The best New York team plays in Buffalo

Posted on October 29, 2018 by Derek

Editor’s Note: This story began on Saturday night, but didn’t get completed until Monday morning.

While Game Four of the World Series gets going in Los Angeles between the Dodgers and Red Sox, following a wild and crazy seven hour and 20-minute Game Three that made baseball history into the late hours this morning, the search for a good New York team to watch is on. With the Yankees not in Boston’s league away for the Fall and Winter, there aren’t many good options for sports fans who live in this town.

The Knicks have lost five straight and are 1-5 without their best player, Kristaps Porzingis. The Nets are 2-3, looking a bit more competitive. Neither NBA team is expected to make the playoffs. The plight of the local NFL teams is similar. The Giants have become a blue laughingstock despite Saquon Barkley’s best efforts with an embarrassing 1-6 record. The Jets are 3-4 and have given their fans like Hasan hope, thanks to promising rookie quarterback Sam Darnold. While it’s unlikely they’ll win nine games to have a shot at a wildcard, at least things are looking up for Gang Green.

Unless you root for the Devils like our resident New Jersey blogger, whose team snapped a losing skid by holding off the underachieving Panthers thanks to the brilliant play of the dynamic Taylor Hall line with Nico Hischier and Kyle Palmieri, it doesn’t look too promising this winter. The rebuilding Rangers are exactly who we thought they were. They enter the first of three games in California tomorrow afternoon at the struggling Kings with a 3-6-1 record. Good for last in the Metro Division. They usually give an honest effort, but the lack of talent will give Henrik Lundqvist nightmares. The Islanders went into disappointing Philadelphia and buried the Flyers 6-1 led by new captain Anders Lee’s goal and three assists. An early boo to trick or treaters with Halloween approaching. Barry Trotz’ new club is a work in progress. So, a 4-4-1 mark isn’t bad considering John Tavares left them in the dust for the hometown high scoring Leafs. They don’t have a legit number one goalie with Thomas Greiss and today’s winner, Robin Lehner mixing and matching. The defense lacks a true number one. It’ll be an uphill climb between Brooklyn and Long Island.

If there are possibly no good watches in the metropolitan area that represent New York even if Met Life Stadium is located in East Rutherford, who’s left? Not the bumbling and stumbling Bills, who are quarterback less due to Josh Allen being injured. Their reward after getting blown out by the woeful Andrew Luck Colts is a Monday night mismatch against the despised Patriots. Good luck with that. At least they ended their playoff drought last year.

However, in Western New York located at KeyBank Center, are the Buffalo Sabres. Following a in auspicious start where they couldn’t score, they’ve quietly been playing better hockey. With new captain Jack Eichel leading the way, an improved roster that includes 2018 first overall pick Rasmus Dahlin and new sniper Jeff Skinner are winning games. Currently battling the Blue Jackets in Columbus, the Sabres are 6-4-0, which puts them in a tie in points (12) with the surprising Canadiens in a tough Atlantic that features three headed monsters Toronto, Tampa and Boston.

If you assume the Leafs, Lightning and Bruins will make up three of the eight spots for the playoffs, then it’s pretty much a foregone conclusion that the defending champion Capitals and uber talented Penguins will definitely be the top two teams from the Metro. That leaves third place up for grabs between the Devils, Blue Jackets and improved Hurricanes. Assuming the Flyers snap out of it like last season, they should be in the mix for a wildcard. They’re underperforming in all aspects. Not only defensively or in net. They’re not scoring either. They have too much talent for that to continue.

If the Habs prove they’re for real, then the Sabres will have to compete with them and a couple of Metro clubs for the postseason. The big question is what’s going on in Florida? Maybe the ageless wonder Roberto Luongo really is that important to the Panthers’ chances. I don’t believe second-year coach Bob Boughner is in trouble yet. He did a terrific job last Spring with the team just missing at the end to the Devils.

As of this writing, those Sabres are 6-4-1 after earning a good point by rallying from two goals down in an overtime defeat to the Blue Jackets. Most encouraging is that it’s not only Eichel or Skinner doing the scoring. In fact, former postseason hero Jason Pominville has come up with some big goals for this time. The elder statesman is playing on the top line with Eichel and Skinner, who notched his team best seventh goal on Saturday.

Kyle Okposo is rounding back into form. He wasn’t quite the same when he returned in ’17-18. However, he is delivering to provide Buffalo with secondary scoring. Something that’s badly needed. That he, Pominville and Conor Sheary are getting the job done demonstrates why they’re improved.

We will continue to keep a close eye on Tage Thompson, who is the young player that came over with veteran Patrik Berglund as part of the Ryan O’Reilly trade with St. Louis.

Improving team depth was crucial for this season. So too is having the teenage phenom Dahlin patrolling the blueline with Rasmus Ristolainen. Two exceptional Swedish skating defensemen who should be instrumental in the Sabres rise.

It also looks like they chose wisely by going for Carter “E.F.” Hutton, who’s provided stability in net as the number one starter. Funny enough. Former Blues teammate Jake Allen continues to struggle. Maybe Hutton is the steal Buffalo thought. If he can continue to be steady, then they’ll be in most games. Linus Ullmark has been okay so far as the backup. A late pick a few years ago, Buffalo didn’t rush him. That’s usually better with goalies for their development.

Maybe in Year Two, coach Phil Housley is a bit more confident behind the bench. It takes time and patience to see through a rebuild. Buffalo fans should be excited by the progress. They must continue to trust the process.

Before concluding this piece, former first round pick Alexander Nylander is faring better in his second pro year with Rochester. He’s got four goals and five assists in 10 games. Hopefully, he can be a part of it soon.

So, are the Sabres the best current New York team until the Yankees get going following a intriguing hot stove with Boston winning another Series? As of right now, I say yes. While we can be upset over the Red Sox latest championship, I truly think Alex Cora should send Dave Roberts a thank you card with an invitation to the parade. 😱😉

Maybe for people who live in the five boroughs, the Sabres don’t have the same appeal. However, no one can deny the obvious. Our teams stink. One Buffalo team is on the right track. They could be worth watching.

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Game #8 – Devils 3, Panthers 2

Posted on October 28, 2018 by hasan4978

Even for a weekend afternoon, 12 PM is still an ungodly early time to start an NHL game.  Of course, when you’re trying to cater to every part of your fanbase including overseas fans (re: new Swiss fans jumping on the bandwagon because of Nico Hischier) sometimes concessions have to be made.  Sure there’s not really that much of a difference between 12 and 1 PM – especially when you wake up a bit earlier – but it kind of does change lunch plans at least, either you’re eating at the arena just before the game or have a bigger breakfast then opt for an early lunch after.  My and my friend chose the latter, maybe in a prior season I’d have chosen the former but generally there’s really very little reason for me to eat the overpriced food at the arena without having a food and beverage credit this year that I’ve had in past seasons as part of my season tickets.

Speaking of overseas fans, ironically enough we ran into a few Czech fans who wanted us to take their picture – right when we’d finished taking our own – in front of the Patrik Elias puck display from last year’s retirement ceremony hidden upstairs just behind one of the escalators.  Elias himself was in the building yesterday, and I believe even taking pictures with some fans beforehand, but everyone got to see a glimpse of him and his lovely daughter on the jumbotron during the game.

https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1056246937320599555

So after an unusually quick drive into Newark (a marked change from my other trek up there so far this year!) and walking around the arena a few times, we settled in for the game.  For most of the first period it looked like the typical flat Devils matinee effort as they were a step behind the Panthers in the first period, as evidenced by most of the penalty calls going against us which were just stupid, unneccesary penalties to take – typical of our last few games.  I emphasize most, because the last call of the first period was a phantom Miles Wood ‘trip’ which was almost as bad as the Taylor Hall phantom trip in the last game that the officials surprisingly overruled themselves on – a rarity in itself!  While we weren’t that fortunate in the first period with Wood’s call yesterday, at least some good PK work and goaltending from Keith Kinkaid kept the Panthers off the board despite a hideous shot total for most of the period, I believe it was 12-2 at one point.

Fortunately the Devils found their game in the last few minutes of the period and got rewarded with a goal from Kyle Palmieri although (as would be the theme of the afternoon) even this was followed with drama as contact with the goaltender got challenged by the Panthers but ultimately the call was correctly upheld – Panthers goalie James Reimer DID initiate contact with Palmieri outside the crease after all! – and the Devils took a 1-0 lead into intermission.  Our first line continued its dominance into the second period as all three linemates got points on Hall’s early second-period goal, setup with some good board work from Hischier to get the puck over to Palmieri, who had a nice cross-ice pass to Hall on the resulting two-on-one in front.  After Hall won last year’s Hart trophy, Palmieri may actually be staking his own October claim to a run at the award with eight goals and thirteen points in the season’s first eight games.

Of course it’s too early to seriously handicap the 2018-19 Hart race, although yesterday’s giveaway at the arena was a nice Hall poster commemorating that award win from last year.  And thankfully it was also a poster that was wrapped up in plastic given yesterday’s damp weather throughout the day.  Through the second period the Devils looked to wrap up a win over the Panthers as neatly as the poster was, and nearly did so.  Blake Coleman’s tip of a Mirco Mueller shot later in the period upped the lead to three and was a novelty on top of it, a goal from a non-first-liner!  Perhaps if the Devils had converted on back-to-back Panther penalties later in the period to make it 4-0 the third period could have had a whole different feel than it did.  Or if Coleman and Hall could have scored on their respective breakaways in the third period.

To be fair, we probably were fortunate to still have just that 3-0 lead with less than six minutes left in the third period when no fewer than three Panther shots glanced off the post and crossbar in the game, and in general they had more and better chances to score throughout the afternoon.  Still, with so little time left even I was caught up in thinking ‘okay we finally got ’em now’.  As college football icon Lee Corso would say…not so fast, my friend!  Somehow, the red sea parted in front of the net for Mike Matheson and he deked everyone out for a goal to get the Panthers back in the game at 3-1 and spoil the shutout.  From there it turned into a typical 2018-19 Devils third-period hope and pray session as the Panthers threw the kitchen sink at us, nearly scoring on their next couple of shifts then pulling the goalie for an extra skater with nearly three minutes left trying to get closer.  Somehow the prevent defense held until fifteen seconds were left, and I again had thought ‘well now we got this surely’ before Mike Hoffman’s tip made it 3-2 and caused a couple of anxious faceoffs after.  Clearly I’m not even allowed to think we have a game in the bag.  Even just dumping their last attempt in and getting it on net made me nervous at that point, but finally the horn sounded not a moment too soon.

As I remarked to one of my other friends afterward that game was a perfect metaphor of the 2017-18 playoff chase where we held the lead throughout but the Panthers made a mad, late surge that nearly spoiled the party.  Even denying them the loser point could turn out to be big later on, as we found out last year when the entire season came down to one point in the end.  October points matter too, especially when October’s coming to an end with the first game of an upcoming seven-game road trip in Tampa on Tuesday night.  Despite Tampa’s abnormal blowout loss against Arizona yesterday, and losing top defenseman Victor Hedman to injury they’re still largely the same formidable unit that bounced us out of the playoffs in five games last year and are off to a 7-2-1 start this season.

Might that game be a season debut for Cory Schneider, who’s now played three rehab games and is nearly all the way back from injury?  Our goalie question is a secondary question right now given how well Keith’s played for the most part, but about to take center-stage as the team goes forward when they need to see what Cory can put together post-hip surgery.

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Game #10 Poor effort results in ugly 4-1 loss to Blackhawks

Posted on October 26, 2018 by Derek

How annoyed was I at the Rangers’ third period? It was to the point where I must have yelled at the poor flat screen TV 10 times. They had a opportunity to play one good period and steal a win against an improved Blackhawks in Chicago. Instead, they hardly could be bothered in what amounted to a listless effort, resulting in a ugly 4-1 loss.

I was so disgusted that I took a drive before the Alex DeBrincat empty net goal along with the Jimmy Vesey fight with the loathsome Brandon Manning. I’m sure I didn’t miss anything. It’s not like the Rangers could be bothered in an awful final period that saw them get one shot on goal on Corey Crawford. Between the five icings I counted, horrible giveaways that forced Henrik Lundqvist to make some ridiculous saves to maybe silence former Hawks scrub Adam Burish (more on that later), and flat out ineptitude of the $5.7 million man, Brady Skjei, I was livid.

Listen. I can take losing when our team gives an honest effort. But as coach David Quinn put it, it was their worst effort of the season. They were only down a goal entering the third. Only a handful of skaters could be bothered. I’ll single out the five I thought played hard. Lone goalscorer Pavel Buchnevich had arguably his best game scoring on a rebound to tie the game in the first. In what can only be described as a perplexing premonition, I had a dream that he’d score on a rebound. Who knew my subconscious state could predict the future?

Kevin Hayes was around the puck all night long, creating chances for himself and his linemates. Unfortunately, he has no puck luck with his shot off a brilliant feed from Vladislav Namestnikov going off the crossbar to prevent the Blueshirts from tying it up. He sure brings it every shift. They’re just not going in for him or rookie Filip Chytil. He didn’t play much in the third, but came very close to getting his first goal in the second on two point blank chances that Crawford stuffed. I don’t know why he barely got any shifts in the third.

It’s not like Jesper Fast was gonna bury anything. He’s back to being the hard working forward with stone hands. He can’t be in the top six. He should play with Brett Howden and Jimmy Vesey until Namestnikov gets going. He only has one assist in nine games. Quinn gave him an extended look in the third over Chytil. Namestnikov wound up with over 13 minutes and finished minus-three. They might be showcasing him if you believe Elliotte Friedman.

https://twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/1055517092739395584?s=19

I’d like to see Buchnevich with Hayes and Chytil. Now that he’s buying in by working harder to get to the inside like his third goal of the season off a Brendan Smith rebound, created by Howden, I think Quinn owes it to the second line to put two offensively gifted players with Hayes. Let’s find out what Buchnevich and Chytil can do together. That could be a good combo in the future.

It’s disappointing that they didn’t give more in the third with Lundqvist performing his usual acrobatics. I wonder if Burish was paying any attention to our goalie who he called “overrated.” He must not have seen him carry the John Tortorella ’11-12 low scoring blocked shot roster as far as they could go, or been in a fog during the 2014 NHL Playoffs. Burish was a fourth liner on a loaded Blackhawks championship roster. I’m sure Lundqvist doesn’t care what he thinks anyway. While Crawford had a walk in the park, our goalie stood on his head like he usually does. He’s going to the Hockey Hall of Fame when his career is over. It would be a shame if he never gets another chance to play for the Stanley Cup.

I’m not gonna bother recapping the Hawks goals. It’s pointless. Jonathan Toews opened the scoring after the awful Skjei collided with Adam McQuaid, who left the game in the second with a lower body injury. It was pathetic. It was one of Skjei’s worst games. Maybe Alain Vigneault was right about him. He gets caught so out of position defensively. For a guy taken 28th overall in 2012 while Shayne Gostisbehere was stolen by the Flyers in the third round some 50 picks later, he sure has a lot to learn for a 24-year old defenseman in his third year. There were a slew of D taken much later who are better.

Following Buchnevich’s goal, the Hawks went back ahead. I didn’t see it because I decided to flip to some other games, but it sounded like some bad luck allowed Alexandre Fortin to score halfway through the contest. At the time, the best team in New York got a game-winner from Kyle Okposo on the power play with 61 seconds left in a Sabres 4-3 win over the equally surprising Canadiens. The Sabres have six wins in regulation. Third in the Atlantic Division. I also caught the end of the Devils game that Kyle Turris won in overtime for Nashville. Hasan recapped it.

Despite trailing by one, the Rangers came on late in the period and were outshot 12-11. There was a chance for a comeback. Instead, they mailed it in. There were way too many unforced mistakes in a lopsided third. It was all Blackhawks. They completely dominated play with their game breaking speed and forecheck. However, Lundqvist wasn’t cooperating. He really deserved better than he got.

The top line of Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad and Mats Zuccarello were shutdown. They couldn’t get anything going. I’m not sure if it was totally head to head versus Toews, but they were a non-factor. Kreider later admitted that he passed up a couple of shot opportunities. He indicated that they needed to be harder on the puck. They were too cute, trying fancy low percentage passes like the abysmal one Skjei made to nobody, resulting in a Hawks transition. I have no clue why Skjei didn’t shoot. There was enough traffic. Instead, he passed the puck like a grenade into the corner.

In this game, Marc Staal was good. He paired up with Neal Pionk, who’s become our most reliable defenseman. He played over nine minutes in the first. Both gave an honest effort. Somewhere in another space in a delusional rage, someone probably thinks Staal should be benched. They must not be watching his shifts too closely. He’s not perfect. But the vet gives a good effort daily. He has a clue how to take the body and get out of his end.

With McQuaid hurt and Fredrik Claesson on the mend, it looks like Tony DeAngelo is gonna get a shot out in California. This could be his last chance. He’s only played in two games so far. One good with two assists. The other bad. He’s still only 23, but that trade with the Coyotes that also netted Lias Andersson isn’t looking too good. Derek Stepan remains a top two center and Antti Raanta is the starter in the desert. He’s hurt right now. Just my luck. My goaltending in fantasy hockey is a joke. Come back soon Cory Schneider. I’m sure Hasan is thinking the same thing.

Eventually, Patrick Kane put the game away by sweeping home his own rebound that hit the post. He backhanded in his ninth before the net went off its moorings. Somehow, the refs were too blind to notice it. Then, Quinn challenged for goaltender interference. There was none. The goal counted. At that point, I checked out.

I’m only gonna say this once. They better give a damn good effort on Saturday. This was inexcusable. The loss dropped the Rangers to 3-6-1. They rank 29th out of 31 through the first 10 games.

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Game #7 – Predators 4, Devils 3 (OT)

Posted on October 25, 2018 by hasan4978

After yet another extended delay in the schedule, the Devils returned to the ice for just their seventh game in the last twenty-four days.  Early on it seemed as if the Devils were fine with the infrequent games but after desultory efforts in their last two losses, everyone in the organization was on high alert after coach John Hynes laid down the law with some tough words, and a brutal practice on Monday.  While I was confident the message would get through, I’d have felt better if we weren’t playing one of the best teams in the league tonight.  Against Nashville, you can play well and still lose, which as it turned out is more or less what happened.

I missed the first two periods of tonight’s game, maybe I would have been better off missing the third period as well since the Devils had a 3-2 lead going into the final twenty plus minutes in what was a high-octane game early (Thirty-five shots combined by both teams in the first period alone!), then settled in to a punch and counterpunch showdown later.  While both teams had 36 shots on net for the game, it was the Devils who jumped out to a lead three times in the game – only to blow it each time continuing at least one concerning trend that’s developed over the last three games.  Another disturbing trend is the overreliance on the first line, which granted was a problem last year but has only been exacerbated this season with the utter faliure of our ‘second’ line in Pavel Zacha, Marcus Johansson and Stefan Noesen/Jean-Sebastian Dea to generate any form of offense at all.  Johansson has just two points in seven games this season, while Zacha has two less than that.

True to form our fabulous first line factored in on all three goals, with Taylor Hall and Kyle Palmieri getting assists on Damon Severson’s first period marker, then Nico Hischier later scored on both the power play and at even-strength.  Yet it was all for naught with again Keith Kinkaid playing subpar, looking like the pumpkin he was pre-February last year rather than the Cinderella he was after it and for the first few games of this season.  Maybe he’s feeling the heat from Cory Schneider’s impending return?  Yes, the OT goal was screened but it was a screen twenty-five feet from the net, sorry – the goalie still had plenty of time to pick it up.  But even that goal wasn’t as bad as his first one, which I saw on the highlights moments ago – yuck for allowing that goal and yuck to the coaching staff for not even challenging offsides on the goal.  It looked plainly obvious that Kevin Fiala was in the zone a stride ahead of Yannick Weber after dropping the puck off to him.  Would have been nice to get one of those reversals our way, oh well.

Of course it would help if this defense could hold a lead this season.  Last year the team didn’t have a single regulation loss entering the third period with a lead.  While technically tonight wasn’t a regulation loss and they didn’t enter the third period with a lead against Colorado the fact remains they’ve blown either a lead or a tie in the final six and a half minutes of the last three games.  As a result, in a stretch where they could have tacked on four or five more points, they only got one.  While it’s probably too early to pull the ‘but last year’ wistfulness, the last few games do feel like ones we win last year somehow, that we’re now losing early this season.  Especially tonight where they weren’t really outplayed, although there was again too many penalties at crucial times and some more questionable decision-making.  What made Fillip Forsberg’s tying goal so gutting was the fact Blake Coleman was stopped on a shorthanded breakaway moments before by Predators goalie Jussi Saros.  Not to mention Kyle Turris’s OT winner came moments after Andy Greene shot a two-on-one right into Saros, who looked every bit the part of a starting goalie filling in for the injured Pekka Rinne.

Tonight the staff needs to accentuate the positive after coming down (rightly so) on the effort of the previous two games, but Saturday’s a vital home game to get against a Panther team that’s struggling to keep pucks out of the net.  Matinees are never kind to this team for whatever reason, but me and a friend will be in attendance before going to the Halloween movie at night so perhaps the karma can change back.  Plus after Saturday, the team begins their brutal seven-game road trip over the next two weeks.  At least they’ve had some good news on the injury front lately with Cory having two successful rehab starts in Binghamton and primed for a final one tomorrow before likely coming back to the team next week.  Travis Zajac returned after missing two games as well, but there still remains a hole on defense after Ben Lovejoy’s lower-body injury and Steven Santini’s broken jaw forced the staff to give Eric Gryba his first game of the season.  Jesper Bratt’s also on the mend and is probably a week or two away, but who knows.

Hynes accurately pointed out in the postgame they still need more from certain guys, and pretty much everyone knows who they are, but they also need to figure out how not to give away points in the third period of these games.  In many ways that’s even more concerning than the ineffective second line or taking a couple too many penalties each night.

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Game #9: Zibanejad’s big night leads Rangers to 5-2 win over Panthers

Posted on October 23, 2018 by Derek

Mika Zibanejad talked about what needed to happen for the Rangers offense to improve. He spoke following Sunday’s loss to Calgary about needing the second and third effort along with more grit in their game to score goals. He backed it up with a big night with his two goals and two assists highlighting a good 5-2 home win over the struggling Panthers (1-3-3).

On my brother’s birthday, the Rangers picked up their first win in regulation in the ninth game to improve to 3-5-1. It was a good way to conclude a home stretch with a big road trip ahead that starts Thursday in Chicago.

There are a lot of positives to take from this win. Coach David Quinn made a tweak to the first line, moving Mats Zuccarello up with Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. Jesper Fast slid down to the Kevin Hayes unit with improving rookie Filip Chytil. He also reinserted Ryan Spooner, who subbed in for Vinni Lettieri. Cody McLeod stayed in on the fourth line. Pavel Buchnevich worked with Brett Howden and Jimmy Vesey.

Backup goalie Alexandar Georgiev got the start for a banged up Henrik Lundqvist, who according to Quinn, wouldn’t have started anyway. How did he respond? Following a brief stint in Hartford to get some games in, he played extremely well, finishing with 36 saves for his first win this season. That included 13 in a busy first period that saw Vincent Trocheck put the Panthers ahead with a power play goal through a screen. Without his work in net, it could’ve been a different game. Especially in the third when Florida applied tons of pressure following Mike Hoffman’s wrap around goal that put them within 4-2.

The turning point came early in the second stanza. Unsatisfied with a first period that saw them get only five shots on Panthers goalie Michael Hutchinson, the Rangers were much more active. A crucial penalty kill resulted in the first shorthanded goal of the season. With Brendan Smith off for hooking, Zibanejad took a feed from Adam McQuaid in the neutral zone and flew around the Florida net for a wraparound shorthanded goal that tied the game. To hear Zuccarello tell it to MSG’s John Giannone in the postgame, it energized the bench. It was a great play by a talented player, who is being counted on to lead the way. He was just getting warmed up.

A series of undisciplined penalties by the Panthers in an ugly second came back to haunt them. Consecutive power play goals by Zuccarello and Zibanejad turned a tie game into a two goal Rangers lead. On the first one, Zuccarello caught a break when his shot deflected off a Panther and past Hutchinson for a 2-1 lead. Zibanejad won the offensive draw back to Neal Pionk, who passed for an open Zuccarello. Instead of thinking pass, he shot and got the reward.

Up one, Zibanejad increased the margin to two with a pretty wrist shot top shelf through a good Kreider screen. Kreider also picked up a helper for his hard work after feeding Pionk up top. Pionk continued his excellent play with his second assist and sixth in the last three games. His play has been superb since returning to the lineup. As promised, Quinn has delivered by giving Pionk a lot of ice time. It’s paying off.

That’s not all they did in the period. Contrary to a bland first that featured no physical play, the teams ratcheted it up. The Panthers began to get frustrated. As so often happens, that can lead to bad penalties, which the Blueshirts capitalized on. It also can cause some animosity. During a battle near the benches, Maxim Mamin jumped Smith with a sucker punch. Aggravated, Smith got the gloves off and pounded Mamin. He yelled at him about the unnecessary cheap shot. For some odd reason, the refs didn’t give Mamin an instigator. Instead, they gave Smith a misconduct for continuing the dispute. It was a ridiculous call. Total ineptness. That’s been the norm for a while.

Following a soft call on Fast, a hustling Zuccarello drew an even up on Jonathan Huberdeau to make it four on four. The game remained 3-1 after two.

A Zuccarello goal off a Zibanejad face off win increased the lead to 4-1 at 1:27 of the third. It was a simple play well executed. All Zibanejad did was win it back to Zuccarello, who let go of a wrist shot that chased Hutchinson. He allowed four goals on 19 shots. James Reimer relieved him. He didn’t have much to do.

Florida played much better following Zuccarello’s 14th career two goal game. They wound up outshooting the Rangers 14-5. Eventually, they were able to cut the deficit to two thanks to a nice individual effort from Hoffman. Taking a lead pass from Huberdeau, he skated around the Ranger net and had his wraparound bank off Brady Skjei and Georgiev to make it 4-2 with still 9:23 left.

The Rangers didn’t play a good third. Maybe they thought it was over. They spent way too much time defending in their end due to relentless pressure from the Panthers. Similar to a key save he made to bail out Marc Staal in the second, Georgiev was cool. He didn’t blink, making the timely stops to keep the Rangers ahead by two.

On a rare chance off some good effort, Chytil nearly had his first. He made a great move, but had his backhand attempt stopped by Reimer. Chytil is about ready to break out. It should come soon.

Off some nice hustle by who else but Fast to negate an icing, Hayes scored his second into an open net while being checked. That concluded the scoring, giving the Rangers a well deserved victory in regulation.

Three Stars 🌟

3rd 🌟 Alexandar Georgiev 36 saves for first win of season

2nd 🌟 Mats Zuccarello first 2 goals of season, 14th two-goal game

1st 🌟 Mika Zibanejad two goals (4, 5), two assists, shorthanded goal, PPG, game-winner, two big face off wins that led to Zuccarello goals

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Game #8 Curse of the backup goalie haunts Rangers in 4-1 loss to Gaudreau, Flames

Posted on October 22, 2018 by Derek

Why would I have been confident about tonight? Logic told me that Calgary was flying across the country from Northwestern Canada for the first of a two-game Eastern swing with a stop at Broadway for a rested Rangers. Little did I know they would start the little known backup goalie, David Rittich. Oops. Of course, he turned into Dryden, Sawchuk, Roy, Hasek and Brodeur versus our punchless offense in a haunting 4-1 home loss at MSG.

I should’ve known better. Let’s face it. Historically, the Rangers don’t do well against backups. Sunday night was no exception. We’ve seen this team turn Carter “E.F.” Hutton into a starting goalie, which he now is on an improving Buffalo team. Now I’m not suggesting Rittich is gonna go from 26-year old journeyman to number one goalie. However, if he can string together more virtuoso performances like the 44 saves he made tonight- some of the spectacular variety. Maybe veteran Mike Smith won’t have a stranglehold on the starter position with Calgary.

While I didn’t know, MSG’s Steve Valiquette called it tongue in cheek in a poetic tweet a few hours before the game that would’ve made Robin Williams smile.

https://twitter.cJohnnyom/VallysView/status/1054113990249537536?s=19

In falling to 2-5-1 through the first eight games, one thing should be coming clear. This roster doesn’t possess the elite level talent that other teams have at their disposal. They must outwork opponents and make the most of their opportunities. That means giving the extra effort that’s emphasized every Spring in honor of Steven McDonald. It also means getting dirty. Or as lone goalscorer Mika Zibanejad noted, having more grit. A buzz word under new coach David Quinn, who also likes to use tenacity to describe what’s lacking following losses.

There are no Johnny Gaudreau’s coming to save this team. Speaking of Johnny Hockey, he was front and center at the world’s most famous arena. It’s still amazing that so many general managers passed on him in the 2011 NHL Draft. He went 104th overall. The most dangerous player on the Flames, he was allowed to make the game defining plays, scoring twice on two unreal finishes. If he continues his torrid start, it could be a career year. He notched goals four and five.

The frustrating aspect is the Rangers controlled much of the action in a good first period. They generated the better scoring chances, but were unable to beat Rittich. As usually happens when you don’t bury your chances, the opponent capitalizes on its one quality chance. Off a face off win, Sean Monahan got the puck to Gaudreau in the slot. Tightly guarded by defenseman Adam McQuaid, he wisely maneuvered to the backhand and quickly shot past Henrik Lundqvist for a 1-0 lead. A terrific play by a smart player. He had no way to go forehand. So, he used his high hockey IQ to score.

Trailing by one, the Rangers looked undeterred. They got nine of the first ten shots in the second. But despite some excellent opportunities, they continued to fire blanks at their kryptonite. Every now and then, Rittich mace an acrobatic stop to remind us that the curse of the backup exists.

At some point, players try to do too much when things aren’t going well. Up til then, the effort was there. The execution wasn’t. Bret “Hitman” Hart wouldn’t be proud. He used to be part owner of the Calgary Hitmen in the Western Hockey League (WHL). If I’m not mistaken, I think that was around the time Neil Smith took Pavel Brendl. Painful memories. I know.

One of my keys was staying out of the penalty box. That wasn’t a problem. The Rangers only gave Calgary two power plays. Both of which our weak penalty killing unit took care of. Unfortunately, it wasn’t one of their better games at even strength. The Zibanejad line with Chris Kreider and Jesper Fast lost the head to head match up against Gaudreau, Monahan and Elias Lindholm. Credit Gaudreau for that. He dominated. In fact, the fivesome of Zibanejad, Kreider, Fast, Brady Skjei and Neal Pionk went a combined minus-ten. Each a minus-two. Something that didn’t sit well with Zibanejad.

Listening to him talk to reporters on the way home, it was encouraging. He sounds like he’s buying in. After his power play goal in the third erased the shutout, he came oh so close to making it a one goal game. But following a big save on Fast, Rittich stoned Zibanejad on the doorstep. He may only have three goals, but the number one center has picked it up. He’s shooting the puck and creating opportunities for his teammates. There was another chance where he should’ve shot instead of passed. Kreider was on a tough angle down low, and was denied by a Rittich kick save.

Quinn wants to see his team not stick handle as much. Just shoot the puck and see what happens. No one can complain when they outshoot the Flames by a healthy 45-26 margin. They also out-attempted them 77-51. It’s just that they need better finish around the net.

The Flames’ second goal really crushed them. The pair of Marc Staal and Kevin Shattenkirk got caught out with the fourth line of Cody McLeod, Vladislav Namestnikov and Vinni Lettieri for a long shift. They were their own worst enemy. They had at least five chances to clear the zone. But they kept turning the puck over. Eventually, the Flames made them pay. Staal was forced into a bad turnover, leading to Garnet Hathaway redirecting home a Mark Jankowski shot that had Lundqvist beaten anyway. Hathaway just made sure it went in.

They came unglued afterwards. The final half of the second was a unmitigated disaster. Not long after, Gaudreau dusted Skjei before firing high stick side to beat Lundqvist for a 3-0 lead. It was a mesmerizing move and sweet finish by a player who recorded his 300th career point in only his 320th NHL game.

By the time the period hit the one minute mark for PA announcer Joe Tolleson’s, “Last minute to play in the period,” we cheered. I know we’re bad, but the follies on ice were amusing in a gallows sense. Halloween is coming. Michael Myers would be proud.

I knew they’d give a better showing in the third. One thing about this team. They don’t give up under Quinn. Not shockingly, they peppered Rittich with rubber, holding a huge edge in shots, 20-5. But only a perfect shot by Zibanejad beat Rittich to cut the deficit to two from Pionk and Mats Zuccarello with 13:19 remaining. Kreider did a good job screening Rittich enough for Zibanejad to break the shutout.

They really turned up the heat. I still don’t know how Rittich got over so easily to rob Zibanejad following a big stop on Fast. He was in the zone. He made a lot of big saves on his way to a career high 44 stops. There was a very good shift by the fourth line with McLeod on the doorstep only to be stoned on a rebound. McLeod played in place of an ineffective Ryan Spooner. McLeod is never gonna play a lot of minutes, but the veteran will give an honest effort by going to the dirty areas. Something a couple of our skill guys are unwilling to do. He had four shots and five hits in 8:31 of ice time. That should tell you something.

I thought Kevin Hayes had a good game. But they’re not going in for him. He and Zuccarello worked hard during most shifts along with Filip Chytil, who had his most active game. I’d like to see that trio stay together and get some puck luck. Maybe they will on Tuesday when the perplexing 1-2-3 Panthers visit. It’s my brother’s birthday. Hopefully, it’ll be a better game.

Calgary got a break on their fourth goal that sent most of us home. With Rasmus Andersson delivering a big hit on Zuccarello at center ice, Skjei made a bee line for him. While he took him down and got in some shots, play continued. The refs never blew the play dead. Instead, that gave Hathaway a wide open shot on a odd man break. With Lundqvist just back in his net after looking to go to the bench, Hathaway beat him with a good shot high glove to put the finishing touches on a Calgary 4-1 win.

The result was disappointing considering the circumstances. Calgary sat back in the third and it nearly became interesting. They can thank Rittich that it didn’t.

My Three Rangers Stars:

3rd 🌟 Neal Pionk assisted on Zibanejad’s PPG, had six shots. Is the team’s best defenseman right now.

2nd 🌟 Mika Zibanejad scored his third goal and offensively was good. Said the right things about the loss.

1st 🌟 MSG Concession dude for giving out free popcorn to some of us when he closed up. Very cool.

Meet David Rittich

“Maybe not until the last whistle.”-on being in the zone :O😊

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Game #6 – Flyers 5, Devils 2

Posted on October 20, 2018 by hasan4978

Gritty: ‘a nightmarish frat boy who communicates only in bro-friendly gestures’

For this afternoon’s game I decided to try something different – being that the weather was in the high 50’s and might be the nicest day left that we get until 2019, I wanted to be outside, but a 1 PM matinee start makes it difficult to both watch the Devils game and enjoy the outdoors.  So I gave the MSG GO app on my phone a try and watched most of today’s game on there.  While it was fine for a one-off and served its purpose of getting me outdoors, can’t say I’d recommend doing it on a regular basis unless you have to…oh the feed did work about 90% of the time but wasn’t always HD-focused and at times would lag and freeze before coming back and then randomly going forward thirty seconds to a minute to catch up.

Perhaps that was a bit fitting for what the game turned out to be.  Quite succinctly it was basically mites on ice at the NHL level, not a game either team deserved to win but ultimately the Flyers were the better team 5-on-5 and more disciplined at the right times, while for the second straight game a late mistake cost the Devils at least one point and a chance for two in the last five minutes of the third period.  In a vaccum, 4-2 is still fine but these lost points are no bueno, it could definitely prove to be the difference down the road in what should be a tight playoff race.  Even the captain made that observation after Thursday’s game:

 

It seemed from even before puckdrop that the Devils were scrambling from the staff on down, with both Travis Zajac and Ben Lovejoy out with lower body injuries, New Jersey made a roster move calling up center Kevin Rooney and sending down John Quenneville.  Ostensibly because Rooney can play on the penalty kill and they need a center…well you could have just played Quenneville at center and used someone else on the PK.  Granted the PK was fine considering all the penalties that were being taken – most by the best PK’ers left – but Rooney really had little to do with it (especially being in the box for one of them) and looked even worse than Quenneville or Drew Stafford, who also hasn’t impressed in his two games back in the lineup.

Really it wasn’t the roster machinations that cost us although it is worth noting we’ve now had two dud performances since coach John Hynes ‘changed a winning lineup’, though granted it would have been changed for him today regardless.  I would have been better off skipping this game too.  Seemed like most of the Devils mentally checked out of the game with penalty after penalty after penalty in the first two periods, before the refs put away the whistles just in time for the Flyers to clamp down in the third period legally and illegally.  Ironically our only two goals of the game came on the PP, as special teams nearly stole us a point or two with four crucial penalty kills (out of five chances) in the first two periods.  Some timely shotblocking also helped us stay close, though admittedly I kind of wince when we start playing like the 2012 Rangers.  That kind of over-the-top shotblock style shortened the careers of guys like Ryan Callahan and maybe one or two of their defensemen.

Today’s game was so bad even Nico Hischier earned an early third-period benching, in part because of bad defense on the Flyers’ go-ahead goal late in the second period (ironically by draft rival Nolan Patrick).  To twist an old Lou axiom, our best players certainly weren’t our best players other than Sami Vatanen who played nearly thirty minutes in all situations and held the fort down once the Devils lost poor Steven Santini early.  Playing his first game in the NHL since January, Santini got his jaw broken after just a couple of shifts and now he can commisserate with Jesper Bratt, who seems to be almost on the mend from his own broken jaw.  For the most part I liked captain Andy Greene’s game too, with one glaring exception…the Flyers’ deciding goal in the final minutes of the third period where Greene – for reasons known only to him – decided to make a futile pinch, then Jakub Voracek deked Keith Kinkaid out of his skates toward the middle of the ice where defenseman Damon Severson did nothing but watch Voracek put it into an open net.  A pure comedy of errors and omissions if ever there was one.

Even the game winner wasn’t as bad for Kinkaid as his first goal given up to Travis Konecky was, since it went past him shortside and unscreened.  Perhaps the goalie is feeling the heat from a returning Cory Schneider who’s playing a rehab game in Binghamton tonight.  In truth, a lot more guys should be feeling heat after two dud games in a row and now the team will have another four days to sit on this loss until they next play on Thursday – and not an easy game at that, hosting the Predators at the Rock.  Maybe getting Zajac and Bratt back will help, perhaps even Cory returns after the break for what that’s worth.  Clearly they can’t be any worse than they’ve been the last game and a half without Travis.  You need look no further than the faceoff dot to see his impact…with him we were doing remarkably well on faceoffs, without we were a total disaster today finishing at around 33% on draws.

This mini-break is the first potential crisis point for this Devils team.  Hopefully some practices, a good talking to and injured players returning will lead to seeing the team we saw last year and in the first four games of this season rather than the ugly outfit we saw the last two.  Honestly I didn’t even realize till before doing this blog that the score was 5-2, I shut the game off angrily at 3-2 knowing what the result was going to be.  Which isn’t a thing I normally do in a one-goal game with five minutes left but this game just had that feel of doom after the comedy of errors on the last goal, and really the entire game.  Honestly Gritty probably would have been better than half the players on the ice.  As usual Brian Boyle had an honest assessment of the team and I’ll leave that as the last word on this debacle:

 

 

https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1053753631571431424

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Game #5 – Avalanche 5, Devils 3

Posted on October 18, 2018 by hasan4978

There’s a certain bit of irony that in 2018-19 the Avs hung the first loss on the Devils for the season after last year’s great start was kicked into high gear against the Avs in the 2017-18 home opener.  Turns out this was a good game to basically completely miss watching – or maybe me missing the game entirely was part of the good juju dissapearing for tonight.  Or perhaps it was coach John Hynes changing a winning lineup by scratching John Quenneville for Drew Stafford, not that I really have an issue with it since Quenneville’s done nothing in the early going.  Maybe I’ll catch the condensed game version later, NHL.com is at least good with that in the highlight package.  Hynes certainly didn’t sound happy about the lack of effort and I’m glad the standard’s higher around here now, but by the same token I suppose a dud was inevitable eventually.

Also it was ironic that just a game after there was such injury concern for Will Butcher that thankfully proved to be unfounded, now the Devils have another OMGZ potential injury with Travis Zajac limping off with a lower-body injury in the second period.  My buddy at the game told me it looked like his ACL, and I winced.  Of course playing amateur doctor from a distance can be problematic as the internet worrywarts proved again with Butcher speculating on a collarbone or serious shoulder injury, but it turned out to only be a sore shoulder.  And to be fair that same buddy also was overly fatalistic with Sami Vatanen early in the game when the Devils’ defenseman went down the tunnel to get looked at, but he returned quickly.  Maybe we won’t be so lucky with Zajac though, it would be a shame since he’d been raking in the early going, much more so than last year.

Even not watching, just looking at the boxscore can tell you a lot in itself.  And one of the things that jumped out at me was the scary low icetimes for ‘second-liner’ Marcus Johansson and the revolving door of wings playing with him and the still ineffective Pavel Zacha throughout the contest.  Zacha’s own icetime would also have been pretty low if it wasn’t for his nearly six minutes shorthanded, although to be fair his abnormal fight with Nikita Zadorov might have had something to do with it.  Although Johansson and Zacha seemed like they had the potential to be a good combination early, eventually you have to start producing and not just look good while failing to score.  I call it Beau Bennett syndrome, he and players like him I refer to as Corsi darlings, guys whose advanced stats look great but never lead to actual production.  Johansson and Zacha are eventually going to need to step up their production, both for the team and for their own careers.  Johansson is coming up on free agency, having a second straight dissapointing season wouldn’t exactly be what he or his agent would want.  While Zacha eventually needs to start living up to the billing of being a #6 overall pick and the first draft pick of the Ray Shero era before the ‘b’ word gets thrown around more vociferously.

At least both Nico Hischier and Taylor Hall got off the schnied tonight as each got a goal, too bad it was in defeat.  Even in a sloppy game the Devils still led 3-2 in the third period after Brian Boyle’s power play goal, but Gabriel Landeskog’s last two goals of a hat trick turned a two-point game into a zero-point one.  Well like one-time team announcer Doc Emrick used to say (citing Ken Hitchcock I believe), the other team’s getting paid too.  Sometimes you’ll just be outplayed, though there’s never really a good time to have a clunker I guess you could do worse than have one against a Western Conference playoff team.

Also in the boxscore, Kyle Palmieri’s sixteen minutes of icetime look a little low considering his lights-out production so far.  Surprisingly coach Hynes managed to balance out the icetime despite losing Zajac in the second period and no forward played twenty minutes.  Only Andy Greene played more than twenty minutes on defense, but finished with an assist and even plus-minus for the night.  Mirco Mueller wasn’t so lucky, finishing with a -3 while going up against the Landeskog line it would seem.  Maybe goalie Keith Kinkaid finally wasn’t at his best either after a hot start to the season.  He’s certainly entitled to an off night, but with Cory Schneider now listed as day-to-day Keith can’t afford too many more clunkers if he wants to maintain a grip on the starting job.

There won’t be much time to wallow in the first loss of the season or whatever the diagnosis is for Zajac, as the Devils have their first road tilt on Saturday afternoon against the rival Flyers, which is never an easy game in spite of their seemingly neverending goaltender carousel.  Playing Western Conference teams – especially early in the season – doesn’t carry nearly as much pressure as playing against a rival team who you may well be fighting for a playoff spot with.  Of the team’s first five games only the romp over the Caps was against an Eastern Conference foe.

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Game #7: Rangers tripped up by Capitals 4-3 in overtime

Posted on October 18, 2018 by Derek

The record is now 2-4-1. Through seven games of the David Quinn era, the Rangers have already made some strides in the first year of a rebuild. Despite coming up short in a tough 4-3 overtime loss to the defending champion Capitals, they proved they could play with the league’s best. It was a very competitive and entertaining brand of hockey.

Coming off a shootout win over Colorado the previous night, the Rangers went toe to toe with the game’s elite in Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov. Facing a championship team in enemy territory, they did well for a back-to-back situation. As expected, Henrik Lundqvist got the start against Braden Holtby. A battle of former Vezina winners. They both were good in a fast paced game that had plenty.

Once again, Quinn went head to head with the top line of Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider and Jesper Fast going up against the Ovechkin/Kuznetsov duo that was flanked mostly by Chandler Stephenson. It was a successful night with the cohesive Rangers trio getting the better of the play at five-on-five. They were good on the forecheck, generating offense while playing smart defensively.

That line broke through first thanks to a splendid end to end rush from rookie defenseman Neal Pionk. In his second game back following a two game absence, he was brilliant assisting on all three Rangers goals. On the first one, he got a pick from Vinni Lettieri and centered for Kreider, whose initial shot rebounded right to Zibanejad for his second at 6:09. It was a well executed play started by an attacking Pionk.

The Capitals applied pressure on Lundqvist, keeping him busy. He made a few good saves in a period that saw the Washington hosts hold a 14-9 edge in shots. They tied the game on a face off win by Nicklas Backstrom. He won it back to John Carlson, who stepped into one and shot through a Brady Skjei screen past Lundqvist’s glove. A mistake by Skjei that didn’t allow Lundqvist to pick it up until it was too late.

Still tied in the second, a Brett Howden tripping minor in the offensive zone led to the first of two Ovechkin power play goals. The Howden penalty wasn’t bad as it was out of aggression on a good shift for his line. He went for a loose puck in front and tripped Lars Eller. Unfortunately, the penalty kill left Ovechkin wide open for one of his trademark bombs off a Carlson feed. Lundqvist had no chance.

Trailing for the first time, the Rangers got a power play goal of their own when Jimmy Vesey steered in his third from Pionk and Howden to tie it at two with 7:18 left in the period. Off a Howden face off win, a Pionk shot took a favorable bounce off a skate right to Vesey, who buried it.

However, a Fast interference minor cost the Rangers another goal by the Great Eight. Following a big Lundqvist stop on Ovechkin, he got another opportunity. This time, Backstrom and Carlson combined to set the game’s best finisher up from his office. Rather than go high glove like usual, he fooled Lundqvist by firing a low rocket by him for a Caps’ 3-2 lead with 2:59 remaining. It was his sixth of the season and career goal number 613.

If not for Ovechkin’s work on the power play, the Rangers had the better of the play at even strength. They outshot the Capitals 18-13. Holtby came up with some good saves to keep his team ahead.

The Blueshirts stuck with it in the third. They only got five shots on Holtby, but it was special teams that drew them even. Pionk was held behind his own net by Nathan Walker. On what was his best night so far as a pro, he took a shot that was headed wide which Kreider redirected home for the second power play goal of the game. Zibanejad got the secondary assist. Kreider’s second goal in two nights came on another deflection. He’s starting to become a lot more effective as the team’s net front presence. It started last season. His four goals lead the team.

Kreider is the most important scoring wing they have. If he can finally put it together, that would be huge. He and Zibanejad are the top two forwards followed by Mats Zuccarello and Kevin Hayes. It’s nice to see both Zibanejad and Kreider getting it going. They really are working well with the tenacious Fast, who always makes things happen. I would keep them together.

Pavel Buchnevich returned to the lineup. He just wasn’t effective. Quinn even gave him a few shifts in place of Filip Chytil with Hayes and Zuccarello in the third. But his decision making wasn’t the best. In a tie game, he tried a 35-foot cross ice pass for Zuccarello that went into the bench. A riskier play rather than getting the puck deep, which NBCSN analyst Eddie Olczyk criticized. The skill from Buchnevich is similar to Alexei Kovalev. But he doesn’t shoot the puck and is struggling to adapt to Quinn’s system.

There was another play I wasn’t crazy about. Following two good defensive plays by Marc Staal and Hayes, Buchnevich got bodied off the puck and didn’t clear the zone. That puck has to get out. That’s what Quinn means by more grit. Buchnevich needs to take the body more and simplify his game. Otherwise, he will continue to find himself on the fourth line, or in the press box.

Most of the 18 skaters are getting it. Hayes had some nice takeaways in the three-on-three overtime. In fact, he had Kreider all set up with an open side, but Kreider was unable to convert the glorious chance. Hayes’ play has gotten a lot better since last year when Alain Vigneault used him in a match up role. It’s only a matter of time before Hayes gets untracked.

The Capitals won the game due to a unreal skill play from Kuznetsov. Taking a pass from T.J. Oshie, the ever dangerous Russian center made a great move and fired a tough shot that Lundqvist got a piece of. However, all three Rangers lost Matt Niskanen in coverage. He had an easy rebound which he tapped home for the OT winner at 2:18.

Even though they lost, the Rangers took a step in the right direction. They played the Capitals tough in a exciting game full of end to end play and scoring chances. There was a lot to like. Now if only Buchnevich could buy in and play a more North/South game. Skjei could improve defensively. Can Quinn get anything out of the $4 million twins (Namestnikov/Spooner)?

They don’t play again until Sunday when the Flames are in town.

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Game #7 Rangers at Capitals 7 EST NBCSN

Posted on October 17, 2018 by Derek

Tonight, the Rangers take on the Capitals in the nation’s capital. It’ll be their first look against the defending champs. It’s the second game of a back-to-back. How will this team respond to a big challenge from a very good team? Considering that the Caps prominently feature Alexander Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Nicklas Backstrom, T.J. Oshie, John Carlson and Braden Holtby, it promises to be a tough battle.

You wonder how our team can do against a rested Washington club probably still steaming over a 6-1 blowout loss to the Devils. Granted. It was unproven backup Pheonix Copley. But you still don’t expect them to get the doors blown off by anyone. Tom Wilson is still serving his long 20-game suspension. He has appealed it, but it’s a lengthy process. You won’t see him until almost Thanksgiving.

Dmitry Orlov remains the most overlooked player on that blueline. A good skater who can match up, he can also jump into the rush. Matt Niskanen also remains a steady defensive presence. Brooks Orpik is still around too for the physicality.

Pavel Buchnevich will return to the Rangers lineup after being a healthy scratch for last night’s 3-2 shootout win over Colorado. He will start on the fourth line, replacing Cody McLeod. So, he’ll slide in with Ryan Spooner and Vinni Lettieri. We’ll see if the gifted 23-year old Russian can work his way back into David Quinn’s good graces. He wants to see better effort and more grit. That will require Buchnevich to get the jersey dirty and not stay on the perimeter. Hopefully, he will still get a turn on the power play. It would be foolish not to use him there. That’s an area he excels at.

I wouldn’t have been opposed to benching Namestnikov again, keeping McLeod in following a good game. But Namestnikov stays in on the third line with Brett Howden and Jimmy Vesey. They need more from both wingers. The lines are basically the same except Buchnevich, who replaces McLeod.

Does Quinn try the top line of Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad and Jesper Fast against the Ovechkin line? Can Marc Staal and Brendan Smith keep up if that’s the match up? Maybe they should go with the faster skating Brady Skjei and Neal Pionk. It definitely won’t be Fredrik Claesson or Kevin Shattenkirk.

Can the cohesive second line of Filip Chytil, Kevin Hayes and Mats Zuccarello follow up with another good game?

Henrik Lundqvist gets his sixth start. We’ll see if they’re up to the challenge. The game can be seen on NBCSN at 7 EST.

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