Devils season preview

Posted on October 2, 2018 by hasan4978

With the 2018-19 NHL season less than twenty-four hours away, it’s finally time to get back into hockey mode, especially for those of us who had their baseball season end months ago (albeit I did win a big fantasy league title), and football season already come to a virtual end in September.  Of course, Devil fans have a slightly longer wait with their season opening on Saturday afternoon in Sweden against the Edmonton Oilers.  At least it’s not as long as the wait to get back in the playoffs was, that took six whole years.  As the Devils themselves are keenly aware, most of the experts don’t think New Jersey will be back in the postseason as this quote from Taylor Hall shows:

Much as I don’t want to admit it, there are valid reasons to believe in the Devils falling back this year.  Other than Hall himself, there are few sure things on this Devils team.  Will the young forwards take a step up and give Hart winner Hall some much-needed support in the scoring department?  Can the young D become a more stablizing force?  And will Cory Schneider bounce back from two subpar and injury-plagued seasons to provide the Devils with the same top-shelf goaltending they got from understudy Keith Kinkaid down the stretch?  Not to mention how will the rest of the Eastern Conference shake out with teams like Florida (who we narrowly beat out for a spot last year) improving on paper more than we did in the offseason.

Sure, this wasn’t a Black July 1 the way some have been in the past but make no mistake, despite having a ton of cap space GM Ray Shero was more than content to sit back and replace outgoing players like Patrick Maroon and John Moore from within.  Unlike in prior offseasons, there wasn’t even a big trade to dissect although as Shero proved last year with the Adam Henrique-Sami Vatanen trade, he’s fully capable of making big in-season moves as well.  Until then, the 2018-19 roster will begin the season almost entirely with players either on the 2017-18 Devils, or from the farm system.  In fact, among the twenty-two players who were on the active roster for the team’s exhibition game in Switzerland, only recent waiver claim Jean-Sebastian Dea from the Penguins was not in the organization last year.

Arguably the biggest addition of the offseason was first-round draft pick Ty Smith, who impressed mightily in his first camp at eighteen years old but was the victim of a numbers game being sent back to juniors after the next-to-last preseason game in Winnipeg.  Although the final roster isn’t set in stone yet (and a couple of extra players are still allowed through the first game because it’s overseas), coach John Hynes had to cull the numbers before the team’s trip halfway around the world from Winnipeg to Switzerland, then Sweden.  There aren’t really any surprises among them, though former first-round pick John Quenneville had a strong early camp, he’s tailed off as of late and his hold on a third-line spot is tenuous at best.

So basically the question for the 2018-19 Devils is, can practically the same group up their game and take another step forward this season?  Answering that question starts in net with the aformentioned duo of Schneider and Kinkaid.  Though Cory’s returned to practice it still looks like he’ll miss at least Opening Day this weekend, and likely a few other games in October.  Thankfully the early schedule isn’t taxing on a goalie with no back-to-backs in the first month, so Kinkaid will probably get every start until Cory’s ready to return.  Who will play isn’t the question as much as how they will play.  Until Kinkaid’s season-making run from mid-February on last year, Keith was a streaky backup at best who was having a poor 2017-18 till he found another gear and stunningly helped lead the team into the playoffs, while Cory struggled through a hip injury he finally got surgery on in the offseason.  Whether Cory can return and find the form of a couple years ago now that he’s ostensibly healthy will be a big piece in the puzzle to piece together in terms of going back to the playoffs.

Certainly an improved defense would help both goalies.  In 2017-18 the defense could best be described as average at best.  Adding Vatanen early in the season helped stablize things, as he was the most valuable defenseman on the team, stepping into a first-pairing role alongside captain Andy Greene and eating up minutes on both the penalty kill and power play as well.  Vatanen’s importance was underscored in the last two playoff games when the team’s play fell off a cliff after he was taken out by Nikita Kucherov.  Still, they’ll need more than a decent first pairing including a solid but slowing down 35-year old defenseman to hold the fort down on the blueline.  Sophomore Will Butcher was a revelation offensively last year, but can he handle more minutes and up his game defensively this year?  Will mercurial Damon Severson ever find consistency defensively and take a step forward offensively?  Questions also surround young defensemen Mirco Mueller, who missed a lot of time with a broken collarbone but provided solid defense at times – though not a lot of offense.  You could only hope to say the same for Steven Santini, who got top-pairing assignments early on but eventually fell out of favor and was banished to the AHL.  Santini and vet Ben Lovejoy will compete for third-pairing icetime this year.

Almost as many questions remain offensively behind Hall – who’s role in leading the team to the postseason has already been canonized.  However, there are more reasons to believe in the young forwards beginning with last year’s #1 overall Nico Hischier – who began his NHL career with a solid 60-point season as an eighteen-year old.  Even better days should be ahead for the quiet, humble Swiss native who enjoyed a personal homecoming in the team’s final preseason game playing against his former club team.  With Hall, Hischier and vet goalscorer Kyle Palmieri heading one of the best first lines in the league, the main questions lie with the team’s middle two lines. Currently penciled into the second line are Marcus Johansson, Pavel Zacha and Jesper Bratt – all of whom have something to prove.

For the 20-year old Bratt, it’s whether he can maintain his stamina through the entire 82-game schedule.  Bratt was a revelation early in the season – giving the team unexpected production from a 6th round pick – but by the end he struggled to make an impact or find icetime.  Clearly he has the skill to make a bigger impact in his second season.  With Johansson the question is twofold…both can he stay healthy and will he provide the same level of production he did previously for the Capitals before being traded here last offseason?  Even accounting for his various concussions last year, Johansson didn’t really make much of an impact at all when he was in the lineup.  Being able to avoid spending time on IR will be the first step toward unlocking his talent.  Zacha (or Severson) might be the biggest enigma of them all, yes he’ll still be 21 years old for much of the 2018-19 season but his production last year only marginally improved from his rookie season in 2016-17.  Yes, he started doing more of the ‘little things’ right in the second half last year, but if you’re going to be a top six forward eventually production will have to follow.  And with the team’s question marks at center, Zacha is being counted on to fill that second-line role.

Our third and fourth lines are currently still under construction…will the third line be a checking unit with scrappy Texans Blake Coleman and Stefan Noesen again flanking grizzled vet Travis Zajac?  Or will it have a more offensive component with Miles Wood – the recent recipient of a nice four-year contract – and fellow young gun Quenneville flanking Zajac?  Wood’s speed and talent is undeniable, and his scoring with limited icetime last year hints at potentially bigger things to come.  Surely the team was taking a calculated gamble he’d hit his potential by signing him for four years at $2.75 million per, but that deal might look like a bargain as soon as this year.  Quenneville took a more serious approach to camp this year, losing weight and earning enough notice to have an inside track on winning an open slot on RW.

Masterton winner Brian Boyle will head the fourth line with grit and the occasional big goal, thankfully he’s having a far less eventful camp than he did last year when leukemia derailed the start of his season, fortunately no more than that though.  Either Wood or Coleman will slot in on his left side with Noesen or possibly Dea – a young AHL foward who had 50 points in 70 games last year – slotting in on the right.  While it was often said Hall had little secondary support last year, the fourth and even third lines were above average for a lot of last season, that trend will have to continue.

Coachingwise, while John Hynes has won me and a lot of doubting Devil fans over, there still remains the question of how having two new coaches on the staff (Rick Kowalsky and Mike Grier replacing Geoff Ward and Ryane Clowe) will affect things.  Especially with the power play, which although it wasn’t pretty at times still finished in the top ten under Ward but will now be run by ex-Binghamton coach Kowalsky.  Special teams was a big factor last year with both the PP and PK finishing in the top ten, although the PK was made to look silly by Tampa’s big guns in the postseason last year.  Still, most of the key personnel will be back on the ice so it’ll hopefully just be a matter of how quickly the staff can adjust to the players and vice-versa.

I could offer a detailed prediction but really it won’t be any different than most who don’t have an anti-Devil agenda.  It wouldn’t be a homer prediction either.  Somewhat boringly, I see something of a rerun of last year with us fighting the Panthers and Blue Jackets for the two wild-card spots although both of those teams have their own questions – with the Panthers it’s the age and miles on starting goalie Roberto Luongo as well as a shaky defense, while with the Blue Jackets it’s general team chemistry after multiple key players have been rumored to be in trade talks or demanding trades in the offseason.  Of course with the NHL being the NHL there’ll always be surprises, just ask Vegas fans.  If any team that missed the playoffs were to make a big leap forward it might be the Islanders, if only for the respect I have for Barry Trotz and his ability to implement a system with a team.  He’ll have to do it with that group, with their offense being defanged after losing John Tavares in free agency while the defense was one of the worst in recent memory last year, and also lost Calvin DeHaan in free agency.

In the end I’d probably pick mostly chalk with the Panthers making it over the Blue Jackets this year and everyone else staying as is.  The top of the East – especially the top three Atlantic teams – are just too good to go far away from chalk, not to mention having the Cup champs in Washington and perennial Cup contender Pittsburgh heading the Metro.  In the case of the Flyers, they’re probably too talented to let even their annual goaltending merry-go-round sink them, at least in the regular season.  While I’d describe myself as cautiously optomistic with the Devils, another good start will be key just like it was last year.  Despite the early travel, after returning from Sweden the team won’t leave the tri-state area again until the 31st of October.  Yes, they’ll play some tough teams at home but they need to have a good showing before the doubts start creeping in before a tough November slate.

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Preseason Game 4: Lettieri’s OT winner gives Rangers exciting win over Devils

Posted on September 25, 2018 by Derek

For a preseason game, the Devils and Rangers put on quite a show last night. In the second meeting before the season, it was once again the Blueshirts that prevailed in overtime. Last week, Neal Pionk was the hero in Newark. On Monday night, Vinni Lettieri was the hero at MSG, giving the Garden hosts an exciting 4-3 victory over the Devils.

There was a pretty good crowd for preseason too. You had some energy in the building. Similar to last week against the Flyers. It’s early but you can feel a more palpable excitement surrounding this year’s rebuilding team. Maybe it’s the fact there’s a new sheriff in town and his name is Reggie Hammond David Quinn. I couldn’t help but make a classic reference from Another 48 Hours.

Most exhibition games are just that. But you couldn’t tell by how hard both Hudson rivals competed for almost 64 minutes before a winner was determined. Each team dressed a fair amount of regulars with a few fresh faces mixed in. It made for a compelling game. One that didn’t lack in intensity and emotions. They ran high on a few occasions, which is a refreshing change for our side of the rivalry. The turn the other cheek, vanilla era is gone. Believe you me, we are all happier about this development.

Even if it means Cody McLeod will play in some rivalry games, which is how he should be used. Truth be told, he hasn’t been bad so far. He’s even been in on some goals, including the Peter Holland shot that was officially changed to McLeod’s on Saturday. When he isn’t busy finishing checks or battling Devils defenseman Eric Gryba in a fight he won to avenge Boo Nieves, he was involved in another goal from the fourth line.

Following a scoreless first period that saw actual backchecking and defense than we were accustomed to the past season, McLeod was in on the game’s first goal scored by Steven Fogarty. The 25-year old out of Note Dame has had a good camp, which is why he’s still around fighting for a roster spot. I’d love to see him stick, but it looks like Lettieri has a leg up in the competition. With both Jimmy Vesey and Vladislav Namestnikov blocking spots, there isn’t much room. If either weren’t guaranteed roster spots based on the contracts they signed, they’d be in deep trouble. Neither have distinguished themselves. The final two games are tomorrow at home against the Islanders and Thursday at the Flyers.

The second certainly was busier. There was more offense from both sides. The teams combined for three goals and 19 shots. Following Fogarty nudging a McLeod rebound by Devils starter Eddie Lack, the Devs picked it up. They were getting out played till that point. Eight of the first nine shots in the period were in favor of the Rangers. However, that changed quickly thanks to more aggression from New Jersey. Eventually, it resulted in a tying goal from Kyle Palmieri.

One-third of the Devils lethal top line, Palmieri took a centering pass from Taylor Hall and rifled a shot top shelf past Rangers starter Henrik Lundqvist to tie the score. Pavel Buchnevich made a poor choice, making a bad drop pass to Marc Staal, who had Hall pressuring him. Not surprisingly, Hall came out with the puck and made the perfect set up for Palmieri. That’s the kind of brilliant play you expect from the Devils Hart winner. His line with super sophomore Nico Hischier and Palmieri will be a handful for anyone to handle. They combined for all three goals with both Hischier and Hall picking low glove, far side on reliever Marek Marzanec in the third.

Lundqvist wanted more work. So, he stayed in for the entire second. He was sharper throughout in his second appearance, finishing with 14 saves. He was particularly strong down low and more square to the shooter. His rebound control also was an improvement.

The Rangers responded with a goal from another new face. This time, it was 2016 fifth round pick Tim Gettinger, who had a shot come right back to him off Gryba. His follow up beat Lack for a one goal lead. Pionk made the play by intercepting a pass in the neutral zone. He then passed for the big man, Gettinger, who did the rest. Listed at 6-6, 220, the 20-year old is an interesting prospect. He had a good year with Sault Ste. Marie. We’ll see how he progresses.

In the third, a beautiful power play goal from Chris Kreider scored off a rush and excellent pass from Mika Zibanejad made it 3-1 on the power play. Tony DeAngelo started it from behind his own net with a pass leading Zibanejad, who flew into the Devils zone and found Kreider alone for a great one-timer that Lack had no chance on. For a third string goalie, he played quite well, stopping 33 of 36 shots. That included some superb saves down low including a big one on a redirect attempt late in regulation.

The Devils rallied thanks to that wonderful top line. First, Hischier took a Palmieri drop pass in transition and whistled a wrist shot far side and between the arm of Mazanec to cut it to 3-2. Sami Vatanen got it started following a Brendan Smith turnover in the Devils zone. Hischier looks poised for a big second year.

Then, Hall flew off the bench on a line change to score from the identical spot that Hischier scored. It was well executed. No Ranger ever saw Hall, who had too much time to unleash a bomb from Palmieri and Hischier, tying it up. Buchnevich was the closest player, but it was too late. Chalk it up to a great play by the opponent. That is a lot of skill from those three players. I think the cohesive trio could each go for 70 or more points.

Even late with strong checking from Zibanejad, Fast. Kreider, Brady Skjei and Pionk, that line came out with the puck to set up a Vatanen shot that was blocked.

Fittingly, the game went to overtime. By that time, we had gone downstairs to catch the action. MSG security let my brother and his friend sit down and watch up close. I decided to watch from the steps on the big screen.

There were no less than four times the Devils should’ve ended it. Hall was in alone and Mazanec got a piece of it to keep it out. You had Hischier in two-on-one and a goalpost was hit. Devils first round pick Ty Smith just missed. So chaotic and frenetic was the three-on-three that everyone who stayed enjoyed the fast paced action.

Eventually, it was Kevin Hayes, who patiently outwaited Vatanen with a series of fakes, who somehow passed down low for a Lettieri deflection inside the crossbar and out, that made the winning play. I think everyone thought he would pass across to Pionk. Even though it looked like the shot was open,it wasn’t. The play confused the ref behind the net. He actually waved it off. But one replay was enough proof on the big board to leave. Here’s how it looked:

Quite an ending for a preseason rematch. It didn’t feel like it. Not with the two scraps including McLeod getting the decision over Gryba, who got the better of Matt Beleskey in the early going. Beleskey was injured and didn’t return. Considering the direction the roster is headed, he isn’t making it anyway. Neither is the still concussed Nieves. Poor guy.

I’d like to see the hard working Fogarty on the roster, but with Quinn giving Lettieri over 20 minutes of ice-time in an expanded role, it looks like the final two forwards will be Lettieri and the enforcer, McLeod. Look for the final 23-man roster to include eight defensemen, including Fredrik Claesson, who was up and down yesterday. Former Bruin Adam McQuaid will be the seventh D behind Smith and DeAngelo, who has had a much better camp. He looks like he belongs. Let’s hope it continues.

Other Devils regulars who played included Marcus Johansson, Brian Boyle, Stefan Noessen, Jesper Bratt, Andy Greene and Mirco Mueller. John Quenneville remains with the club in a close competition for a spot. Nick Lappin was placed on waivers. Mikey McLeod, Joey Anderson and Marian Students were sent down to AHL affiliate Binghamton.

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Preseason Game 4: Rangers host Devils

Posted on September 24, 2018 by Derek

Tonight, the Devils visit MSG for the first time in the only preseason meeting between the Hudson Rivals. For the Rangers, it’s the fourth game of exhibition with two remaining.

On Saturday, they were 5-2 losers to the Islanders at Bridgeport in Connecticut. The Islanders fielded mostly their regulars while the Blueshirts didn’t. The result was predictable. Mathew Barzal had two assists and Anders Lee scored a power play goal in the Islanders win. Ryan Pulock also scored, and Anthony Beauvillier had two goals. Josh Bailey had a goal.

Peter Holland tallied for the Rangers on a delayed penalty, although they changed it to Cody McLeod. Who knows? It was hard to tell. Ryan Spooner had a power play goal at the end of the second period, beating the buzzer with 0.7 seconds left.

Mats Zuccarello set it up with a beautiful fake shot and dish across that Spooner was just able to snap home. Zuccarello played his first game so far. He still overpasses too much. Something he acknowledged in a recent story I read. He wants to shoot the puck more and be better defensively. That’s definitely an area he can improve on entering the last year of a contract that pays him $4.5 million. Will he be here in March? That remains to be seen.

Also making his first appearance was top defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk. He looked good registering a pair of helpers in the loss. But did get used as a screen by Beauvillier on a rush in which the Islanders forward beat Brett Howden. Howden was a little better in his second game, even being used to center Filip Chytil in the third. Chytil showed his usual flashes of speed and shiftiness, but still isn’t a finished product. He needs to work on the defensive side and improve on faceoffs. It’ll take time.

There was chippy play throughout. The Rangers didn’t back down. A Cal Clutterbuck late hit got a strong response, leading to penalties. Brandon Crawley got involved during the scrum along with McLeod, who earlier fought Scott Mayfield. It was good to see the team sticking up for each other. An area coach David Quinn wants to see unlike former bench boss Alain Vigneault.

Tonight is the team’s second home game. And once again, we are here. I’ll review what I can later. Tonight’s lineup has more regulars including Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, Pavel Buchnevich, Kevin Hayes, Jesper Fast, Zuccarello and Marc Staal. Vinni Lettieri also will dress as will Lias Andersson. Steven Fogarty will also get another look. Brendan Smith is in along with Fredrik Claesson, who he’s battling for a spot.

Unlike the other night when Alexandar Georgiev and Dustin Tokarski split duty, starter Henrik Lundqvist will play along with Marek Mazanec. Unless something drastic happens, I still think it’s Georgiev’s job to lose for the backup. Though I could see Tokarski making it interesting.

See you later.

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Devils re-sign Miles Wood

Posted on September 24, 2018 by Derek

It took a little longer, but the Devils and Miles Wood agreed on a new four-year contract worth $11 million over the weekend. The recently turned 23-year old left wing posted career bests last season in goals (19), assists (13) and points (32) in 76 games.

A key secondary scorer, the son of former NHLer Randy Wood has a good combination of size and speed, which is an asset on the Devils. A former 2013 fourth round pick, he enters his third season with more expectations. Now that he’ll be making just under $3 million on average, Wood will need to become more consistent. He slumped down the stretch and was a non-factor in the playoffs.

A rugged player who’s not shy about physicality, he must pick his spots better. A suspension proved costly towards the end of last season. Something he never recovered from.

With New Jersey facing more pressure to return to the postseason, Wood is one of those guys they’ll count on for scoring help behind the top line of Taylor Hall, Nico Hischier and Kyle Palmieri. Along with Jesper Bratt and Pavel Zacha, they’ll be asked to do more in 2018-19. Particularly Zacha, who hasn’t established himself in preseason.

The Devils visit MSG tonight against the Rangers at 7 PM. It’ll be televised on MSG with Sam Rosen, Joe Micheletti and Ken Daneyko having the call.

In other Devils news, GM Ray Shero indicated that starting goalie Cory Schneider will travel with the team to Europe. It’s still uncertain if he’ll be ready for the start of the season. The Devils face the Oilers in Sweden on October 6 with a cool start time of 1 PM on the first hockey Saturday.

Eddie Lack will get the whole game tonight versus the Rangers.

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Hockey Preview Part 1: Ranking the Metro Division

Posted on September 22, 2018 by Derek

Believe it or not, we’re less than two weeks away from the start of a new season. A time for new beginnings. That’s especially true in the Metro Division, where as many as six of the eight teams should be competitive.

Not to discount the rebuilding Rangers under first-year man David Quinn. But it would be a shock if they topped 80 points and are in the playoff hunt. If both Lias Andersson and Filip Chytil play, they’ll be fun to watch along with Pavel Buchnevich. Who stays? Kevin Hayes or Mika Zibanejad.

I also have similar doubts over the Hurricanes, who might have the worst goaltending in the league. They may have added Dougie Hamilton to aid the blueline, but are very young up front. It should be a joy to watch Russian Andrei Svechnikov, who should make fans in Raleigh forget Jeff Skinner.

The Islanders are no longer where John Tavares plays. He took his Maple Leafs pajamas and went home to Toronto. It’s now a tighter ship run under the watch of ageless wonder Lou Lamoriello and Stanley Cup winning coach Barry Trotz. Can Mathew Barzal carry the team under a more structured system? What are the plans for Anders Lee? Is Robin Lehner a comeback story? A lot to answer.

The defending champion Capitals will finally have a target on their back. How will Conn Smythe winner Alexander Ovechkin and company deal with the pressure of a repeat? Evgeny Kuznetsov could make a run at the Hart.

Are the Sidney Crosby/Evgeni Malkin Penguins the Caps’ chief competition, or are one of the Blue Jackets or Flyers ready to step up? There might finally be a change on the horizon.

What about the MVP Taylor Hart Hall and the Devils, who hardly did anything to improve off the first postseason appearance in six years? Miles Wood is unsigned. Cory Schneider might not be fully recovered to start the season. That means more of Keith Kinkaid. How much will Nico Hischier improve in Year Two? Are the Devs in or out next Spring?

As we draw nearer, it’s time to have a little fun with preseason division rankings.

RANKING THE METRO

Team To Beat: Washington Capitals

Dark Horse: Philadelphia Flyers

Team With Most Pressure: Columbus Blue Jackets

Best Player: Sidney Crosby PIT

Best Finisher: Alexander Ovechkin WSH

Sweetest Finisher: Phil Kessel PIT

Sickest One-Timer: Alexander Ovechkin WSH

Highest Scorer: Evgeny Kuznetsov WSH, edging Claude Giroux and Geno Malkin

Top Defenseman: Seth Jones CBJ, edging Ivan Provorov and John Carlson

Top Goalie: Sergei Bobrovsky CBJ

Calder Contender: Andrei Svechnikov CAR

Best Passer: Nicklas Backstrom WSH, edging Kuznetsov and Josh Bailey

Best Playmaker: Jakub Voracek PHI

Best Hands: Sidney Crosby PIT

Most Exciting: Artemi Panarin CBJ, edging Mathew Barzal

Great Skater: Artemi Panarin CBJ, edging Kuznetsov and Zach Werenski

Most Valuable Forward: Taylor Hall NJD

Most Valuable Defenseman: Kris Letang PIT

Most Valuable Player To A Team: Sergei Bobrovsky CBJ

Top Defensive Forward: Sean Couturier PHI, edging Backstrom

Player Who Could Be Moved: Artemi Panarin CBJ

Breakout Player: Nolan Patrick PHI, edging Pavel Buchnevich

Underrated: Kyle Palmieri NJD

Overrated: Dougie Hamilton CAR, edging Mika Zibanejad

Player With Most Pressure: Sergei Bobrovsky CBJ

Player With Something To Prove: Chris Kreider NYR

ALL METRO TEAM

G Sergei Bobrovsky CBJ

C Evgeny Kuznetsov WSH

LW Alexander Ovechkin WSH

RW Phil Kessel PIT

D Ivan Provorov PHI

D Seth Jones CBJ

TOP ROOKIES

G Carter Hart PHI

C Filip Chytil NYR

C Lias Andersson NYR

C Martin Necas CAR

LW Kieffer Bellows NYI

RW Andrei Svechnikov CAR

D Ty Smith NJD ‘if’ they keep him

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Amanda Borges leaves the Rangers

Posted on September 21, 2018 by Derek

https://www.instagram.com/p/BoABv2mBflV/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=mv00v43mg25w

There won’t only be changes on the ice this hockey season. There are also changes off the ice. Already, we’ve seen accomplished MSG veteran Deb Placey leave following a very successful stint that lasted over 20 years. She went from working Sports Desk to covering both the Islanders and Devils in a hosting role the past decade. I wish her the very best.

Aside from The Garden opting not to bring back Ron Duguay for Hockey Night Live, MSG also lost Amanda Borges. Today was her final day with the Rangers. It was a couple of years ago that she was hired fresh out of Jacksonville where she was a Jaguars reporter and on-air host. She replaced well respected hockey scribe Jim Cerny as a reporter and Digital host, creating social content of the players we enjoy watching.

In two seasons, she did a good job providing Rangers fans with key interviews with players and entertaining insight. She brought a refreshing quality to games, always smiling and having fun while being professional. Borges isn’t just a pretty face, but someone with a bright future. That will now continue on the West coast. She announced it on both Instagram and Twitter.

I definitely enjoyed what she brought to the games. Her interviews were always refreshing and kept things light. She did some fun bits as well, which were highlighted in her going away message on Instagram. It looks like she’s headed to California for some West Coast fun and warmer weather. She won’t have to worry about the winter.

Best of luck to Amanda. Thank you for your Rangers coverage. It was fun.

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Preseason continues: Rangers and Islanders face off tomorrow

Posted on September 21, 2018 by Derek

As training camp continues, so does the preseason. So far, the Rangers haven’t been that busy compared to the Islanders and Flyers. The latter of who they lost to 6-4 on Wednesday in the first game at Madison Square Garden. New coach David Quinn is getting used to being a NHL coach. He seems comfortable speaking to the press and looking to establish a strong work ethic for this young group.

Highlights from the second exhibition game included power play goals from Ryan “Spoonman” Spooner and Pavel Buchnevich, along with a highlight reel goal from 19-year old Filip Chytil. While it was nice to see Spooner and Buchnevich continue to score, seeing Chytil make a terrific rush around the D and beat Flyers goalie prospect Carter Hart with a great wrist shot to the short side, was encouraging. Especially after one too many turnovers the first two periods. It showed off his unique talent, which has Rangers brass and fans excited.

Buchnevich made the nice backhand pass to lead an attacking Chytil, who sniped by the goalie of the future for the Flyers. Hart was very good after he replaced Brian Elliott. He robbed a couple of Rangers on a two save sequence in the third period, helping the Flyers preserve the lead. They would add one more goal off some faulty defensive coverage for a two-goal win.

Philly didn’t dress many regulars, but Claude Giroux played. It was some of their younger prospects who had good nights. Oskar Lindblom did damage with a three-point first that included two goals past Rangers starter Henrik Lundqvist. In his first appearance, he wasn’t sharp allowing five to get by him in 26:37 of work before Dustin Tokarski replaced him. I’ll cut Lundqvist some slack. He definitely would want two goals back. Better to get the rust out now.

Tokarsi did fine in his Rangers debut, stopping 10 of 11 shots. The one goal from Mikhail Vorobyev one he had no chance on. Old friend Dale Weise set it up. He also deflected a point shot past Lundqvist earlier with no one guarding him in front. An area the Blueshirts want to clean up. That’s been a sore spot the past couple of years. Defensemen must do a better job boxing out.

Brendan Smith made his first appearance. He looked sharp throughout, even going back at a Flyer following a whistle. There were plenty of scrums between the rivals. Quinn wants his team to be tougher to play against. It was a welcome change. The atmosphere for a preseason game was surprisingly good. There was actually energy in the third with the Rangers playing hard even though they came up short. Quinn didn’t like the first two periods. The second was sloppy. If the team brings a good work ethic, they’ll be fun to watch.

Of the two kids they got from Tampa, I noticed Libor Hajek more than Brett Howden, who had a tough night, finishing minus-two while losing 11 of 13 draws. Hajek wore number 43. He’s a good skater, but did take a holding penalty in his own zone.

I like what I saw from Tony DeAngelo. He saw a lot of minutes logging almost 24 with over 10 minutes on special teams, including 7:57 on the power play. He got his shot through and was denied by a good glove save from Hart. He totaled five shots on goal and looked like the player GM Jeff Gorton thought he was getting from Arizona in the Derek Stepan/Antii Raanta trade that also netted Lias Andersson (7th overall pick in 2017). It’s imperative for DeAngelo to have a good camp and make the team. Especially with a couple of spots open on the third pair. His skating is good enough. His defense will be the key. He made a good defensive play after breaking his stick on a shot. A great take out to prevent a shorthanded chance.

Vladislav Namestnikov struggled, taking a couple of ill advised penalties. That included one at the conclusion of the first 180 feet away from his own zone. He plays chippy, but must pick his spots better. A skilled player, he must become more disciplined. The Flyers cashed in on the bad penalty at the end of the first. Namestnikov remains a puzzling player. We’ll see if Quinn can straighten him out.

Veteran Matt Beleskey also scored the other night on a pass from Smith. A long shot to make the roster due to his contract, which the Rangers took from Boston, he can bring the edge in a secondary role. But how realistic is it for him to be on a rebuilding club? He only played 15 games for Boston last year and didn’t register a point, while winding up minus-nine. My guess is he’ll be ticketed for Hartford. He’s signed for two more years with a cap hit of $3.8 million.

While the Rangers only play six times in preseason, it feels like the Islanders are playing every night. They’re in action again against the Flyers currently. I caught some of their 2-0 shutout over the Devils. Kieffer Bellows scored for the second time in two games. He is a good prospect, who’ll be a first-year pro. A impressive finisher who performed well for Team USA at the WJC, it looks like the son of former NHLer Brian Bellows will be the next good Islander. He has the skating and hockey sense. He also knows where to go, which is what you want to see from top prospects. If he doesn’t make them out of camp, I see no reason we won’t see Bellows at some point. He could be the second best finisher on the Islanders behind 40-goal man Anders Lee. Don’t forget Lee is due a raise next summer. He can hit the open market.

The Isles will look different for two reasons. No John Tavares, who already is fitting in with his hometown Leafs, scoring for a third time in preseason tonight. Barry Trotz behind the bench. A proven coach, who finally got over the hump by guiding the Capitals to the Stanley Cup, he will change the mindset of a team that was the NHL’s worst defensive club last season. They’ll play a more structured defensive system under the demanding Trotz. There will be accountability.

Don’t forget Mathew Barzal will now grab the mantle as the team’s best player. What can last year’s Calder winner do for an encore with the spotlight on him? He’ll be facing tougher assignments. I protected him in our keeper league. We’ll see if the extremely gifted playmaking center is up to the challenge.

They drop the puck tomorrow night in Brooklyn after 7 PM.

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Devils preseason odyssey begins with many questions

Posted on September 19, 2018 by hasan4978

For many hockey fans, the Devils’ training camp is one of the more intriguing to watch this month.  A surprise team last year who features the reigning Hart Trophy winner (Taylor Hall) and a top overall pick (Nico Hischier), New Jersey’s camp is in part interesting because of their preseason schedule itself, which began in earnest with a split-squad doubleheader on Tuesday – losing both at home to the Rangers 4-3 in OT and in Montreal 3-1.  The Devils continue through the tri-state area with road trips to Brooklyn and Manhattan tomorrow and next Monday before the real travel begins through Winnipeg and eventually to Europe where they’ll play an exhibition against SC Bern in Switzerland in a homecoming for Hischier, who played there not too long ago.  Finally the Devils will conclude camp overseas and open the regular season in Sweden against the Oilers on October 6 with a ‘home’ game.  Well, it will be an actual home game for Jesper Bratt and Marcus Johansson at least.

In a rare good decision from the NHL, the Sweden game is at 1 PM on a Saturday afternoon which beats the whole start a season at 3:30 AM in Japan that Major League Baseball used to pull.  Too bad the preseason game in Switzerland is on a weekday during work but hey it’s preseason, who cares if you have to watch it later?  Having 41 home games instead of 44 and only one preseason game should be a relief for season ticket holders, but it doesn’t exactly seem that way pricewise as like with just about every sports team, prices continue to creep up and up.  Don’t get me wrong, I still love my aisle seats, but $35 a game starts to makes me wince when I remember it was $22 a game just several years ago.  Of course it’s still first-world problems compared to pricing at MSG or the obstructed seats at Barclays.

Getting back to the Devils themselves, another interesting thing about the preseason is the all-access series that will be following the team in their camp trek around the world with four half-hour shows on NHL Network starting next Wednesday night, giving fans an inside peek behind the scenes during the preseason.  The premise seems like mini-Hard Knocks vignettes, or perhaps something closer to the 24/7 series that the NHL has been running as a Winter Classic lead-in in recent years.  Just the two minute clip above is enough for me to look forward to this show.  Of course getting an inside look at the team is something the Devils had woefully lagged behind in, until the last few years.

As nice as the bells and whistles are, and having a different type of preseason to break the mold when the puck drops for real and we get down to brass tacks everyone including me is only going to care about bottom-line results and whether the team takes a step back or can build off of last season.  MVP and team leader Hall is certainly mindful of that fact:

In general, it’s been quite some time since I remember a season preview show proper on MSG, SportsChannel, FSNY, etc.  Then again there’s been more excitement around the team over these last few months than there’s been at any point since the spring of 2012.  Deservedly so after the inspired run the underdog Devils made toward the playoffs last year.  Even if it ended with a bit of a whimper losing a quick five-game series to Tampa in the first round.  It’s still a bit early for a reason season preview but the early buzz in camp centered around a few younger players all looking to earn spots on the roster in the 2018-19 season.

Perhaps the most intriguing is 2018 first-round pick defenseman Ty Smith.  Just eighteen years old, might he be this year’s teen sensation to earn a spot in the lineup following in the footsteps of Hischier and Bratt last year?  Certainly the coaching staff and the broadcast team on Tuesday did their best to get the hype train rolling, and Smith followed with a solid game in front of the home fans.  Earning a spot on the roster, and hoping to stay beyond the nine-game cutoff before going back to juniors is another kettle of fish though.  With captain Andy Greene and sophomore Will Butcher cemented on the left side, Smith would have to beat out Mirco Mueller for the third LD spot.  I’m certainly not against pushing Mueller who I’m not a big believer in either, but in his defense he is still just 22 himself.  Still, Smith has the higher upside long-term and even as a scratch ‘expert’ on the draft I was thrilled he fell to us at 17 in June.  It’s debatable whether the future’s now for him though.

Other youngsters hoping to make the team are 2014 first-rounder John Quenneville who seemed to fall out of favor with the staff but has come to camp this year in much better shape and determined to earn a spot in the lineup.  Another ‘reclamation project’ is Nick Lappin who’s had chances with the big club before but never really stuck in a fourth-line role.  Still, he scored 31 goals in the AHL last year and reportedly improved his skating in the offseason, so who knows.  If Smith might be this year’s Hischier/Bratt, Lappin could be this year’s Blake Coleman going from overage afterthought to lineup contributor.  And smallish playmaking winger Brett Seney got the early buzz in camp during the prospects tournament in Buffalo a couple weeks ago.  Clearly there are spots in the lineup to be had after the departures of John Moore from the defense and Pat Maroon and Michael Grabner up front in the offseason, especially with the holdout of Miles Wood now adding another layer of intrigue to camp.

Ah, the Wood holdout.  It’s hard to address that elephant in the room because we have only a vague idea of why the sides are at loggerheads not even talking.  Allegedly the sides are close on term, so evidently money’s the issue, as it usually would be.  The simplistic approach is to complain that we have $20 million of cap space, why not just give him the extra million he wants and call it a day?  Of course GM Ray Shero has to think more long-term than that.  If Wood gets overpaid now then that sets a precedent for other, more important RFA’s down the road.  And sure Wood had a nice season last year with 19 goals in limited icetime but even with that his game tailed off down the stretch and he got fewer than ten minutes a night in each of the team’s last three playoff games.

It might not be popular to say this because Wood’s flashy with speed to burn and is popular with the fans because of that and the fact he can get a little feisty, but arguably Coleman was a more important overall contributor last year and he was re-signed in the offseason to a 3 year, $1.75 million per season deal.  It’s hard to justify Wood – who plays less and has less of a role – getting more than that, or getting more than a comparable player in Josh Anderson of the Blue Jackets who had his own protracted holdout last year and eventually signed for 3 years and under $2 million per.  Actually missing preseason games isn’t going to help Wood carve out a bigger role on the team, but if this got to a point where he actually starts missing paychecks it could get ugly.  At some point you would think player and agent would stop trying to play hardball with zero leverage as an RFA and just get what you can get and prove you’re worth more money on the next contract.

To end this on a more positive note, another thing to watch this preseason is how much goaltender Cory Schneider can progress towards playing after his offseason hip surgery.  While he’s skating and doing light work with the team, odds are he won’t play any preseason games so it’s likely his absence will extend into October, but hopefully his progress now shows he’s not going too miss too many regular season games.  For as much as I love Keith Kinkaid and appreciate how he was a big part of our making the playoffs last year, long-term Cory’s gotta be the guy to pick it up again to the form he had in his first couple years as a Devil.  Cory himself is mindful of that – again run the clip above – and certainly given the fact he’s signed for the next four years at $6 million per, the organization has a lot financially invested in him being the guy in net.

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Preseason continues: Rangers home for Flyers

Posted on September 19, 2018 by Derek

Tonight, fans get their first look up close at the rebuild. The Rangers return home for the first time since the end of March to host the Flyers in preseason. While expectations are much higher for the guys from Philly, the new batch of Blueshirts will continue to make a first impression on no nonsense coach David Quinn.

Things indeed will be different here. Quinn was none too pleased that no one responded to Devil defenseman Eric Gryba’s tough hit that concussed Boo Nieves the other night. He caught Nieves leaning and contacted the chin and head, knocking him to the ice where he stayed down a while before getting up. Following concussion protocol, it was determined the second-year center had a concussion. Here is the hit in question:

https://twitter.com/hayyyshayyy/status/1041858999757545473?s=19

Quinn said he would leave it up to the league to decide. It’s a tough hit by a physical player the Devils signed over the summer. I don’t take issue with it. It’s just one of those plays that happens in hockey. Nieves was skating into the New Jersey zone with the puck and prone. I don’t see any malicious intent from Gryba. Nieves remains day-to-day in concussion protocol, which means he can’t practice. Unfortunately for him, that won’t help his chances of making the roster. Steven Fogarty had a solid game on Monday while playing a checking role that included some penalty kill. He’s a forgotten player who is a long shot. But hard work certainly can’t hurt.

There won’t be many repeat players in Wednesday’s lineup. Kevin Hayes and Chris Kreider will sit as will impressive 2017 seventh overall pick Lias Andersson, who scored twice in the 4-3 overtime win. Pavel Buchnevich will dress again. He was excellent in Newark, scoring a power play goal off a Hayes faceoff win, while setting up second-year defenseman Neal Pionk’s winner. He’ll likely play with 2017 first round pick Filip Chytil, who makes his debut in his second training camp. Quinn had high praise for the gifted Czech center, who posseses a lot of skill which makes him a young player to keep an eye on. There should be palpable excitement to see Chytil.

Brett Howden and Libor Hajek will also get a chance to show what they can do. Each came over from Tampa in the blockbuster trade involving Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller, which also netted Vladislav Namestnikov. A versatile forward, who must prove himself worthy of the multi-year deal GM Jeff Gorton gave him. Ryan Spooner will also be in. He was better than Namestnikov after coming over from Boston in the Rick Nash deal. Nash remains unsigned. He might take the year off before deciding if he’ll return. Retirement is possible.

Henrik Lundqvist will get his first taste of preseason action. Dustin Tokarski will replace him halfway through. A late signing to compete for the backup job with Alexandar Georgiev and Marek Mazanec, Tokarski is best remembered for replacing an injured Carey Price in the 2014 Eastern Conference Final for the Canadiens. He played well, but the Habs lost to Lundqvist and the Blueshirts in six. It’s been tough for him since.

Here is the rest of the projected lineup:

Joey Keane is someone to watch. A American prospect who represented Team USA at the World Junior Evaluation Camp, I’m curious to see how he looks. Curiosity is what these games are all about. It’s a chance for coaches and us to gauge where some of these guys are in their development.

I’ll have a full report later. We’re actually about to leave for The Garden now. It should be strange to be back. But here we are.

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Preseason begins: Rangers 4 Devils 3 (OT)

Posted on September 17, 2018 by Derek

In the first preseason action for both teams, the Rangers defeated the Devils 4-3 in overtime at The Rock. It was choppy play marred by the usual allotment of sloppy penalties. There were plenty of power plays throughout.

Nick Lappin got the scoring started off a nice pass in the slot where he beat Rangers starter Alexandar Georgiev. On the play, two Rangers got caught out of position. Lappin had a nice game tallying twice for the Devils.

Lias Andersson was one of the few bright spots in the period. His doggedness on the penalty kill led to two shorthanded chances, with the first stopped by Kinkaid. It was a solo effort from a hustling Andersson that resulted in a breakaway for a shorthanded goal. He stole the puck from Taylor Hall in the neutral zone and broke in on Kinkaid beating him high glove to tie the score.

However, the Devils came back on the same power play thanks to John Quenneville. Fighting for a roster spot, the former first round pick was able to take a feed from 2018 first round pick Ty Smith and snap a wrist shot through a Brian Boyle screen past Georgiev for a 2-1 lead.

Following a lethargic first period mostly in favor of the Newark hosts, the Rangers turned up the pressure in a better second. Eventually, the consistent forecheck resulted in some New Jersey penalties. On a Kevin Hayes clean face off win, Pavel Buchnevich one-timed the puck by Kinkaid to tie the score. H shot went off Kinkaid’s goal stick and in for a power play goal.

In the third, the teams traded goals from the game’s opening scorers. Both Lappin and Andersson each got their second of the night. Overtime was required.

After each side tried ending it early with classic veteran match ups that featured Hayes and Chris Kreider against Hall and Nico Hischier, it was on the next shift that it would be decided. Off sustained pressure, Jesper Fast stole the puck from Jesper Bratt. He then dropped for a changing Buchnevich, who made a perfect pass to a cutting Neal Pionk for the overtime winner.

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