HARD HITS: Trotz has surprising Islanders in first place

Posted on November 6, 2018 by Derek

A good coach can make all the difference. For years, the Islanders have been viewed by many observers as an afterthought in the metro area. Despite a rich history and tradition that includes the Stanley Cup dynasty of winning four consecutive championships between 1980-83, there hasn’t been much to talk about since.

Sure. They had some good teams afterwards featuring Hall of Famer Pat LaFontaine. A franchise center who’s best remembered for his goal in the fourth overtime to beat the Capitals in ’87. Unfortunately for LaFontaine, the closest he came to glory on Long Island was his rookie year when as a teenager, he scored 13 goals and 19 points in 15 games during ’83-84. He followed that up with nine points (3-6-9) in 16 games during the playoffs when the Oilers ended the Islanders dynasty by sweeping them.

LaFontaine lasted eight seasons as a terrific number one center before being traded following a holdout on October 25, 1991. He was packaged along with Randy Wood, Randy Hillier and a ’92 fourth round pick (Dean Melanson) to the Sabres in exchange for new top center Pierre Turgeon, Uwe Krupp, Benoit Hogue and Dave McLIwain. A blockbuster deal that benefited both New York clubs. While LaFontaine went onto center Alexander Mogilny and Yuri Khmylev in Buffalo, Turgeon became a star on the Isles at Nassau Coliseum. He headlined the ’92-93 team that made a run to the Conference Finals before losing in five games to the Canadiens. Of course, Islanders fans still despise Dale Hunter for his cheap shot on Turgeon following a goal celebration that injured their best player. A good team that featured Hogue, Krupp, Ray Ferraro, Steve Thomas, Pat Flatley, Glenn Healy, Derek King, David Volek, Vladimir Malakhov and Darius Kasparaitis. The first round win over the Capitals and second round upset over the two-time champion Penguins is fondly remembered. But Montreal overtime magic led by Patrick Roy did them in as the Canadiens won the Cup over the Kings.

Soon after, their time had come and gone in the blink of an eye. The following Spring, a late run to grab the eighth seed resulted in a sweep by the hated Rangers, who made quick work of them en route to the Cup. Ironically, ’93 playoff hero Healy became a popular backup on the Broadway side of the rivalry behind Mike Richter. Turgeon was dealt to Montreal with Malakhov for Kirk Muller, Mathieu Schneider and Craig Darby on April 5, 1995. It was a PR nightmare with that Isles home game Pierre Turgeon Poster Night. Making matters worse, Muller wanted no part of Long Island. He barely played before forcing a trade to Toronto in ’96.

So much changed. The Mike Milbury Error was filled with turmoil due to cheap and untrustworthy management. Along with Milbury’s awful penchant of giving away young players with talent for vets too soon, it doomed the franchise. With ownership issues that included the John Spano headache, it only made matters worse. So much talent came and went. Notable players who went onto good careers include Todd Bertuzzi, Roberto Luongo, Zdeno Chara, Olli Jokinen, Wade Redden, Bryan Berard, Bryan McCabe, Eric Brewer, J.P. Dumont and Tim Connolly. There also was the Rick DiPietro draft mistake that led to trading Luongo and Jokinen to Florida for Oleg Kvasha and Mark Parrish. Milbury could’ve kept Luongo, who’s a future Hall of Famer, and selected either Marian Gaborik or Dany Heatley. At least Parrish and key acquisitions Mike Peca and Alexei Yashin helped them reach the playoffs. However, they never got out of the first round. Meanwhile, Chara became one of the best defensemen and a first round pick which turned into Jason Spezza made the Senators an Eastern power.

Even following the Milbury debacle when the recently passed Charles Wang came in and saved the franchise, they still didn’t have much success. Despite landing John Tavares first overall in ’09, they only made the postseason three times, only getting out of the first round once. Tavares’ heroics carried them past the Panthers in 2016. The final two years of the Tavares Era were bitter disappointments that resulted in playoff misses along with dismissing coaches Jack Capuano and Doug Weight.

Needing a fresh start, they brought in championship proven executive Lou Lamoriello as Team President. He then fired Garth Snow and named himself GM. Then patiently waited for Barry Trotz to say good riddance to the cheap Caps following their first Cup. He was underpaid and wasn’t treated with respect for guiding Washington to its first championship.

A veteran coach with a no nonsense disciplinary style that’s similar to Lamoriello, Trotz has done a masterful job changing the script for the Islanders. A proven winner who’s had success both in Nashville and Washington, he’s taking on a different situation in Brooklyn. Following his hire, Lamoriello was unsuccessful re-signing Tavares, who chose to fulfill a childhood dream by playing for his hometown team in Toronto. It’s gone well so far for him and the Maple Leafs.

As for the Isles, Lamoriello actually reacquired Matt Martin from Toronto. The popular fourth liner, who always brings energy and physicality to every shift, is reunited with linemates Casey Cizikas and Cal Clutterbuck. The reunion has been successful with the trio bringing exactly the kind of tenacity to the ice that fans love.

They also came up short in their attempts to re-sign Calvin de Haan. He decided to leave for Carolina. Another improved team in a crowded Metro Division that’s as unpredictable as the autumn weather. Despite the loss, the Isles have enough defensemen to compensate. However, there is no true number one guy. While vets Johnny Boychuk and Nick Leddy are still around to give Trotz valuable minutes, neither are what they once were. Leddy can be counted on for good skating and staying healthy while the gritty Boychuk plays more physical with his unselfish play leading to injuries. Right now, he’s healthy.

That bodes well for a no name defense. If anyone is the most valuable, it’s probably Ryan Pulock. A younger right D with a blistering shot, he also is solid in his end sacrificing for the cause. He only has one goal following a big preseason. Sooner or later, that’ll change. Pulock possesses a deadly accurate one-timer that can beat goalies. Scott Mayfield also plays key minutes along with Mr. Overtime, Thomas Hickey and Adam Pelech. So, the blueline isn’t that bad despite no big star to anchor it.

Under Trotz, the team is more structured in their zone, keeping most shots to the outside. They’ve allowed both Thomas Greiss and Robin Lehner to make the saves. In a recent shutout at home over the Devils this past weekend, Greiss made the big stops. Brock Nelson scored the insurance goal in the win that improved them to a impressive 6-0-0 versus divisional opponents. A great mark so early in the Trotz Era.

Nelson has been a pleasant surprise. With Tavares gone, the Isles had an opening in the top six. So far, so good for Nelson, whose seven goals pace the club. He has replaced Tavares by forming good chemistry with new captain Anders Lee and underrated playmaker Josh Bailey. The trio are doing their part so far with Bailey leading the team in assists (12) and points (15). The gritty Lee has done a bit of everything, with five goals including a team-leading four on the power play. He ranks second in scoring with 13 points while also showing a willingness to make opponents accountable with 21 penalty minutes.

While second-year pivot Mathew Barzal tries to overcome a slow start with just one goal on 18 shots, he remains a dangerous scoring threat that draws the attention of opponents. His superb skating and vision are why teams are looking to take him away. He’s still managed 10 assists for 11 points. A minus-seven rating is something he’ll need to improve on at even strength. Trotz has Barzal working with familiar linemates Anthony Beauvillier and Jordan Eberle. Neither have started well with Beauvillier only with one goal and a minus-six while Eberle is 4-3-7 with a minus-four rating. The trio are the only regulars up front who are struggling at five-on-five. It would behoove Barzal to think shot more. He’s becoming too predictable.

Encouraging for the Islanders is they are getting contributions throughout the lineup. Lamoriello addition Valtteri Filppula scored his fifth goal Monday night in a disappointing 4-3 shootout loss to the Canadiens. It was a game they had control of, leading 3-1 before a strong final two periods by Montreal forced extras. The Isles didn’t play well and got what they deserved, which Trotz referenced afterwards. Unlike the win over New Jersey on Saturday, they were outworked by a more determined opponent. Something Trotz won’t accept.

That kind of strong mindset is exactly what this franchise needs. They haven’t had it for a long time. Trotz brings credibility to how they play along with Lamoriello. It’s a perfect match. One other thing that makes it a good partnership is that both Lamoriello and Trotz are no nonsense guys who understand what it takes to be successful.

So, even after having a five-game winning streak snapped last night, Trotz said the right thing. Following the loss, he indicated that his team was easy to play against and thought it was the worst game of the season. A point Lee echoed in the locker room. Having accountability is good. It’s something we now see with the Rangers and their new coach, David Quinn. You also see it in New Jersey with John Hynes. Wanting more out of your team should be the case. Especially after losses. Players respond well to criticism and honesty.

For the first place Islanders, who lead the Metro Division with an 8-4-2 mark with 18 points, they know more is expected. They don’t have a great starting goalie. They must play hard and minimize the chances against so the goalie tandem of Greiss and Lehner can have success. So far, so good for a surprising team that’s done well till this point.

The mentality has finally changed for Islanders fans. There’s a reason to get excited. Their team won’t be a pushover anymore.

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Game #12 – Devils 5, Penguins 1

Posted on November 5, 2018 by hasan4978

We fans can get a little superstitious from time to time.  At times when the team’s slumping we try to change things up (or conversely when going well, we try to repeat our same routine) as if anything we do actually affects the team’s on-ice performance, just to avoid the dreaded jinx.  Heck, players themselves can get pretty superstitious too, just ask most of them.  Partly with that in mind, I decided to go straight radio for tonight’s game – no TV, no Twitter – just listening to Matt and Chico online.  Actually my motivation wasn’t so much off of any kind of belief the team would play better but more that I needed the calming influence of Chico in case things went to crap.

I may have to do this for a few more games going forward judging off of tonight.

Other than the rout of the Capitals in the home opener, tonight’s demolition in Pittsburgh was the team’s most complete game of the season.  Sure the Penguins haven’t been playing at their own usual high standards lately, losing four straight including a 5-0 whitewash at the hands of the Leafs a couple nights ago, but that’s just all the more reason to put the hammer on a team when they’re not going well.  Of course, that’s easy for me to say with the Devils having come off of three straight losses to open their season-high seven-game road trip.  In fact, tonight was the Devils’ first road win all season, in their fifth game away from the Prudential Center (not counting the ‘home’ game win in Sweden).

As much as I like the TV crew, Chico’s a treasure to listen to.  He was in rare form tonight both with his early observation that the Penguins were off their game, and his usual complement of Chico-isms, saying the Devils defensemen were hitting snakes between the eyes after Will Butcher and Ben Lovejoy had apparently scored the initial two goals (Lovejoy’s was later changed to Brian Boyle).  Not to mention his exaggerated John Sterling-esque call on the aformentioned Lovejoy/Boyle goal.  You could tell how pained ex-goalie Chico was when Keith Kinkaid gave up a floater shortside for the tying goal in the first period, fortunately that wouldn’t matter in the end as the Devils turned a close game in the middle of the second period into a rout by the early third.

Of course listening on the radio you can only get so much of a sense of how the game goes, and don’t really get to watch individual players as much or see what’s happening now that we’re spoiled with HDTV to watch with – but perhaps we shouldn’t view games with such a critical eye all the time, especially in November.  If the radio was good enough for fans before the ’50’s then why not go old-school?  Not that I needed a TV to see that the first-star of the game was clearly Boyle, whose natural hat trick was a welcome surprise and the first of the big man’s long career.  Ironically it was Hockey Fights Cancer night in Pittsburgh, and nobody’s a better example of that than Boyle himself, in fact he was just recently declared cancer-free.

Goals from Butcher and Travis Zajac sandwiched Boyle’s natural hatty and for once there was no real angst for the men in white and red, or us.  After a poor few games, Butcher’s opener had to be a sigh of relief for him.  Our previously nonexistent second line actually chipped in a goal with Marcus Johansson assisting on Zajac’s marker on the first shift of the third peroid.  Ex-Penguin castoff Jean-Sebastian Dea assisted on both first-period goals as the fourth line contributed big-time although two of Boyle’s three goals actually came on the power play.  Special teams had been a sore spot lately but going 3-3 on the PK and scoring twice with the man advantage changed that.

Perhaps the only bad thing about tonight’s game is the Devils don’t get a lot of time to savor this one with a trip to Ottawa tomorrow.  Then again maybe that’s a good thing, don’t give the team time to get big heads again.  After Kinkaid had a 35-save game will coach John Hynes go back to him tomorrow on a back-to-back?  As important as I think the rest of this road trip is, and as down on Cory as I am I’m still not sure we’re quite at the point yet to go to the wall playing Keith in 90% of the games.   It’d be nice to give Cory a shot against a bad team, of course if he flops then there’s a problem and Keith’s the clear starter till further notice, which he may well be anyway.

Programming note: Don’t expect an immediate recap for tomorrow’s game, as like most of America I’m going to be unhealthily immersed in the TV and online coverage of the midterm elections.  I probably will wind up taping the Devils game and watch it either Wednesday or Thursday, assuming there’s anything worth watching on replay.  Obviously I’m not going to push politics on anyone here, except to say elections have consequences and go vote if you’re physically able to.  Don’t leave your ballot blank or protest vote for Gritty because you don’t like the major candidates.  Vote, and make it count with an informed decision.

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Game #14: Lundqvist and Vesey lead the way in 3-1 Rangers’ win over Sabres

Posted on November 5, 2018 by Derek

I’ll be perfectly honest. I missed most of last night’s game. We had dinner plans with Mom and had Japanese food at a nice place on the North shore of the Island. Family comes before everything including our favorite hockey team that was playing in its fourteenth game.

Judging by the statistics of a somehow scoreless first period, I could tell that the Sabres dominated play. Sometimes, all you need is a great goalie to keep you in it. Henrik Lundqvist is going to the Hockey Hall of Fame for those reasons when his brilliant career ends. Luckily, we still get to have him for a few more years. He is a very prideful man. He is a perfectionist, who demands the best out of himself every night. He might be 36, but don’t tell him he can’t get the job done.

Lundqvist’s 39 saves (30 the first two periods) were plenty to finally end the struggles versus Carter Hutton. At least for one night, the Rangers solved him enough scoring twice on 20 shots to defeat him and to an improved Sabres by a score of 3-1 before 16,904 at a less than capacity MSG.

These days, they’re not selling out Dolan’s building as much. I believe that has more to do with not dropping ticket prices in more expensive seats, along with the ridiculous food and beverage costs. Thirteen bucks for a can of beer is absurd. It’s fourteen for tap. At the games I attend, I’m not contributing to that ridiculous price. The next one could be tomorrow when the surprising Canadiens visit. That’s because we haven’t been able to sell it. If we can’t, that suits me just fine. Montreal games are always the best due to their passionate fans who come.

Most importantly, the Rangers have done something I didn’t think could be accomplished with the current roster. In a rebuilding year, they’ve managed to win three in a row. That’s called a winning streak! Cue the classic speech from Major League II.

That clip will never get old. James Gammon’s Lou Brown character shall live forever. Legends Never Die!

Make no mistake. Despite being largely out played, outshot (40-21) and out attempted (72-43), the Rangers aren’t giving this win back. They don’t have to. What fans must understand is that not every victory is going to be pretty. Especially with a first-year coach and young team with expectations down. Even the good teams occasionally need their goalie to steal a game. We should be thankful we have one who can still do it.

By pulling out the last two games of that four-game road trip in shootouts, they gave themselves an opportunity to win a third straight time. Suddenly, they’ve pulled within one of .500. A record of 6-7-1 doesn’t sound so bad. Even if this was only the second win in regulation (the other coming at home over Edmonton), they’re doing better than most thought. In case you haven’t noticed, most of the division is struggling. Even the defending champs are. Only the Islanders are playing up to par when they weren’t supposed to. The Hurricanes have cooled off considerably.

What I’m pointing out is the inconsistency we are seeing in the Metro Division. You don’t get style points for winning. Maybe this isn’t a game David Quinn will love, but when push came to shove, his team did a heck of a job protecting a one goal lead in crunch time. Once Brendan Smith handed the Sabres their only goal, they tightened up following a few key Lundqvist saves.

Buffalo only got ten shots in the third including Smith’s early Christmas gift to Conor Sheary. They didn’t dominate play as much. Shots were 10-7. Let’s also credit Quinn for doing a masterful job with the 10 and a half forwards he had left to work with due to rookie Brett Howden being held out for precautionary reasons. Howden still found a way to impact the game by neatly setting up Jimmy Vesey’s first of two at the one-minute mark of the second. His goal followed up Neal Pionk’s first only 19 seconds later for a 2-0 lead.

When I checked the Rangers app on my phone, I was shocked. How did that happen? Well, it did. I’m sure Quinn wasn’t happy with the lopsided first that saw Buffalo also control possession by winning more face offs. By the end of the game, the Rangers were dead even in draws, 28-28. Mika Zibanejad went 11-and-9. Kevin Hayes lost more than he won finishing 7-and-11. But they got contributions from unlikely sources, Chris Kreider (2-for-2) and Vinni Lettieri (2-and-1). Before he exited the contest, Howden was four up and four down. Even Filip Chytil was okay going 2-and-3. Add it all up and they offset Jack Eichel, who finished 11-and-7 without a point. They cooled off Eichel’s red hot line, victimizing him, Jeff Skinner and Jason Pominville twice during the same shift.

If you can do that, you’re doing something right. That line destroyed Ottawa on Saturday, and had been on fire. Pominville had a seven-game point streak snapped. Skinner entered with 14 points (8-6-14) in his last eight games. Since Pominville was added to that line, Eichel had 12 points while racking up 11 assists over the last seven.

Considering that in the first meeting, Hutton stole the show with 43 saves on Oct. 6, the two New York teams are even. There’s one match-up remaining not until February 15 in Buffalo. Maybe by then if things are better, I’ll make my first trip to a Sabres game.

Regarding the two goals, both were nice plays. Pionk’s first of the season came off some good work from Zibanejad and Vladislav Namestnikov. Namestnikov made a nice pass across for Pionk, who let go of a good wrist shot that beat Hutton for the first goal of the game at 41 seconds. Quinn them sent out the Howden line. Off some more good work, Jesper Fast won a board battle to work the puck to Howden. He made a good pass to an open Vesey in the high slot. Vesey went top shelf for his fourth at 60 seconds. It was his first goal in seven games since Oct. 17 at Washington.

The Blueshirts took some penalties. Consecutive minors on Cody McLeod and Smith gave Buffalo a golden opportunity to tie the game. But the penalty kill and Lundqvist came through. Astonishingly, the Sabres had the game’s first four power plays. They went 0-for-4. Fourteen of their 40 shots came on it. That’s how good Lundqvist was. Too bad I missed it.

In the third, Quinn mixed up his line combinations. After giving Pavel Buchnevich less than four minutes of ice-time in the first, he increased his shifts. After sitting out the previous two games, Buchnevich was back in for the disappointing Ryan Spooner. Although I didn’t see anything until the third when we got home, I liked what I saw from him. He was more engaged, delivering a couple of checks (4 hits) while being more involved offensively. Just the kind of response Quinn was looking for.

He rewarded Buchnevich by giving him a few shifts with Zibanejad and old linemate Kreider, who only played 14:06. Buchnevich received 17:07, which should silence the critics that have been impatient with a no nonsense coach, who demands more from his players. As if that’s a bad thing. Even though he didn’t register a shot, Buchnevich had two attempts and was way more physical than in his first 11 games combined. A good sign.

I particularly liked the defensive play from veteran Marc Staal and Brady Skjei late in regulation. Both made good plays with and without the puck, playing the man. Staal blocked a Kyle Okposo shot that was close to going in. Skjei made the key takeaway and pass for Vesey’s empty netter from 160 feet that sealed the deal with 1:51 remaining. His two goals give him five. With a helper in the last game at Anaheim, that’s three points in two games for the hard working forward.

There’s really not much more to say. They deserve credit for finding a way. We’ll see what Tuesday brings.

Three Rangers Stars

3rd 🌟 Brady Skjei assist, 5 blocked shots, 2 hits, 3 shots, plus-two in 32 shifts (24:50).

2nd 🌟 Jimmy Vesey 2 goals (4th, 5th), game-winner, plus-one in 21 shifts (15:59).

1st 🌟 Henrik Lundqvist 39 saves including 15/15 in both 1st and 2nd.

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Game #11 – Islanders 3, Devils 0

Posted on November 4, 2018 by hasan4978

What’s to say right now?  If this team isn’t at rock bottom now with three straight losses culminating in yesterday’s whitewash at Barclays with Lou Lamoriello being satisfied in his new post as GM of the first-place Islanders, I shudder at what will be rock bottom.  I’m just glad that unlike Tuesday I followed through on my threat to boycott.  I knew this game would be an ass kicking too just like in Tampa, and that’s basically what happened.  Granted, looking at the boxscore the 3-0 final is slightly misleading since it was 1-0 until there were five minutes left in the game.  Still, I figured on a multi-goal loss and wasn’t the least bit surprised when I finally turned the game on to see highlights of the empty-netter in the dying seconds and three-nil popped up on the score.

We’re now at the moral victory portion of the program where the message out of the room was at least we played better.  I’ll buy that for a game or two since effort has been at least half the problem so far, but if they don’t start getting results real soon the Devils will be so far down the hole they’ll need at least a couple months to get out of it – if they can at all.  Just don’t insult my intelligence like the football Jets and Todd Bowles frequently do and talk about how things have changed when they keep churning out the same record year in and year out, with the same number of no-show performances.  I’m not giving the Devils any credit for effort at least until they start stringing a few better efforts together in a row, and eventually get a couple of wins out of it.

Arguably nothing happened in-game that was as important as in the day between games anyway, when the Devils sent out a blaring message by demoting Pavel Zacha to the AHL.  Not being sure of the waiver rules I’d somehow believed a few days ago that they couldn’t demote Zacha without exposing him to waivers, but since he’s still under the 160-game threshold by a few the Devils were able to send this wake-up call.  It’s one thing to tell someone to do something, it’s another to show there are real consequences if you don’t and now the rest of the room knows that even a recent high draft pick can be cut if he doesn’t pick it up.  Hynes’ comments on Zacha were on-point (unlike the player himself).

Can’t say I loved the fact Kurtis Gabriel was one of the callups though, every year I and other fans complain one-dimensional goons shouldn’t play, but invariably if a team doesn’t have enough sandpaper in the rest of the lineup, that still ends up happening sooner or later.  Especially after a string of recent games where the team showed little fight figuratively or literally – and one of the few guys who tried was defenseman Mirco Mueller, who was pummelled like a blowup doll in Detroit.  Still, playing Gabriel in Brooklyn yesterday over the likes of Joey Anderson was even more laughable considering the Isles’ own enforcer (Matt Martin) was out of the lineup.  At least Gabriel couldn’t look to take penalties against Martin the way he did in the preseason when he embarassed himself by taking a string of minor penalties there.

Another problem at this point is Hynes’ recent backing of himself into a corner by publicly pooh-pooing the question about breaking up the first line to spread out the scoring.  While I was inclined to side with him in not breaking up the Hall-Hischier-Palmieri troika (at least until Jesper Bratt finally returned), maybe it would be nice to give Marcus Johansson someone to pass to since that’s all he’s good for at this point.  Plus the first-line’s home/road combined splits I saw online last night were staggering.

Eight home games: 13 goals, 18 assists, +15

Four road games: 1 goal, 5 assists, -22

What does that mean?  When you can’t get the last line change having a good chunk of your scoring in the first line can be more of a problem than it’s worth.  With four more road games coming up and the team struggling, they can’t afford to be stubborn for too much longer.  A looming back-to-back against the rival Pens on Monday, then off to Ottawa on Tuesday isn’t going to be any easier than the last few games have been.  Adjustments need to be made and the effort supposedly showed yesterday needs to be sustained through multiple games or a once-promising season could be derailed in a hurry.

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Pominville pays back Sabres for honoring him in 9-2 rout of familiar rival

Posted on November 4, 2018 by Derek

When Buffalo general manager Jason Botterill took over the Sabres in the summer of 2017, one of his first moves was reacquiring Jason Pominville as part of a four player trade that included two draft picks with Minnesota on June 30, 2017. Defenseman Marco Scandella also came over from the Wild in exchange for forwards Tyler Ennis (now with Toronto) and Marcus Foligno. The goal of the deal was to help upgrade a weak blueline.

Even though nobody will confuse the 28-year old defensive defenseman with Rasmus Ristolainen or Rasmus Dahlin, Scandella is still a key cog on a revamped blueline that also includes Jake McCabe, Zach Bogosian and Casey Nelson. The latter has been a surprise for coach Phil Housley due to his skating. Obviously, winning the NHL Lottery to select Dahlin first overall this past summer really helped. The teenager will be a fixture for years to come.

What nobody counted on was the popular former Buffalo playoff hero filling a huge void in his second season back where he belongs. Pominville has always been a tenacious worker, who brings a good work ethic to his shifts. Following a decent ’17-18 in which he tallied 34 points (16-18-34) while playing all 82 games, the well respected 35-year old who recently played his 1,000th career NHL game has taken his game to a level once seen when he was a huge part of a very good Buffalo team. One that challenged for the Eastern Conference. There was that memorable shorthanded goal he scored while down two men, eliminating Ottawa in the Conference Semifinals. I remember echoing to close personal friend Brian that I had a feeling about a shorthanded goal. I guess I knew. That prompted one of legendary Sabres announcer Rick Jeanneret’s greatest calls.

As he went around Daniel Aldredsson as if he were a Ton an with Wade Redden watching, it allowed Jeanneret to beam, “Oh now do you believe? NOW DO YOU BELIEVE! These guys are good! Scary good!”

If ever there was a time the Buffalo Sabres should’ve won the Stanley Cup, that ’05-06 season was it. They were deep, talented and had it all including unreal goaltending from Ryan Miller. Unfortunately, injuries to a depleted blueline proved costly in a crushing seven game Conference Final loss to Carolina. You can’t convince me or any Sabres fan, who lived and died with that team, that the Hurricanes were better. To win 16 games in the toughest tournament, you also have to get lucky. I know that well as a Rangers fan, who dies a little more every day since ’94. Especially given what happened to the ’13-14 team in the Stanley Cup Final versus the hated Kings.

The amazing thing is Pominville is one of three Sabres left from that roster who are still playing. The same one which dominated the East the following season, only to be stunned by the Senators in the same round. A revenge series. Sometimes, those happen. It happened to the end of the old Rangers roster by the very same Ottawa in that fateful second round in 2017. That was the end for them. Now, it’s rebuild mode under a new coach. Something oddly familiar to Buffalo fans. They’ve been waiting patiently for a good team that could challenge for the playoffs. It’s been a while. The glory days of Chris Drury, Daniel Briere, Thomas Vanek, Maxim Afinogenov and Brian Campbell are long gone. Counting ’06-07, there are five players left with Drew Stafford and Andrej Sekera also still around.

All this time later and here’s Pominville, who got a well deserved beautiful ceremony honoring his career spent mostly in Buffalo, turning back the clock. Second-year coach Phil Housley has put together a tremendous top line. The kind the Sabres haven’t had in a decade. Centered by new captain Jack Eichel and anchored by Jeff Skinner and Pominville, they have been dominant. Never was that more clear than in Pominville’s 1,001st game.

On a day he won’t forget, the senior citizen went out and celebrated in style by scoring twice and recording an assist for a three-point effort. For the season, the ageless Pommer is up to eight goals and six helpers for 14 points in 14 games. The line is doing damage. Since being put together, they’ve produced big goals in comeback victories as the Sabres continue to prove they can’t be taken lightly. The cohesive trio combined for four of Buffalo’s nine goals in a 9-2 blowout win over the Senators at home. They totaled nine points with Skinner getting two goals and one assist while Eichel had three helpers.

A couple of days after losing in Ottawa, the Sabres dominated their Canadian rival. It was all working for an improved hockey club that upped its record to 7-5-2 in a competitive Atlantic Division. Their 16 points are tied with the Bruins and Canadiens, who both lost on Saturday. Each have played one less game. So for now, Buffalo is in fifth place. However, if they played in a perplexing Metro led by the surprising Islanders, they would be second. They’re right where they want to be at this point. In the mix for a potential wildcard that could include more competitors than last year.

How good was the win? Winning netminder Linus Ullmark had virtually nothing to do for most of the day. He did allow two goals on 29 shots. But it was all Buffalo. They controlled play throughout that was highlighted by a dominant second period. After chasing Ottawa starter Craig Anderson with three goals in the first that included Pominville scoring on a rebound of an Eichel shot off the post, they greeted poor reliever Mike McKenna rudely. They outscored the Sens 5-1 and outshot them 21-9. Thirteen seconds after Skinner got his second on a wonderfully constructed play for a power play goal, Zemgus Girgensons scored his first of the season.

What followed was three more goals in short order. Max McCormick, Pominville and Conor Sheary made it 7-0. The five Buffalo goals came within a 2:42 span, prompting an animated Ottawa coach Guy Boucher to call a timeout and yell at his guys.

By the time the game was over, Patrik Berglund and Casey Mittlestadt had added tallies for a 9-2 win. Each had good games with a goal and a helper apiece. Maybe that’ll get Mittlestadt going. The gifted 19-year old rookie entered with only three points. Much is expected from the playmaking pivot and Sam Reinhardt, who remains stuck on one goal despite tallying two assists to hike his total to seven. If those two can find more consistency, that would help secondary scoring.

On a big day where 15 Sabres’ skaters of 18 got on the score sheet, the only downside was Dahlin having to exit the contest due to a lower body injury sustained from blocking a couple of shots. It isn’t known if he’ll dress for Sunday night’s visit at the Rangers on Broadway. That would be a disappointment if he couldn’t play.

For now, Buffalo has a good team that knows it can score more. They also have two goalies that are getting the job done. How unfortunate for the Rangers that they’ll see their kryptonite, Carter “E.F.” Hutton. He owns them. He made over 40 saves in an early Buffalo win last month.

Before we wrap this up, it’s worth noting that Pominville ranks third among the 2001 Draft Class in points, trailing only top pick Jason Spezza and second overall pick Ilya Kovalchuk. He’s now up to 710 (285-425-710) after putting a stamp on game 1,001 that saw the team present him with gifts along with taped messages from former and current teammates. That included Botterill, who was his Rochester teammate before retiring. Now in Year Two, he looks to have put together a team Buffalo can be proud of. One that features the second round gem taken with the number 55 pick.

Not bad at all.

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Game #13: Another shootout triumph gives Rangers two straight wins

Posted on November 2, 2018 by Derek

I’m not much for superstition. Though I do have my OCD rituals. Game number 13 turned out to be a lucky one. It also had two repetitions from the other night. Like the crazy win at San Jose, the Rangers needed a shootout to prevail in Anaheim last night 3-2. Also similar, they blew a one goal lead in the final minute of regulation to be pushed into extras.

So far, so good for the Rangers, who improved to a perfect 3-0 in shootouts. Thursday’s heroes were Alexandar Georgiev, Mats Zuccarello and Mika Zibanejad. Georgiev went two-for-two in the skill competition to improve to 2-1-0 in three starts. He also was superb in the first 65 minutes, making 28 saves. Zuccarello and Zibanejad each beat John Gibson on wrist shots with wiggle room in the first two rounds. Georgiev stopped Pontus Aberg and Ryan Getzlaf to pick up the victory.

The game wasn’t as good as the wild and wacky 4-3 win over the Sharks. Coach David Quinn was proud of the guys for toughing one out to finish the four-game road trip 2-2. They were tired, but competed well enough to be in a winning position with under a minute left in regulation. The blown lead hex struck again when following a Tony DeAngelo turnover, Getzlaf found Rickard Rakell wide open for the tying goal with 26 seconds left.

Despite having the better of the play in the three-on-three overtime by getting three of the four shots, they were unable to beat Gibson, taking it to the shootout. Not the greatest way to settle extra points, it is what it is. In this case, the Rangers shooters were better than the Ducks, who have now dropped seven straight games (0-4-3). You can see why they’re struggling. Cam Fowler came close to ending it, but his shot hit the post.

Neither Zuccarello nor Zibanejad tried dekes instead opting to simplify their approach with good snap shots that beat Gibson. Zuccarello went through the wickets and Zibanejad found just enough real estate to beat Gibson short side to clinch the victory.

Following a scoreless first period that saw the teams dead even in shots (7-7), the play picked up in the second. The Rangers got on the board first thanks to some good work behind the net from rookie Filip Chytil. His second effort resulted in a centering feed that deflected off rookie Brett Howden right to Kevin Hayes, who finished off his third for a nice power play goal. It was a good play by the trio.

The Ducks were able to even it up on their own power play. With DeAngelo off for interference, Anaheim worked the puck around for a Rakell one-timer that a sharp Georgiev stopped with a great reflex save. However, the rebound caromed into the air which allowed Jakob Silfverberg to bat it in for the tying power play tally. Getzlaf set it up.

Less than two minutes later, a excellent shift by the Howden line resulted in a go-ahead goal from the 20-year old center. Off a good forecheck, Marc Staal made a good shot pass in front for Jimmy Vesey, who made an even better one touch redirection pass to a wide open Howden for a tap in at 14:29. That gave him a goal and assist. He continues to perform well for the Rangers. The ex-Lightning prospect wins over 50 percent of his face-offs. He went 10-and-7 yesterday.

In the third, it was obvious that the Blueshirts didn’t have much left. They tried to protect the lead. It wasn’t that they sat back. Anaheim had more energy. It still looked like they were doing a good job by limiting the Ducks to seven shots for most of the period. The Rangers had four.

Then came the final frantic minute. With a chance to clear the zone, DeAngelo panicked by holding onto the puck in the corner. Eventually, Anaheim recovered it to set up a last ditch effort with Gibson pulled for an extra attacker. Getzlaf held the puck and patiently waited before sending a perfect pass across for a Rakell laser top shelf that tied the game. Brady Skjei lost his man due to puck watching. He wasn’t alone.

Georgiev stoned Kiefer Sherwood on a break in overtime. Then came the shootout. Zuccarello and Zibanejad made no mistake. The Rangers improved to 5-7-1 after 13 games. Not bad considering only one win has come in regulation. They host Buffalo this Sunday night at 7 PM.

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Game #10 – Red Wings 4, Devils 3

Posted on November 1, 2018 by hasan4978

Perhaps the only good thing about tonight’s latest disgrace in Detroit is that I wasn’t in front of the TV to watch it whistle to whistle.  I missed most of the first period but from what I read it seemed like the team laid yet another turdburger, as they fell behind 1-0 with a typically desultory start.  Sure, they tied the game in the second and eventually took the lead in the third period after I did get to start watching.  Of course that just put us right where the Red Wings wanted us – in front in the third as the Devils would blow yet another third-period lead, giving up all four of their goals on special teams with the coup de grace coming when Will Butcher set fire to a power play by giving up a two-on-one and playing it very suspect, which wasn’t helped with ill-fated Cory Schneder giving up a bad rebound goal.

Enough is enough now…we’re just ten games into the season and I’ve officially had it with this team.  We’re at DEFCON 1 now, in near-record time given how bad this team’s played for a couple weeks with what’s looming ahead on this road trip.  There’s just flat out no excuse for game after game of this kind of crap effort, particularly after you just had your doors blown off you two nights ago in Tampa.  To go to Detroit and that dopey new arena they have, and lose in regulation against a team that’s 3-7-2 and playing like they were expected to be – one of the worst teams in hockey – is just flat out inexcusable.  And not only lose in regulation, but do the same stupid things you’ve been doing for weeks now.  There are times where the process are good but the results are bad, and vice-versa.  Well now both are bad, with the team dropping to 1-4-1 after the what now seems like an illsuory 4-0 start.

There’s no one single person to blame for this fiasco, but when effort and intelligence are both major issues, you clearly have to start with the head coach.  For whatever reason John Hynes’ message only seems to resonate in odd-numbered years with overachieving 2015 and 2017 teams sandwiching a poor year in 2016, and now it looks like 2018 is fast heading for the dissapointing route.  Sure, there was always going to be the possibility that this team just didn’t have enough to make the playoffs again in a tough Metro division but the fact this team is playing like they’re satisfied after making the playoffs (and getting bounced almost as fast as you could blink, I might add) is just mind-boggling.

I’m not saying there aren’t problems with talent or that the players don’t need to take their own responsibility, god knows with the former the issues that went unanswered for this team in the offseason are all coming back to haunt them now – lack of a second-line center, lack of a real top four LHD aside from the aging Andy Greene, and the question marks in net.  You want to blame Ray Shero, go ahead.  At some point patience needs to give way to urgency, especially when you need to have your league MVP believing in the future path of this team before approaching him on an extension this offseason.  You want to blame ownership for not spending on a team that’s $20 million under the cap, go ahead.  It’s still just speculation whether they’ve put the cuffs on Shero or not so it’s pointless to even go there right now.

Even with what the team doesn’t have, that’s still no reason for the constant killer penalties, mental mistakes and suspect effort that’s plagued the players we do have all season long, or at least since the 4-0 start.  Did this team really believe their crap didn’t stink at that point after two weeks of the season?  When you lose in Tampa Bay that’s one thing, even with how ugly the loss was.  But tonight…oy vey.

Of course it would be nice to HAVE a second line in the first place (cough Pavel Zacha cough Marcus Johansson), but the fact you can’t even beat a team who was supposed to be bad and is bad to begin with, when they don’t have an entire second line is just mind-bogglingly awful.  In theory we at least have a second line…in theory.  In reality?  Zacha is still at ten games and counting not even having a point this season, and this was the bust that was supposed to be our second-line center going into the season.  Yes he’s only 21 and it’s his third NHL season but he’s played nearly 160 games in the league, at what point is the player off scholarship now?  In some ways Johansson’s been even worse given he was expected to be the leader on that line but he’s done absolutely nothing as a Devil.  Sure, injuries played a factor in last season but even when he was on the ice he just flat out didn’t get it done.  It’s of course laughable that Johansson picked the most meaningless time ever for his second goal of the season, with four seconds left down 4-2.  I mean are you kidding me?  He might as well have not scored at all, he hardly deserved to get off the schneid.

Defensively things started out promising but like the rest of the team has spiraled downhill, particularly in the last handful of games.  Even the game we won against Florida the defense gave up way too many quality chances and in particular Butcher seems to have regressed this year, particularly since his supposedly minor shoulder injury.  Not to mention the injuries to Steven Santini and Ben Lovejoy have made the third pairing a turnstile of rotating defenders.  Granted, all the penalties don’t help to that end either, but still you gotta kill something off at some point.  Special teams was utterly atrocious tonight giving up two PP goals, then two short-handed goals (albeit the latter was a seeing-eye empty-netter).

And in goal…well let’s just say it took one game for me to remember why Cory has exacerbated me over the last two years.  Enough with the darn excuses, I don’t want to hear about the surgically repaired hip which is supposed to be better now, I don’t want to hear about him being rusty when he had three rehab games, that horrible rebound on the decisive third period goal just can’t be rationalized.  It’s always the same crap though, he plays well until allowing the killer goal in crunchtime then here comes another loss.  Maybe if it wasn’t for the last two seasons I’d be more willing to go the ‘but it’s his first game back route’ but he doesn’t deserve the benefit of the doubt at this point.  It just feels like he embodies loserdom at this point, like the pre-2004 Boston Red Sox.

It’s bad enough this team has lost five of its last six games, but what looms ahead is Halloween horror-movie type scary – division matchups at Brooklyn against a fired-up Isles team playing well for new coach Barry Trotz (certainly much better than our group at the moment) followed by a trek to Pittsburgh.  Oh, and by the way three more road games after that.  Yes we did well against the Penguins last year, but as the last few games have shown us…that was last year.  Maybe this year’s megatrip is going to do to us what we feared the one in March was going to do to us last year.  Clearly bag skates, coach rants and pleading haven’t worked to this point.  It’s probably time for something more drastic now like a well-earned benching or three.  I have my candidates of who should get the axe for a game or more to send a message, but really at this point just about anyone outside of the first line and Blake Coleman will do to that end.  I’m not sure who else I’d exempt but it wouldn’t be too many more people than those four.

This team needs to start winning games, but more important they need to take their heads out of their rear ends first before they can even hope to win games again.  Perhaps this quote from Hynes sums it up when asked whether it concerned him that Johansson said they’re losing confidence in the locker room:

In other words, baby steps.

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Game #12 Rangers show resolve in 4-3 shootout win over Sharks

Posted on October 31, 2018 by Derek

It would’ve been real easy to cave in following a last second Tomas Hertl goal that tied it. It would’ve been even easier for Henrik Lundqvist to lose concentration in the closing moments of a back and forth overtime and not snatch Brent Burns’ shot out of the air to take an emotional rollercoaster of a game to a shootout. He didn’t, showing the resolve the Rangers did in a 4-3 win over the Sharks.

Somehow, they swept the head to head series against a formidable opponent. Don’t ask how. I’m not even sure myself. Both games required extras with Brady Skjei winning the first game between the teams in overtime at MSG. This time, it was some shootout magic from Lundqvist and Kevin Shattenkirk that got them their fourth win of the season. Following a great save by Lundqvist to deny Joe Pavelski the five hole, Shattenkirk patiently outwaited Martin Jones, going to a backhand deke top shelf to win the game in the third round to plenty of excited teammates who poured off the bench to congratulate him.

You can usually tell a lot about a team by their character. After disappointing efforts in consecutive losses at Chicago and Los Angeles, the Rangers responded to coach David Quinn’s challenge. They played with more passion and matched the dangerous San Jose offense. It was a welcome change.

On a night Pavel Buchnevich didn’t play for the second time, the eighteen skaters and goalie worked hard. They peppered Jones early and often in a impressive first period. In direct response to a Sharks goal, Mats Zuccarello replied back with a long wrist shot surprising Jones for his third.

Even though they were unable to finish more of their chances, the Rangers stayed right with the Sharks for two periods. Lundqvist was busier in the second keeping the game tied at one entering the third.

What transpired was as unpredictable as a suspense thriller. With it being Halloween, that feels appropriate. Chris Kreider scored the first of his two goals when he was able to take a Skjei feed and sneak a one-timer off Jones’ pad and in for a lead. However, a crazy sequence would unfold that had Quinn upset. Following a big Lundqvist save, the Rangers went the other way and had a shot ring off the goalpost. Vinni Lettieri got trapped to create a two-on-one. Timo Meier made him pay by ripping a shot high off the far post to make it 2-2. He’s been on fire lately. It was his ninth.

But the game didn’t stay tied for long. Kreider was able to beat Jones down low for his second of the period to give the Rangers another one goal lead. It looked like they would hold on for the win in regulation.

Instead, an even nuttier sequence allowed San Jose to tie it. With the puck behind the Rangers net, Neal Pionk lost a battle allowing Logan Couture to come out with the puck. With time to spare, he quickly passed for an open Hertl, who in one motion turned and fired a laser past Lundqvist to beat the buzzer. Replays confirmed that he scored with 1.4 seconds left. Skjei was too late on the coverage, kneeling down while Hertl unloaded. Skjei should’ve stayed on his feet and checked Hertl.

It was a pretty devastating way to end regulation. I couldn’t it. I was doing my podcast with my friend and couldn’t contain myself. I couldn’t help but laugh at what happened. It still was going to OT.

The Rangers gave away an opportunity to win it thanks to a lousy four-on-three power play. Their passing sucked. So did their entries. It was the worst part of the game. I must’ve counted five San Jose clears with three skaters. Eventually, Kreider got nabbed with a iffy slashing minor to even it up near the end. It was pretty cheesy.

If not for Lundqvist’s desperation glove save on Burns’ final offering with under two seconds left, there is no shootout. Only a brutal defeat. Afterwards, Lundqvist admitted that he didn’t know if he could’ve survived the night had they lost in that fashion. He picked up the shot late and had enough concentration to make the clutch save.

The shootout saw most shooters get stopped in their tracks. Hertl tried a backhand that went over the top. Zuccarello was poke checked by Jones to deny his forehand tuck. Couture took a great shot, but Lundqvist easily gloved it down. Mika Zibanejad also tried a forehand deke, but made one too many moves to get stopped by Jones. Then came Pavelski, who skated in and got off a good wrister, but Lundqvist closed up the pads to set the stage for Shattenkirk. Here’s how it looked and sounded with an exciting call from the legendary Sam Rosen:

What a game! What a game! Indeed. It was the first road win of the season. The Rangers finish the four-game road trip in Anaheim.

Three Rangers Stars

3rd 🌟 Kevin Shattenkirk assist plus shootout winner

2nd 🌟 Henrik Lundqvist 31 saves plus 3 of 3 in shootout

1st 🌟 Chris Kreider 2 goals (5, 6)

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Game #9 – Lightning 8, Devils 3

Posted on October 30, 2018 by hasan4978

So tonight was our playoff ‘rematch’ with Tampa after they wiped the floor with us in five relatively easy games six months ago.  Sure, it was nice to make the playoffs and Game 3 at the Rock was the best hockey memory in the last several years as a Devils fan but really the three playoff games in Tampa showed just how far apart the two teams were in skill level.  Of course regular season hockey isn’t always the same as playoff hockey – just look at the fact we were 3-0 against the Lightning last regular season.  More importantly, the hope going into tonight was to get our season high seven-game road trip off to a good start against a Tampa team without top defenseman Victor Hedman.

After about five minutes it looked like one of the 2017-18 regular season matchups, as the Devils got off to a fast start with Miles Wood and Travis Zajac combining for the game’s first two goals, finally giving the Devils some non-first line production.  Wood’s goal was punctuated by an exhuberant celebration and the team looked engaged in the game early.  That momentum carried over to the line’s next shift when Zajac scored on a partial breakaway.  Leading two-nil after five minutes it looked for a fleeting moment like this could be a reprise of the Caps home opener earlier in the month.

Then reality smacked us in the face and Tampa asserted their skill level while the Devils resumed their skittish, sloppy play that’s been too prevalent the last couple of weeks.  Still, there was no way I saw a 2-0 game turning into a 3-8 trainwreck in the span of two periods’ worth of time from the early first to the early third.  Sure every team has at least a handful of those type of games, the Lightning themselves had one against Arizona a few nights ago.  However, the timing of this game coming after three other uneven to desultory efforts in the last four games is alarming.  Especially against a team that everyone knows you have to be on point against.

Things looked bad enough when Tampa tied the game before the end of the first period, but an early second period goal, then back-to-back penalties by Blake Coleman (double-minor) and Zajac put the nail in the coffin when the defanged PK allowed two more goals to put the game almost out of reach at 5-2.  Kyle Palmieri’s goal at the end of the second gave the Devils an illusory chance going into the third but three lightning-quick goals at the beginning of the third turned the game into a complete and utter embarassment.  How embarassing?  After Keith Kinkaid was pulled allowing the seventh goal, poor Cory Schneider allowed a goal on his first shot faced of the season for the eighth goal of the night.

At that point I saw something I’ve never seen before, a timeout with a kick-butt rant called by coach John Hynes at 8-3 in the third period with the Devils already having given up 40+ shots and the game clearly over.  Normally the kick-butt timeouts come earlier in the game and when the score is closer, but the giveup in the third period and lack of engagement in the game throughout was alarming and needed to be addressed on the spot.  Clearly the Devils gave up after the sixth goal if not sooner…it looked like it got flattened with a Mike Tyson right hand.  Who knows, maybe that was the team’s rock bottom.  It better have been or things are going to get a lot worse before it gets better.  It’s up to this team to decide how they want to respond going forward, starting with a game in Detroit on Thursday night that is as must-win as an early November game gets at this point.  Even more importantly it’s a must get back on track in terms of the team’s effort and compete level.

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Suicide Watch on All Hallows Eve for Rangers fans

Posted on October 30, 2018 by Derek

It’s suicide watch on All Hallows Eve for Rangers fans. Pavel Buchnevich is a healthy scratch for the second time under coach David Quinn when the Rangers visit the Sharks later tonight.

Buchnevich got the only assist on Vladislav Namestnikov’s first goal of the season in a frustrating 4-3 loss to the Kings on Sunday. He also recently scored his third goal on a rebound. To be perfectly honest, the 23-year old enigmatic Russian right wing has been underwhelming in his third year. He has five points (3-2-5) in 10 games.

On a low scoring team, the three goals are tied with Jimmy Vesey, who remains a fixture in the lineup due to his more straight forward game. He works hard, but doesn’t have good hands. If he did, Vesey would be close to 10 goals. There lies the problem. There isn’t a whole lot of talent on the current 23-man roster. When Cody McLeod is playing regularly on the fourth line, it speaks volumes. He brings energy to his shifts and toughness, which Quinn prefers. But he’s not part of the future.

How many Rangers are? Mika Zibanejad leads them in scoring with nine points. But even he’s been up and down. His line was quiet at Los Angeles. So, it’s been changed again with Namestnikov getting his chance on the number one line with Mats Zuccarello. Chris Kreider will stay with Kevin Hayes and Ryan Spooner. Hayes works hard in all areas including the penalty kill, but is stuck on two goals. Spooner just scored his first goal on a great shift to tie the Kings the other day with under four minutes remaining.

If only the bitter conclusion had been better. I’m tired of Alec Martinez. A lot went wrong on that play including Brendan Smith and Kevin Shattenkirk backing in while Kreider waved his stick at Martinez, who snapped home the crushing game-winner with 54.8 seconds left. Quinn went ballistic over how easy it is for opponents to skate into his team’s zone. He’s right. He took responsibility for the latest bench minor that cost them the lead. That’s six too many men on the ice penalties. Way too many.

It’s hard to watch the Rangers right now. Think going to the dentist for a checkup. It’s that bad. But they’re exactly where they’re supposed to be. At 3-7-1 with seven points, they’re one of the worst teams in the league. So, if Quinn feels Buchnevich needs to sit out another game because he’s not playing the way he expects him to, that’s fine by me.

I didn’t see it coming. Maybe that’s what’s so surprising. Buchnevich hardly played in the third period the other day. It’s clear that another coach doesn’t fully trust him at five-on-five. He’s still a work in progress but people overrated him. He doesn’t take the body at all. A key missing element that’s been ignored by the charts people. You can’t always measure someone’s heart by pointing to analytics.

Look at the effort Brett Howden gives every game. The 20-year old rookie center busts his ass daily. You never have to question his effort level. It’s always there. Quinn wants his team to break the bad habits and become more consistent. That’s how it should be. Instill a harder work ethic.

Those who don’t get it will be gone. That includes the talented Buchnevich, who is getting by on skill only. It isn’t about production. If it were, Marc Staal would’ve been gone a long time ago. You know why he doesn’t sit? Because he plays the game the right way. He doesn’t mail in shifts and takes the body.

If we really are being fair, the most overpaid player right now plays right defense and is in the second year of a nice contract. I’m referring to Shattenkirk, who must be better than one good game where he had his only two assists and a shootout winner. Tony DeAngelo has out played him in three games with a goal and three assists. That’s not a ringing endorsement. But everybody wanted Shattenkirk because he was the local kid, who grew up idolizing Brian Leetch. Maybe Barry Trotz was right.

How would you feel if you were Henrik Lundqvist? He plays his tail off every game, but has already shown frustration after a couple of goals allowed. Can you blame him? He’s saying all the right things following games because King Henrik is accountable. He’s the emotional leader of this younger team.

It isn’t easy. It wasn’t supposed to be. When the Blueshirts face San Jose later, I fully expect the Sharks to avenge an earlier overtime loss at MSG. Joe Thornton is back. Timo Meier is scoring, and the teal are playing better.

When Buchnevich returns, who’ll be the next Quinn victim? Certainly not Michael Myers or Jason. Trick or treat.

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