Early Returns on Kakko with Kraken are Good

Posted on January 18, 2025 by Derek

Out West in Seattle, a familiar face now plays for the Kraken. For the first five and a half years of his career, Kaapo Kakko played for the Rangers after they selected him second overall in 2019. After having some ups and downs in New York City, Kakko got his wish when he was traded to the Kraken on Dec. 18, 2024.

The 23-year-old right wing reached the breaking point after he was scratched by coach Peter Laviolette on Dec. 15 against the Blues. His reaction to the benching was predictable. When the Rangers were struggling, why was he the one singled out by Laviolette? There were higher salaried veterans who weren’t pulling their weight. Instead, it was Kakko who sat out over Mika Zibanejad, whose fragile psyche made it difficult for Laviolette to scratch his underperforming star center.

When Kakko was vocal about his displeasure with being made an example of for the team’s losing, he was as good as gone. In his final game for the Rangers, he played a team-low 10:14 despite having three shots against the Predators on Dec. 17. The next day, he was dealt to the Kraken in exchange for Will Borgen, a 2025 third round pick and a 2025 sixth round pick.

Earlier in the season, Kakko had demonstrated success with Filip Chytil and Will Cuylle on an effective third line that outscored opponents 13-2 in 19 games together. Following an upper-body injury to Chytil that kept him out seven games in late November, the line never regained the same traction. After scoring a goal against the Canadiens on Nov. 30, he had just one assist in his last seven games. Ironically, that assist came against the Kraken on Dec. 8.

It was a disappointing end to his time on Broadway. While he could never live up to the draft hype, Kakko became a responsible two-way forward with the Blueshirts. On a roster that struggled at five-on-five, he was one of the better performers. Although he only had four goals and 10 assists for 14 points in 30 games, 13 of those points came at even strength. Kakko finished with a plus-9 rating.

For his Rangers’ career, he had 65 goals and 76 assists for a total of 141 points over 343 games. Kakko’s best season came in 2022-23 when set personal bests in goals (18), assists (22), and points (40). During the team’s run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2022, he played a role along with Chytil and Alexis Lafreniere on the Kid Line. They had good chemistry together and were involved offensively highlighted by their ability to create scoring chances off the forecheck. The cohesive trio combined for some nice goals to help the Rangers take a 2-1 series lead on the Lightning. Eventually, the Lightning came back to take the series in six games.

Release the Kakko

Since joining the Kraken, Kakko has been a different player. Given a more defined role by coach Dan Bylsma, he now plays on the top line with Matty Beniers and Jaden Schwartz. Following a slow start with his new team, Kakko has started to produce more consistently.

In fact, he’s had his best stretch by recording four goals and six assists for 10 points over the last 13 games. That was highlighted by a two-goal game in a come from behind win over the Sabres on Jan. 11. In a four-goal third period that broke open a tie game, Kakko scored twice in a 1:40 span, which set a new franchise record for the quickest two goals scored by a Kraken player.

During the Kraken’s recent 2-1 loss to the Jets on Jan. 16, Kakko set up Beniers for a highlight reel goal. He showed off his playmaking skills by making a nifty backhand feed in front that Beniers finished.

https://twitter.com/NathanGraviteh/status/1880065533837734110

A noticeable difference has been the increase in ice time Kakko’s received. By being featured on the number one line for the Kraken, he’s getting more shifts than he ever did with the Rangers. In 13 games, he’s averaging 16:34. By comparison, he only averaged 13:17 with the Rangers before the trade.

Kakko also has been given more of a chance on the power play. While in the Big Apple, he didn’t always receive consistent time on the man-advantage. That was always an issue due to the overreliance on the top unit that featured Adam Fox, Chris Kreider, Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck, and Zibanejad. With the first unit often overstaying shifts, that means little ice time for the second unit, which is a problem that still exists.

Instead, he’s found himself on the top unit for the Kraken. Kakko has recorded two power-play points. The first was a nice pass in front for a Shane Wright power-play goal. The second came when he was set up by Jared McCann for an easy finish.

Aside from the hike in offense, he’s also shown more of an edgy side. He’s been more physically involved during shifts. He has 19 hits with the Kraken. Kakko’s been more willing to battle opponents during scrums. While he’s never been the most emotional player, he’s brought a different mindset to his new team. It’s a welcome change for a player who’s fitting in well with the Kraken.

It didn’t work out for Kakko in the Big Apple. He mostly played in a secondary role for the Rangers. When Laviolette tried Kakko with Zibanejad and Kreider, the results weren’t good enough to keep it together. Kakko openly admitted that they didn’t produce enough following last season.

In Seattle, he can play his game and know that he won’t have to look over his shoulder. He’ll be sent out for his next shift. There no longer is as much pressure, either. Having a more defined role has helped Kakko regain his confidence. With his contract up after the season, he’ll be a restricted free agent this summer. If he continues to excel in Seattle, it shouldn’t take long for the Kraken to re-sign him.

Sometimes, a change of scenery is what’s best for a young player. Kakko will turn 24 on Feb. 13. Maybe he’s found a real home in Seattle. The Kraken must be pleased with the early returns.

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Carrick Deserved to Be Rewarded in Rangers’ Frustrating Overtime Loss to Avalanche

Posted on January 15, 2025 by Derek

They fell a little short of winning a third straight game. Instead, the Rangers suffered a frustrating 3-2 overtime loss to the Avalanche last night. They blew a one-goal lead late in regulation when Artturi Lehkonen took advantage of a bad rebound Igor Shesterkin left to tie the score with 1:13 left in regulation. After having some chances to win it, the Rangers lost on a Devon Toews goal with less than 37 seconds remaining in overtime.

By failing to pick up the extra point, they fell to five behind the Blue Jackets for the second wild card. The Blue Jackets came back to defeat the Flyers in a shootout. They have 48 points in 44 games. The Rangers have 43 points in 43 games. They still are behind five teams in the wild card race. Unless they can put together a winning streak, it’s hard to picture them making the playoffs. A lot would have to break right in order for that to happen. It isn’t insurmountable, but they can’t afford to blow games like Tuesday night.

In a game where they were the better team, it was the role players who came through. With the Rangers behind 1-0, Sam Carrick continued his good run by stealing the puck from Cale Makar and scoring a shorthanded goal to tie the score at 11:55 of the first period. With the Avs on a power play, Makar fumbled the puck at the point, which allowed Carrick to turn it into a breakaway and then pull off a forehand deke on Mackenzie Blackwood for his second goal in the last three games. Carrick would also be involved later when he sent Adam Edstrom in for a breakaway goal that put the Rangers up 2-1 at the halfway mark of the second period.

That kind of effort deserved to be rewarded. To his credit, Rangers coach Peter Laviolette has been giving Carrick more ice time. For the second straight game, the fourth line made a difference. Unlike the 2-1 win over the Golden Knights on Jan. 11, Carrick moved back down to center Edstrom and Matt Rempe on the fourth line due to the returns of Filip Chytil and Chris Kreider. It was the effective play of Carrick, Edstrom and Rempe that stood out against the Avalanche, who struggled defensively. If not for Blackwood making 27 saves, including robbing Mika Zibanejad on a breakaway in overtime, they don’t come back to win the game.

After starting slowly, the Rangers fell behind on a Parker Kelly goal less than five minutes in. Kelly was left all alone in front to take a Ross Colton feed and beat Shesterkin. Both Kreider and Arthur Kaliyev vacated the slot on the goal. The Avs could’ve gotten more, but Shesterkin shut the door on Nathan MacKinnon to keep the deficit at one.

Despite a frantic pace that favored the Avalanche, the Rangers settled in and played a good road period. With Kreider off for taking down Makar, Carrick tied the game by scoring the Rangers’ sixth shorthanded goal of the season. The unassisted tally came at 11:55.

The Rangers had some looks to go ahead late in the period. But Blackwood denied Reilly Smith by kicking out a low shot to keep the game deadlocked after one. It remained that way until Carrick sent in Edstrom on a breakaway. He made no mistake by beating Blackwood with a quick shot for his fourth of the season. That gave him goals in two straight for the first time in his career.

If there was a disappointment, it was the lack of finish from the team’s best players. Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere were unable to bury chances on Blackwood, who had a strong game. That also included both Lafreniere and Vincent Trocheck missing wide on good opportunities.

Even in a more defensive-minded third period, the Rangers looked like they were in control. The Avalanche didn’t really generate a whole lot on Shesterkin. Following a successful penalty kill late in regulation, it looked like they would earn their third consecutive win. Instead, with Blackwood off for an extra attacker, MacKinnon fed Mikko Rantanen for a one-timer that Shesterkin couldn’t handle. That allowed Lehkonen to slam home the rebound with 73 seconds left to force overtime.

In it, Rantanen took an interference minor on Adam Fox to put the Rangers on the power play. Laviolette went exclusively with a four-man unit of Fox, Panarin, Zibanejad, and Kreider. They moved the puck around to set up shots, but most missed the mark, with both Kreider and Panarin unable to find the net. It was an embarrassment. For as good as Blackwood was, none of the Rangers’ stars made Rantanen pay for a bad penalty.

When Zibanejad got behind the Avalanche for a clean breakaway, Blackwood beat him by flashing his glove to deny a forehand. With it apparent that the top guns were running on fumes, Laviolette doubled up by sending out Fox, Panarin, and Zibanejad. They got victimized on Toews’ overtime winner.

If there’s a gripe with the defeat, it’s how Laviolette overused his veterans in OT. None of them proved capable of beating Blackwood. It wouldn’t have hurt to put out Carrick and Edstrom for a shift. Granted, it would’ve been a tough assignment against the star-laded Avs. In a recent 3-2 win over the Devils on Jan. 9, it was Carrick who made a key defensive play on Jack Hughes that led to him converting a Smith pass on a two-on-one in overtime.

That game was a little different. Neither Chytil nor Kreider were available. So, Laviolette had Carrick and Smith take a shift together. Usually, coaches tend to cut down on their bench for three-on-three. While that’s true, it was the play of Carrick and Edstrom that was noticeable against the Avalanche. Maybe Laviolette should’ve gone with more instinct. The Rangers’ best players weren’t their best on Tuesday night. Undoubtedly, they’ll need more from Panarin and company the rest of the way.

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Role Players Stepping Up for Rangers

Posted on January 12, 2025 by Derek

Occasionally, successful teams need role players to contribute to victories. In the Rangers last two games, which were both wins over quality teams, it’s been the role guys who have stepped up to make a difference.

In Thursday’s 3-2 overtime win over the Devils, it was Sam Carrick who played the hero by scoring the game-winner on a set up from Reilly Smith. That was after he took the puck away from Jack Hughes in the defensive zone to start the clinching sequence. In Saturday’s 2-1 victory over the Golden Knights, Carrick continued to play well in a more defined role by centering Arthur Kaliyev and Jimmy Vesey on the third line. His biggest contribution was a hard backcheck that broke up a two-on-one.

That kind of hustle has stood out during the Rangers’ recent turnaround that’s seen them go 4-1-1 over their last six. After a seven-week malaise that saw them sink to last place in the Metropolitan Division, they’ve started to play a more complete game. For the first time since mid-November, they won for the second time in a row. Being more committed defensively, they blocked 21 shots and kept most of the Golden Knights’ chances to the outside – allowing Igor Shesterkin to do his job by making 29 saves. That included a dozen in the third period when Vegas turned up the heat after falling behind on Adam Edstrom’s goal with just over 14 minutes left.

With the game tied at one, it was the fourth line that delivered the go-ahead goal. After Matt Rempe made a good pass out of his zone across to Jonny Brodzinski, he moved in and threw the puck in front for Edstrom, who managed to get his stick down to deflect it past Ilya Samsonov to make it 2-1 at 5:57. It was his first goal in 21 games. For a rookie who’s played in every game this season, Edstrom does a lot of the little things well. Back in the first period, he made a diving block to break up a Knights’ chance. He didn’t return until the second period. A good skater for his size, Edstrom’s used his speed to outhustle opponents. That consistent effort is why Rangers coach Peter Laviolette trusts him.

For two periods, the Rangers outplayed the Knights. They outshot them 12-6 in a strong first period that was played entirely at five-on-five. In particular, Mika Zibanejad had another strong showing. His line spent a lot of time in the Knights’ defensive zone. Zibanejad seems to have rediscovered his game lately. He’s been skating with more purpose and making better plays in the offensive zone. The line with Cuylle and Smith had good chemistry last night which led to some opportunities. In his return to Vegas where he helped them win a Stanley Cup, Smith had five shots on goal. Samsonov made a few good saves to deny him.

The top line also had some shifts where they threatened to get on the scoreboard. Even though they haven’t dominated like last season, the trio of Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck, and Alexis Lafreniere are starting to generate more at even strength. There are some positive signs that they’re close to breaking out. Trocheck had a good night, converting a Zibanejad rebound for a critical game-tying power-play goal and tied with Smith for the team lead with five shots. He has six points (4-2-6) over the last four games. During the same stretch, Panarin has a goal and five assists. He has continued to shoot the puck. With the Rangers leading 2-1 in the third, he hit the goalpost, which has been a theme for Panarin this season. It helps explain why he has 17 goals instead of 24 or 25.

If they’re going to make a run in the second half and leapfrog teams ahead of them in the wild card chase, Panarin must lead the way. With Shesterkin delivering a second straight quality game in net, he’s done his part to show teammates that he’s ready to carry them to the playoffs. It’s the pair of Russian stars that can make a difference. Of course, they’ll need help from the supporting cast.

If there’s cause for optimism in the modest two-game winning streak, Adam Fox and Ryan Lindgren look more like themselves. Fox has been making better reads offensively and defensively to keep plays alive. Lindgren is back to leveling opponents and delivering key blocks when his team needs it most. When the top pair is in sync, that bodes well.

The same can be echoed for K’Andre Miller, who has taken some steps in the right direction since being partnered with Will Borgen. Miller’s been more aggressive in both the offensive zone and neutral zone. Borgen has been steady while handling the nuts and bolts in his end. His reverse hit allowed him to move the puck up for Rempe, who sent Brodzinski and Edstrom in for the winner. With Kaapo Kakko having more success in Seattle, the player the Rangers got back has quietly had a positive impact on the blue line. With Borgen turning unrestricted this summer, it remains to be seen if he’ll stay. That largely depends on how the next six weeks will go. But he’s certainly boosted his value by providing consistent minutes.

In his second game, Arthur Kaliyev was more noticeable in all facets. In 15 shifts, he had three shots and played responsibly defensively. His best chance came when he made a nice move to get around the Vegas defense and in on Samsonov. But he was bit too patient with the puck. He played on the third line with Carrick and Jimmy Vesey, who was reinserted after sitting out the last game. Brett Berard was sent down to Hartford for the weekend. Bo Groulx was recalled but didn’t play. Laviolette opted to stick with Carrick and Brodzinski as his third and fourth line centers. It didn’t make sense to call up Groulx in the first place. Filip Chytil skated but wasn’t deemed ready to return.

Despite largely outplaying the Knights, the Rangers fell behind on a Mark Stone power-play goal at 6:16 of the second period. On what was a ridiculous call on Trocheck for holding the stick on Vegas actor Tomas Hertl, the Knights took advantage quickly. After a faceoff win, Jack Eichel moved the puck down low for Stone, who came out and had his shot go off Braden Schneider’s stick past Shesterkin to put Vegas in front.

Trocheck would get some revenge thanks to striking back on the power play at 9:54 to tie the score. Keegan Kolesar took an ill-advised tripping minor on Miller in the offensive zone. Following a couple of misses, Zibanejad took a Panarin feed and had his one-timer hit Trocheck in the midsection. He was still able to backhand home the rebound for his 14th. Afterwards, a hurting Trocheck went to the locker room before returning to the bench.

Late in the period, Shesterkin prevented the Knights from taking the lead. He was able to recover in time to deny Kolesar on a wrap-around and later stopped Ivan Barbashev. He also had some luck when Eichel hit the goalpost with the Rangers’ fourth line caught out for a late shift. On the opposite end, Carrick was stopped by Samsonov.

The refs again messed up with time winding down in the period. Somehow, they allowed the Knights to get away with an obvious pick play in the offensive zone that nearly led to them taking the lead. However, the puck didn’t cross the goal line until after time had expired. What is it about Vegas that they need help from the league? Whether it’s taking advantage of LTIR with questionable moves to free up more space to acquire players at the deadline, or getting favorable calls in games, it’s puzzling. They already have a good team. Their fans act like spoiled children when a call goes against them. I’m sure Hasan can relate when it comes to the Devils facing the Hurricanes.

The third was awfully quiet until the fourth line delivered a critical goal. At the time, neither side had registered a shot. Borgen made a good defensive play behind his net due to a reverse hit. After Rempe received the puck on the wall, he saw Brodzinski open at the Vegas blue line. His pass across sent Brodzinski in on the left wing. It looked like he was going to shoot but instead made a smart pass that Edstrom tipped in for the first game-winner of his career.

After Panarin’s close call, the rest of the period was all Knights. They turned up the heat literally. Even with the Rangers easily killing off a Smith tripping minor following Edstrom’s goal, it didn’t create any momentum. They decided to sit back and play a neutral zone trap. While it worked, they went into a shell in crunch time. It was too close for comfort.

Shesterkin came up large by stopping Noah Hanifin. Urho Vaakanainen went off for hooking William Karlsson with 2:55 remaining. At first, the Knights went with a traditional five-on-four. But after Shesterkin made a couple of saves on Stone and Victor Olofsson, they pulled Samsonov for a six-on-four. Eichel just missed tying it. Shesterkin then stopped Hertl.

With exactly one minute left, Shea Theodore sent a shot wide. He didn’t keep a puck in which helped the Rangers. Two Vegas mishaps allowed them to kill precious time off the clock. After Vaakanainen’s penalty expired, the Rangers continued to play outstanding defense to prevail for their second straight win. Just like their performance against the Devils, they showed a lot of character.

Now, it’s onto Colorado on Tuesday to take on the high-powered Avalanche. That should be more challenging due to mega stars Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Mikko Rantanen. If they can win that game, then we can start to think about a run.

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Carrick Plays Unlikely Overtime Hero for Rangers in Stronger Effort

Posted on January 9, 2025 by Derek

Sometimes, hard work pays off. It did for the Rangers in a well-deserved 3-2 overtime win over the Devils at 33rd and 7th on Thursday night. It was their second victory over the last three in what’s a more optimistic mini stretch that’s seen them go 2-0-1. Considering how challenging the first half’s been, they’ll take it.

By winning over the Devils for the first time this season, the Rangers stayed within four points of both the Blue Jackets and Penguins. Each were winners with the Jackets holding onto the second wildcard due to more regulation wins and one less game played.

At exactly the halfway mark, the Rangers have 40 points with 41 games remaining on the schedule. They will have to jump over a lot of teams to seriously challenge for the playoffs. If they intend to, that means faring better against even tougher opponents than the Devils. When they hit the road for a three-game trip, they’ll face the Golden Knights and Avalanche before concluding with the Utah Hockey Club next Thursday. We’ll see if they’re up to the challenge on Saturday when they face the league-leading Golden Knights in Vegas.

For now, they can enjoy a hard-fought victory over their close Hudson rivals. Special teams and a stronger commitment defensively helped them get a much-needed win to bounce back from a disappointing 5-4 loss in overtime to the Stars. The Rangers went 2-for-3 on the power play and successfully killed off four Devils’ power plays in regulation. They also outplayed the Devils in a more aggressive third period by outshooting them 12-6.

After Jacob Markstrom thwarted both Artemi Panarin (glove save) and Mika Zibanejad (pad save) on breakaways, an unlikely overtime hero emerged. Without Filip Chytil and Chris Kreider, Peter Laviolette rolled the dice and sent out Sam Carrick with Reilly Smith against Jack Hughes. Carrick’s takeaway on Hughes led to a two-on-one rush with Smith setting up Carrick for the overtime winner at 2:48. It was a nice reward for a gritty player who saw some extended ice time from Laviolette. Carrick’s third goal from Smith in overtime isn’t what you’d expect at this time of year. But that’s exactly what the Rangers needed to earn the valuable extra point.

Igor Shesterkin returned from the injured reserve to make his first start since Dec. 30. He was sharp early on making 11 saves in a busy first period. Unlike a previous outing on Dec. 2, he wasn’t peppered throughout with the defense holding the Devils to 23 shots. When they needed the timely stop, Shesterkin provided it to finish with 21 saves to pick up his first win since Dec. 20. It must’ve felt like a vacation compared to how most of the season’s gone.

Playing without two regulars, the Rangers had Jonny Brodzinski center newcomer Arthur Kaliyev and Brett Berard on the third line. After serving the final game of his eight-game suspension, Matt Rempe returned to the lineup and played on the fourth line with Carrick and Adam Edstrom. Laviolette made Jimmy Vesey a healthy scratch. Zac Jones sat out again. He’s expected to get moved soon after his agent requested a trade. I’m not going to get into that now.

In the first period, the Rangers had to kill off two straight Devils’ power plays. After taking care of an Adam Fox high-sticking minor, they got caught with too many men on the ice 28 seconds later back at full strength. Down a man for the second time, they allowed the Devils to generate a couple of chances, with Shesterkin denying Nico Hischier before Timo Meier went off the crossbar.

When Kurtis MacDermid interfered with Ryan Lindgren, it was the Rangers’ turn to go on the five-on-four. They made it count quickly by using only five seconds to grab the lead. On a faceoff win from Vincent Trocheck, the puck came back to Fox, who skated over to the middle of the ice before winding up with a slapshot that deflected off Devils defenseman Jonathan Kovacevic past Markstrom for a 1-0 lead with 7:55 left.

The Devils’ best chance came when Kovacevic was set up in the slot for a wide open shot that Shesterkin made a big save on. Despite getting outshot 11-6, the Rangers took the one-goal lead to the locker room.

Most of the second period was controlled by the Devils. Able to get their transition game going, they used their superior speed to keep the puck in the Rangers’ zone for long stretches. Following a near miss from Meier on a prior shift, some forecheck pressure led to Hughes tipping in a Brett Pesce shot for his fifth goal in three games this season against the Rangers. In a bit of a miscommunication with Zibanejad, Shesterkin went behind his net to play a puck. Ondrej Palat stole it and fed Pesce for an open shot while Hughes was left alone to redirect his 16th at 4:04 to tie the score.

Outside of a couple of deflections, the Rangers continued to turn over pucks in the neutral zone. Eventually, they got burned. Will Cuylle absorbed a clean check from Dougie Hamilton that allowed the Devils to counterattack. Hughes retrieved the loose puck and sent a good outlet for Jesper Bratt, who gained the Rangers’ zone and beat Shesterkin from a tough angle to make it 2-1 with 11:32 left. It was a bad goal from Shesterkin. He was culpable on both of their goals with his giveaway leading to Hughes’ tying marker.

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Despite not much happening, the Rangers hung around in an eerie period that saw the Devils only register five shots. With less than five minutes left, Trocheck drew a slashing minor on Hischier. Unlike the first power play, the second one took some time for the Rangers to set up. Eventually, Fox got the puck over to Zibanejad for a wrist shot with Trocheck in front that rebounded off Markstrom right to Panarin for a power-play goal that tied it with 2:47 remaining. The assist extended Zibanejad’s point streak to five straight (2-3-5). He’s been skating with more purpose and thinking shot more.

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In the third, Zibanejad was the Rangers’ best forward. It was his line that had the Devils pinned in their end, leading to cheers from the home crowd. After he missed wide, Smith was stopped twice by Markstrom, who was his team’s best player. Without him, they don’t even get a point. Markstrom was on top of his game by stopping all 12 shots he faced in the third.

At one point, the Rangers led in shots 8-0. They were all over the Devils who didn’t resemble the team they were last month. Defensively, they’ve struggled lately. Even in the 3-2 win over the Kraken on Jan. 6, they relied heavily on Markstrom to end a four-game losing streak. As dangerous as the Devils are offensively due to Hughes, Hischier, and Bratt, they turn the puck over a lot. On Thursday night, they had 25 giveaways, including a game worst seven from Hughes. As a team, the Rangers had 10 by comparison.

If there’s an area that still must be fixed, it’s their penchant for allowing game-breakers like Hughes too much time and space to create chances. They were far too passive as Hughes coasted up the ice and got in for a tough shot that Shesterkin kicked out. It was the first shot of the period for the Devils.

With the game still tied, Nathan Bastian took down Trocheck to put the Rangers back on the man-advantage. This time, it was the Devils who threatened to take the lead shorthanded. Dawson Mercer anticipated a pass and broke in for a shorthanded bid that Shesterkin calmly padded away. He then shut down Bratt to get a stoppage. Zibanejad was sent off for a slash on Palat to make it four-on-four.

As good as the Devils are at that, a pair of giveaways allowed the Rangers to get a couple of chances. After Markstrom stopped Cuylle in tight, he had to deal with a crashing Carrick after he was shoved from behind. With Cuylle in fishing for a rebound, Pesce went after him during a heated scrum while Markstrom got in Carrick’s face. There was nothing Carrick could’ve done to prevent the collision. Pesce had words with Cuylle in the corner. Cooler heads prevailed. No penalties were called. It was just hardnosed hockey between bitter rivals.

On an abbreviated power play, the Devils were unable to take advantage. They kept trying to get the puck in front to Stefan Noesen, who was stopped once by Shesterkin. The Rangers did a better job against the pesky Noesen, who likes to camp out in front.

When the teams were back at full strength, Lafreniere was out with Zibanejad for a shift. He let go of two shots that whizzed wide. After Trocheck came on with Panarin, the Rangers top line nearly set up the go-ahead goal. However, Braden Schneider rang a shot off the goalpost. Lafreniere was then shut down by Markstrom on a wrap-around.

On the opposite end, Shesterkin came up big to deny Bratt and then had some help from the goalpost on a Kovacevic opportunity. For a veteran, who beat out Simon Nemec out of camp, Kovacevic’s been a big surprise for the Devils. He was easily their best defenseman in this one.

With the game still hanging in the balance, Trocheck broke around the Devils’ defense to get a good low shot right on Markstrom that he handled to get a stoppage. On a big defensive shift with less than a minute remaining, Laviolette had Carrick out with Adam Edstrom and Brodzinski, who replaced Rempe due to the score. The Devils applied some offensive pressure, but Edstrom had a couple of key blocks to keep it tied.

The game went to overtime. In it, Laviolette started with Trocheck, Lafreniere and K’Andre Miller, who had a stronger night while paired with Will Borgen. After playing the Devils’ trio of Hughes, Hischer, and Luke Hughes a standstill, Fox sent Panarin in on a breakaway. But Markstrom made a great glove save to deny the bid and then kept play moving.

Hamilton got the best chance for the Devils but had his trick wrist shot denied by Shesterkin. Following a Mercer miss wide, Panarin found Zibanejad open at the Devils’ blue line for another break-in. He tried to go backhand, forehand but Markstrom stayed with him to kick it out. At that point, it didn’t look like anything would get by Markstrom.

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On a play inside the Rangers’ blue line, Hughes tried to dance around into the slot, but Carrick got his stick on it to send him and Smith on a two-on-one. Earlier in the game, Smith blew a two-on-none shorthanded chance by getting too cute. This time, he made the right play by sending a pass across for a Carrick one-timer past Markstrom for the game-winner. That sent the bench onto the ice to celebrate Carrick’s goal.

There hasn’t been a whole lot to smile about in the first half. But for the Rangers to get a win over a quality opponent without both Chytil and Kreider, it showed plenty of character. They played the right way for a change and got the desired result. Whether or not it’s a steppingstone depends on what happens next.

Rempe Quiet in Return

As far as Rempe, his return was uneventful. He took 11 shifts and had four hits and avoided any undisciplined penalties in 7:47 of ice time. The Devils countered with MacDermid, who had one shot and took an ill-advised penalty that led to Fox’s power-play goal in just eight shifts (3:45).

What was even the point of either playing?

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Rangers Blow Lead in Loss to Stars due to Miller’s Costly Mistake

Posted on January 7, 2025 by Derek

When you can’t string together wins, it’s often due to a lack of consistency. In a frustrating 5-4 overtime loss to the Stars, the Rangers fell short of winning two straight games due to a costly mistake from K’Andre Miller. With the Rangers leading the Stars 4-3 on the strength of Vincent Trocheck’s power-play goal less than five minutes earlier, Miller’s slight hesitation behind his own net led to a turnover with Thomas Harley tying the game with 3:39 left in regulation.

Despite going for it late, the Rangers were victimized in overtime by Stars captain Jamie Benn, who tipped in a Jason Robertson pass in front to beat Jonathan Quick at 2:17. The Stars capitalized on a four-on-three power play to get the win. It came with Artemi Panarin in the penalty box for a soft hooking minor on Wyatt Johnston. It wasn’t exactly a great call for overtime.

On a night when Panarin’s line finally snapped out of it by combining for seven points at five-on-five to spark a 3-0 lead in the first period, it was their best player who skated off the ice disappointed by the end result. Panarin finished with three assists, including a pair of primary helpers on two Alexis Lafreniere goals that ended a 13-game scoring drought. He also helped set up Trocheck’s first goal.

Unfortunately, the bad penalty cost the Rangers a valuable point in the standings. Combined with the Blue Jackets defeating the Penguins in overtime, the Rangers trail the Jackets by four points for the second wildcard. With nobody pulling away, they remain very much alive for the playoffs. Keep an eye on the Red Wings, who won their fifth consecutive game to pull within two points of the final wildcard. The Lightning hold the first wildcard with 44 points after ending a four-game losing streak by getting a win over the Hurricanes.

Unless they can start winning consistently, it’s hard to take the Rangers seriously. By blowing 3-0 and 4-3 leads, they fell to 18-20-2. Even though they still have the most regulation wins (18) over all the other teams competing with them for the final playoff berth, they remain a very flawed team that’s proven incapable of putting together a good stretch. Their last winning streak came almost two months ago when they won three straight between Nov. 14-19 over the Sharks, Kraken, and Canucks. Since then, they haven’t even won two in a row. At that time, they were 12-4-1. Since that point, they’ve gone 6-16-1 to become one of the league’s worst teams.

Proving how vulnerable they are, the Rangers went from dominating the Stars by getting the first three goals to giving up the last two in a strange opening period. After getting hemmed in their zone early, they grabbed the lead when Lafreniere took a Panarin feed and drove home a wrist shot that went high short side past Jake Oettinger at 6:56 for his first goal since Dec. 8.

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Less than three minutes later, Trocheck doubled up the lead when he redirected a Will Borgen shot for his 12th. Not even two minutes later, Panarin sent Lafreniere ahead for a breakaway with him going to a backhand through the five-hole on Oettinger to make it 3-0 with 8:36 left.

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But before fans could relax, Matt Duchene finished off a pass from Esa Lindell that cut it to 3-1 over 90 seconds later. With Braden Schneider off for holding Logan Stankoven, Evgenii Dadonov steered in a rebound to suddenly make it 3-2 with 4:04 remaining. Even though they still led by a goal, the Rangers were outshot 19-8 in the period.

On an extended shift that saw them pinned in their own zone, Borgen lost his stick. While the Stars continued to attack, nobody gave him a stick until Filip Chytil finally did at the exact moment Robertson scored his 10th to tie the game at three with 6:46 remaining in the second period. Borgen went 43 seconds playing without a stick. The cardinal rule is that a forward is supposed to give the defenseman a stick as soon as possible. Instead, the communication breakdown cost them a goal.

In the third, both Robertson and Trocheck missed on wide open chances to put their team ahead. Following a Will Cuylle hit, Robertson was left all alone in front but missed wide on a tip in. On the opposite end, Trocheck was all set up by Brett Berard. But he fanned completely. He’d make up for it on the power play.

With Harley off for a delay of game, the Rangers stuck with their top unit. During a stoppage, Peter Laviolette called a timeout to rest his number one unit. With Chytil out for the period due to another upper-body injury, he had no choice. Following the break, Mika Zibanejad took an Adam Fox feed up top and let go of a wrist shot that Trocheck tipped past Oettinger to put the Rangers back ahead with 7:04 remaining.

Playing more aggressively, they continued to forecheck looking for more offense. Trocheck came close but hit the goalpost. Instead of going up by two, that left the door open for another forgettable moment. For reasons only known to him, Miller held onto the puck behind the net. He had plenty of time to make a play but instead allowed the desperate Stars to force a turnover. Sam Steel fed Harley in the slot for a wrist shot that went high on Quick to tie the score at four at 17:21.

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Even with the game tied again, the Rangers went for it. But Oettinger only had to stop one shot down the stretch. For only the second time all season, the Rangers went to overtime. It was their first one since losing their home opener 6-5 to the Utah Hockey Club on Oct. 12. It was just the Stars’ fourth such game.

After Panarin was called for hooking Johnston 31 seconds into overtime, the Rangers tried to kill off the penalty. Following some good defensive work from both Zibanejad and Trocheck, the Stars finally got set up late on the power play. Harley made a good diagonal feed over to Robertson, who then found Benn in front for the easy tip home that ended the game. Benn gave Fox a nudge to get open for the game-winner.

That ended another disappointing night. The Rangers are home to face the Devils on Thursday night.

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Rangers Claim Kaliyev off Waivers

Posted on January 6, 2025 by Derek

A day after earning a 6-2 win over the Blackhawks, the Rangers made some news off the ice by claiming Arthur Kaliyev off waivers. The former King will join the team when they host the Stars tomorrow night at 33rd and 7th.

Kaliyev returns home to play for the Rangers. Born in Uzbekistan, Kaliyev, his family moved to Staten Island, New York when he was two years old. They relocated to Michigan when Kaliyev was 13. In his first year playing for the Hamilton Bulldogs in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), he scored 31 goals. Following a successful second season that saw him produce 51 goals and 51 assists for 102 points, the Kings selected him in the second round of the 2019 NHL Draft with the 33rd pick.

It was in 2020 that Kaliyev represented Team USA at the World Junior Championships (WJC). He had four goals and two assists during the tournament. The following year, he was part of USA’s featured scoring line that carried them to a gold medal. Kaliyev played with future King Alex Turcotte and Trevor Zegras. It was in the WJC semifinals that he scored the game-winner late in regulation to stun Finland 4-3, sending USA to the final against Canada. They’d go on to defeat Canada 2-0 to win the gold medal on Jan. 5, 2021.

During the Covid shortened season, Kaliyev made his NHL debut against the Ducks on Feb. 2, 2021. Less than a month after capturing gold, he scored his first career goal in his first NHL game. It came in a 3-1 loss at Staples Center. He spent most of that season with the Ontario Reign in the American Hockey League (AHL) where he totaled 31 points (14-17-31) in 40 games.

In his rookie season, Kaliyev registered 14 goals and 13 assists for 27 points in 80 games during 2021-22. The following year, he had 13 goals and 15 assists for 28 points in 56 contests. 2023-24 was a down season for Kaliyev, who only scored seven goals and added eight helpers for 15 points in 51 games.

After re-signing with the Kings for 2024-25, he broke his clavicle during training camp. That kept him out of action with Los Angeles. Kaliyev posted a goal and an assist in a five-game conditioning stint with the Reign in December prior to the Kings placing him on waivers. He’s yet to play in an NHL game this season.

For the Rangers, it’s worth a gamble. Kaliyev possesses a lethal shot that can beat goalies. Of the 35 career goals he’s totaled, 18 have come on the power play. Considering how bad the Rangers have been on the man-advantage, adding Kaliyev can certainly help their chances. Once a team strength, the Rangers have fallen to 26th in the league on the power play, going a dismal 18-for-105 (17.1) in 39 games this season. They’ve also given up three shorthanded goals.

In their win over the Blackhawks on Sunday, Jan. 5, they were without Chris Kreider due to an upper-body injury. He scored a goal in a losing effort against the Capitals on Jan. 4. Kreider’s listed as day-to-day by the Rangers. Jonny Brodzinski took his place and scored a goal to tie the game during the first period. After trailing 1-0, the Rangers erupted for five straight goals. Will Borgen notched his first as a Blueshirt to give them the lead.

Filip Chytil scored the first of a pair to increase the lead to 3-1. Mika Zibanejad sent in Reilly Smith for a breakaway goal that made it 4-1. It was a milestone for Zibanejad, who recorded his 400th career assist. For his career, Zibanejad has 302 goals and 400 assists for a total of 702 points in 887 games. Vincent Trocheck and Chytil added goals in the victory to pull the Rangers within four points of the second wildcard held by the Penguins.

In the victory, Louis Domingue made 28 saves in his return to the NHL. That included an unorthodox save to deny Taylor Hall when he threw his stick in the direction of the puck to make the save. He was fortunate not to get penalized for the play.

By picking up Kaliyev off waivers, the Rangers had to make a coordinating move to stay cap compliant. They sent down forward Matt Rempe to the Hartford Wolf Pack. He’d served seven games of an eight-game suspension for elbowing and boarding Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen on Dec. 20. That means when he comes back up, Rempe will still have to complete the suspension by serving one more game.

With an assist on Brodzinski’s goal in the first period, Adam Fox tied Brad Park for fourth place on the franchise’s all-time assists list among defensemen. He’d later pick up another assist to move past Park for third place. In 396 career games, Fox has 54 goals and 284 assists for 338 points. Even in a down season so far, he has a goal and 29 assists for 30 points. The 29 assists rank fifth among all defensemen in 2024-25. The 30 points put him in a tie for sixth among defensemen in scoring with the Oilers’ Evan Bouchard.

After returning home on Tuesday night to host the Stars, the Rangers will then take on the Devils this Thursday at Madison Square Garden. Following that, they’ll head out West for a three-game road trip with stops at Vegas, Colorado, and Utah.

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Challenge System Needs To be Changed after Cuylle’s goal gets overturned in Rangers’ loss

Posted on January 4, 2025 by Derek

On Saturday, Jan. 4, the New York Rangers lost to the Washington Capitals 7-4 at Capital One Arena in DC. It was their fifth loss over the last six. However, that isn’t the story of the game. Instead, it’s what occurred with at 7:10 of the second period.

With the Rangers trailing the Capitals 3-1, they thought that Will Cuylle had cut the deficit to one when he finished off a Filip Chytil centering pass in front for what looked like his 12th goal with 12:50 remaining in the second period. Will Borgen made a good pinch to push the puck down low for Chytil, who then found Cuylle for the goal. At the time he scored, ABC put up a graphic that indicated that it was Cuylle’s first goal in eight games.

Before they could drop the puck at center ice, the Washington bench delayed for a while before coach Spencer Carberry took a timeout. After much discussion between announcers Steve Levy, Ray Ferraro and former referee Dave Jackson, they couldn’t figure out what the Caps saw on the play. Finally, Carberry decided to initiate a coach’s challenge for offside. The puzzling aspect is that they had to go all the way back to the original entry from the Rangers to figure out if the play was offside. ABC’s replays were inconclusive, leaving Ferraro to say that if he ruled on it, there wasn’t enough conclusive evidence to overturn the call. Even Jackson seemed at a loss for words.

While Cuylle stared aimlessly at an iPad watching the replay of his goal, which was totally legal, the long delay continued due to the video room trying to determine whether the play was onside. The question had to do with Brett Berard, who was on the far side of the ice. From the angles ABC gave, it was very hard to see whether or not his skate was just ahead of the play when Chytil carried the puck over the blue line. The lengthy wait continued until finally, veteran ref Wes McCauley announced that they determined that the play was offside, negating Cuylle’s goal.

It was mind-numbing. The amount of time it took for the Capitals to challenge the play was too long. There was no way they should have been allowed to delay that long before initiating a coach’s challenge. There-in lies the problem with the way challenges are being used. During the stoppage, Ferraro said that there should be a small window for coaches to challenge calls. It’s almost as if they should use a timer. That isn’t how it works in a disorganized league that can’t be taken seriously. Whether it’s the officiating blowing calls daily, or perplexing explanations on what goalie interference is, or permitting teams to take as long as possible to stop the game for a flawed challenge system that needs an overhaul, the NHL should wake up and make the necessary changes to make the rules easier to understand for everyone.

By stalling for time, it hurts the game. Nobody watches to see officials huddle over controversial calls and lengthy video reviews that do nothing but slow down the game. If they can’t do it in a timely fashion, then there shouldn’t be a challenge. More and more coaches are using timeouts to try to decide if they should challenge a goal. There was even an instance in another recent game when a timeout was burned and after discussing it, they decided not to challenge. It borders on absurd how long coaches are allowed to delay the game before anything happens.

For the Rangers, they got screwed by the current system that’s in place. Even if it was offside, it took too long a process. Cuylle’s goal should have counted, which would have made it 3-2. Oddly enough, a few minutes later, Sam Carrick took advantage of a New Year’s gift from Alex Ovechkin to score his first goal since Opening Night on Oct. 9. Instead of possibly tying the game, it pulled the Rangers within one with 3:34 remaining in the period.

Rather than gain momentum from Carrick’s goal, the Blueshirts allowed Connor McMichael to convert on the power play after Ryan Lindgren took an undisciplined delay of game minor. That allowed the Caps to restore a two-goal lead headed to the locker room.

In the third period, Urho Vaakanainen made a great stretch pass that sent Chytil in alone for a breakaway goal that cut it to 4-3 at 8:32. He went high to beat Capitals starter Logan Thompson. But in a seesaw game that didn’t have much checking, Ovechkin took advantage of a loose puck banking off K’Andre Miller in front to slide a backhand past Jonathan Quick for career goal number 872.

To their credit, despite their deficiencies, the Rangers kept coming back. On a Reilly Smith lead pass, Mika Zibanejad beat Thompson high for his second goal in two games to make it 5-4 with 6:56 remaining. After ending an eight-game drought with a goal in a 2-1 win over the Boston Bruins on Thursday, Jan. 2, Zibanejad has looked more confident. He’s using his speed and looking to be more aggressive with his shot. If only he didn’t pass up a great opportunity back in the first period with the Rangers leading 1-0 on a Chris Kreider goal.

The Rangers wasted a good period by giving up a late power-play goal to Dylan Strome. They then reverted to their old ways by getting outplayed by the Capitals for the first part of the second. Lars Eller and Andrew Mangiapane scored to put the Rangers behind 3-1. Then, came the Cuylle goal that wasn’t. It was very frustrating due to how long the Caps were given to challenge the play. That shouldn’t be the case, but the league allows such nonsense. They’ve become like the NFL minus the popularity. Hockey remains way behind the other three major sports in ratings, yet they’re run like a circus. It isn’t easy to fully grasp.

At 5-4 down with a chance to force overtime, the Rangers instead gave up another Capitals goal when Aliaksei Protas whipped a backhand past Quick to make it a two-goal game with six minutes left in regulation. Tom Wilson sealed the Rangers’ fate with an empty netter.

It was another lost opportunity. The Caps weren’t overly impressive. They showed holes in their game defensively and Thompson was beatable. The benefit of a flawed coach’s challenge system certainly aided them in the win that’ll keep them in first place despite what the New Jersey Devils do at the San Jose Sharks.

The Rangers will now travel to Chicago to visit the Blackhawks for another annoying afternoon game on ABC. What other breaks can go against them in this lost season?

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USA Set for Semifinal against Czechia at World Junior Championships

Posted on January 3, 2025 by Derek

This year’s World Junior Championships has moved rapidly. Ottawa is hosting the 2025 WJC Tournament. What started out as a round robin tournament that included 10 countries is now down to the final four. The semifinals will be played on Saturday at Canadian Tire Centre.

The first semifinal will pit old rivals against each other when Finland takes on Sweden. Game time is set for 3:30 ET. After winning Group B, Sweden skated by pesky Latvia 3-2 in the quarterfinals yesterday. Despite outshooting Latvia 50-13, Sweden couldn’t pull away against the upset-minded country.

It had already been their best showing with an upset over Canada and a win over Germany. After falling behind 3-0, Latvia used a pair of goals in the second period to make it interesting. However, Sweden’s territorial dominance was too much for Latvia to overcome. David Edstrom’s power-play goal held up as the game-winner to send the Swedes into the semis.

After dealing USA their only defeat in group play, Finland held off Slovakia 5-3 on Thursday to advance to the semis. Despite a goal from Slovakian star Dalibor Dvorsky that cut it to one, Jesse Nurmi scored with less than two minutes left to put it away. As a result, Finland renews acquaintances with Sweden in the first semifinal tomorrow afternoon.

The second semifinal will feature USA facing Czechia on Saturday night at 7:30 ET. Entering the WJC, the Americans were aiming for a repeat. After falling to Finland in overtime, they rebounded by defeating Canada 4-1 on New Year’s Eve. Even though they didn’t play their best game, they took full advantage of some undisciplined Canadian penalties to win Group A. They connected three times on the power play in the win.

By defeating Canada, that allowed them to avoid Czechia in the quarters. Instead, USA took advantage of a favorable draw by defeating Switzerland 7-2 on Thursday. The Boston College connection of Ryan Leonard, Gabe Perreault, and James Hagens all starred in the win with the trio combining for seven points (4-3-7). Danny Nelson, Zeev Buium, and Brandon Svoboda also scored for USA.

In the featured game, Czechia eliminated Canada 4-3 to send them packing for the second consecutive year. The Czechs built a 3-1 lead in the first period on goals from Petr Sikora, Jakub Stancl, and Eduard Sale. But Canada rallied on goals from Porter Martone and Bradly Nadeau to even the score.

When Nadeau jarred loose a rebound past Czechia goalie Michael Hrabal with less than five minutes remaining in the third period, the pro Canadian crowd went wild. Canada dominated the action by swarming Hrabal. He stopped everything until a Luca Pinelli shot caused him some trouble. Unable to cover the puck for a whistle, Hrabal allowed Nadeau to poke in the rebound with 4:18 left in regulation.

The way Canada played, it looked like they’d find a way to win it and set up a rematch with USA on Saturday. Instead, a loss of discipline proved costly. Christopher Gibson was called for kneeing a Czechia player with 2:27 left to put them on the power play. For most of the two-minute penalty, Canada did an outstanding job on the penalty kill by being aggressive and clearing the zone. But with time winding down, Sikora and Adam Jiricek combined to set up Adam Jecho for a rocket that beat Carter George with less than 40 seconds left in regulation.

From there, Czechia forechecked in the Canada zone to kill precious time off the clock. When it was over, the Czechs celebrated their big triumph in the corner before the postgame ceremony at center ice.

For Canada, it was a bitter pill to swallow. Despite dominating most of the play at even strength, they were unable to advance to the medal round. Instead, they were left to wonder what went wrong. Undisciplined play and inconsistent offense doomed Canada. They never were able to get untracked. Perhaps management deserves the blame for failing to select Beckett Sennecke or Michael Hage. Both could’ve helped the cause.

Most notably, coach Dave Cameron won’t be back. How can he after such a failure? He has been widely criticized for not taking the best players. He also never held any team practices following losses. Considering how his team played, he deserves the criticism.

If there was a bright spot, Gavin McKenna would be it. The 17-year-old looks like he’ll be at the top of the draft board in 2026. He only scored one goal in five games. However, he created numerous scoring chances due to his game-changing speed and skill. He was dangerous against USA, hitting a goalpost when Canada trailed 2-1 in the third period on Dec. 31. McKenna is a player to keep track of.

USA features Hagens, who has had a good tournament with eight points (4-4-8). He’s considered to be one of the best prospects this year. He’s centered Perreault and Leonard as a freshman at BC. Hagens is a fast skater with a laser of a shot. When the 2025 Draft takes place this summer, he could go number one.

The Americans should expect a tough game from Czechia. They have some key players back with Stancl, Sale, and Hrabal leading the charge. That’s a semifinal worth watching tomorrow night. E.J. Hradek and Tony Granato have the call on NHL Network.

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Devils hit a mini crisis point as TV blackout hits local customers over the holiday

Posted on January 2, 2025 by hasan4978

Now that the Devils are slumping, I feel moderately guilty for not blogging during the recent homestand, where the team looked like they were hitting all cylinders and even posting good performances at the Rock. Of course, as the home performances have multiplied – so now have some new road issues with three straight losses on their six-game trip coming after a three-game homestand sweep which was as impressive as it gets with dominant performances over the rival Penguins and Rangers and their second win over their nemesis Carolina at the Rock this year.

I had planned to go to all three of those home games but had to settle for ‘only’ attending the wins over the Penguins on the 21st and the Canes last Friday, which was more than satisfying enough. Even being home for once over a quasi-holiday game against the Rangers didn’t really help as 1 PM is an insane time for a Monday game, two days before Christmas or not. If I was still in my old job, I surely wouldn’t have had off for this game and as it was after eating lunch I realized just getting to Newark for puck drop might not be good enough this time – the way I’ve been doing for most games – given the fact my small parking lot just off Broad Street (which is amazingly convenient for getting out of the arena) was probably going to be packed for this game in the middle of the day. At least I could get away with selling my ticket for the Ranger game last minute, even if I didn’t get half the profit I could have gotten selling the ticket the day before – oh well.

At least having to sell my ticket and have the Devils come up with another dominant performance against their struggling tri-state rivals was better than the potential alternative of rushing to get there, finding no parking and having the game be a dud. I’ve been to Game 4 in 2006 and Game 6 in 2012, I can live with not seeing one regular season virtuoso performance at the Rock. Although admittedly I would have been more annoyed had they not pretty much tatooed the Penguins more than the 3-1 score on Saturday would indicate and beat their chief on-ice rival in Carolina last Friday.

While I certainly wasn’t expecting us to sweep the home-and-home with the Hurricanes on Saturday, the 4-2 loss was still annoying on a number of fronts. Our supposed solid backup Jake Allen started out strong against an early onslaught as the Devils held a fragile 2-1 lead in the third period, but then allowed a clunker goal in the third period that tied the game and that was only the appetizer for the main course of annoyance – the Timo Meier ejection and five-minute major for kneeing Martin Necas. I could post the Sheldon Keefe quote where he curtly pointed out that Necas was so hurt he played 3.5 minutes of the ensuing major penalty and that calls like that reward playing up an injury, but instead I’ll just post the play which wound up deciding the game.

If you’re going to make that call, at least make that call right away. Don’t make that call only after you see the guy playing up his injury on the ice with their hick crowd still booing the refs who didn’t give Carolina a minor penalty the entire game, and don’t tell me that wasn’t what happened – the Canes have a well-deserved rep for being divers and whiners. Necas certainly had a quicker recovery than a ‘dangerous’ knee-to-knee would normally entail. I would say it’s more amazing the league hasn’t punished the Canes as a whole for their constant playing of the refs, but to be honest I think they just like the fact that Carolina’s one of its most successful sunbelt markets and keep them propped up wherever they can.

Anyway, Carolina predictably scored the deciding goal on the five-minute major and a clinching empty-netter late in the game to salvage the split. At least the league didn’t double down on stupid and suspend Timo further for that nonsense, I was paranoid they would since he’d already been suspended for actual stupidity against Nashville less than a month back. Not that it helped the Devils in Anaheim where their performance was reportedly rubbish. I was actually surprised both because the Devils are usually good on the road, and because we absolutely ran the Ducks off the ice early in the season at home when we weren’t winning too many other home games.

At least Markstrom himself had a pretty good December, even being named one of the NHL’s three stars of the month and quelling many of my concerns after his slow start. Maybe Martin Brodeur was right about him with his top five goalie ranking after all lol…it was actually a bit cute hearing ‘Marky’ chants after a particularly impressive glove save off Sidney Crosby in the Penguins home game. It’s doubly important that Markstrom’s come good now that Allen’s somewhat predictably fallen off from his good start, although he seemed fine yesterday from what I heard. I actually kind of forgot yesterday’s game was an afternoon one – the holiday schedule is for the birds sometimes, but I sort of expected a loss to be honest with a back-to-back in LA against a good team we had to really slog through to get a win a few weeks ago at home. Sure enough, the 3-0 loss yesterday was our eighth shutout against this season – an inordinately high number for a team that otherwise hasn’t had much trouble putting in goals. Then again, even if I had remembered yesterday’s game was a matinee, as it turned out it wasn’t going to be on my TV anyway.

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I guess now I’ll have an excuse for not keeping up with the Devils as much going forward since I’m one of the Optimum customers that is now without over the air hockey. TBH I don’t really care enough to get a new provider or pay extra for ESPN plus when A) I go to a good chunk of the home games anyway and B) the playoff games should still be over air, and despite the Devils’ recent lull it still is a good possibility they’ll at least be playing the first round in April. It’s never right when corporations try to leverage customers during the season and there’s usually no good guy in a titan vs. titan PR war. I wouldn’t blame anyone for ‘cutting the cord’, gaming the system with illegal online streams or changing providers, maybe I should too but I might just go back to listening to Matt and Chico on the radio feed for the games I’m home for. To a degree I feel a bit spoiled the stupid cable wars (which are more prevalent year by year on all providers) haven’t really affected me till now, especially since all NFL games are over the air and SNY hasn’t had this kind of nonsense happen yet with Mets games.

I don’t really want to end on that Grinch Stole Hockey after Christmas note but I really don’t have much to say on the team to be honest – for the most part you still have to be happy about their play and I’m still reasonably confident they’re not going to go 0-6 on this stupidly long road trip. Just win in San Jose – even if they throw out their second ex-Devil goalie in two games against us – and kick the season back into gear. Don’t let this little blip spiral into something potentially season-changing.

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Rangers place Shesterkin on Injured Reserve

Posted on December 31, 2024 by Derek

When it rains it pours. For the New York Rangers, the news isn’t good on Igor Shesterkin. In a story Mollie Walker of the NY Post broke earlier today, the Rangers placed Shesterkin on injured reserve with an upper-body injury.

The injury likely occurred early in the third period against the Florida Panthers. Sam Bennett drove hard to the net and was stopped by Shesterkin. After the save, Ryan Lindgren hit Bennett from behind into Shesterkin, knocking him down. He was checked out by the Rangers trainer but remained in the game.

Despite taking a blow to the head, Shesterkin appeared to shake it off. He finished the game with 21 saves in the 5-3 loss. With him now placed on IR, that means he won’t be available for the Rangers’ next three games. If he’s ready to go, Shesterkin will be eligible to return on Jan. 7 versus the Dallas Stars.

Without him, that means the Rangers will turn to Jonathan Quick when they return to action to take on the Boston Bruins on Thursday night. After a day off, they then face the Washington Capitals and Chicago Blackhawks this weekend in a back-to-back on the road.

The Rangers recalled Louis Domingue from the Hartford Wolf Pack to back up Quick.

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