Kinkaid, who really deserved a better fate this afternoon.  Sure Kinkaid did get the team a point yippidee doo dah, we still went -1 for the afternoon against one of the 53432 teams we’re going to have to pass to make the playoffs this season.  Some loser points truly feel like loser points, this was one of them.  As usual things don’t get any easier this weekend with a trip to Florida which is generally a barrel of laughs – if you’re a masochist.

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Game #23: Flyers cool off sloppy Rangers in 4-0 shutout

Posted on November 23, 2018 by Derek

Sometimes, you can just tell when your team doesn’t have it. That was evident early in a disappointing Rangers’ 4-0 shutout loss to the Flyers at Wells Fargo Center this afternoon. The Thanksgiving Showdown was a dud for David Quinn’s club, who were completely out of sync on Black Friday.

It was one of those games. How bad was it? The Flyers played a straight forward game and made Travis Konecny’s first period goal that banked in off Brady Skjei stand up. They outshot the Rangers 15-8 and out-attempted them 28-10 in a lopsided first period.

The amazing thing is how long Henrik Lundqvist kept his team in it. That’s how well the Flyers played. To quote my brother following the dismal first, “It looked like they were skating in quicksand.”

There are going to be days like this. Credit the Flyers for showing urgency with their coach Dave Hakstol getting too much blame. They easily could’ve had four or five goals in the first two periods. But a very sharp Lundqvist wouldn’t allow it. It wasn’t until the bitter end when the Flyers got three goals within a 3:44 span to put a stamp on a convincing win. They deserved it.

Just listening to Quinn speak to NBC rover Pierre McGuire during the second, he was all over what was wrong. He emphasized how they weren’t making good decisions with the puck. They were sloppy throughout and turned too many pucks over. The Flyers had quite a few great chances on two-on-one’s they worked to create. But they butchered most by refusing to shoot. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have took a Sean Couturier finish off a great passing play from Konecny and Claude Giroux, to put the game away.

Konecny played a excellent game. With Mark Howe in the building as Doc Emrick referenced, the third-year forward had a Gordie Howe hat trick. He stood up for a teammate who took a late hit from Ryan Strome that went undetected. The scrap was entertaining at least with bow lightweights exchanging good punches. Strome may not have contributed any offense, but he was one of the more noticeable Rangers. I liked that he accepted Konecny’s challenge and was accountable for his actions.

The problem was they’re were too many passengers. Mika Zibanejad had a bad game. Even with Quinn mixing up his combos on the other three lines, nothing seemed to spark the center, who’s clearly struggling without Pavel Buchnevich. Sure. He’s still leading the team in assists and putting up points. But there’s been something missing. They need more goal production from Zibanejad, who remains stuck on seven.

I don’t think keeping Jesper Fast on that line is helping. Mats Zuccarello also got a chance in his return. The effort was there from Zuccarello, whose hustle back resulted in him blocking a Flyers shot to deny a odd-man rush. Unfortunately, he didn’t create much offense. He also had a silly pass for a turnover that allowed the Flyers to get an empty netter from Jordan Weal with 2:02 left.

One Ranger who was going was rookie Lias Andersson. He saw more shifts in crunch time, and nearly tied it. Some great hustle from Jimmy Vesey kept the puck in. Steven Fogarty found Andersson alone in front. He was one-on-one with Calvin Pickard. But Pickard stayed with him by getting his pad across to deny Andersson in tight on a forehand deke, leaving him frustrated.

Frustrating is a good way to describe the game. To their credit, the Blueshirts played a better third. They finally created chances and tested Pickard. But he never had to face any rebounds. His defense did a nice job clearing the garbage.

The Rangers top line of Chris Kreider, Kevin Hayes and Filip Chytil were by far their best. However, they couldn’t get one by Pickard. Chytil was dangerous again with a nice rebound opportunity off a Kreider shot, which Pickard swallowed up. Chytil’s confidence is way up. He really has been visible and continues to make plays with the puck. There was one bad moment where he got out-muscled by James van Riemsdyk, forcing Lundqvist to make a pair of saves. But there’s a lot to like about Chytil’s game. So, his goal streak ended at five.

I thought Kevin Shattenkirk also had a good game. He was good defensively and jumped into the rush offensively to create chances. So too was Tony DeAngelo, who’s open right point shot hit the post. Unfortunately, the Flyers scored right after.

How bad was the shot discrepancy? The Flyers had 46 shots including Couturier’s second from Konecny and Giroux that made it 4-0 with 1:37 remaining. By then, I wasn’t paying attention. I was getting ready to leave to have another turkey dinner at my Mom’s.

The Flyers outshot the Rangers 46-31 and out-attempted them by a ridiculous 77-49 margin. They also dominated on face-offs going 37-and-26. They were the better team.

For the Rangers, who fell to 12-9-2, there’s no time for the weary. They visit the Capitals tomorrow afternoon at 2 PM. Considering how well Lundqvist played making 42 saves, does he get a second straight game? I’m inclined to think so.

We shall see. As far as today’s game, burn the DVD. Move on to Washington next.

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Black Friday: Rangers look to keep going minus McLeod at Flyers

Posted on November 23, 2018 by Derek

The new traditional Black Friday game on NBC is here again. It’s the Rangers and Flyers in the City of Brotherly Love this afternoon at 1 PM. Tied in points (26) with the first place Blue Jackets, the Rangers bring the league’s hottest record (9-1-1 in last 11 games) into play at Wells Fargo Center.

A Thanksgiving Showdown has the classic Patrick Division rivals in a role reversal so far this year. While the Blueshirts have surprised many with their play, it’s been a struggle for the Flyers, who are 0-3-1 over the last four and 9-10-2 overall with their 20 points putting them in last place. They’re tied with the Devils and Penguins in points, but by virtue of one more game played, sit eighth in the Metro Division.

For the Rangers, Henrik Lundqvist returns to the net following a rare game off with backup Alexandar Georgiev making 29 saves for his first career shutout in 5-0 win over the Islanders on Turkey Eve. So far this season, the 36-year old Lundqvist has performed well, bringing a 8-6-2 record into play with a 2.61 GAA and .919 save percentage in 17 games played.

Coach David Quinn hasn’t decided if Lundqvist will make both starts this weekend with another matinee in Washington tomorrow at 2 PM. Let’s see how today goes first.

In Wednesday’s victory, the team lost Cody McLeod to a fractured left hand sustained in a second period fight with Isles’ tough guy Ross Johnston. He was seen holding it as he left the rink. Ironically, the game in which he scored his first goal as a Ranger he got injured in. Bad luck. The team has fared well when he’s played. With McLeod in the lineup, their record is 11-5-0.

Without him, the lineup should look different. Quinn is hoping Mats Zuccarello can return from a groin strain so they don’t have to call up anyone from Hartford. Zuccarello has missed six of the last seven games due to the injury. For the season, he has three goals and seven assists for 10 points in 16 games.

If he can’t go, the likely candidates to come up are Cristoval “Boo” Nieves, Matt Beleskey, or Tim Gettinger. Ville Meskanen could be another option. It would depend on what the organization prefers. Beleskey could fill the same role as McLeod. He’s tough and physical. However, Nieves, Gettinger and Meskanen can skate, giving the fourth line more versatility.

Assuming Zuccarello is ready, Quinn could just slide Jesper Fast down to the fourth line. A move that makes sense given his offensive struggles. He’s better suited in a secondary role anyway. It’s my belief that having Fast with Lias Andersson would be a good combination because both are good skaters who can forecheck.

With Tony DeAngelo picking up a primary helper on McLeod’s goal, he should stay in the lineup on a defense that got Brady Skjei back after a two-game absence. Brendan Smith is likely the odd man out for now despite doing nothing wrong in his recent two games.

Here is a projected lineup with Zuccarello:

Namestnikov-Zibanejad-Zuccarello

Kreider-Hayes-Chytil

Vesey-Howden-Strome

Fogarty-Andersson-Fast

Staal-Pionk

Skjei-DeAngelo

Claesson-Shattenkirk

Lundqvist

Georgiev

A couple of other notes. Filip Chytil looks to extend his goal streak. The 19-year old teenager is currently at five, joining some exclusive company.

Ryan Strome picked up his first point as a Ranger when he tallied an assist on McLeod’s goal. He has been fine on the new third line with Brett Howden and Jimmy Vesey. What I like so far is his attention to detail. He came back hard defensively to break up a play against his former team that drafted him. Maybe the change of scenery will spark Strome.

Chris Kreider continues to play the best hockey of his career. His goal and assist on Wednesday gave him six goals and five assists in the last eight games. He currently leads the Rangers in goals (12), points (20) and power play goals (5).

With a goal that made it 4-0, Kevin Hayes is up to 14 points (5-9-14). While that may not seem like much, the two-way pivot has tallied nine points (2-7-9) over the past eight games. He’s a plus-eight over that span. If you stretch it back to Oct. 30, he is 3-8-11 in the past 11. That coincides with the team’s 9-1-1 run. It’s not a coincidence.

Neal Pionk scored a power play goal against the Isles. It was his second PPG and 11th power play point. His 11 PPP place him in a tie for third in the league. Eleven of his 14 points (4-10-14) have come on the man-advantage.

With a helper on Pionk’s goal, Vladislav Namestnikov has three points (1-2-3) over the past four games. He’s found his game since sitting out once. He’s got two goals with five helpers entering today’s match.

On the Flyers’ side, Calvin Pickard gets the start. Without starting goalie Brian Elliott, it’s been a real struggle. Before an injury sidelined him in a loss to the Devils on Nov. 15, Elliott had allowed two goals or less in his last seven appearances (six starts). Following a slow start by the team, the 33-year old veteran had performed well by posting a 6-7-0 record with a 2.59 GAA and .911 save percentage over 14 games.

Without backup Michal Neuvirth, Pickard is the third string goalie filling in. Despite a 4.13 GAA and .858 save percentage, he’s 3-1-2 in nine games (six starts). In a ugly 5-2 loss to Buffalo on Wednesday, he relieved an ineffective Alex Lyon (4 GA on 12 shots) finishing with eight saves. In his last start against Tampa Bay, he allowed six goals on 26 shots in a blowout loss.

Claude Giroux leads the Flyers in scoring with 25 points (9-16-25). A terrific player, he just surpassed 700 points for his career. The former 2006 Philadelphia first round pick taken 22nd overall, has 222 goals and 480 assists for 702 points in 759 games. Particularly dangerous in transition and at making plays for teammates, he plays on the top line with Sean Couturier and Travis Konecny.

Wayne Simmonds has scored in his last two games. Always a tough player to move away from the net, he’s given the Rangers fits. The defense will have to do a good job boxing out and lifting his stick. Here are the Flyers projected lines:

Giroux-Couturier-Konecny

Lindblom-Patrick-Voracek

van Riemsdyk-Weal-Simmonds

Weise-Laughton-Lehtera

Provorov-Hagg

Sanheim-Gudas

Pickard

Lyon

Gostisbehere-Frolin

A couple of quick notes. The Flyers are clearly underperforming. Jakub Voracek has 17 points (5-12-17) and is a minus-eight. Konecny only has five goals and six assists. Shayne Gostisbehere is a minus-13 with 11 points (3-8-11). Ivan Provorov has been a huge disappointment with only seven points (2-5-7) so far. No wonder my the current state of my fantasy hockey team sucks. Nolan Patrick has five goals and none have come on the power play.

These are all key performers who at any moment, can turn it around. Dale Weise usually shows up in these games against the team that drafted him. Former players always get up for these games.

The point is the Flyers shouldn’t be taken lightly. As poorly as they’ve played, they’re fully capable of getting hot. James van Riemsdyk recently returned. He has a goal and three assists in five games.

It’s advisable for the Rangers not to get in a track meet. They also must stay disciplined. The Flyers have one of the worst penalty kills. The key is to skate and attack their D. Draw penalties. Make them work. If they do that, they’ll win.

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Game #20 – Devils 5, Canadiens 2

Posted on November 22, 2018 by hasan4978

Through the season’s first quarter there’s been very little to be thankful for as a Devils fan, at least in terms of overall results.  A 4-0 start got buried with just four wins in their next fifteen games before last night’s pre-Thanksgiving showdown with the Habs.  Our bad start has been compounded by our New York-area rivals both having surprisingly good starts to their season.  Even Montreal, which was also supposed to be in full rebuild mode also came into the Prudential Center off to a hot start under former Devils coach Claude Julien.  For a non-division game there used to be something pretty special about a Devils-Habs game with HOF goalie Martin Brodeur’s hometown connection and how he usually rose to the occasion against his boyhood team throughout his career.  

With Marty back in the organzation now, perhaps the team channeled his spirit for one night, giving one of their most dominant performances of the season against Montreal and finally giving everyone – themselves and fans alike – a slight reprieve after a month of general angst.  Of course there won’t be much of a chance to savor the turkey today before the Devils have to take on a hungry Islanders team tomorrow afternoon, coming off of two blowout losses of their own.  That game will show whether last night was an outlier or hopefully the start of climbing out of a hole we’ve created through the last month plus.

Last night may well have been just one of those games where everything works.  Or almost everything anyway.  Kyle Palmieri’s masterful tip goal in the first period was followed almost immediately by an equalizer by Johnathan Drouin, who beat Keith Kinkaid with a knuckle-puck type shot shortside.  It’s never good when the PA announcer can’t even read off the scoring on the Devils goal before the opposition takes the air out of the building tying it up.  At least there would be a lot more highlights from the team in red to come, starting with a familiar combination giving the Devils back the lead late in the first when Taylor Hall spun around behind the net and found Nico Hischier on the doorstep for an easy goal.  Hischier’s return clearly made a difference last night and seemed to revitalize the first line.

Even up 2-1 after the first period didn’t put me at ease all that much.  With the way this season’s gone being up one feels like being tied since you know a late blown lead is likely.  Clearly the only solution is to get a lead big enough even this team can’t blow.  Which is exactly what happened last night.  First, Hall extended the lead in the second period off a nice tic-tac-toe passing play started by Marcus Johansson and Egor Yakovlev.  Then the mostly dormant second line continued its recent surge back to life with not one, but two Pavel Zacha goals.  After only recently getting off the schneid scoringwise Zacha suddenly has four goals following his two-goal outburst in the second period last night.  Even Johansson finally showed signs of life, while granted his two assists weren’t primary he could also have easily gotten assists on a couple of other plays.  For one of the few times as a Devil, he was noticeable in a good way.

Now up 5-1 late in the second period, this game was actually going to be a laugher for a change.  Last night’s near-sellout had fun in the stands sing-songing CAREY! for Carey Price in the Habs’ net.  Sure he wasn’t really at fault on the goal barrage but who cares?  Even with the Devils’ good home record it hasn’t been a lot of fun watching this team lately, might as well get our pre-holiday jollies in.  My only moment of consternation last night came in the third period, shortly after Max Domi’s fluke goal made the game 5-2, Yakovlev gave up another breakaway that could have made it 5-3 but again the posts intervened for Keith.  How much exactly is Keith bribing the posts with anyway?  It was only dissapointing that Joey Anderson left last night’s game early with an undisclosed lower body injury, playing with eleven forwards last night made it important to have an easy third period and keep the game put away.  Off ice, I was also slightly annoyed that the Devil oven mitts promo they were running wasn’t an actual giveaway but one you had to pay for in advance, not that I really wanted them for myself but it would have been nice to be able to give them away.

Part of me wishes I could be at the game tomorrow because it’ll be an electric atmosphere no doubt, likely a sellout since most of the world has the day off (not me, though I probably could have swung going from work to the game if I really wanted to).  And part of me is dreading getting thumped by the Isles again the way we usually are when they actually want to play.  We did manage to beat the clueless Doug Weight Isles a couple times down the stretch last year when they’d long since shut it off, but the new Barry Trotz Isles have been stellar for most of the season save the last two games, and they snuffed us out in a 3-0 shutout at Brooklyn during our road trip of doom.  Payback’s in order and it would be nice to not roll over to Lou’s team at home, it’s almost been a sick joke how they’ve managed to thrive this season without John Tavares much the way the pre-2004 lockout Devil teams would excel when we lost a key FA.

Of course it’d be nice just to get back over NHL .500 again, irrespective of the opponent.  We need wins no matter who they’re against, but getting one against a team we’re now likely competing with for a playoff spot would be doubly satisfying.

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Game #22: Rangers finally get best of Islanders in 5-0 shutout on Turkey Eve

Posted on November 22, 2018 by Derek

I was thinking about a good way to start this post. By now, you’re all home following the first Rangers win over the Islanders since Oct. 13, 2016. They snapped an eight-game losing streak by shutting out their blood rivals, 5-0 at a less than sold out MSG. They drew 17,297 on the night before Thanksgiving.

Alexandar Georgiev recorded his first career NHL shutout with 29 saves. Most were easy due to a total team effort. He got plenty of support with big nights from Chris Kreider (goal, assist), Neal Pionk (power play goal, assist), Kevin Shattenkirk (2 assists), Cody McLeod (goal, fight), Filip Chytil (5th consecutive game with a goal) and Kevin Hayes (goal).

In searching for a movie reference that reminded me of what had been a one-sided rivalry with the Isles entering winners of eight straight and 11 of 12, I chose this short clip from one of my favorite films, The Devil’s Advocate. I think you’ll see the cruel irony in what happened to the Islanders much like Keanu Reeves’ character Neil Lomax at the epic conclusion.

He screams at the top of his lungs like a maniac at Al Pacino’s evil sinister John Milton, “Lose? I don’t lose! I win! I win! I’m a lawyer! That’s my job! That’s what I do!”

That quote sticks out for me. In many aspects, it applied to the Isles in Wednesday’s game. They’re so used to winning against the Rangers that maybe they were due for a bad night. It was time. The Rangers brought them and Islanders fans back to reality by methodically beating them 5-0. Adding insult to injury, they did it with their backup goalie, who’s good.

I really believe coach David Quinn knew exactly what he was doing when he chose to start Georgiev over Henrik Lundqvist. The message was simple. Do whatever it takes to get a win over this damn team. It worked like a charm. They never allowed the Islanders to get a clean chance until the third period. By then, it was 4-0 and Georgiev was locked in. He made a few good saves to earn the shutout, and then got chest bumped by a pumped up Kreider as they entered the locker room.

Before I even put it on due to catching the end of a great game won by a point by Gonzaga over Duke in Maui, Chytil had already scored in his fifth consecutive game. He had a pass come back to him for an easy finish past Robin Lehner only 29 seconds in.

Having flipped to MSG-Plus which had the Isles telecast with Brendan Burke and Butch Goring, once McLeod scored his first as a Ranger on a nice tip in front of a Tong DeAngelo shot, I decided not to change the channel. Sure. I could’ve easily switched to the Rangers feed on MSG 3, but I figured since they already led 2-0, maybe I’d be better off sticking with the Isles feed. Why not? Nothing else seemed to work whenever they played. A little reverse psychology did the trick.

Of course, listening to the rival broadcast can be annoying. But I found Goring’s commentary amusing. At first, he talked about how the Rangers were getting the bounces. While that was especially true after a bogus phantom slash on Leo Komarov resulted in a loose puck coming to Pionk, he absolutely wired his fourth past Lehner from Vladislav Namestnikov and Mika Zibanejad. That made it 3-0 at 8:04.

The Islanders spent the rest of the period getting back in it with a good forecheck. However, none of their 11 shots were good enough to beat Georgiev, who got help from both his defense and forwards. They were committed throughout, which by the third drew praise from Goring. Funny how a strong work ethic and attention to detail can result in well earned victories that the Rangers are getting. Even the doubters are taking notice.

When they did create some opportunities, they either hit the crossbar or missed the net completely. It was almost as if the Isles had turkey and gravy before tomorrow. They couldn’t shoot straight. But when they did, most of the shots went right into the bread basket of Georgiev.

There were only 10 total shots in the second with five apiece. The Rangers blocked a few and the Isles missed the net. It was eerie. Almost as if it were meant for them to finally win and send fans home happy for the holidays. You couldn’t have drawn it up any better.

When Hayes turned a Shattenkirk feed into an easy backhand tuck off a nice deke for his fifth goal at 17:17, that made it 4-0. For all intents and purposes, the game was over.

Islander frustration had already begun to boil over when tough guy Ross Johnston kept trying to goad McLeod into a fight. When it was 2-0 in the first, their paths crossed in front of the net during a scrum. McLeod turned down his initial challenge due to the score. Why would he fight with the Rangers up early? But by the halfway mark in the second, a clean McLeod hit that caught Johnston drew his ire. He chased him around until McLeod finally obliged. After McLeod took some hard shots from an aggravated Johnston, the refs somehow didn’t give him an instigator. Not that I care. But it’s in the rule book.

As for McLeod, he was the worse for wear with his left hand banged up enough to exit the contest for repairs. It didn’t look good. He was grabbing the side of it in some pain as he skated off to the locker room. I have a feeling we won’t be seeing him for a while. It’s too bad because the team has played well when he’s in, feeding off his energy. I guess someone will be called up for Friday’s match at Philadelphia unless Mats Zuccarello (groin strain) can go. He’s missed six of the last seven games.

Even though the shots were higher in the third, the Isles were clearly frustrated. Mathew Barzal took a good hit and looked upset. That’s how the Rangers played. They were tough. It resulted in a nice win.

Kreider finished it off in style with what’s becoming his signature goal. He skates out of the defensive zone with blazing speed and then pulls the trigger from the left circle and snaps a perfect shot short side, top shelf. Oops. He did it again like the Britney Spears hit. Off a Zibanejad clear, he flew down and blew his team-leading 12th past Lehner. That’s the third consecutive time he’s scored from that spot on that shot. It’s remarkable to see Kreider blossom in front of our eyes.

All that was left was the shutout, which Georgiev earned with 13 saves in the final period. Even better, his parents saw it, making the game extra special. For his trouble, he was named the game’s first star and donned the fancy dancy Broadway Hat in the winners room. Plus got a fist bump from Lundqvist after Kreider’s emphatic chest bump.

It’s a happy locker room. It should be. They gave Rangers fans the best Thanksgiving present of all.

Three Rangers Stars

3rd 🌟 Cody McLeod goal (1st as a Ranger), plus a fight

2nd 🌟 Chris Kreider goal (team best 12th), assist

1st 🌟 Alexandar Georgiev 29 saves for first career shutout

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A funny gif that sums up a Happy Rangers Thanksgiving following 5-0 win over Islanders

Posted on November 21, 2018 by Derek

Following the Rangers’ long awaited 5-0 win over the Islanders on Turkey Eve to end the Isles’ dominance at eight, this was too good not to post. Especially given that the happy victory makes the Blueshirts 9-1-1 in their last 11 games. Here is a great gif reaction to what’s happening under David Quinn so far:

LMAO that is hilarious. When you think of what was expected entering this season, it’s been so impressive. What they’ve been able to do so far in upping their mark to 12-8-2 to stay in second place and tie the Blue Jackets in points with 26, has been terrific.

The first Rangers win over the Isles since the home opener at the start of the ’16-17 season was nice to see. That they got rookie Alexandar Georgiev his first career shutout put an exclamation point on the victory. What a great gift to give the fans, who’ll celebrate Thanksgiving tomorrow. It’ll be enjoyable knowing they finally conquered the kryptonite in methodical fashion.

Goals from Filip Chytil, Cody McLeod (yes!!!!!), Neal Pionk, Kevin Hayes and Chris Kreider made it a 5-0 win over the Isles. The first shutout by a Rangers goalie in five years against their crosstown rival.

There is plenty to be thankful for this time of year. Family, friends, a home, car, food and health. It’s great to see a good hockey team that plays hard and responds to Quinn. The polar opposite of what used to be here. He cares about his players and fully explains why he makes a lineup change, even if it’s not an easy or fair one like he had by sitting Brendan Smith for Tony DeAngelo tonight.

Everything he’s done has been positive. If you don’t agree, go root for another team. Quinn and these players are making a lot of people eat crow. I don’t mind.

Like I said in a recent Tweet, it’s nice to have a team back that’s easy to root for. When you see players chest bumping like Kreider did with Georgiev, and Mika Zibanejad carrying Kreider after his latest big performance, it’s a breath of fresh air. These guys genuinely like each other. They play together and aren’t listening to the outsiders. Cue the NWO theme!

This team is a joy to watch. I don’t know how long it’ll last. But in a perplexing division with parity, you never know. Let’s enjoy what these scrappy and happy bunch of 2018-19 New York Rangers have done. Pride has been restored.

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Trotz tabs Lehner to start for Islanders versus Rangers

Posted on November 21, 2018 by Derek

The Islanders look to extend their run of dominance over the bitter rival Rangers tonight at MSG. A Turkey Eve rematch between classic rivals takes place on Broadway. The Islanders took the first match up 7-5 at home in Brooklyn at Barclays Center last Thursday. They bring a franchise record eight-game winning streak versus the Rangers into play, having won 12 of the last 13 meetings.

Anthony Beauvillier’s hat trick and assist for his first career three goal and four point game highlighted the win on Nov. 15. He’s owned the Rangers putting up a dozen points (6-6-12) with a plus-12 rating over seven games. Anders Lee, Brock Nelson and Leo Komarov also tallied along with Cal Clutterbuck getting the empty netter on a snowy night. Valtteri Filppula tallied three assists and Nick Leddy added two helpers. Thomas Greiss made 36 saves including some big ones to preserve a one-goal lead after a wild second period.

Coach Barry Trotz has decided to start Robin Lehner for the second meeting of four between the New York clubs. In nine appearances so far, he’s 4-4-1 with a 2.77 GAA, .915 save percentage and one shutout. In a dismal 6-2 defeat at home to the Stars on Sunday, he allowed three goals on 14 shots in 33 minutes of action after relieving Greiss (3 GA on 19 shots in 27 mins). It’s noteworthy that for his career, Greiss is 4-0-1 in six games vs the Rangers with a 2.75 GAA and .921 save percentage. This will mark the ninth appearance for Lehner against the Rangers. In the previous eight games, he’s 2-4-2 with a 3.69 GAA and .901 save percentage.

Currently fourth in the Metropolitan Division with a 10-7-2 record and 22 points, this is their 20th game of the season. Astonishingly, seven of those 10 victories have come against divisional opponents. In fact, the Isles bring a perfect 7-0-0 record into MSG tonight. Can they continue their dominant play against the Rangers and the Metro?

They remain without key cogs Casey Cizikas, Matt Martin and Andrew Ladd. All three are on the injured reserve. There will be one lineup change. Defenseman Adam Pelech comes back in for Luca Sbisa.

Mathew Barzal is riding a season high five-game point streak (1-5-6) into tonight’s match. He’ll be centering Lee and Josh Bailey. Here are the lines:

Lee-Barzal-Bailey

Kuhnackl-Nelson-Eberle

Beauvillier-Filppula-Komarov

Johnston-Gionta-Clutterbuck

Leddy-Pulock

Hickey-Mayfield

Pelech-Boychuk

Lehner

Greiss

The Rangers projected lines for tonight’s rematch look like this:

Kreider-Hayes-Chytil

Namestnikov-Zibanejad-Fast

Vesey-Howden-Strome

McLeod-Andersson-Fogarty

Staal-Pionk

Skjei-DeAngelo/Smith

Claesson-Shattenkirk

Georgiev

Lundqvist

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Quinn turns to Georgiev against Islanders and Skjei returns on Turkey Eve rematch

Posted on November 21, 2018 by Derek

When the lights go dim at 7 o’clock later tonight at MSG, it’ll be the prelude to another Battle of New York at 33rd Street and Eighth Avenue. Indeed, the Islanders and Rangers will do battle for the second time in six days. The Islanders took the first meeting 7-5 in Brooklyn last Thursday. It was their ninth consecutive win in the historic series.

The ugly display resulted in first-year man David Quinn healthy scratching Brady Skjei for the next two games against the Panthers and Stars. The Blueshirts responded by winning both games as part of a three-game homestand that concludes Wednesday evening before Thanksgiving. Skjei will return to the lineup. The question is will it be for Tony DeAngelo, or Brendan Smith, who scored in his return and set up Filip Chytil’s game-winner on Monday night.

That’ll be up to the coach. What I do know is he has a way of pushing the right buttons. How else to explain the rebuilding Rangers, who enter play in second place in the Metro Division with an 11-8-2 record, for 24 points? When he benches players, they usually respond well to the challenge. In Skjei’s case, he’s underperforming as the team’s defunct number one defenseman. Could the 24-year old be feeling the weight of expectations in his third year? On a new long-term deal that pays him a cap average of $5.25 million per season, he can play better. With a goal and six assists in over 21 minutes per night, Skjei must find more consistency. He can’t afford a repeat of the nightmare at Barclays Center.

Which leads me to DeAngelo. What is he? The former Tampa Bay first round pick out of Sewell, New Jersey is a team best plus-six with seven points (2-5-7) in 13 games. However, he remains unpredictable despite his talent. Still only 23, this is make or break for DeAngelo. He was paired with Skjei in last week’s defenseless implosion against the Rangers’ kryptonite. What will Quinn decide? Does he go with raw talent or more grit and determination? That’s the choice between DeAngelo and Smith, who was a bit shaky in the 2-1 win over Dallas.

The Isles always play with more edge and purpose, treating these rivalry games as if they’re a Stanley Cup. Maybe that’s what Quinn is thinking by naming backup goalie Alexandar Georgiev Wednesday’s starter over Henrik Lundqvist. In truth, the King did nothing wrong last Thursday in giving up five goals on 17 shots before Georgiev relieved him in the third period. Four of the Isles’ five goals came on wide open redirections. The other from the latest Islander hero Anthony Beauvillier was on a breakaway. Beauvillier, who entered that match with one point (goal) notched his first career hat trick and four-point game. He also tallied in a ugly 6-2 home loss to the Stars.

Leave it to the Rangers to get an Islander on track. Considering how well he played, expect to see Thomas Greiss in net again. It was his clutch saves under siege that allowed the Isles to take the first of four meetings.

Maybe by going with Georgiev, Quinn is sending a message to his team. Anything but their best effort won’t be good enough to earn a win over the Islanders. If they play as uneven and sloppy as they did in a oddly played one-goal win over Dallas, it won’t be good enough. The Isles should be well rested and motivated after task master Barry Trotz ripped into them on Sunday.

You know pesky captain Anders Lee will come to play along with Brock Nelson, Josh Bailey, Jordan Eberle and Beauvillier. Cal Clutterbuck is always a pain in the butt, along with Leo Komarov. Trotz is looking for more consistency from struggling center Mathew Barzal. Despite a pile of assists (16), he’s a minus-11 and took a ill advised minor penalty last week that got him benched.

It always seems that one Islanders defenseman steps up in these games. Last week, it was offensive dynamo Johnny Boychuk and underperforming Nick Leddy. The likely candidates could come from Thomas Hickey, Scott Mayfield or Ryan Pulock.

If the Rangers are to prevail and finally end the misery, they’ll need key performances from Skjei, Mika Zibanejad (quiet lately), Kevin Hayes, Chris Kreider, Kevin Shattenkirk, Neal Pionk and Marc Staal in support of Georgiev. It will take a total team effort to come out with a win.

That is the objective. To give a happy bunch of surprised Blueshirts fans an early Thanksgiving present.

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Game #21 Vesey’s Harlem Globetrotters goal and Chytil’s fourth in four games sparks Rangers to 2-1 win over Stars

Posted on November 20, 2018 by Derek

It was a good night to be back to our second home. Madison Square Garden treated fans to an exciting game. Complete with cool distractions like the two Harlem Globetrotters who were standing behind our section due to a father and his two kids winning free tickets to the Globetrotters on Friday, it was a lot of fun.

Even better, the hometown team came back to win 2-1 over the Stars. It was the second straight win for the Rangers following that Islanders nightmare. The Rangers will bring a 11-8-2 record into Wednesday’s MSG rematch on Turkey Eve. It’s high time they beat the Isles. They can beat everyone else. It would be an early Thanksgiving present in what’s been a great month.

Dallas was playing for the second time in two days. It showed in the second half of tonight’s game. They only wound up with 17 shots. The other 28 attempts never made it. The Rangers blocked 18 and the Stars missed the net 10 times. That included a last ditch effort with backup goalie Anton Khudobin pulled in the final 120 seconds. He relieved Ben Bishop in the third due to a lower body injury.

What the fans got was a nice reward. A fully committed team who wouldn’t let the Stars get one good shot on Henrik Lundqvist despite being under constant pressure. That’s who they’ve become under coach David Quinn. Even when they didn’t have it early in a blah first period, this roster fights back. They are relentless. A team identity that’s become a rallying cry.

Clearly, they struggled in the early going. Unable to establish a forecheck, the Rangers had a couple of ridiculous penalties go against them. First, there was the phantom slash on Vladislav Namestnikov that wasn’t. It was hideous. He barely touched Jason Dickinson. The team got it killed. Then came the Brendan Smith trip that wasn’t on Alexander Radulov. Smith was back, but touched him. However, he clearly didn’t trip the shifty Russian, who was off balance and went down on his own. It was pathetic.

Those kind of penalties kill momentum. Even if they were the wrong calls, it gave the Stars momentum. Shots favored the guests 7-4 in a frustrating period. There was more entertainment and laughter during our meeting and greet with the regulars by the escalator.

Hoping for a better second, it didn’t come right away. Mika Zibanejad took one of those needless high-sticking minors in the offensive zone when he reached around and got Jamie Benn. Brutal. This time, the penalty kill couldn’t bail him out. It took an absolutely perfect Tyler Seguin shot off the far goalpost to beat Lundqvist for a Stars power play goal. Initially, we thought his shot went through Jamie Benn’s screen and by Lundqvist short side. Just the opposite. A great shot by a great finisher, who came in ice cold with just six goals. He was due.

Prior to Seguin’s goal, the Blueshirts nearly connected shorthanded. Jimmy Vesey came in with Brett Howden two-on-one. But Bishop got across to make a nice pad save on Howden off a perfect Vesey feed. I don’t know when he got hurt, but it was definitely on a low shot like that. Injuries have been his biggest problem as a starter. Hopefully, it’s not too serious. No wonder the Stars upgraded in net with Khudobin as the backup.

Following the teams exchanging successful penalty kills, Vesey scored a highlight reel goal that may as well have been out of the Globetrotter playbook. Taking a Marc Staal pass in front, with his back turned and momentum sending him to the ice, he surprised Bishop with a no look backhand that beat him to tie the game. It was remarkable. The Rangers already have the Neal Pionk end to end goal as a goal of the year candidate. Add Vesey’s Harlem Globetrotters goal that wowed the two players I was talking to behind us. They loved it. Vesey’s seventh came from Staal and Howden. A terrific play all from effort.

Following his goal, the Rangers pressed the action against a weary Stars. Even though they didn’t score, it was enjoyable. They outshot Dallas 9-5 and got stronger as the period went on. Even on a rare off night for Chris Kreider. I’m not sure I can say the same for Zibanejad, who’s gone ice cold.

Despite not being busy, Lundqvist made one game changing save, denying an open Star in the slot with a great glove stop to trademark chants of, “Hen-rik! Hen-rik! Hen-rik!” He may only have needed 16 saves for the victory, but none was bigger.

Bishop made a couple of quality stops too on tough chances. Maybe it was one of those late shots that ended his night earlier than expected.

In the third, it was only a matter of time. With the Rangers continuing to get pucks deep, including the new fourth line of Lias Andersson, Cody McLeod (7 hits in 7:03) and Steven Fogarty, eventually they got the go-ahead goal. Filip Chytil continued his hot run by scoring for a fourth consecutive game. Taking a Smith pass, he undressed a Dallas defenseman and then had Khudobin beat with a quick snapshot that would’ve made his idol Jaromir Jagr proud. It was that good. Like an artist.

They could’ve had more, but Khudobin deserves credit for bring sharp. He finished with nine saves in relief. If Bishop is out for an extended period, Dallas can take solace knowing they have a quality substitute.

The Stars were unable to do much of anything in the final period. They did manage five shots to the Rangers’ 10. But none threatened Lundqvist, who saw each shot including one offering with over two minutes to go that he calmly gloved away.

Then came the gritty defense. Pinned in their end twice including following a Chytil rookie mistake when he shot too soon with enough time for the empty net instead icing the puck, they weren’t gonna allow anything. In particular, Staal was a force along with Neal Pionk, who eventually was replaced by Kevin Shattenkirk. The five Rangers skaters sold out to earn the win to loud approval as the buzzer sounded.

Three Rangers Stars

3rd 🌟 Marc Staal primary assist on Vesey goal, terrific defensively, 3 blocks, +1 in 27 shifts (22:10)

2nd 🌟 Jimmy Vesey highlight reel Globetrotters goal (7th) that tied it, 3 shots, 4 attempts, +2 in 21 shifts (16:13)

1st 🌟 Filip Chytil scored the game-winner for his fourth goal in four straight games, 3 shots, 2 blocks, +1 in 19 shifts (14:33)

Eat your heart out Staal cynics!

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Steven Fogarty gets a chance with Lettieri sent down

Posted on November 19, 2018 by Derek

Okay. Maybe highlighting Steven Fogarty being recalled from Hartford for Vinni Lettieri with the classic John Fogerty baseball song, “Centetfield,” is a bit of a stretch. Especially with baseball long gone with an unpredictable winter ahead. We already got snow and it caused total chaos for drivers in the New York and New Jersey due to the dysfunctional elected officials in both states not prepared.

Indeed, the weather is cold with Turkey Day coming out early this Thursday on the 22nd. Ironically the 55th Anniversary of the JFK Assassination. One of the saddest days ever. Me being a history buff who also appreciates music, I guess that’s how I would explain the start of this post.

In truth, Fogarty deserves a chance to see what he can do with the Rangers. After a solid camp, he went to Hartford and got off to a good start scoring seven goals and adding seven assists for 14 points in 19 games. He ranks second in Wolf Pack scoring behind veteran Peter Holland (2-14-16). Lias Andersson is still third with a dozen points before getting the call two weeks ago. In six games, he has an assist with the primary helper on Brendan Smith’s tying goal in the Rangers’ 4-2 win over the Panthers on Saturday. He hasn’t played a lot, mostly centering the fourth line. I have full confidence in David Quinn to eventually get the 2017 seventh overall pick the ice-time he needs.

With Lettieri finally sent down, maybe he can regain his confidence. He had no points and wasn’t doing enough to stay up. I had wanted to see what Fogarty could do. He’s kinda the forgotten guy due to being 25 and in his fourth pro year. Well, really his third full one after spending four years at Notre Dame. He was a third round pick taken 72nd overall in 2011.

Fogarty is another right shot who plays center. He brings some size as well with him listed at 6-3, 209. If he does go tonight against the Stars, he would play on the fourth line with probably Andersson and either Cody McLeod or Ryan Strome.

It depends if Mats Zuccarello is back. He would obviously play with Mika Zibanejad and Vladislav Namestnikov, bumping Jesper Fast down to the third line. We’ll see.

We will also find out if Quinn sticks with the same six defensemen that included Smith, who came in for an ineffective Brady Skjei, and played solidly. Skjei is supposed to be the team’s best defenseman, but hasn’t played like it. He’s capable of much more.

We’ll see what happens.

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