Devils refuse to be snowed out of the playoff race

Posted on April 2, 2018 by hasan4978

It’s the morning after Easter in April and there’s a snowstorm outside…one of these things isn’t like the others.  Shockingly I have a snow off day in the spring, so guess now’s as good a time as any to write about the Devils’ weekend sweep that put them just a couple of games away from the postseason for the first time in six years.  For most of March things looked sketchy at best, although the Devils never officially lost their grip on the final playoff spot – a combination of a six-game road trip and multiple games in hand for a hot Panthers team meant the Devils had to find another gear to get to the postseason.  Things really looked bad after a once-formidable nine-point lead with nineteen games left was drained to a one-point lead with nine games left (with two games in hand for the Panthers).

Although they’re not there yet, the Devils have certainly found that other gear, taking command down the stretch, going 8-2-1 in their last eleven including the aformentioned make-or-break six-game trip and many other tough games.  In fact over the previous ten days, the Devils have played six straight one-goal games.  Under immense pressure, the team went 5-0-1 in those nailbiters, with the only blemish being a Sidney Crosby OT goal on Thursday that spoiled our chance at a season sweep of the two-time Cup champs.  Still, this team deserves enormous credit for bending, but not breaking during most other games while finally the Panthers have started to sag a little going 2-3-1 over that stretch including three straight losses.  Florida’s latest lost to the Bruins on Saturday afternoon led to this cute (and timely) moment at night when a bunch of mascots were at the Rock for god only knows what reason:

https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/980227154716905472

Both the mascot’s sign on the jumbotron and the OOT score displaying Bruins 5, Panthers 1 got huge roars from the Saturday night sellout crowd there to see the Devils get another two points against the Islanders and get closer to their first postseason in six years.  Which they did, but as usual against that team it’s never easy.  Quickly, the Devils fell behind as Tanner Fritz scored just 75 seconds into the contest off a rebound.  That wake-up call sparked the Devils for the rest of the first period and beginning of the second as they scored three straight times – first off a rebound from Stefan Noesen several minutes later, then with two goals from should-be Hart candidate Taylor Hall in the first 9:08 of the second period.  Even with a 3-1 lead though, things weren’t safe just yet.  To play off a Stan Fischler saying of a three-goal lead being the worst lead in hockey, for this team it’s actually been a two-goal lead that’s the worst as we already found out in Brooklyn earlier this year, losing a 4-2 third period lead and a shootout to these same Islanders.

Speaking of Stan – and digressing for a little bit, he was honored at that game for his 86th birthday(!!!) and the fact he’s retiring after this season.  This both makes me happy for Stan and selfishly depresses me.  Though he’d been on Devil broadcasts less in recent years, he was still a big part of my youth between his serious chops as a hockey journalist and his goofball side that came out during Matt and the Maven intermissions with Matt Loughlin way back when SportsChannel and Metro TV were the home of the Devils.  Especially when Chuck the Duck dropped in, and Stanta Claus made his annual holiday appearances.

Stan always seemed to be omnipresent between being on TV, an author of many hockey books, and more recently with blogging and Twitter.  During the first period Stan got a well-deserved standing ovation from the home crowd when a small montage of his life and career was shown on the jumbotron, and I listened to him talking with Steve Cangialosi and Ken Daneyko on the broadcast on replay afterward for the rest of the first period.  As usual he was a hoot, and sharp over his recall of things that happened long ago.  This bears reposting, but BONY’s own Derek had many personal experiences with Stan and his own tribute to a true original.

Back to the Devils, they were up 3-1 in the second period on Saturday and for a brief moment I had hope that for once, just once they would be able to drop the hammer on the Isles and have a nice easy win.  Of course this team is allergic to ever making things easy, and got put back on the griddle when Anthony Beauvillier scored with just seconds left on a power play to cut the lead in half, and another late Islanders power play in the second period after a dumb holding penalty on Damon Severson (that could well have been the last straw before his benching yesterday) could have been disasterous.  Instead, it led to the turning point of the game when Mirco Mueller – only recently found after being on a milk carton for six weeks – sprang Blake Coleman for a huge shorthanded goal that restored the Devils’ two-goal lead and stole momentum back.

Although they once again had the dreaded two-goal lead, the Devils actually played well for most of the third period until a bad break on a Chris Wagner deflection pulled the Isles to within 4-3 with just over three and a half minutes remaining.  If a two-goal lead isn’t the most dangerous one for the Devils, it’s any lead with an empty-net situation but despite some more hair-raising attempts on their goal and annoying near misses on the Islander one, the Devils did manage to preserve their slender lead and two vital points with Hall’s two goals ensuring him the first star and even more MVP! chants after the game when interviewed on the ice by Deb Placey.

If Saturday was the main course in his late-season case for the Hart trophy, Sunday was a nice, delicious dessert for Hall as again the team struggled against a non-playoff contender (this time the Canadiens) and trailed 1-0 after 40 minutes in Montreal before super prodigy Nico Hischier took over early in the third period, scoring the tying goal going to the dirty area in front of the net on the very first shift of the period.  Hischier could easily have had a natural hat trick after hitting two posts later in the period, but ironically enough it was another center in Travis Zajac who would spring Hall for a decisive goal at a critical juncture.  Things looked bad again when two straight penalties including a too many men on the ice led to a three-on-five situation.  With Ben Lovejoy in the box on the second penalty, the iron three that was dispatched to kill off the 3-on-5 was Zajac, captain Andy Greene and…Mueller, who’s gone from outhouse to trusted defenseman in record time.  And if you look at the penalty kill Mueller did some nice subtle work, using good body position to shield off the screener in front and good stickwork to prevent the backdoor play.

A subtle move by coach John Hynes would soon pay huge dividends, for after killing off the first penalty it was Hall who came out of the box (chosen to serve the too many men penalty cause he doesn’t often play penalty kill).  As if scripted, Zajac was able to flip the puck right to Hall past center ice just as he was getting out of the box and Hall scored an electric breakaway goal to give the Devils a 2-1 lead, while still shorthanded.  If you want to get a case of goosebumps listen to the Steve Cangialosi call, or some of his others on big goals late in the season.  He wants the playoffs just as much as we do.  After killing off the rest of the penalty the Devils would hold on this time too, aided by a late Habs penalty that essentially killed off most of the final two minutes.  In a ‘normal’ (re: non-Vegas expansion on steroids) season Hynes would be a serious candidate for the Jack Adams trophy and moves like putting Hall in the box, restoring Mueller to the lineup on his off side or starting Keith Kinkaid on both ends of a back-to-back show why.

Credit should go to a lot of places for the Devils’ big-time run that has put them on the brink of finally getting back to the postseason starting with guys like Kinkaid, Hynes and Nico but clearly you could do worse than show highlights from these two games to make the case for Hall being not only the team’s MVP but a legitimate Hart candidate.  Honestly this weekend was the first time I actually believed there was a chance Hall could win this award now, as all along I figured he’d get overlooked being a Devil (plus not having the raw stats of some of the other forwards that are in the running for the award) and he hadn’t done as spectacularly on the West Coast swing that turned around our season but through the entire season he’s scored one big goal after another.  He hasn’t exactly piled up his points in 5-1 games.

Of course even Hall himself would say his Hart candidacy is secondary right now to the team’s march to the playoffs.  No longer do we need to parse schedules or games in hand, the math is simple with one week to go – just two wins out of three for the Devils and it won’t matter what the Panthers do in their final five games.  I refuse to talk about seeding implications until we clinch though plenty of those still exist.  All I care about is that our magic number is down to four, meaning either four points gained by us or lost by them clinches a playoff berth.  Dramatically, our next game is against the Rangers tomorrow night and with Florida playing both tonight and tomorrow night (home against Carolina and Nashville on a back-to-back) there’s every chance that tomorrow’s game could be a clincher for the Devils which would be a delicious irony.

After all, it was a late-season April game against the Rangers three years ago that represented the nadir of the Lou Lamoriello era as they used us for clown props while clinching the President’s Trophy, while their fans booed our players off the ice on Fan Appreciation Night.  It was more like Fan Depreciation Night as the team poster was an empty locker with an empty jersey, though somehow fitting in that it represented the empty future looming just months before Lou left the organization for good.  However, this team’s come a long way in its three years under Ray Shero, with only Greene and Zajac remaining from the team’s last playoff appearance in 2012.  Having our rebirth also be fully consummated over the Rangers as they’re now going through an uncertain future would be a complete 180 degree turn from three years ago.

Of course the storybook finish would be nice but clinching a berth (particularly at home) against any team would be sweet, especially in a season not neccesarily expected to be the one where the team would find its way out of the wilderness of the past few seasons.  It’s hard for even me not to have feelings of anticipation.  At this point it looks like when and how, not if the Devils clinch a spot but no corks will be popped or champagne drunk until that happens.

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Focused Kreider should be considered for Rangers’ next captain

Posted on March 31, 2018 by Derek

The final home game was full of mixed emotions like the classic Rolling Stones hit. Following a unbelievable pregame ceremony in which NYPD Officer Conor McDonald presented Henrik Lundqvist with the Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award, the Rangers organization paid tribute to former core members Dan Girardi, Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller in their return to MSG as members of the Lightning.

Then came the game. It started out well with Brady Skjei scoring the first goal but quickly turned around. Spurred on by a McDonagh clean hit on Pavel Buchnevich that saw the second-year Russian forward seek retribution by decking Nikita Kucherov at the end of the first period, the Bolts got momentum from captain Steven Stamkos going after Buchnevich to earn a instigator in a odd fight that didn’t amount to much.

Following second period tallies from Cedric Paquette and Alex Killorn, they took advantage of a puzzling extra minor penalty on Chris Kreider to connect on the power play with Miller rebounding home his 22nd at 35 seconds of the third. Three quickly became five straight goals when Paquette and Brayden Point whizzed shots past a helpless Ondrej Pavelec to make it three goals in a 2:03 span to go from 2-1 up to 5-1.

To their credit, the younger Blueshirts didn’t give up. Instead, a much more confident and stronger Filip Chytil finally got just reward by scoring his first NHL goal parked in front on a carom into a empty net. He deserved it. On one dominant shift earlier, he carried the puck from center ice and flew in with McDonagh defending to get a backhand stuff try on Louis Domingue, who stopped it. It was a great solo effort by a powerful skater who has improved following spending most of the year in Hartford.

Kreider scored his 16th off a rush when he took a pass from Mika Zibanejad and fired a bullet from the left circle by Domingue to make things interesting. It was his 11th point (4-7-11) in the last eight games. He’s been a different player since returning from rib resection surgery to repair a blood clot. Lighter, more consistent and effective, a happier Kreider is coming into his own. One listen to his commentary during the postgame in the locker room said plenty about his mindset.

There’s no doubt that the evolving power forward has emerged as one of the team leaders since the departure of former teammates Derek Stepan, Rick Nash, Girardi, McDonagh and Miller. A more mature player, Kreider emphasized the positives from teenagers Chytil and Lias Andersson in a game they can learn from. He talked about how they let it get away against a good team who took full advantage, calling it a “microcosm of our season.”

It was a perfect quote from a cerebral player. Ever since Kreider came back, he’s looked happier. More focused and relaxed, he’s playing his best hockey. Now 26, it might be time to consider him for the Rangers’ next captain. He certainly has the look of a leader for this wave of the future.

With two years remaining on a team friendly deal that pays him an average of $4.625 million through 2020, he has good peak years ahead. A more complete player who can not only dazzle with his speed and shot but be that net front presence that’s a nuisance to opposing goalies, this version of Kreider is the best we’ve seen. He’s one of the players you build around. Investing long-term on him before he hits the open market in 27 months makes sense.

There is no need for the organization to rush on a decision regarding the next captain. Thus far, they’re handling the situation well by delegating the A’s on different players. Marc Staal remains a strong veteran presence along with fan favorite Mats Zuccarello. It’s hard to predict the future for both. However, each likes it here with Zuccarello expressing his love for being a Ranger prior to last night’s game a year away from unrestricted free agency. If he stays, he will be considered for the captaincy.

The only question is is it worth the risk to put the ‘C’ on a proven vet who could be gone in a year? I can’t answer that. Only the Rangers can. How they handle the offseason and next training camp will determine what they decide.

If they think it’s better to rotate three A’s at home and on the road like they did during the first rebuild in ’05-06, that works fine. There are enough players who have been Blueshirts for a good period. Kevin Hayes and Jesper Fast also can wear A’s. Both have taken good steps in their development earning added responsibility. Zibanejad got an ‘A’ on Friday. He showed disappointment following the loss admitting he wanted to give the fans a win at home and saying, “It sucks.”

Even though they lost 7-3 with both Miller and Girardi scoring to remind fans of the glory days, the Rangers are headed in the right direction. Kreider is a big reason why. The kids are alright.

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Lundqvist wins the Steven McDonald Award

Posted on March 30, 2018 by Derek

On what was a very emotional scene before the Rangers hosted the Lightning at MSG, the son of Steven McDonald came out with Mom Patti to present his father’s prestigious award that commemorated the 30 Year Anniversary.

Conor McDonald’s speech lasted about five minutes. He sure was terrific letting Garden Faithful know how much the award meant to his Dad. It kept him going and he lasted much longer than doctors ever anticipated. A former NYPD detective who was shot in the line of duty becoming a quadriplegic, he loved the Rangers so much that his speeches were legendary. Conor made him proud up in heaven. The positive message sent definitely resonated with fans who cheered loudly during the presentation.

Before presenting the award to this year’s winner Henrik Lundqvist, Conor made sure to thank ex-Rangers Dan Girardi, Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller for giving his Dad some memorable times the past few seasons. They were a huge part of those teams that went as far as they could. It’s funny to see that trio wearing Lightning jerseys since it was that team with Ryan Callahan and Anton Stralman that ended their run as one of the NHL’s elite teams.

When Lundqvist was officially announced, the King got a huge ovation from appreciative fans who know how much he’s meant to the franchise. I think Conor put it best when he said, “He’s given his entire heart to the franchise for 13 years.”

A fitting tribute for a passionate man who bleeds blue forever and ever. Even though he didn’t start, that was okay. While some made a big deal out of it, it isn’t. Lundqvist was played so much when the team was still in it. He got more starts than anyone envisioned which is why Rangers braintrust made the wise decision to rebuild. That way the all-time winningest goalie in franchise history who also owns the team mark for shutouts and minutes played could finally rest.

They’ve gotten good play out of rookie Alexandar Georgiev and backup Ondrej Pavelec, who is in goal for tonight’s game and has so far been sharp. Besides, it’s more important for the proud 36-year old Lundqvist to rest and prepare for next season. I get the sentimentality to this man. He loves being a Ranger as much as anyone. Most likely, he’ll be a Ranger his entire career. A rarity.

I think the thing that I wondered about was how would MSG handle the returns of Girardi, McDonagh and Miller. Would they wait to do each during stoppages? We got our answer following the unbelievable Steven McDonald Award ceremony.

Rather than wait, the Rangers organization outdid themselves by doing it before the start of the game. They paid tribute to each player by showing highlights of their memorable Rangers careers. The video certainly measured up with Girardi shown scoring his first goal while laying out for big blocks and delivering huge hits including the one that broke Andrew Shaw, who unfortunately might retire due to all the punishment. There was the 27th captain in club history scoring big goals with none bigger than McDonagh’s clutch overtime winner in Game 5 of a heartwarming 3-1 second round comeback over the Capitals in 2015. I can still remember the jubilation in our seats. They showed some of Miller’s best goals. He really is a talented player who so far is a good fit for Tampa. Good luck to him and all three.

To be honest, seeing that tribute before puck drop was too much for me. My hands started shaking. It really affected me. I know many of us are at a crossroads with how season ticket holders are being treated with even some of my favorites on Twitter giving their seats up. If we sat lower than the second to last row in Section 419, I know we would’ve given them up. The price increase for most STH’s is too much. Even with the team missing the postseason, they’re not giving back anything.

But when it comes to how the organization handles these special moments like tonight, nobody does it better than the Rangers and the Garden. It was 100 percent first class. It’s definitely one I’ll remember for a long time.

Congratulations to Lundqvist. Even if I didn’t vote for you and went for Kevin Hayes, I know what you mean to this team. No big runs or amazing playoff streak without number 30. A all-timer.

Kudos to everyone for such a wonderful job. My heart goes out to the McDonald family. They are awesome people with gigantic hearts. Stick tap. 🏒💜

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A emotional return for three former Blueshirts

Posted on March 30, 2018 by Derek

Before the puck drops for tonight’s match between the Lightning and Rangers at The Garden, there’s sure to be plenty of emotion for three former Blueshirts. Dan Girardi, Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller will take the ice as a visitor for the first time at MSG. Something current Tampa teammates Ryan Callahan and Anton Stralman are very familiar with.

That it’s the Rangers’ 41st and final home game of a emotional season without the playoffs for the first time since 2010 makes it more significant for both players and fans of the team. I only wish I could be there with my family. But they have three seats for it. Not four. So I told my Dad to go. I can watch the entire thing on TV and have the same reaction at home.

It’s already been odd to see McDonagh and Miller wearing Bolts colors with Girardi instead of Rangers blue. Now they’ll all have their first return to MSG on the same night the team will honor a current member with the Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award. One which embodies what being a Ranger is all about. Mats Zuccarello has won it three times including the past two seasons.

The top candidates are Henrik Lundqvist, Kevin Hayes, Jesper Fast and Marc Staal. I voted for Hayes because I feel he’s given a great effort all season while adjusting to a new checking role facing opponents’ top scoring lines. All this and he’s improved overall with a new personal best 22 goals including five on the power play while doing better on face offs (50.0 percent) and continuing to excel on the penalty kill. He enters the match with 40 points and is a plus-one which speaks to how well he’s played against tougher quality of competition.

I chose Hayes because he’s a skater and I believe the award should go to one over a goalie. Lundqvist is the Team MVP every year. He really hasn’t been that good since early January. If you want to argue that the team in front of him wasn’t good, fine. Rookie Alexandar Georgiev had the same defense and showed enough in his cameo to possibly become the backup next season. It won’t be Lundqvist in net tonight. Rather Ondrej Pavelec, who was tremendous in his return in relief of Georgiev.

As for McDonagh, he gave a lot of input in a long seven-minute interview on what tonight means for him, his D partner Girardi and Miller, who has played very well supplying physicality and scoring on their new team. There’s a lot of emotion.

It’ll be interesting to see how the Rangers handle the returns of their former captain, Girardi and Miller. Will they each get video tributes during separate stoppages? It’s pretty crazy to think all this will be going on along with the big Steven McDonald Award presented by son Conor.

Indeed, it won’t be just another game. One that we’ll remember for a while.

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Mats Zuccarello on the significance of tonight and how much he means to Rangers fans

Posted on March 30, 2018 by Derek

Listening to Mats Zuccarello speak above makes me want to hug him. He is one of the easiest guys to root for. A prideful player with a giant size heart, the pint sized Norwegian expressed his thoughts on tonight’s final home game.

If you are a fan of the Rangers, this is the one guy who gives you everything. Zuccarello has one year remaining on his contract which means he might not be here for very long given the direction the organization is taking. But if he stays, he has to be considered a favorite for the captaincy. He wears his emotions on his sleeve.

Every True Blueshirt knows tonight will be emotional. With former players Ryan McDonagh, J.T. Miller visiting along with Dan Girardi, Ryan Callahan, Anton Stralman and the rest of the Tampa Bay Blueshirts Lightning, it will be emotional. On a day the club will honor the Ranger who goes above and beyond the call of duty in recognition of former NYPD officer Steven McDonald, it’s sure to give fans, players and coaches chills. His son Conor will do the honors for the second consecutive year since his amazing Dad passed. There won’t be a dry eye.

No matter what happens with Zuccarello, he will always remain beloved by the diehards who chant “Zucc,” in tribute to the effort he puts out daily. Even if it has been a down year, he likely will lead them in team scoring for a third straight season.

Hearing and seeing the passion on his face in the locker room is why he’s so well respected. We love the underdog. You get it with the cerebral number 36 who has never backed down from anyone. He’s a miracle having made a full recovery from that McDonagh shot that ended his playoffs a few years ago. It’s amazing he returned to form after sustaining a fractured skull and brain contusion in Game 5 of the 2015 first round versus the Penguins. He temporarily lost his ability to talk and had to relearn from a speech therapist.

Zucc is inspiring to so many. He is a three time Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award winner. Though he likely won’t win it later, he embodies what it means to be a New York Ranger. If you go to the game tonight, please make sure to cheer and salute Zuccarello extra hard during his shifts. There’s no guarantee he’ll be back. He deserves it. Let him know how we feel.

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Devils gain ground in tense week

Posted on March 30, 2018 by hasan4978

Perhaps it’s best I missed Thursday’s OT loss against the Penguins – which thankfully will either be the last or next to last Thursday game I miss this year.  After all, Tuesday’s game with the Hurricanes had about two or three games’ worth of angst and a dramatic finish worthy of the playoff atmosphere it was in the building, and I probably still needed a slight blow from that and from other stupid drama in my life.  Certainly missing such a critical game wasn’t by choice though, not at this point in the season.  Of course I will be at the arena next Thursday if their home game with the Leafs means anything, which odds are it will cause with this roller-coaster season it only seems to make sense that it would come down to the wire.

Still there are signs the Devils are finally doing enough to crack the Panthers.  After Florida lost in Toronto on Wednesday just missing a comeback from spotting the Leafs three first-period goals, they suffered their second shock loss to Ottawa in the last month – this one in OT in the most unlikely fashion, on a penalty shot from Jean-Gabriel Pageau (a name I’m sure still makes Derek cringe) with less than twenty seconds remaining.  Florida’s OT loss to the Senators on Thursday was a net gain for us even though we both got the same result from the night, it knocked a critical game off the schedule.  Florida is three points back, still with a game in hand they’ll maintain until they finally make up their snowout at Boston the day after the regular season ends but the light at the end of the tunnel is slowly getting brighter.

Saturday could be the most important day remaining in the playoff race.  If the Devils beat a dysfunctional Islanders team at home and the Panthers lose a tough road game at Boston (who’s suddenly in the driver’s seat for the top spot in the East), the Devils will be five points up and have a decent shot to end this by Tuesday.   At this point I’ve pretty well memorized the remaining schedules of both the Devils and Panthers, who it’ll almost certainly come down with to a mano-a-mano showdown for the final wild card.  It doesn’t look like we’ll be able to catch the Flyers or Blue Jackets given both teams’ consistent winning of late – especially with both teams holding tiebreakers – and the Pens beating us in OT ended all talk of us somehow passing them.  Yes, the Panthers get the Bruins three times down the stretch but Saturday’s game could be the only one with anything on the line for Boston given the warp speed with which they’ve passed Tampa of late.  Of course we could also benefit from the Leafs and Capitals resting their players in the last two games of the season.

Both teams’ schedules are home-heavy in the final week with the Devils only going on the road for Montreal on Sunday and the Caps next Saturday sprinkled around our rivalry home games with the Isles tomorrow, the Rangers next Tuesday and Toronto on Thursday while the Panthers finally finish their seven road-game (out of eight) marathon over the last two weeks in Boston, then bunch up five games in the last week starting with a back-to-back against Carolina and Nashville – who will also have questionable motivation having locked up the top seed out West, followed by home games against the Bruins Thursday, the Sabres Saturday and finally a last trip to Boston on Sunday.  A realistic best-case scenario for the Devils is they win their next three while the Panthers lose in regulation to the Bruins and Predators, and this baby’s over on Tuesday night with a celebration at the Rock after Devils-Rangers.  But does anyone really believe it will be that easy?

It’s been six long years since the Devils’ last playoff game, the meltdown in LA to end our feel-good Stanley Cup Finals run in 2012.  Since then, the team’s had five years of losing games and losing players to home (including the Kovalchuk mess and the July 4 Parise downer) as well as everywhere else, a complete on and off-ice overhaul with new ownership and regime changes cleaning house of everything a generation of Devils fans knew including the departure of franchise legends Lou Lamoriello, Martin Brodeur, Scott Stevens and Patrik Elias and a lot of uncertainty over what lay ahead.  Throughout the five years in the wilderness, the Devils only had two serious playoff runs and one of them more or less ended in late February once reality finally set in on an overachieving 2015-16 team in the first year of the new regime.  Our other playoff run was really the only semi-close down the stretch race this generation of Devil fans has known and of course it ended with our historic 0-13 futility in the shootout and a hideous late season home loss against the Flames where Karri Ramo did his best prime Mike Vernon impression.

Perhaps the lack of close races is why I and other fans are struggling to handle the tension of this late-season run.  In the glory days, playoff appearances were taken for granted with the team only missing the playoffs once in two decades from 1989 to 2010, and that was in the only other close playoff race I can remember when the Devils embarassingly missed the playoffs in 1996 as defending Cup champs on the last day of the season, the first team to do so since the Habs in the early ’70’s.  Usually the Devils either clinched a berth by March or in more recent years have been out of it by late February.  Florida’s late season surge has extended the Devils to the limit but to this point a young, hungry team has responded to the challenge down the stretch going 6-2-1 in their last nine games which included a West Coast swing, trips to division leaders Nashville and Vegas as well as home and road tilts with the defending Cup champs.  And oh yes playing Tampa on a back-to-back coming home from a long six-game trip.

Of course there was angst on Tuesday when the Devils gave a skittish effort against the Hurricanes and there were definitely moments where things looked dire, especially at the end of the first period when the Devils completely broke down over the latter half and gave up two goals to fall behind 2-1, and also early in the third period when the team came out flat again and watched (that is the right word) Carolina take another lead at 3-2.  I was beside myself thinking we would lose this game – and in regulation no less – against a non-playoff team, albeit one gamely trying for a last-ditch miracle run.  After Florida’s fattened up on a string of cream of the crap teams it would have been doubly devastating to lose Tuesday when the Devils finally got a non-playoff team after running their gauntlet.

But once again this team fought back from adversity, with Kyle Palmieri almost single-handedly saving the Devils season with goals in both the second and third period to tie the game, then making a diving save on an empty-net chance midway through the third period after a breakdown led to a two-on-one that elicited a collective gasp from the 15,521 in attendance.  After Palmieri saved the game on more than one occasion, grinder Stefan Noesen won it dramatically with less than ninety seconds remaining in regulation and despite more hair-raising moments with our empty-net defense (as usual) I got to celebrate a second straight home win in attendance for the first time since December.  It was actually the team’s first winning streak at home since early February, which has been another bone of contention with me.  As dominant as this team’s been on the road at times, they haven’t done enough fattening up at home to get distance in the playoff hunt.

I’ll admit I wasn’t expecting to sweep the Penguins outright but would have been content with a point out of Thursday’s game to at least keep a modest distance from the Panthers after their expected win.  However, the Panthers finally showed signs of tiring out both from their long trip and their long drive back into contention and rendered the night better than I could have hoped for.  Ironically enough, with my low speed Internet during the last few days of my billing period I wasn’t getting the scores updated as quickly as I liked so I relied on a friend to tell me the Panthers lost in OT.  I thought he meant the shootout since there was only about twenty seconds remaining in OT the last update I did get but only found out later about that dramatic ending, which made up for the other kind of dramatic ending at the Rock with Sidney Crosby finally giving the champs a win over us this season with an OT goal after an exciting back and forth game that went to OT at 3-3.

Still this team can’t rest now.  Everything that’s happened this season and the surge this team’s made the last couple weeks won’t mean very much if they crap out now with a favorable schedule to close out and make it a sixth straight excruciating season out of the postseason.  Yeah I know the cliches about there being no easy games and rivals will be out to play spoiler, but if you want to make the playoffs you’ll win at least three of the next four games against the Islanders, Montreal, the Rangers and a questionably motivated Leafs team.  Especially with Florida having its own batch of home games against non-playoff and unmotivated teams to finish up next week.  It’s all right there for them, destiny is back in their hands and they have an opportunity to drop the hammer over the next few days.

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Andersson records first NHL assist in overtime loss

Posted on March 29, 2018 by Derek

The first meaningless regular season game in the Henrik Lundqvist Era took place last night in D.C. Previously, the Rangers had never played a game in which the playoffs weren’t a possibility since ’05-06. So Game 76 of 82 was different.

In a rematch on Rivalry Night, they gave a better effort. Probably deserved to win. But you have to play till the final buzzer. That’s something rookie defenseman Neal Pionk learned in a tough 3-2 overtime defeat at Washington.

Ryan Spooner scored his first goal in nine games to put the Rangers ahead with 9:25 remaining in the third period. He finished off a nice pass from rookie Lias Andersson on a play started by Brady Skjei. For Andersson, it was his first NHL assist. In two games, he has a goal and a helper. Not a bad start for the active 2017 first round pick.

If the first two games are any indication, Andersson plays with the edge that’s been missing most of the season. He brings it during shifts not shying away from physicality and uses his speed well. It might be early for the 19-year old Swede but you have to like what we’ve seen so far.

Henrik Lundqvist was back in net after recovering from a injury on a collision last week. He was splendid throughout making acrobatic saves en route to 30 on Wednesday. Unfortunately, he’s still without a win since turning 36 on March 2. Even with nothing on the line, the veteran expressed frustration. He’s a competitor.

They were real close to getting him a victory until Lars Eller was left alone in front by Pionk for a easy put away with 65 seconds left. Pionk went down and was concerned with taking away the backdoor from Alexander Ovechkin. He admitted that he didn’t realize Jesper Fast had it covered. That allowed Nicklas Backstrom to thread the needle for Eller’s 18th.

He’ll learn. Pionk is a tremendous skater who’s proven he belongs. He had one great rush that forced Braden Holtby into a difficult save. He looks like he has the ability to become a 30-point defenseman in a full season. He still needs to get stronger. But Pionk has played well alongside Marc Staal. That wouldn’t be a bad second pairing in the rebuild assuming Staal stays. They work well off each other.

The two old Patrick Division rivals exchanged goals in a good first period. Kevin Hayes got a nice reward when he went to the net and was able to get a piece of a loose puck and bank it just over the goal line with help from Holtby. Originally, it was waved off but they horned downstairs stopping play immediately to overturn it. It was Hayes’ career best 22nd at 12:42 from Jimmy Vesey and Skjei on the power play. His fifth PPG despite not being used most of the year before the deadline sell off. The five on the power play are also a new high.

A Rob O’Gara slash on a Evgeny Kuznetsov breakaway was determined to be a penalty shot. On it, the dangerous Russian made a good move going for a deke and backhand but his try was read perfectly by Lundqvist, who robbed him with a great glove save to deny the chance.

The Caps struck back late in the period. Following a successful penalty kill of a Skjei slashing minor, the Rangers gave one up with 33 seconds remaining. Backstrom was able to move the puck across to a open Andre Burakovsky for a quick one-timer past Lundqvist. It ruined a very good period for the guests. They outshot the Caps 18-8 and largely outplayed them.

There was no scoring in the second. The two goalies did their job with Lundqvist making 13 stops and Holtby nine. There was a little bit of nastiness which I liked. What you expect from two rivals.

With the game still tied, Skjei made a good play in the neutral zone to start a nice passing play that Spooner finished from Andersson for his 12th. But after Holtby came off for a extra attacker, the Caps tied it on a good play down low with Kuznetsov working the puck to Backstrom, who did his magic with Eller forcing overtime.

Prior to the tying goal, Holtby wasn’t even off the ice when the extra attacker came on. The refs missed a obvious bench minor for too many men. It was so bad that they discussed the play after a whistle before a face off. That didn’t help the Rangers.

In the 3-on-3, Kuznetsov made a great solo effort by skating just around Mika Zibanejad to launch a good wrist shot that beat Lundqvist far side off the goalpost at 38 seconds of extras. It was a smart play by a very good player.

The Caps are closing in on another division title. They’ve pulled away from the Pens with 99 points and five games left. They lead Pittsburgh by seven. The Pens are battling Philadelphia and Columbus for second and home ice in the first round.

As for the Rangers, they can hold their heads high. They deserved better. Call it a valuable lesson. They will play their final home game tomorrow on Good Friday. It’ll be the return of Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller. It’s sure to be emotional with the Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award being presented before puck drop.

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Moving Forward: After being eliminated by the Devils, Rangers continue the process

Posted on March 28, 2018 by Derek

It finally happened. The Rangers were officially eliminated from the postseason due to the Devils winning 4-3 over the Hurricanes. That made it the first time since 2010 there will be no playoffs.

Unlike that painful ending which went to Game 82 and a silly shootout in Philadelphia, this one was much easier to take. We knew it was coming. So, I don’t feel the least bit upset over it. It’s been inevitable for a month since GM Jeff Gorton made the smart decision to sell at the deadline by acquiring both prospects and draft picks for Ryan McDonagh, J.T. Miller, Michael Grabner, Rick Nash and Nick Holden.

With an eye towards the future, the Blueshirts have three first round picks including their own along with Boston’s and Tampa’s. So, they get one shot at the NHL Lottery. Even if it’s not good odds, it at least gives fans something to watch during the playoffs. It’s usually in the second round or third round.

Already we’ve seen a few young players come up from Hartford or via trade and show what they can do. Defenseman Neal Pionk has stood out. In 22 games, the right skating D has posted a goal and 13 assists and minus-one rating. He had a recent seven-game point streak (1-9-10) snapped in a 4-2 home loss to the Caps. At the very least, he looks like a second pair defenseman who should be in the top four. Though he’ll need to get stronger in the summer.

Before a injury ended his season, Tony DeAngelo was starting to come around. The minus-18 not withstanding, the smooth skating right defenseman has the puck skills to be a solid contributor offensively. He finished with eight assists in 32 contests. Not the biggest in stature, the former Lightning 2014 first round pick is still trying to figure it out. Having come over as part of the trade that sent Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta to the Coyotes that also landed first round pick Lias Andersson, the 22-year old will have a chance to prove he belongs next training camp.

Other candidates for next season’s revamped blueline are speedy lefty John Gilmour, stay at home type Rob O’Gara and former Boston prospect Ryan Lindgren who recently signed and already had a goal and assist in his first two pro games with Hartford. He’s only 20 and was taken in the second round 49th overall in the 2016 NHL Draft.

Assuming Marc Staal is back for veteran leadership following a bounce back year, he and Kevin Shattenkirk would be the experienced players on the back end unless Brendan Smith resurfaces. Brady Skjei is due a raise this summer and will help anchor the D. He’s still learning in what’s been a more challenging second season with coach Alain Vigneault giving him more ice-time since McDonagh departed.

Up front, Mika Zibanejad has proven he’s capable of becoming a 30-goal top center. The chemistry he has with emerging power wing Chris Kreider is undeniable. Fourteen of Zibanejad’s team-leading 27 goals have come on the power play. His 46 points rank second behind Mats Zuccarello in team scoring despite missing time due to a concussion. It took him a while to get on track following his return.

Kreider, who was recently nominated by the Rangers for the Bill Masterton Trophy due to coming back from a blood clot in his right arm that required a rib resection which caused him to miss 24 games. He’s been superb since coming back tallying four goals and 10 assists in 15 games. He’s become a leader on the team and is a candidate for the ‘A’ next Fall.

Kevin Hayes and Jesper Fast have both performed well. Hayes sacrificed offense to go head to head with the league’s top lines. He has improved his face off percentage and become a better shooter posting a career best 21 goals with a plus-one rating and 18 helpers. Fast has proven he can play a bigger role fitting in well with Zibanejad and Kreider on the first line. He recently (3-7-10) had a career best eight-game point streak snapped that featured a career high three-point outing (2-1-3). His 13 goals and 31 points are career highs.

Sophomores Pavel Buchnevich (14-28-42) and Jimmy Vesey (17-9-26) are building blocks who each can improve. Buchnevich with shooting the puck and Vesey with finding consistency and passing the puck. The latter is one of five crucial restricted free agents this summer. The others include Hayes, Skjei, ex-Bruin Ryan Spooner and former Bolt Vladislav Namestnikov if he isn’t rerouted.

With both first round picks Andersson and Filip Chytil each recording their first NHL points on Monday, there’s a lot to look forward to in the final six games. The two teenagers should both play the remainder including tonight’s Rivalry Night rematch in D.C. and a emotional final home game Friday versus Tampa with ex-Rangers McDonagh and Miller returning on Steven McDonald night. It should be quite a evening.

With top goalie prospect Igor Shestyorkin at least a year away playing for SKA St. Petersburg in Russia and Alexandar Georgiev making a nice cameo which could lead to the backup position, there’s plenty for our fans to like moving forward. Get ready for more fireworks in June and July.

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Lias Andersson scores in NHL debut and Filip Chytil records first point in Rangers loss to Caps

Posted on March 27, 2018 by Derek

If it were only about wins and losses now, then the tone of this blog would be different. With the Rangers all but eliminated from the playoffs, the kids are getting a chance to show what they got.

Already we’ve seen positives from Neal Pionk, Alexandar Georgiev and John Gilmour. That’s included contributions from deadline pickup Ryan Spooner and Jesper Fast proving that maybe he isn’t just a secondary player by fitting perfectly with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider.

Monday night was a look into the future with 2017 first round picks Lias Andersson and Filip Chytil becoming the first pair of teenagers to record a point in a game for the Rangers since Ron Greschner and Dave Maloney some 44 years ago on Dec. 18, 1974. Pretty amazing company. Both Greschner and Maloney were integral parts of the next wave that went to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1979 and on some more good Rangers teams in the 80’s.

It’s pretty exciting for fans to see the potential these two kids have. Playing in his first NHL game, Andersson made a great first impression by scoring his first career goal in the national when he finished off a nice Jimmy Vesey feed in front to bring cheers at MSG following a dreadful first period that saw the first place Caps erupt for the game’s first four goals. Here’s how it looked and sounded.

Playing for the third time, Chytil showed off his unique talent by registering a team high six shots. He recorded his first NHL point when he was able to pass across a deflected puck to a wide open Mats Zuccarello for a goal early in the third period to cut the deficit to 4-2.

It was a good reward for a gifted young player with a lot of upside. He spoke to reporters about the game and experience in the locker room.

Full marks to the young Blueshirts for making a game out of it. They were so dominated by Alexander Ovechkin (NHL leading 45th goal, assist) and company in the first that it looked like there should be a mercy rule. The Caps skated circles around them and quickly chased poor starter Georgiev for three goals on six shots.

Ondrej Pavelec was terrific in relief only permitting one while making 26 saves on 27 shots faced. The only goal was a bit of bad luck with Evgeny Kuznetsov getting a pass off a odd bounce off Brady Skjei that allowed the Russian to push the puck into a open side for a shorthanded goal. That made it 4-0. Afterwards, he was splendid robbing Ovechkin in his office a couple of times with great glove saves.

Maybe the Caps took their foot off the accelerator. But the Rangers never gave up. A sign of a young rebuilding team that isn’t mailing it in. They play hard. Sure. There are mistakes like the one by Gilmour and Kevin Hayes on one goal and Pionk on another. But they’re learning.

Chris Kreider drew a penalty to give them a late power play. Eventually, Alain Vigneault pulled Pavelec for a six-on-four. The issue was the reluctance to shoot the puck by the six-man unit featuring Pavel Buchnevich. A talented player who had the puck at the right circle with room but did nothing with it. He’s been frustrating. At some point, the second-year Russian needs to be more decisive and not always think pass.

Like Zuccarello, he defers way too much. It’s no wonder he has only three goals in his last 37 games. That’s not a misprint. Over that stretch, he has 16 assists totaling 3-16-19. Hardly the kind of production that warrants first line minutes. He’s far from a finished product. Granted. There’s no rational explanation for Vigneault sticking him and struggling Russian Vladislav Namestnikov with Cody McLeod. At least they got a shift with Andersson in the third which nearly resulted in a third goal. But Namestnikov somehow missed a gimme.

As good as the power play has performed getting all the way up to seventh entering last night, too often they defer to Zibanejad for his patented righty shot. It can’t be so predictable. You need other shooters. The go to plays are either get the puck to Zibanejad for his one-timer on the off wing or fire a point shot hoping for Kreider to either redirect or screen the goalie in front.

With both Buchnevich and Zuccarello unable to do anything in crunch time, I would’ve liked to see Chytil or Andersson at that point. Why the heck not. They definitely earned it. Even Hayes has changed his approach looking shot more.

All in all, a good effort considering how poorly it started. The crazy part is they get to do it all over again tomorrow on Rivalry Night at Washington with the dreaded 8 PM start. Hopefully, they won’t wait till it’s four goals down to start playing.

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Home sweet home (at last)

Posted on March 24, 2018 by hasan4978

Facing potentially the most critical forty-eight hours of the season the last two nights and with other playoff contenders around them refusing to go on a losing streak, the Devils responded the way they needed to after a bad California trip – with a pair of wild, gritty, gutty wins over the Penguins and Lightning on back-to-back nights.  Continuing his rags to riches story, Keith Kinkaid delivered the goods the way no Devils goalie has since a guy named Brodeur in the 2012 Conference Finals, stopping 75 of 79 pucks and winning a pair of one-goal games against arguably the two best teams in the East, if not the entire NHL.  Amazingly the Devils’ 2-1 win at the Rock over Tampa tonight gave them a season sweep of one of the teams tied for the President’s Trophy, a couple weeks after beating the other (Nashville) at the start of their massive six-game road stretch.

Going 5-2 with the six road games plus Tampa on the first game back less than 24 hours after beating the Pens in an emotional OT thriller has to go down as an unqualified success, with the caveat that because other teams around us are still winning at a scary rate the Devils really haven’t gotten in any better playoff position than they were at the start of the trip.  Yet they are in better position just for having gone through this stretch and still having a three-point lead over the Panthers (albeit with them still having two games in hand) and being in striking distance of the Flyers (two points back) and Blue Jackets (three points back, with a game in hand).  With five of their last seven at the Rock facing teams either out of the playoffs or with suspect motivation there’s really no reason the Devils can’t win any game left on their schedule.  Especially with only one back to back and very minimal travel – Montreal on that back to back and the Caps the last scheduled day of the regular season are the only road games left.

I can’t really speak to much of what happened last night in Pittsburgh as I was at a birthday dinner for a friend and only saw some of the game later on replay (plus watching the eight-nine minute condensed game clip on NHL.com) but maybe that was better for my stress level.  Just checking the score periodically I was getting annoyed in the third period when the Devils had blown a 3-1 lead and barely got into OT.  It’s not too much of a stretch to suggest dropping that game in regulation – especially after entering the third period two up – could have been a fatal blow for the season.  Instead it turned into a pulsating OT win when Nico Hischier made a great play to maintain the puck in the defensive zone, then executed a sweet stretch pass to a wide open Taylor Hall.  Doing as he’s done so many times this season Hall put the dagger in with his third OT winner of the year, and his 33rd goal in total, less than a minute into the extra period.

With the win against the Penguins in the bank, it would have been unfathomable just a month ago to assume Kinkaid would have been playing a back to back with the season on the line, but really did coach John Hynes have any other choice?  Especially after Cory Schneider’s nightmare half-game in San Jose and general ineffective play in 2018.  So Hynes did play Kinkaid tonight against Tampa, but also put in fresh legs by restoring Stefan Noesen to the lineup for the mostly ineffectual Drew Stafford, while he somewhat surprisingly put in Mirco Mueller for Ben Lovejoy.  While I was glad to see Mueller get another chance it seemed a bit odd to not only put him in cold against the Lightning but also playing on his off (right) side to boot.

In the end Mueller responded surprisingly well, playing a hair over seventeen minutes and even pinching in an assist on Nico’s first period marker, where the 19-year old cleaned up the garbage in front from a Will Butcher shot and scored on a nifty turnaround move while falling to one knee.  Momentum of play ebbed back and forth throughout the first two periods but the score still remained in favor of the Devils, who added to their lead in the second when Kyle Palmieri blew a slapper past Andrei Vasilevsky.  Hynes deployed his lineup well on this night, with five of the six defensemen playing at least 17 minutes while Will Butcher played a shade under 15 (albeit all at even strength), while every forward played at least 10:55.

Of course in the back of my mind up two I was still thinking ‘oh god, we could still blow another one’, since for us a two-goal lead is the worst in hockey, though I didn’t quite have the feeling of doom I normally might considering how well the team did play in the first two periods.  Even when the Devils finally lost the shutout early in the third period, it was after nearly killing off a full power play.  Although Tampa outshot the Devils 12-7 in the third, for the most part we were able to keep the high-danger chances to a minimum until the final moments when things always get hairy once the other team pulls the goalie.  Maddeningly the Devils blew a couple of chances to put in the empty-net dagger and Ryan McDonaugh put one off the post that looked in real time like a highlight-reel save from Kinkaid, who still made plenty of biggies.

After a final ten minutes that seemed to last forever, the Devils were finally able to bank the critical two points, made even more critical by the Panthers’ own comeback from two goals down in the third period against the pitiful Coyotes, just when a good night looked like it could get orgasmic when both the Devils and Arizona were up two in their respective third periods.  So the Panthers started their own seven game out of eight road stretch 3-1 with only a loss to the equally hot Blue Jackets.  Ironically the Jackets’ ten game winning streak finally ended tonight at the hands of the Blues, still leaving us in striking distance of them as well as the Flyers.

Despite my concerns after the California trip and the maddening efficiency with which our competitors have been winning the Devils came out of this make or break stretch in about as good a shape as could be hoped for.  If 3-3-1 seemed hopeful before the trip, I also didn’t think the Panthers would continue to be this good either so essentially both of us exceeding our ‘projection’ for the last couple of weeks worked out for the moment.  Now the schedule edge for our competition that loomed over our final fifteen games is gone.  Of course schedules are only what you make of them.  There’s no reason this Devil team can’t at least come out of their final seven games with double-digit points, and there’s no reason to expect the Panthers to win out.  Destiny will probably be back in our hands sooner or later but this team needs to respond to all of its competition down the stretch the way they get up for the Lightning and Pens (a combined 6-0 on the season).

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