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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Game #6: Rangers respond with a good 3-2 shootout win over the Avalanche

Posted on October 17, 2018 by Derek

David Quinn wanted to see more tenacity and grit from his team. He sure got it from the Rangers, who last night posted a good 3-2 win in the shootout over the Avalanche at The Garden before 17,251. Attendance is down due to James Dolan not lowering prices. While they didn’t go up, beer now costs at least thirteen bucks just for a can. That’s absurd. I won’t be donating to that cause at the few games I’m at.

With expectations down, only the true fans still show up. Luckily, that includes one of our favorites Anthony Cinque from Long Island. A longtime season ticket holder who’s been attending games since the early 90’s including when the team won the Stanley Cup, he still gets out to some games when he’s not busy driving his son to play in tournaments with Tom Poti’s kid. It’s funny too considering how fans treated Poti. Apparently, there is no better guy who gives back to the hockey community. Anthony’s son is only eight, but you can feel the excitement over how his kid is doing. When he’s not busy cracking jokes about our two four million dollar forwards that are signed for two years, he’s always telling stories. It makes the games more fun. Especially when our team hits a lull.

Tuesday was not one of those games. Quinn all but begged his team for more simplicity and stronger play around the net. What he got was 18 skaters who were fully committed to what he wanted. They played their best period of the season in a rousing first that saw them fire 19 shots on Colorado starter Semyon Varlamov, including several more attempts. On a night they totaled 43 shots, they also had 76 attempts. That included every skater. Even Cody McLeod, who played an inspired game in nine active shifts. He even pick pocketed Nathan MacKinnon at the Rangers blueline and broke in before having a shot blocked. That’s the kind of yeoman effort Quinn rewards.

Without Pavel Buchnevich, the Rangers played a more aggressive offensive game, attacking the Avalanche net every chance they got. That’s how they have to play to be competitive. Chris Kreider broke the ice with his first power play goal of the season by parking himself in front and redirecting a Kevin Shattenkirk point shot for a 1-0 lead. Shattenkirk had a better night, picking up two assists and scoring the shootout winner. A great response from the veteran who found himself scratched a couple of games ago.

Mats Zuccarello also was his old self. Reunited with Kevin Hayes on the second line with rookie Filip Chytil, the popular Ranger gave a superb effort throughout along with his cohesive linemates. The trio were the best line at even strength. Zuccarello assisted on both Ranger goals including a beautiful cross ice feed for a wicked Hayes one-timer that was wired top shelf inside the crossbar for a 2-1 lead in the second.

For a second consecutive game, Quinn opted to have the top line of Kreider, Mika Zibanejad and Jesper Fast go head to head against a tough opponent’s top scoring line. The trio did a great job neutralizing the very dangerous MacKinnon line that includes Gabriel Landeskog and Mikka Rantanen. Even though they did wind up with both Colorado goals, neither came against the Zibanejad unit. They were aggressive throughout with Fast just missing on two point blank opportunities. On one, the puck bounced on him. The other, it looked like his attempt was blocked by a player. He could’ve had two goals. Kreider was more active during shifts driving the net. Exactly where he needs to be. Zibanejad attempted several shots, but didn’t beat a sharp Varlamov.

Meanwhile, Brett Howden centered Vladislav Namestnikov and Jimmy Vesey. It was a good defensive play by a hustling Howden that allowed Vesey to get a clean breakaway. He blocked a shot and then had the presence to recover and pass the puck to an open Vesey, who got behind the Colorado defense. He made a good move, but was denied by Varlamov on a deke. Vesey would get another big chance in the third thanks to a nice centering pass from Zibanejad, but he fanned on it to blow a goal. It seems that he gets chances every game, but only has two goals to show for it. At some point, Vesey needs to bury some of these, or he’ll never be more than a 16-17 goalscorer. The effort is there, which is why he stays in the lineup.

The Avalanche picked it up in the second. They got the benefit of a questionable call on Hayes for a late tripping minor. Taking full advantage of it, Landeskog redirected a Tyson Jost shot from Tyson Barrie to tie the contest. However, the Rangers responded quickly. Only 2:40 later, Shattenkirk moved the puck across to Zuccarello, who found enough space in the middle to make a sweet dish for an open Hayes, who notched his first with a great one-timer that Varlamov stood no chance on. He indicated to Al Trautwig between periods that it was about time. His game was very good all night.

Henrik Lundqvist was again sensational, finishing with 31 saves along with two of three stopped in the shootout to pick up his second win. In all five starts, he’s allowed two goals, posting a 1.99 goals-against-average and .939 save percentage. He made two spectacular saves that led to the trademark, “Hen-rik, Hen-rik,” chants from an appreciative crowd. It’s easy to recognize how much work he’s put in. The 36-year old emotional leader looks more comfortable staying back in his net. The patience is paying off.

Unfortunately, following a ridiculous save on a Avalanche rebound for highway robbery, the Rangers iced the puck. It led directly to a Colorado face off win in which MacKinnon was able to deflect home a Landeskog shot from Rantanen at 19:47. Showing frustration, Lundqvist sticked the puck out of the net. Who could blame him? He made such a great save only to give one up that sent the team to the locker room tied.

In a good game that also saw the return of rookie defenseman Neal Pionk, who replaced vet Adam McQuaid, he paired with Brady Skjei on the top pair. But it was the experienced tandem of Marc Staal and Brendan Smith that drew the tough assignment on the MacKinnon line. They did a good job. Staal keeps it simple while Smith’s improved skating even allowed him to take a power play shift in overtime. Something nobody would’ve predicted.

Shattenkirk worked with Fredrik Claesson for the first half before Quinn went down to five. Claesson has been fine in his three games. He is solid in his end, and even dropped the gloves against the always pesky Matt Calvert, who won the fight with a few rights and a knock down. Claesson only played 10:50.

The third was interesting. Nobody scored despite some opportunities. There were two iffy calls back-to-back. First on Chytil for a phantom hook. Then on Rantanen for holding Staal. Both were tacky. You had your share of big saves by each goalie. Neither team backed off. That’s what made it a compelling game. It was hard fought.

In the three-on-three which Anthony referred to as, “Bettman hockey,” Skjei got behind the Avalanche for a break in to draw a penalty. However, the video replay clearly showed that MacKinnon made a good defensive play getting his stick on Skjei’s stick to block his shot.

It was just as well. The four-on-three power play was so predictable and stale that it looked like it was in slow motion. They’re not instinctive enough. The shots were easy ones for Varlamov to save. That included Zibanejad with two unscreened shots. I would’ve liked to have seen Chytil get a look over Ryan Spooner. God Almighty. Four million dollars.

We didn’t stay for the shootout. I hate them. But I was able to catch the tail end passing a bar on Eighth Avenue walking back to the car. I saw Rantanen score to beat Lundqvist. But Shattenkirk was able to walk in and go short side on Varlamov. What I didn’t know was that old reliable Zuccarello scored in the opening act. Lundqvist poke checked MacKinnon and stacked the pads on Landeskog to clinch the victory.

It was a nice win. They deserved it. Now, the question is does Buchnevich return tonight in D.C. to face the defending champion Capitals. I don’t know. The effort was so good, I wonder what Quinn will decide. I didn’t think Namestnikov was too good. Maybe he comes out. Spooner spends too much time on the perimeter.

One thing I’m certain of is Lundqvist will get the start in back-to-back. They don’t play again til Sunday at home versus Calgary. While they’ll be big underdogs tonight, the game against the Flames is winnable. They’re 2-4-0 so far. Every game has been competitive. We’ll see what tonight brings.

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Game #4 – Devils 3, Stars 0

Posted on October 17, 2018 by hasan4978

After winning their first three games in impressive fashion, the Devils’ challenge last night against the Stars was to avoid a dreaded letdown against a middle of the pack Western Conference team playing on a back-to-back.  My challenge, apparently was just to get TO Prudential Center.  Generally weeknight trips take an hour from Morristown to Newark with rush hour traffic so I left at 5:30, but there are also scenes from the upcoming movie ‘The Joker’ being filmed in Newark and some streets were closed off – just my luck one of those streets closed off was the one I usually turn onto to get to the front entrance my lot.  So from 6:30 till after 7 I basically crawled around Newark when as it turned out, I could have just avoided that whole mess by squeezing in the back entrance to my usual parking lot.  Eventually I wound up back there, relieved that entrance was still open and barely got in the building for puck drop.

Still annoyed over the whole ordeal and taking over an hour and a half to drive and park, the game itself helped relax me as the Devils got off to another fantastic start and cashed in with a familiar name on the scoresheet – Kyle Palmeri with his seventh goal in four games scoring a rocket one-timer on a PP mere minutes after I got to my seat.  Unfortunately the momentum of the first half of the period got stalled in unusual fashion, with the Devils about to go on a 5-on-3, Taylor Hall for reasons known only to him decided to flip the puck into his own bench on the delayed penalty and wound up getting thumbed on a delay of game to cancel out the Stars’ second penalty.  Now I admit I’ve never seen the delay of game be applied in that manner before.  Then again players are usually smart enough to just throw the puck to the other team or go offside if the idea was to get the extended 5-on-3 (which it was).  I thought delay of games only applied to pucks over the glass or closing your hand in the crease but apparently I was wrong as Steve pulled a Doc mid-game and explained the wording of the rule on Twitter.

While the team’s momentum stalled after losing that power play, the Devils avoided the costly mistake against and the game remained 1-0 into the second period.  Then Blake Coleman did what he does, sparking the team with a well-timed goal – making a couple moves in traffic and firing a wrister past Anton Khudobin.  Khudobin’s troubles as it turned out, were just beginning.  If the delay of game penalty was the first ‘you don’t see that every day’ moment of the night, what happened later in the period was the next, when Khudobin’s stick got broken and somehow nobody on the bench or the ice noticed it, while the entire crowd of 12,808 saw the goalie gesticulating while doing jumping jacks in the crease trying to get someone to notice he didn’t have a stick for half a minute.  Defenseman John Klingberg literally skated past the goalie’s broken stick with the puck but instead of icing it or keeping it long enough for someone to notice and get the goalie a stick, he turned the puck over to the immortal Jean-Sebastian Dea who fired a shot past Khudobin the one place he might not have been expecting…glove-side.  Dea admitted he didn’t realize Khudobin lost his stick either or he would have shot the puck someplace else.  Pity.  My former seatmate on the other side of the arena (who I sat with for the third period) had thought it was a clever psychological gamble.

With one exception the third period brought back memories of late ’90’s hockey where the team shut the door on a lead in convincing fashion.  There was even a good old-time fight between Miles Wood and Jamie Benn early in the period – no strategy or probing, just wailing on each other that ended with a Wood takedown of Benn.  I don’t really know what Benn was doing in the first place since the Stars were down three early in the third period, and trying to make that comeback with one of their better offensive players missing a couple of shifts was not ideal.  Maybe the Stars already knew this wasn’t going to be their night.  They rarely came close to scoring until the final minute where a botched power play gave the Stars a couple of good shorthanded chances but Keith Kinkaid stopped them all to preserve a shutout, and finally a well-deserved star after being denied by the attending media in the previous two home games despite 37 saves against the Sharks and another shutout against the Caps.

Unfortunately the reason for that botched power play could have serious reprecussions going forward as Will Butcher was not on the ice, having been taken out by a likely uncalled boarding penalty minutes earlier with a suspected collarbone/shoulder injury.  I had visions of Mirco Mueller’s collarbone injury last year which led to him missing three months.  Although the power play’s been streaky so far this year, losing Butcher could cripple it.  It won’t do us any favors 5-on-5 either having to replace Butcher with either the uninspiring Eric Gryba or the unimpressive Steven Santini, neither of whom can really add a lick to the transition game.  So while last night’s 3-0 win continued the impressive 4-0 start (the team’s best since defending its ‘first’ Stanley Cup in 1995), and they’ve outscored a decent slate of opponents 17-4, the first dark cloud appeared over this season and we’ll just wait and see what the word is on Butcher today.

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Avalanche at Rangers: Buchnevich a healthy scratch

Posted on October 16, 2018 by Derek

The Rangers look to shake off a tough one goal defeat over the weekend when they host the Avalanche tonight at 7 PM. It promise to be another tough test. After doing a solid job against Connor McDavid even though he scored and set up Edmonton’s two goals, they’ll have to deal with another superstar in Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon. The Hart runner up is off to a good start with six goals and an assist so far.

MacKinnon centers one of the league’s best lines, teaming with Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen, whose seven helpers and eight points lead the Avalanche. It’ll be interesting to see if coach David Quinn decides to go head to head with the top line of Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad and Jesper Fast. They did a good job at five on five against McDavid by making his line play in its end. Zibanejad played his best game of the season, scoring his first goal and hitting two posts. Hopefully, that’ll get him going.

The big story entering tonight’s match is Quinn’s decision to healthy scratch Pavel Buchnevich. The third-year Russian finds himself in a familiar spot under a new coach. It can’t be too pleasing for the young 23-year old who has two goals and an assist in the Rangers’ first five games. Unfortunately, he played a bad game on Saturday, going without a shot attempt. He was so invisible that he got benched for most of the third period.

During yesterday’s practice, he was rotating in with Cody McLeod on the fourth line. In my last write up, I speculated that Buchnevich could find himself on the fourth line following Saturday’s disappointing game. I was wondering if McLeod would be in versus his former team for either Buchnevich or Ryan Spooner, who also didn’t see the ice much in the third. With the first-year coach declaring that he needed to get rookie Filip Chytil more ice time, it was obvious that the 19-year old Czech would move into the top nine by shifting to wing. That meant someone was going to be dropped.

Buchnevich has talent which should be obvious. His combination of skating, puck skills and playmaking capabilities make him a good candidate to break out. That can still happen. It was interesting listening to Quinn explain that he can live with certain mistakes as long as the players are putting in the effort. Clearly, he didn’t feel Buchnevich gave a honest one. So, he comes out tonight, similarly to what Alain Vigneault did to him. The only difference is with Quinn, he’s a straight shooter. There won’t be any confusion why Buchnevich will be in the press box when we are at MSG in a few hours. It’s my first regular season game after being unable to attend the feel good win against San Jose due to not feeling well.

The Blueshirts are 1-4-0 in last place in the Metro Division. It’s not a surprise. With key players off to inconsistent starts including Kevin Hayes, Mats Zuccarello, Kevin Shattenkirk, Kreider and Zibanejad, it’s no wonder they are where they are in the standings. At least they have a win unlike the Panthers and Red Wings, who got the doors blown off by the Canadiens yesterday. Detroit could be the worst team in the league. They’ll have some competition from Arizona, who still hasn’t scored a goal on home ice. Florida is struggling without starter Roberto Luongo. There’s still too much talent for them to continue to play bad.

As for the Rangers, they need their best players to perform better. That’s the only way they can be competitive. It’s advisable for them to not put Colorado on the power play. It’s also a good idea to listen to Quinn and be harder on the puck when they forecheck. He wants to see them get the uniform dirty. There’s a reason they aren’t drawing penalties on home ice.

The lines look like this:

20-93-17

72-13-36

26-21-90

8-23-95

So, Chytil gets a chance with Hayes and Zuccarello. That could work. We know Chytil has a lot of skill. Maybe it’ll rub off on Hayes and Zuccarello. Spooner centers McLeod and Vinni Lettieri on the fourth line. The second line is Brett Howden with Jimmy Vesey and Vladislav Namestnikov, who deserves this opportunity based on the past three games.

Neal Pionk is back in on the blueline with Adam McQuaid expected to sit out for the first time. Tony DeAngelo remains a healthy scratch. I hope he gets back in tomorrow.

Henrik Lundqvist gets the start. Expect him to get both games with the Capitals tomorrow night. The Rangers don’t play again until Sunday when they host Calgary.

I’m not sure who Colorado will start. Semyon Varlamov was not too good in his last outing, but is off to a good start. He remains the starter there with another former Cap Philipp Grubauer backing up.

I’ll have a full game review later.

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Game 5 Review: Thoughts on tough 2-1 Rangers loss to Oilers/refs, talent lacking

Posted on October 15, 2018 by Derek

I know it’s a bit late. However, Saturday’s 2-1 Rangers loss to the Oilers and the refs really ticked me off. Let me preface this by saying that I rarely get on the officiating for any of my teams when they lose. However, everyone has seen their team get screwed. It happened to the 2014 Rangers against the Kings. Dwight King remains one of my most hated players.

We’ve all been there. I understand the stripes have a hard job. But when you miss an obvious penalty on NHL darling Connor McDavid and Edmonton in a tie game in the third period, it drives me nuts. I didn’t realize WWE takedowns were allowed like the one they got away with on Kevin Hayes behind the Edmonton net. They compounded it by blindly calling Vladislav Namestnikov for a penalty he didn’t commit. He was the victim on the play. So twice, it should’ve been a power play for our punchless team. Instead, the Oilers got the early Christmas gift with McDavid scoring from a tough angle with a backhand banking in off Henrik Lundqvist for the game-winner.

I’m glad coach David Quinn didn’t glue Namestnikov to the bench like his predecessor would have. It wasn’t his fault the four blind mice didn’t have perfect 20/20 Vision. Which brings me to a question. Does this half ass backwards league test for eyesight? Don’t answer it. It’s rhetorical.

By no means did the Rangers play a perfect game. They didn’t have enough killer instinct or finishing ability. Something that’s gonna be a problem. There just isn’t much talent on the roster. Unless Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, Pavel Buchnevich (did he even play yesterday) and a declining Mats Zuccarello perform consistently, it’s going to be a long season. I’m okay with that as long as the younger players such as Filip Chytil, Buchnevich, impressive rookie Brett Howden and eventually Lias Andersson get it.

Who knows? Maybe we’ll eventually see Libor Hajek the way things are going with our mediocre defense. It’s astonishing that they paid Brady Skjei all that money to be a top defenseman. I get that he’s only in his third year. He’s a terrific skater as evidenced by the nice overtime winner in the one win over San Jose. But sometimes, he gets turned around too much. Hopefully, Lindy Ruff can work with him. I saw them talking following a bad shift.

Adam McQuaid didn’t come out of the lineup. Apologies for that. Instead, Neal Pionk sat out a second consecutive game. Quinn indicated that he’s gonna play him a lot. So, don’t get too upset. He’ll be back for Tuesday against Colorado, who feature the ever dangerous Nathan MacKinnon. Yikes.

If only the Rangers boasted that kind of world class talent. They really need to sink like the Titanic and luck into Jack Hughes. I know how bad that sounds. I don’t see it happening. Not with the Coyotes off to a historically bad start on home ice. They haven’t scored a single goal in three games. I gotta give myself credit. I put the hex on Antti Raanta by taking him in my fantasy league. I also did the same to Roberto Luongo and the Panthers. If only I had grabbed Keith Kinkaid over James Reimer. I hope Cory Schneider is back soon. The state of my goaltending is so desperate that I picked up Jack Campbell and foolishly started him Saturday at Ottawa.

The one thing I got right in my preview was calling a breakout game for Zibanejad. He scored his first goal of the season on a Marc Staal shot pass that took a favorable bounce right to him. He played by far his best game, also ringing the goalpost twice. So, he was a bit unlucky. The top line with Zibanejad, Kreider and constant Jesper Fast played well. You can’t only score once when you’re dominating most of your shifts.

Quinn tried Buchnevich with Howden and Zuccarello. It didn’t go well. While Howden and Zuccarello worked hard to let you know they were out there, Buchnevich did nothing in his shifts. So much so that he didn’t even attempt a shot. No wonder he found himself glued to the bench in the third with the invisible Ryan Spooner. Has anyone discovered the whereabouts of Spooner? His picture can be found on the back of a milk carton.

The problem is they are paying Spooner and Namestnikov over four million each. They have yet to find the back of the net. At least Namestnikov is showing signs of snapping out of it. He’s been much more active since getting scratched. At this point, Spooner has earned a demotion to either the fourth line, or a seat in the press box for Cody McLeod. I wouldn’t be surprised if he plays against his former team.

Quinn acknowledged that he needs to get Chytil more ice time. If that means shifting him to the wing due to his face off struggles to play him in the top nine, do it. Considering how bad Zuccarello has looked offensively, why not try Chytil on the Howden line? I wonder what Quinn will do with Buchnevich. It’s clear he isn’t comfortable playing the left side. Figure him to be back on right wing for Game 6.

It would help if Kevin Hayes was able to produce. The effort is there, but he needs help. Jimmy Vesey seems like a good fit with him. They work well off each other. But Spooner has done zilch. Maybe move Zuccarello back to that line. They had some success together. I am suggesting Namestnikov or Chytil on one of the top two lines. Kreider can play with either Zibanejad or Howden. Buchnevich seems to need Zibanejad to succeed. It wouldn’t shock me if he found himself on the fourth line to start Tuesday. He was that bad.

Both Namestnikov and Spooner can play center. Maybe keep Spooner in and have him center a fourth line with Vinni Lettieri and fill in the blank.

As for the blueline, it’s not getting any prettier. There are no saviours coming. For all the constant whining over Staal, I can’t see how he isn’t in the top six playing five on five and penalty kill. Kevin Shattenkirk doesn’t kill penalties. Hopefully, he regains his confidence soon. If not, the power play will continue to underperform.

Fredrik Claesson has given two solid games in a row. Brendan Smith has been the best defenseman. His skating is much better, proving how much last year was about fitness. McQuaid plays strong in his end, but isn’t the fastest skater. He competes hard, which is why he’s been in the league so long. If they decide to stick with Claesson, they can always sub out McQuaid for Pionk.

What to do with Tony DeAngelo. I still think he can become something. But he needs consistent minutes. His skating is superb, as is his offensive instincts and shot. But his defense remains the area he must improve to stick. I’m rooting for him.

You can’t start any better than Lundqvist has. He’s given them a chance in all four of his starts. He’s making the big saves and looks more comfortable staying back in his net like he used to. The key to his game is patience. Something he admitted he got away from due to the high risk style the team played the past two years.

I wish Lundqvist could get more wins. He deserves a lot of credit for how well he’s approaching things. It has to be hard for him knowing the roster isn’t the most talented. They’re a work in progress.

I’ll echo this throughout the season. As fans, all we can do is be patient and support the team. They’re doing the right thing. I really appreciate Quinn’s honesty and explanations for his game decisions. He’s a excellent communicator. There shouldn’t be any confusion about what he’s doing.

I want to see him succeed. It’s going to take some time. They’re 1-4-0 so far with two points. Aside from the five goal outburst in the ugly 8-5 shootout defeat at improved Carolina, offense has been hard to come by. In the other four games, they’ve totaled seven goals. The overall total is 12 in five games for an average of 2.40 per game. Here is the breakdown:

5-on-5: 9 (Howden 2, Kreider 2, Vesey 2, Fast 1, Smith 1, Zibanejad 1)

5-on-4: 2 (Buchnevich 2)

3-on-3: 1 (Skjei)

Note: One of Buchnevich’s goals came with the goalie pulled during a five-on-four.

Power Play: 1-for-12 (8.3 percent) Tied for 27th.

Note: The Rangers have only one power play goal and have given up a shorthanded goal.

Undoubtedly, there is a lot to work on.

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Game #3 – Devils 3, Sharks 2

Posted on October 14, 2018 by hasan4978

A crisp fall afternoon, Sunday at 1 PM is always a great day for…Devils hockey?!  Don’t get me wrong, under normal circumstances I’d have been there this afternoon – especially after missing Thursday’s game and with the team off to a nice start – but the NHL in its infinite wisdom after having no games at all on Friday scheduled a local game directly opposite the football Jets, not to mention across a 1 PM slate in the NFL.  It’s almost as if the NHL’s deliberately trying to sabotage our attendance, though the home opener did ‘sell out’ Thursday despite being in conflict with the Giants-Eagles game.  I gave passing thought to going today regardless once the outdoor red carpet arrival of the Devils players and staff got postponed from Thursday’s home opener due to the bad weather outside of Prudential Center but let’s face it, the third game out of 82 in a hockey season just isn’t going to compare in importance to any NFL game where your team’s still relevant.

Seeing as I couldn’t watch two games at the same time, I ultimately decided to record the Devils game and watch the Jets game live.  Admittedly I was a little wary about our chances against the souped-up Sharks who’ve done well against us in recent years – and that was before their offseason trade for two-time Norris winner Erik Karlsson, giving San Jose a dream 1-2 punch of Karlsson and Brent Burns on defense.  In fact, our last home win against the Sharks came all the way back in 2011 – before current San Jose coach Pete DeBoer even had coached a game of his three-and-a-half year tenure with us.  Another touch of irony involving DeBoer and current Devils coach John Hynes was noted by the Devils’ own Twitter in the pregame:

https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1051510443657912321

In many ways, Hynes has never been more popular with the Devils’ fanbase as the current HC of the NJD got one of the loudest ovations on Thursday night before the home opener.  For sure, making the playoffs for the first time in six years has something to do with that, but also I believe the clips that have been shown of Hynes on various social media outlets including the Behind The Glass series on the NHL Network have given people more of an appreciation of the coach’s personality.  While I admit, I was a skeptic during his second season when the team took a couple steps back, he’s certainly been able to get the players to respond once he and GM Ray Shero were able to bring in and integrate more players that fit the fast, attacking and supportive credo.

Someone else whose popularity is likely at an all-time high is Kyle Palmieri – who seemingly proved the adage that good things come in threes this afternoon, after he put together his third straight game with two goals to start the season.  If acquiring Taylor Hall for Adam Larsson was Shero’s best move as a Devil, acquiring Palmieri for two draft picks wasn’t that far behind.  After scoring eighty goals in his first three seasons as a Devil, is it possible K-Palm is actually stepping up a notch this year?  Certainly playing with Hall and super soph Nico Hischier will give the local boy a great chance to match or surpass the thirty goals he had his first season with the red and white.

Not watching the game live, I missed this K-Palm outburst and was pleasantly surprised when I heard he scored the other two goals.  I did tune in during a commercial break just after the Devils’ third and eventual winning goal from a far more unlikely source – waiver addition Jean-Sebastian Dea, who poked home a loose puck in the crease for his second goal of the season.  A previously unheralded forward, who put up 50 points in 70 games while playing for the Penguins’ AHL affiliate last year, Dea’s only getting a chance to play with forward Jesper Bratt on the shelf to start the season, and he’s making the most of his opportunity so far despite a limited fourth-line role.

Fortunately the Jets were winning their own game, if not easily then at least somewhat undramatically in the fourth quarter, so I was able to tune in just in time for the frantic Devils finish late in the third period.  Or at least the last part of the frantic finish, after blowing their own four-minute power play that could have sealed the game, the Devils had to kill off two late penalties in the final few minutes – including a nearly two-minute long 6-on-4 once the Sharks emptied their net while on the latter PP.  As he did down the stretch last year, goalie Keith Kinkaid made a ton of high-pressure saves cool as a cucumber in a close game and overall had 37 saves on the night.  Somehow that performance didn’t merit one of the three stars from the attending media, although once again clearly K-Palm was the man of the hour.  Maybe he’s more inspired to score goals to get those on-ice postgame interviews with new host Erika Wachter…j/k.

In the end it was the perfect Sunday for us Devils/Jets fans.  All that was missing was the obligatory Pete press conference where he goes into coach cliche mode about playing in a tough building and going against a hot goalie.  Would have been nice to hear one of those about us, especially after his success against us since getting to San Jose.  Just messing with ya Pete, I still like you buddy – even if the end was a little rough and there needed to be a change once losing started to be accepted.  Fortunately both the team and its former coach are both in a better place now.

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