Young Blueshirts no match for Eric Staal and Wild

Posted on February 23, 2018 by Derek

The losing streak is now up to six. That’s six consecutive games without a point. The younger Blueshirts are learning how hard it is to succeed at the highest level. Even though the effort was better than Thursday night, it wasn’t enough to win. They fell to the Wild 4-1 at MSG.

One-time Ranger Eric Staal and linemate Mikael Granlund did most of the damage combining for all four Minnesota goals and eight points. Each had two goals and two assists to keep the Wild in playoff position in a crowded West. They jumped over the idle Stars into third place in the ultra competitive Central Division. They’re up to 75 points. One ahead of Dallas and three up on St. Louis, who at last check we’re getting blown out by Winnipeg. The Western race makes the Eastern one look weak by comparison. It changes daily.

For the Rangers, Alexandar Georgiev got his second straight start with Henrik Lundqvist getting another night off. Lucky him. For his part, The Czar Gorgy was solid in his Garden debut finishing with 33 saves. A day removed from making 38 saves at Montreal to establish a new Rangers high for a NHL debut surpassing Dan Blackburn (37), he had to deal with more coverage breakdowns and odd-man rushes.

Minnesota moved Granlund up to the top line with Staal and Zach Parise. The line flat out dominated at five-on-five doing whatever it wanted. Parise added a primary helper to give the trio nine points. He also set a good screen in front of Georgiev on a nice Staal deflection for his 29th goal on a power play that made it 3-1 at the 52-second mark of the third period.

It wasn’t all bad for the Rangers. Skating a second game in a row without Rick Nash (healthy scratch due to trade speculation), they did get Chris Kreider back from a blood clot. He recovered nicely from a rib resection and was flying. A early shift in which he used his size and speed to go around a Wild defender in the neutral zone and make a nice rush got a good hand from appreciative fans. He played with Mika Zibanejad and Pavel Buchnevich on the first line. It was nice to see him back. He brought energy all night and was noticeable. So did Buchnevich.

For most of the first period, there was nothing separating the two teams. The Wild came out flat and looked beatable. They needed some good early saves from starter Devan Dubnyk before they got their legs in the second game of a back-to-back. The same situation for the Blueshirts.

It was the third line of J.T. Miller, David Desharnais and Jesper Fast who generated the best quality chances. They were good all night and eventually combined on the only Ranger goal. They could’ve had more if not for Dubnyk and a couple of near misses.

Unfortunately, the team broke down late in the first allowing the Wild to strike twice within a 2:37 span. The first mistake was made by Tony DeAngelo. Looking to make a play behind his own net, his pass got intercepted by a aggressive Staal who tipped the puck right to Granlund for a easy finish in front at 16:06. That part of the game continues to be a problem for DeAngelo, who rebounded to have a good game.

The second miscue was a simple three-on-three through the neutral zone. Granlund got the puck to Parise who cut into the left corner and slid a perfect backhand feed across to a open Granlund for what looked like his second. However, MSG replays eventually confirmed that it was Staal who got his stick on it to beat Georgiev at 18:43. It was his 28th goal matching last year’s total in Minnesota’s 61st game. That’s how well he’s playing. He just recorded his 900th career NHL point with a empty net goal in last night’s 4-2 win at the Devils.

Trailing by two entering the second, the Rangers responded. A good play started by Miller in the neutral zone resulted in Fast scoring his ninth off a give and go that cut it to 2-1 at 2:41. It was a very nice play by Miller. He passed for Fast, who got the puck back to him and then gained the Minnesota blueline onside. DeAngelo smartly drove the net to create a distraction which allowed Miller to make a great pass across for a Fast one-time blast past Dubnyk. It was his first point in 12 games. His last one came on 1/25 when he scored a goal in a win at San Jose.

One of three the Rangers have had in nearly  month. Since the All-Star break, they’re 2-10-0 in February. That explains why they’re sellers at the deadline which got much trickier with the Pens odd three team blockbuster with Vegas and Ottawa to acquire Derick Brassard and use the Golden Knights to offset enough salary to make it work. Ottawa would up with Swedish goalie prospect Filip Gustavsson, a first and third round pick along with ex-Pen Ian Cole. Vegas received a fourth round pick (Canucks) and Ryan Reaves. This is who the Pens got with Brassard in this complicated mess that the NHL allowed. 😕🙄

I am not gonna comment any further. I know what Hasan would say. Why not just hand the Pens the trophy while they’re at it? I must say the Sens did good long-term. But nobody outside Pittsburgh wants to see a three-peat. That’s the truth.

As far as the rest of the Rangers game, they couldn’t get it tied. They had a couple of chances mostly created by the Desharnais line. They only wound up with six shots in the second. Not enough pressure on Dubnyk, who was able to see most of the shots to finish with 22 saves. Credit Georgiev with giving his team a chance by making several big stops in a busy period that saw him have 14 saves.

The difference was Minnesota’s execution. On a iffy Rob O’Gara hooking minor he took with 39 seconds left in the second, the Wild took full advantage at the start of the third. Granlund worked the puck to Ryan Suter at the point. He let go of a wrist shot that Staal was able to redirect past Georgiev with Parise screening him for a 3-1 lead at 52 seconds for a power play goal. Gorgy had no chance.

The Rangers didn’t give up. They had their chances throughout. The best came when they still were down only one late in the second when John Gilmour used his speed for a great rush forcing Dubnyk into a tough save. His skating is a strength that’s worth watching. Maybe he will stick. The competition is going to be a lot tougher next training camp with all the new additions to the defense. That includes O’Gara who looked good paired with Marc Staal in his second game as a Ranger.

On their lone power play, DeAngelo got a hard low deflectable shot through which Miller got a piece of. But Dubnyk covered it. DeAngelo showed off his skating and offensive instincts in this game. So did Neal Pionk, who also had a tough go of it in his end.

It’s not all negative. Right now, it’s about finding out what some of the new faces can do. Kevin Hayes had a solid night. But Mats Zuccarello and Jimmy Vesey weren’t good enough. Vinni Lettieri played over 15 minutes on the fourth line with Paul Carey and Cody McLeod. Alain Vigneault rolled all four lines and three pairs.

Brady Skjei showed some of his ability making a couple of good defensive plays transitioning to offense. We need to see more of that.

The Wild finally put it out of reach on a odd-man rush. On a play started by Eric Staal in the neutral zone, Jason Zucker led Granlund on a two-on-one. Gilmour was the only player back and took the pass away. But Granlund was able to walk in and beat Georgiev low underneath the glove for a 4-1 lead halfway through the third.

That finished matters. The effort level was a improvement. But as Vigneault noted, it’s a results oriented business. With 20 games left including the very special and long overdue Jean Ratelle jersey retirement Sunday against Detroit, it’s going to be interesting between tomorrow and Monday.

Once the dust settles, it’ll probably be easier for the veterans who stay moving forward. The kids will eventually get it. When the season winds down, they’ll be able to recall first round picks Lias Andersson and Filip Chytil for a brief look. Neither will surpass nine games. The organization is on record indicating they won’t burn a year off their ELC’s.

Here’s a interview GM Jeff Gorton was nice enough to do with MSG’s Amanda Borges. He’s very honest and open things including the first ever trade with the Devils. I like it.

 

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Georgiev impresses in debut for Rangers, Brady Tkachuk is my 2018 Draft Target

Posted on February 23, 2018 by Derek

I have to be honest. It’s hard to get used to this again. When the team has had so much success since ‘05-06, it’s not easy to watch the Rangers lose regularly. They dropped their fifth in a row on Thursday night by a score of 3-1 to the Canadiens in a lopsided game up north.

All five defeats have come in regulation. So as the mediocre Blue Jackets, Islanders and Canes compete for the last playoff spot with the Panthers quietly sneaking up from behind, the Rangers remain stuck on 59 points entering tonight’s match against the Wild.

At this point, it’s more about watching some of the new players shift to shift. Two new guys made their Rangers debuts yesterday. One was defenseman Rob O’Gara who was acquired from Boston in the Nick Holden trade. The other was goalie Alexandar Georgiev, who finally made his NHL debut.

In a game Montreal controlled from start to finish, I came away impressed with the 22-year old Georgiev. He was under siege at times but did quite well in stopping 38 of 40 shots. Neither goal the Habs scored was on him. Both were tap ins on poor coverage breakdowns.

Tomas Plekanec and Jeff Petry were left wide open for easy finishes against a struggling New York defense which includes the forwards. The same story of almost every loss. O’Gara got baptized literally when he forgot where Plekanec was for Montreal’s first goal. He will learn. There was no support from the top line on Petry’s 10th.

So, you get what you get. A overmatched team that skated without now ex-Ranger Michael Grabner and soon to be traded Rick Nash. He won’t play tonight either. There’s no reason for him to. He will finish with 145 goals and 252 points with 111 of those goals coming at even strength. When he gets dealt between now and Monday’s 3 PM trade deadline all depends on what GM Jeff Gorton feels is the best return. He did well with Grabner getting Russian D prospect Igor Rykov and New Jersey’s second round pick in this year’s NHL Entry Draft. That gives the Blueshirts eight draft picks. Once Nash goes, it should increase to nine, which will give Gorton the opportunity to package a few in a attempt to move up.

I’m on record as wanting the Blueshirts to get big power forward Brady Tkachuk. The younger brother of current Calgary Flame Matthew, who has been on fire in the second half. I would know since I’ve decided to keep him in my fantasy league where I’m dead last with very good keepers.

Brady Tkachuk was very good in the 2018 U20 World Junior Championship posting three goals and six assists for nine points while playing on the top line with Sabres 2017 first round pick Casey Mittlestadt for Team USA. They helped lead them to a bronze medal following a disappointing loss to Sweden.

Tkachuk has a similar pedigree as brother Matthew from great American hockey player and father Keith. Brady has the size, net front presence and puck skills to become a imposing power forward. He’s doing well in his freshman year for Boston University. His 25 points (7-18-25) are tied for fourth on the team with recently drafted Jordan Greenway, Shane Bowers and potential Ranger trade target Dante Fabbro the notables.

Given where they currently are, the Rangers will have to continue losing. With Florida finally passing them and Detroit a point behind, there’s still room to drop further increasing their slim chances at winning the Draft Lottery for Dahlin. The favorites remain last overall Arizona, 30th Buffalo and 29th Ottawa who is on the verge of trading Derick Brassard to the Pens. Though the latest is it’s gotten complicated due to his salary. We’ll see where it goes. I don’t want to see Brassard in a Pens jersey.

When the Rangers play after 7 PM in a little bit, they’ll have Chris Kreider back. He will help them obviously be more competitive. What that means in the final 21 games remains to be seen.

If Dahlin and American D prospect Quinn Hughes are out of reach, I’m hoping Tkachuk will be there when they pick. It’s rare that you can draft a big scoring forward who plays with the edge this club has lacked since Ryan Callahan went to Tampa. He pales in comparison size wise. He is a overachiever. Now that he’s healthy, the Lightning are benefiting again from the trade that brought Martin St. Louis to Broadway for the memorable run in 2014 and a near return to the Stanley Cup Final in 2015 before he retired.

There’s nothing else to discuss with this team. Outside the trades, young players and draft, that’s it. The games for the most part are uninteresting. You have to pay close attention to the kids during their shifts. I’ll try my best.

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Rangers trade Grabner to Devils in history making deal by rivals

Posted on February 23, 2018 by Derek

The last time a trade was made between the Rangers and Devils, they were known as the Colorado Rockies way back in 1979. Before moving to New Jersey, the Rockies dealt star defenseman Barry Beck to the Rangers for Lucien DeBlois, Pat Hickey, Dean Turner and future considerations.

Since then, nothing had ever happened between the Rangers and Devils. That is until following last night’s games each played. The Hudson rivals made history with the first ever trade when the Rangers confirmed that they sent forward Michael Grabner to the Devils in exchange for 20-year old defense prospect Igor Rykov and their 2018 second round pick.

Indeed, you can mark down February 22, 2018 on your calendars. No. It won’t be remembered for another Rangers loss. The fifth straight in regulation this time at Montreal 3-1. It won’t be remembered on the Devils’ side either following a disappointing 4-2 loss on home ice to the Wild.

With the two clubs going in opposite directions, each saw a need to improve themselves. No longer does Lou Lamoriello run the Devils and neither does Glen Sather the Rangers. At least not directly. The Cold War between rivals is indeed over. Current Rangers GM Jeff Gorton and Devils GM Ray Shero made the first deal between the teams official.

Gorton made it with the future in mind acquiring puckmoving D prospect Rykov, who currently plays for St. Petersburg SKA on the KHL’s top team which includes  top Rangers goalie prospect Igor Shestyorkin along with former NHL stars Ilya Kovalchuk and Pavel Datsyuk. The former Devils 2016 fifth round pick has developed into a good defenseman posting two goals and 12 assists with a plus-13 rating in his second full season. He was a standout for Russia at the 2017 U20 World Junior Championship with a goal and six assists.

Being able to get a good young defenseman who they’ll still have to sign along with a second round pick which becomes their eighth pick of this year’s NHL Draft is a quality return for Grabner. The 30-year old two-way scoring forward was brilliant in his two years scoring 52 goals as a Blueshirt. He leaves for New Jersey with a team best 25 markers. Now he’ll be asked to provide the same scoring and checking for a Devils team in playoff contention.

Even after a second straight loss, the Devils are ahead of schedule in their rebuild. They’re sitting fourth in the Metropolitan Division with 70 points which locks them into the first wildcard. With the Islanders losing in a shootout to the Maple Leafs and the Blue Jackets falling to the Flyers who are now up to 74 points in third place, the Devils are five clear of each who are tied for the second wildcard with 65 points. Due to one less game played, Columbus would get in if the season ended today.

The Devils are hoping Grabner can provide a similar spark to a offense in need of secondary scoring help with Marcus Johansson still out with a second concussion. They have been carried by emerging darkhorse Hart candidate Taylor Hall, who extended his personal point streak to 20 games in a row with a goal. It’s considered 13 due to him not playing 20 straight. The 15 goals and 13 assists he’s totaled over that span have been remarkable.

On a team still without starting goaltender Cory Schneider and devoid of scoring depth outside the lethal top line featuring Hall, improving 2017 first overall pick Nico Hischier and slumping rookie Jesper Bratt, Shero had to do something. Too often, it hinges on Hall and Hischier to deliver the big goals.

Miles Wood has been instrumental in his second season scoring 16 times. He returned to the lineup after serving the second game of a two-game suspension for a dirty hit from behind in a recent big win over Tampa. Wood assisted on Stefan Noesen’s tally that made it 2-0 before the Wild rallied for three straight goals in less than a six-minute span. Eric Staal iced it with a empty netter.

Maybe Grabner can relieve some of the pressure on Bratt, who hasn’t scored a goal since Jan. 20. His ice-time has decreased the past couple of games under coach John Hynes. Growing pains are part of the process for the 19-year old Swede who’s been a pleasant surprise scoring 12 goals with 21 assists after being stolen in the sixth round in 2016.

Kyle Palmieri is finally healthy. He picked up a helper last night. If he can find the touch, it would go a long way to helping the Devs secure their first postseason berth since 2012.

They have plenty of checking in inspirational center Brian Boyle, Travis Zajac and Noesen. They’re looking for more scoring. Betting on the smart, speedy Grabner who has done almost all his damage at 5-on-5 is smart. He has 24 of his 25 goals at even strength with one shorthanded. That includes seven empty netters. He is proven 5-on-5 and on the penalty kill where his gamebreaking speed can give the Devils another shorthanded threat.

For Grabner, who can test the market this summer if he makes it to July 1, he becomes the 12th player in NHL history to play for all three locals. He began his career with Vancouver before scoring a career high 34 goals and 52 points for the Islanders in ‘10-11. He lasted nearly five years before getting dealt to Toronto where he played on the fourth line but couldn’t rediscover his scoring ability that helped him become a two-time 20 goalscorer on the Island.

It was under coach Alain Vigneault that Grabner excelled. Emphasizing a speed, skating system based on transition, it was a perfect fit. To think he signed for two years at $3.3 million. Grabner has always had great wheels and defensive instincts that create breakaways and odd-man rushes. He finished his chances on Broadway becoming a fan favorite. His 27 goals were second to Chris Kreider last season and his 25 paced the team.

Now, he gets to complete the trifecta by playing for the Devils after successful runs with the Islanders and Rangers. Will it only be a rental? Time shall tell. He definitely should help the Devs.

A few notables to play for all three teams include Sergei Nemchinov, Arron Asham, Mike Dunham, John Vanbiesbrouck and Kevin Weekes.

Posted in Battle News, Devils, NYRangers, Trade Deadline | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Elias part of another special franchise moment

Posted on February 22, 2018 by hasan4978

On Saturday, the Devils have a relatively big game against the rival Islanders, who are currently chasing us and other teams for a playoff spot, and before that another important two points are on the line tonight against the Wild and a certain ex-Devil captain’s team.  However, the Devil franchise and fanbase has Saturday circled on the calendar for another special reason – the raising of franchise legend Patrik Elias’s number 26 to the rafter.  Elias will become the fifth Devil to have his number retired (and so far the the only forward, after goaltender Martin Brodeur and defensemen Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermayer and Ken Daneyko).

It’s somehow fitting that Elias is the only forward to have his number raised to the rafters, since he’s one of the few forwards who consistently thrived in a defense-first system that sacrificed numbers for the team.  Well-rounded is the adjective that comes to mind when describing Patty.  Elias arguably combines an old school sensibility with new school personality and flash better than any other Devil past or present.  Consider that he broke in and became a star under Robbie Ftorek who was previously his AHL coach and had his best numbers statistically under Larry Robinson (a players’ coach).  Elias also scored 38 goals in 2003-04 under the ultimate disciplinarian in Pat Burns and played at an MVP level under Lou himself in 2006 after rallying back from a life-threatening case of hepatitis.  After re-signing as a FA that summer, Elias continued to excel with a 31-goal, 78-point season under another disciplinarian in Brent Sutter in 2009 – the season after he unjustly had his C taken away, then had his last great year in 2012 under Pete DeBoer, who had more of an attacking system and a more relaxed personality than most of Patty’s previous coaches.

So many memories come to mind with Patty – although he debuted in 1995-96 as a 19-year old, he didn’t become a lineup regular for another two years, then it took another two seasons for him to fully blossom as a member of the transcendent A-line.  A simple name for a line that was anything but simple, combining size and physicality (Jason Arnott) with skill and brainpower (Patty and fellow Czech-mate Petr Sykora).  For the better part of three seasons they were among the most skilled lines in hockey and team success followed, with a Stanley Cup in 1999-2000 and another trip to the Finals in 2000-01.  Elias played a starring role in the team’s 2000 Stanley Cup run with the only two goals in a tense 2-1 win over the Flyers.  Everyone remembers Elias’s game clincher with less than three minutes left in a tie game – see above – but few remember he also scored the first of the night as well.  Yet that was only his second most memorable moment of that postseason behind THE PASS.

As if the 2000 Eastern Conference Finals wasn’t exciting enough, the last two games of the Stanley Cup Finals provided the highest drama with Dallas extending the series and spoiling a possible home ice celebration after Mike Modano’s triple OT winner – also the only goal of a 1-0 game.  With the Devils still leading the series 3-2, the sixth game back in Dallas also went multiple OT’s in another defensive struggle.  Despite having lost Sykora earlier in the game after a cheap shot by Stars defenseman Derian Hatcher, Elias and Arnott still had enough chemistry between them to conjure up this moment of brilliance that won the Devils’ second Stanley Cup:

In the celebration afterwards, Elias had the presence of mind to get Sykora’s jersey from the locker room, at first obstructing his own name with his buddy’s jersey during the celebration before coach Robinson had his finest moment, taking the jersey and putting it on himself.

However, following the 2000-01 season things started to get rocky for Elias and the A-line.  A substandard 2001-02 led to the in-season trade of Arnott to Dallas and the subsequent offseason trade of Sykora to Anaheim.  Although both Arnott and Sykora had long, distinguished careers themselves after 2002 and both players eventually came back to the Devils for cameos later on, all three would never play together again.  Yet, that short period of excellence as an elite line arguably is what Arnott and Sykora are best remembered for in their careers.

Without his linemates, Elias struggled at times in 2002-03 under the ultimate defense-first coach in Burns and took a back seat at times during that magical playoff run.  However, in the Finals he skated around like the Patty of old and helped stymie old buddy Sykora’s attempt to play spoiler with his new team, as the Devils beat the Mighty Ducks in 7 games.  This time Elias, and Devil fans would get their home-ice party after a hard-fought postseason that was 24 games long, a then-NHL record.  I was one of the 19040 in attendance that night, and despite having a flu I soldiered my way there for a likely once-in-a-lifetime event.  And so far it has been.  I don’t even want to think about how annoyed I would have been with a loss haha.

Almost as if liberated from the rocky period before his second Stanley Cup win, Elias roared back to dominance in 2003-04 before he and the NHL lost an entire season due to the season-long lockout in 2004-05.  Although Robinson was back for his second tour of duty, he never got to coach Elias – who spent the latter part of 2005 recovering from a life-threatening case of hepatitis.  By the time Elias came back in late December, Lou was the coach, after stress/health problems forced Robinson to step aside with the team struggling.  Ironically it was during this period that I had quite the unexpected encounter with Elias himself – which is a story I may or may not have told on this blog before.   I was at a Devils-Rangers game at the Garden ironically enough, which turned out to be Lou’s first game behind the bench.  Elias was still a couple weeks away from returning, but the Devils did win 3-1 hinting at their later turnaround.

After the game I was wearing my Elias jersey (you can’t make this up) on the train ride back and a couple of fellow Devil fans excitedly told me ‘Patty’s in front of you!’…at first I literally didn’t know what the heck they were talking about.  Then when I figured it out I looked up at the seat in front of me and WHOA, there was the man himself – on the same train back to NJ as I was.  Eventually I wound up sitting by and talking to him for a half hour on his way back to West Orange, which isn’t to say I talked his ear off per se but certainly my jersey proved to be a nice conversation starter.  Most of the particulars of our chat have faded with time but the important thing is that it happened and how down-to-earth the man was.  At one point he asked me what I thought of the arena in Newark (still a season and a half away), and unsolicited told me he was looking forward to it himself.  While I wasn’t really thinking in those terms at the time – nor was I going to ask him – his prompting me about the new arena gave me a good feeling he was going to return even as his UFA status showed an uncertain future in red and white.

From that point on, Elias was my favorite Devil through thick and thin.  And certainly for the 2006 portion of the season, things were almost all sunny as Elias returned for the final 45 games, playing at an MVP level and leading the team’s resurgence into the playoffs and past the Rangers in a spectacular sweep.  Arguably one of Elias’s top five games ever was the first game of that series where he scored two goals and four assists in a 6-1 romp that set the tone for the Devils finally beating the Rangers in a postseason series after coming up short in 1992, 1994 and 1997.  Yet, after the Devils’ second round loss to Carolina Elias nearly joined another dubious list of ex-Devil marquee players who went to the rival Rangers.  At the time I thought Elias was just more or less using the Rangers to extract a no-trade clause out of Lou, but the real details of that offseason (disclosed by Patty himself in recent days) paint a more complete – and stunning – picture.

In fact, it was Lou himself who gave up on signing Patty before the offseason even started – essentially telling him he was a great player, we probably wouldn’t have the money to re-sign him and good luck if it came to it.  For weeks if not months there was no communication between Elias and Lou.  And yes the reason he’s not a Ranger is because Glen Sather wouldn’t give Elias a no-trade, that I already knew – but one other revealing detail that came out recently is when Elias finally got frustrated enough to call Lou and tell him of the particulars of the Rangers’ offer, suddenly Lou got down to brass tacks and they negotiated a deal in minutes.  Honestly this story is astonishing to me, not that I would ever doubt Patty but…really Lou?  How could you be so dense not to even attempt to negotiate a contract with your best player?  Especially one that actually did want to stay.

Fortunately things did work out in the end and Elias signed a seven-year contract, essentially guaranteeing he would start and end his career as a Devil.  Yet things weren’t all happy and smooth during this period either.  For one, the Devils didn’t have quite the playoff success post-lockout as they did pre-lockout, as other free agents like Niedermayer and Scott Gomez did walk out the door and their drafting also became weaker as the years went on.  And after his first year under the new contract, where it was intimated he struggled with the weight of being newly-appointed captain (despite putting up 69 points in 75 games, hah some struggling), Lou’s latest ‘new coach’ Sutter stripped the C from Elias before his first camp in charge.  Elias admitted recently it bothered him that Lou didn’t have his back with that incident.  Arguably losing the C affected him more than having it did, as he struggled under Sutter’s defense-first system in 2007-08, but the next year Sutter had to open things up out of neccesity and Elias thrived again, showing his resilience as a player who could play in all styles.

It was during this campaign that Elias set the franchise record for points scored, ironically on the same night Brodeur set the NHL record for goaltender wins, on St. Patrick’s Day no less.  Only Patty could pull that off, with a green hat to top things off

Ironically after that game, the team struggled down the stretch losing a hideous seventh game against the Hurricanes, where Sutter committed one final indignity having Elias play just 14:27 in the deciding contest, fewer than all but four forwards.  After choking away Game 7, Sutter ran home to coach for brother Darryl in Calgary becoming just the latest Devil to leave for greener pastures.  More hard times were ahead as the team again struggled in the second half of 2009-10, ignominiously losing in five games to the Flyers before the John MacLean meltdown of 2010-11.  Less said about that season, the better though Elias again led the team in points despite the much-ballyhooed acquisition of Ilya Kovalchuk at the previous year’s trade deadline.

Finally in 2011-12 came one last great resurgence under DeBoer, one of the few coaches who actually did treat Elias with the respect he earned as a player and a person long before that point.  At 35 years old, Elias’s icetime spiked back up to twenty minutes a game and he played in all situations.  Also buoyed by the return of an old friend (Sykora) that year, a rejuvanated Patty put up 78 points and played in 81/82 regular season games plus all 24 games of the team’s unexpected playoff run to Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

As it turned out that run would be the last gasp for both Elias as an upper-echelon player and the Devils as an upper-echelon franchise under Lou.  His last three full seasons, the Devils missed the postseason entirely, bottoming out in 2014-15 with a horrible second half that finally ended Lou’s tenure as the franchise czar.  Yet even after franchise legends like Lou, Stevens (relieved of his duties as an assistant) and Marty (left for a higher management position in St. Louis) were saying goodbye, Elias was the one symbol of the past that’s still been around to shine during the new regime.  Even throughout an injury plagued 2015-16 where he played his final sixteen games (including a spectacular four-point finale against Lou’s new team, the Leafs) and 2016-17 where he skated but didn’t officially retire until late in the season, he was still a part of the team thanks to the respect both GM Ray Shero and coach John Hynes hold for both the player he used to be and the man he still is.  A nice little piece from outgoing beat guy Andrew Gross in The Record show how even this season, during the team’s resurgence, Elias is still sought out by management for advice and suggestions.

If you’re still reading this blog clearly you like and respect Patty about as much as I do.  His number retirement is somehow more resonant to me than the others – and I’ve been to all of them.  Maybe in part cause I actually did meet the man while guys like Brodeur, Stevens and Niedermayer were just guys I knew through a TV screen and watching them above in the stands for years.  In the case of Ken Daneyko, it didn’t seem like a legendary player having his number retired cause really Dano wasn’t legendary – his number retirement was more of a celebration of Mr. Devil and what Dano as an original Devil meant to the franchise off the ice more than on it even.  Maybe it’s because Patty in part was the perfect bridge from the old Devils history to the new is why he resonates more with me.  Not in terms of being in awe like with Marty or Stevens, but in terms of personal emotion and personality, Elias was a man for all seasons and all teams.  He could fit in with the Lemaire/Burns Defensive Devils as much as he did with the Robinson/DeBoer/Ftorek teams that were more liberal on the attack.  Or dare I say the current ‘fast, attacking and supportive’ Devils.  Unfortunately he never got to play with this Devils team.  If his final game in 2016 (on my birthday no less) was any indication, he would have been just fine on this team too.

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Grabner and Nash won’t play tonight

Posted on February 22, 2018 by Derek

Updating the situation surrounding the Rangers, it looks like they’re closing in on potential deals. Rumored forwards Michael Grabner and Rick Nash aren’t going to play in tonight’s game at Montreal.

They just recalled a extra forward Vinni Lettieri from Hartford. He and Paul Carey will dress in their place as GM Jeff Gorton works the phones trying to get something done.

Per the New York Post’s Brett Cyrgalis, Nash will also be out of the lineup.

Both have had good seasons. Grabner is leading the team with 25 goals giving him a combined 52 in less than two seasons since joining the club. He scored 27 last year to finish one behind team leader Chris Kreider.

Nash has been playing very well since the new calendar year. He’s up to 18 goals with half the production coming since the New Year. The proven finisher who plays power play and penalty kill has attracted plenty of interest. If it’s not Nashville with it looking to be kaput, it could be Boston or Dallas. Plenty of teams can use a player of his caliber.

If this is it for Nash, he is one point shy of 800 for his NHL career. The former Blue Jackets first overall pick in ‘02 came over to the Rangers in the summer of 2012 in a trade involving Artem Anisimov and Brandon Dubinsky with other pieces Tim Erixon and a 2013 first round pick (Kerby Rychel) going to Columbus. The Rangers also received Steven Delisle and a 2013 third round pick that turned into Pavel Buchnevich. So, they did quite well. Anisimov was eventually dealt to Chicago for Brandon Saad, who became Artemi Panarin when he was reacquired by the Blackhawks last summer.

In his sixth season on Broadway, the 33-year old Nash who will become unrestricted this summer has been part of two teams that made deep playoff runs. They reached the Stanley Cup Finals in 2014 and came within a period of returning in 2015. A disappointing shutout loss on home ice that basically ended their championship aspirations. Since, the Rangers have been eliminated in the first and second round of the postseason.

In 375 games with the Blueshirts, Nash has registered 145 goals with 107 assists totaling 252 points and a plus-64 rating. The breakdown of the goals is this:

Even Strength-111

Power Play-26

Shorthanded-8

He also has totaled 29 game-winners. Of his seven career hat tricks, two have come as a Ranger on Dec. 23, 2014 vs Washington and Nov. 21, 2015 at Florida.

Nash has never been the best postseason performer. However, enough isn’t said about his skating and forechecking. He has always brought a strong work ethic and good leadership. In the ‘14 run, he totaled 10 points (3-7-10). In 2015, Nash went 5-9-14.

Even as it winds down, it may not have had the dream scenario both he and the Rangers envisioned. It’s hard to win. They came close twice. Nash was a big part of that.

If he has in fact played his final game, good luck wherever you go. Though he has admitted how much he’s loved being a Ranger. There’s always a chance he could return if he so desires. But it will depend on a lot of factors. Some which we won’t know until after the season.

Regardless, there are still 22 games left to play. Fans will get a chance to see more new faces once Nash and Grabner are gone.

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Georgiev and O’Gara debut for Rangers in Montreal

Posted on February 22, 2018 by Derek

When they visit Montreal at Bell Center later tonight, the Rangers will have two new faces debuting. Alexandar Georgiev will make his NHL debut in net after missing a chance last weekend due to illness.

It’ll be a rare game between Original Six rivals where neither Henrik Lundqvist nor Carey Price will be starting. That’s how bad the Rangers and Canadiens are. While the Blueshirts still have 59 points despite a lot of losing since the All-Star break, the Habs are even worse. They haven’t won in a while with a overtime loss giving them 52 points, which ties them with Edmonton and Ottawa for the league’s third worst record. Arizona has 44 points for the worst and Buffalo has 45.

So, a year removed from a very intense first round series won by the Rangers in six games, both teams are headed for early vacations without the playoffs. The Rangers haven’t missed since 2010 on the last day of the season when the Flyers edged them in a shootout. The only time the Lundqvist Blueshirts haven’t qualified since he joined them in ‘05-06.

In unfamiliar territory with GM Jeff Gorton working the phones after sending Nick Holden to the Bruins for Rob O’Gara and a 2018 third round pick, they’ll soon learn where Rick Nash and Michael Grabner will wind up. Time is winding down with the trade deadline arriving next Monday, Feb. 26.

With rumors also surrounding injured captain Ryan McDonagh could either be moved now or likelier this summer, things have been relatively quiet around the top defenseman. He has a year remaining on a contract that pays him an AAV of $4.7 million. He remains out with a undisclosed injury.

The acquisition of the Massapequa native O’Gara gives him a opportunity to show what he can do. In Boston after being taken in the fifth round of the 2011 NHL Draft, he only played in 11 games including eight this season. With the Bruins not having room for him, they sent him to New York where he will get a chance to be part of a rebuild.

A defensive defenseman, O’Gara will be paired with John Gilmour tonight. Having spent four years at Yale and most of his first two pro seasons with Providence in the AHL, he gets a clean slate. Listed at 6-4, 207 pounds, the left shooting defenseman can bring size and physicality to a mobile blueline that lacks it.

With O’Gara staying with the big club, the Rangers optioned Ryan Sproul to Hartford. He was a surprise tallying assists in consecutive losses. Overall, the Rangers have dropped four straight all in regulation. They are six points behind second wildcard Columbus.

In a move which could signal another trade on the cusp, they recalled forward Vinni Lettieri. It sounded like things were heating up on Grabner. We’ll see if anything happens.

This is the third and final meeting against Montreal. The teams split the first two way back in the Fall with the Rangers taking the first one at MSG and losing the second meeting at Bell Centre.

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Holden the first to go in Rangers firesale

Posted on February 20, 2018 by Derek

The first piece is gone. Though I wouldn’t call trading Nick Holden to Boston that. He was always going to be the easiest player to move due to being cheap.

So, the Rangers sent the puck moving Holden to the Bruins in exchange for 24-year old minor league defenseman Rob O’Gara and a 2018 third round pick. A easy transaction by GM Jeff Gorton to his former team who looks to be the favorite to come out of the East.

While Rangers Twitter rejoices, a third round pick is what I expected for Holden. For all the criticism he received for not being strong defensively, he was good in his first year offensively scoring 11 goals and adding 23 assists for 34 points. Solid production for a skating D who only cost a fourth round pick. He struggled last postseason with Marc Staal. But they were far from alone. Hint hint. Ryan McDonagh and former partner Dan Girardi in blowing leads to Ottawa.

There’s also this reality fans and bloggers will ignore. Holden won’t be misused by Boston. Under Jack Adams candidate Bruce Cassidy, they have a good system in place and a actual legit top pair with ageless captain Zdeno Chara partnering with gifted rookie Charlie McAvoy.

The Bruins also have offensive minded Torey Krug and second-year right D Brandon Carlo. Basically, Holden won’t be miscast there. He can play third pair and not be overused like Alain Vigneault did by having him with McDonagh on the top pair.

It’s a good start for Gorton. The selloff has begun. Getting a third round pick and player even if its likely only a depth defenseman for Hartford is good asset management. Holden is lucky to go to such a good team. Boston is challenging Tampa for the Atlantic Division and top seed. Along with the red hot Pens, those three teams have separated themselves from a pack that includes the confusing Caps. A team I don’t buy into.

For the Blueshirts, who is the next domino to fall? Is it Rick Nash with Nashville said to be very interested? Or is it Michael Grabner, who is too sick to attend Casino Night? Probably Nash if the rumors are true. As for Grabner, he wished his former teammate well.

https://twitter.com/grabs40/status/966003555596464129

That’s the difference between players and fans. They respect the work their teammates put in. That should be remembered.

As far as the on ice product, don’t expect it to get any better until the coaching staff is gone. With young players from Hartford including the struggling Tony DeAngelo, there will continue to be growing pains. Does Ryan Graves finally get a chance or is that not allowed? Don’t answer.

Until the next trade is made. Less than a week left.

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Groundhog Day for Blueshirts, A Message on Parkland tragedy and racist idiot Hawks fan

Posted on February 18, 2018 by Derek

Groundhog Day

When you’re bad, losing becomes a constant. It never is something you get used to as a player. Listening to a downcast Henrik Lundqvist on the postgame in my car courtesy MSG radio on ESPN 98.7 FM, you can feel the frustration boiling over. In his 10th straight start due to Alexandar Georgiev still not fully recovered from the flu, it was another long day as he allowed all seven goals in a 7-4 home loss to the Flyers.

It was the fourth consecutive defeat for the Rangers, who also dropped one yesterday 6-3 at the Senators. A game that saw Alain Vigneault pull Lundqvist a fee minutes into the third period following the fifth Ottawa goal. A decision which resulted in a death stare from a furious Lundqvist, who never returned to the bench. He definitely isn’t in the right frame of mind. The soon to be 36-year old looks mentally and physically exhausted. His inconsistent play is showing that by permitting goals he normally doesn’t. Is it overwork or the combination of losing with a younger less experienced roster?

The Rangers are a bad team. Without much rumored D anchor Ryan McDonagh and veteran leader Marc Staal, the blueline is comprised of young players up from Hartford. With the notable exception of sophomore Brady Skjei and vet Nick Holden, it’s a new experience for Neal Pionk, John Gilmour, Tony DeAngelo and Ryan Sproul. The quartet are fairly new to the NHL. So what you get is a mixed bag from shift to shift. Pionk has stood out the most followed by Gilmour while DeAngelo has been disappointing. 

It doesn’t help that the forwards haven’t been consistent. With the exception of top sniper Michael Grabner, who scored two more to raise his Cy Young campaign to 25-6 on Saturday, along with soon to be dealt Rick Nash (goal today), there isn’t much positive. Kevin Hayes also gets a lot of credit for playing through injury and continuing to be effective. He scored his 14th in the latest loss.

There are too many mistakes being made. Top pivot Mika Zibanejad was very quiet a day after scoring his ninth power play goal against his former team. He went minus-two with one shot on goal. He and second-year man Pavel Buchnevich had tough days defensively. Some miscues led to goals against. Buchnevich just returned on Saturday and picked up a assist for a second straight day. He also got into a rare fight 15 seconds in beating Shayne Gostisbehere. He still needs work defensively.

Unlike the despicable 4-0 shutout loss at the Islanders on Thursday against Jaro “Hasek” Halak, offense wasn’t a problem this weekend. If you score three goals and then four on back-to-back days, you usually should get a split. But not this dismal team who is sinking further and further away from the playoffs like the Titanic.

The Ottawa game was seesaw for two periods until the better skilled Sens found enough holes in the defense. It was a miserable game for the David Desharnais line that included Jimmy Vesey and Jesper Fast. They were victimized often with Vesey caught on for four goals against in under 12 minutes of ice-time. The defensemen were just as culpable.

It resulted in some easy goals with old pal Derick Brassard recovering from taking a deflected puck to the face to score a goal and assist on a pair of others. His name has been rumored to be possibly going back to Columbus, who can use center help.

There was a easy goal for Mark Stone, who easily finished off a Brassard centering pass in the slot. Matt Duchene stayed hot deflecting home a shot while setting up another. If there was a tell tale sign for a struggling team who like Bill Murray’s classic Phil character in Groundhog Day keeps living the same day over and over again, it was Brassard replying a few minutes following a Zibanejad tally with 67 seconds left for a 4-2 Ottawa lead in the second.

It was a play by rookie Senator defenseman Thomas Chabot that resulted in Lundqvist parting but not without a few words for his coach. Chabot skated around the entire D and threw a wraparound off Holden’s skate and in for a 5-2 lead with 12:33 left in the third. At that point, Vigneault sent in emergency recall Brandon Halverson for a incepnsed Lundqvist.

Following Grabner’s second, Ottawa had a controversial goal from Magnus Paajarvi count despite most believing Halverson was interfered with. What else is new with the NHL who often confuses players, coaches and fans with its decisions on reviews?

It didn’t matter as it was just for bookkeeping. I don’t count it as a full goal. In my mind, Ottawa got five and a half goals. Even though I gave up watching after two periods, I heard it via my brother’s phone. He gets the MSG app.

The Rangers are so mistake prone that they can play well offensively and outshoot opponents and it doesn’t matter. They got 50 shots through on Halak Thursday. But he did what he always does morphing into Hasek by not allowing anything to get by him legally. Only a Desharnais kick went in with it being overturned.

In the Ottawa loss, they had 38 shots. On Sunday afternoon back at MSG, they got 39 on two Flyers goalies. Michal Neuvirth left after the first due to a “lower body” injury. He gave up three on 13 shots in a wild and wacky first that featured six goals and three scraps. Old style hockey.

There was a lot of skating through the neutral zone with players unchecked. So, the end result was each side scoring three times. Hayes got it started when he was able to tip in a long Sproul shot from the right point at 1:30.

But following Hayes’ goal, J.T. Miller failed to clear the zone. It led to a Andrew MacDonald goal at 4:53 set up by Valtteri Filppula and Jori Lehtera. It was a odd goal due to a harmless looking shot going just past Lehtera’s stick and past Lundqvist, who never seemed to pick it up.

Nash continued his strong push before the trade deadline when he outmuscled Flyers top center Sean Couturier in front to get to a loose puck of a Brady Skjei rebound and backhand it past Neuvirth for a 2-1 lead. It was his 18th goal and ninth since the new calendar year. Whoever gets him is getting a very motivated and complete player. He never takes any shifts off and would probably be around 25 goals surrounded by better talent.

For the second time in the period, the Flyers and Rangers threw down. Even though the style of play has changed, the rivalry came out. DeAngelo didn’t like a Wayne Simmonds elbow and dropped the gloves with the tough Flyers power forward. He lost easily before going off for five minutes each with Simmonds, who exchanged words in the penalty box. It seemed more like some friendly advice after he had DeAngelo in a prone position but showed class by not hitting him with a right.

The scrap sparked the Flyers with Scott Laughton redirecting a Ivan Provorov shot through Lundqvist’s wickets for a tie score. It was another goal he could’ve had. Even though it was deflected, he didn’t close up the five-hole.

A little over two and a half minutes later, the Flyers had a beautiful rush that turned into a four-on-three with Claude Giroux finding the trailer Brandon Manning wide open for a sweet finish and their first lead. Buchnevich got lost in the offensive zone and never hustled back. The other three Blueshirts had their man including Zibanejad. A case of a young player thinking offense and forgetting his responsibility.

Three seconds after the goal, the third and final fight took place with heavies Dale Weise going up against Cody McLeod. It was closely fought with McLeod doing damage with a few rights that bloodied Weise’s nose.

Following a successful penalty kill of a Gilmour hi-stick, Peter Holland combined with Mats Zuccarello for a nice goal off a well executed two-on-one. He waited before drawing the Flyer defender down which allowed him to get the pass across for Zuccarello, who one-timed the puck past Neuvirth for a 3-3 tie.

At the start of period two, Alex Lyon replaced a injured Neuvirth. For a unproven guy, he came in and made a huge difference for the guests, who scored four of the last five goals to move over the Devils back into third place in the Metro Division with 70 points. He faced 26 shots and made 25 saves to earn the victory.

The second had a similar start with the old Patrick Division rivals trading goals 3:46 apart. First, improving second overall pick Nolan Patrick was able to beat Lundqvist for his sixth at 2:01 from Simmonds and Manning.

Trailing by a goal, the Rangers got a strong shift from the fourth line. A Miller one-timer wasn’t controlled by Lyon with first McLeod getting a rebound before both Holden and Holland got their sticks on another rebound with the final one from Holland going in to make it 4-4.

The game settled down. Neither team was called for another penalty in the last two periods. But with Lyon making some key stops, it was the brilliant play of the Flyers unknown that won out.

Off some sustained pressure from the Philadelphia top line, Travis Konecny camr out and took a harmless looking wrist shot that eluded a motionless Lundqvist for a crushing go-ahead tally at 15:40. Giroux and Couturier assisted. Since being moved onto that line in late December, Konecny has been red hot putting up nearly a point-per-game. He’s scored a lot of clutch goals. This was his sixth game-winner since being moved up.

The Rangers never recovered. Even though they got chances against Lyon, he made the big stops. Off a two-on-one, Giroux converted his 20th from Konecny for a 6-4 lead at 9:23 of the third. It was Giroux’s 200th career NHL goal. He’s had a huge bounce back season since coach Dave Hakstol decided to shift him to wing and turn former shutdown center Couturier into the first line pivot. If they continue to win without starter Brian Elliott, he should get some votes for the Jack Adams. An award that’ll be won by Gerard Gallant for the unreal job he’s done with Vegas.

Lehtera made it seven past Lundqvist with his first in 41 games to conclude the scoring.

There really is nothing left to add. Things won’t change until everyone is on the same page. They talk about the same thing before every game according to Nash. Playing better defensively by protecting the inside. But talking and doing are two different things entirely.

It won’t get exciting until a week from now. I’m glad I have some time off from work. I can follow the rumors as the Feb. 26 trade deadline approaches. Other than that, I watch what I can until I can’t anymore. That’s how hard it’s become to watch this team. Thank god for the radio.

As you probably have noticed, I’ve done less recaps by design. There’s no point breaking down every single game when it’s the same broken record. At least I have my new turntable to play classic vinyls on.

E21DCE09-D759-4016-A1AA-EC5C8DD6649C

I would be remiss if I didn’t make it a point to pay my respect to the 17 victims in Parkland, Florida. The high school of Gostisbehere and Cubs star first baseman Anthony Rizzo. It’s a very difficult time for our country. I’m not going to use this blog to make this political. But only to say it’s not just guns that must be restricted. But a much bigger focus on mental health and pharmaceutical companies. A underlying factor in most of these senseless tragedies.  That along with the irresponsible FBI should not be neglected.

I can only imagine what it’s been like for parents of their sons and daughters at this trying time. It makes me angry and sad. Unlike some outspoken athletes, I don’t have the perfect solution. There isn’t one. Try telling both parties and members of Congress.

i also was sickened by last night’s despicable behavior by a Blackhawks fan towards Devante Smith-Pelly in the penalty box. Racial taunts and harassment don’t belong in any forum. It was embarrassing. The Blackhawks apologized for those prejudiced fools. The NHL released a statement which was fine unless you can’t stay on topic.

It should be about treating each other the way we want to be treated. What ever happened to discipline and respect? It seems like social media has brought out the worst in people. As a substitute teacher, I wouldn’t allow any student to have their mobile phones on unless after class or in emergency situations only.

Much must change moving forward. Coexisting with your peers who share different opinions is a big part of it. Unity. Wishing all the best to everyone out there.

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Improved goaltending key in Devils’ resurgence

Posted on February 17, 2018 by hasan4978

Four nights ago things looked as dire as they could for a team still holding a playoff spot, with the Devils on their way to losing in Philly and landing squarely on the borderline of being out of the playoffs.  Since their late comeback and shootout win in the city of Brotherly Love however, the outlook’s significantly improved in five days.  After three straight wins in that time, suddenly the Devils have a five-point cushion back on the playoff bubble with twenty-four games remaining.  Welcome to the NHL and the 2017-18 Devils season where momentum and positioning can change on a dime.

Even now I’m loath to get completely back on the optomism train, but I’ll say this – if the Devils do find a way to beat the Canes tomorrow a playoff berth is again ours to lose.  Especially with the momentum a four-game winning streak would bring going into Patrik Elias week (his number retirement is one week away, on next Saturday).  Even a loss on a fourth game in six nights wouldn’t be dire but you’d love to see them rip off a few more of these games with four division matchups in five upcoming games the rest of February.  Beating the Canes, Columbus and the Isles in particular would provide that much more of a stranglehold on a playoff berth.

I’m not entirely convinced we’re out of the woods simply because you can’t be a hundred percent confident in our current goaltenders.  However, both Keith Kinkaid and Eddie Lack have done what they needed to this week – in Kinkaid’s case, playing well enough in the clutch on Tuesday and Thursday to bring home big division wins.  While in Lack’s case, he threw up a spectacular game out of nowhere with 48 saves in Tampa Bay against one of the best teams in the NHL.  In fact, Tampa had only five regulation losses at home all season before tonight.  Although the 51 shots on net Tampa got in a track meet of a game suggest there are still very serious defensive issues, getting even competent goaltending has stopped the team bleeding this week.

Obviously Taylor Hall’s goal late against the Flyers on Tuesday changed the momentum of the week, if not of the entire season.  Thankfully the secondary scorers have finally started to step up again the last two games, the way they did earlier in the season – grinder Stefan Noesen pinched in two of the team’s five goals against the Hurricanes on Thursday, with Damon Severson also scoring a big one late in the first period to tie the game at one.  As usual, I had to miss out on a Thursday tilt but I did wind up seeing most of the third period, including a sweet goal by prodigy in the making Nico Hischier on a two-on-one, and Noesen’s second that helped removed the drama (for once) from a close third period game.

Tonight in Tampa the goals came from some even more unlikely places, with a Ben Lovejoy seeing-eye shot from the boards opening the scoring after just three minutes.  Later on, third-year player Pavel Zacha broke through with a key shorthanded goal (just his fifth total of the season) to restore a lead the Devils wouldn’t relinquish, with Zacha finally getting some reward for improved play lately.  Hischier’s second in two games was the biggest of the night though, with the Lightning having seized all the momentum up 2-1 and already having put 20+ shots on net early in the second period.  Ironically it was almost an instant replay of his goal against Carolina – Hischier and Hall on a two-on-one and Hischier confidently took a shot that went in.  Ironically enough, the duo got yet another two-on-one in the game, this time there was more room to pass so Nico passed but the play didn’t quite connect.  Still, Hischier’s continued improvement has been a welcome sight for not only the present but the future of Devils hockey.

Also making an impact was Miles Wood – in more ways than one, arguably being lucky to be whistled for only a minor after a bad hit on Vladislav Namestnikov that could have been a major or match penalty, and may still earn the feisty winger a suspension.  Showing a little bit of Claude Lemieux in his game, after annoying the Lightning with that hit and bloddying up Andrej Sustr in the ensuing roughing penalties, Wood trolled the Lightning to score a neccesary insurance goal early in the third period – his sixteenth of the season.  For all the talk about Hischier and fellow teenage rookie Jesper Bratt, Wood’s development as a second-year player has been key to the Devils’ overall improvement as well.

With the Devils being the Devils, and playing a dangerous team such as Tampa they weren’t going to get out of a second straight game with a drama-free third period.  Sure enough, special teams continue to be the bugaboo that bites us over and over again – both with our ineffectual power play and with taking too many dumb penalties.  Finally the Lightning made us pay in decisive fashion, with a patented Steven Stamkos one-timer just eleven seconds into a power play at 5:15 of the third, cutting the Devils’ lead to one and leading to fifteen anxious minutes where I was fairly certain we were going to blow it and at best get to OT.  However it was the unheralded journeyman Lack who saved the day time and again, despite one scary play late in the third where he somehow lost a loose puck that was right next to him, but somehow that play didn’t lead to disaster.

During the postgame after Tuesday’s dramatic win over the Flyers, Hall was being interviewed wearing a shirt that said Devils vs. Everybody on the front (and it turned out had Devils vs. The World on the back), reflecting in part the atitude that nobody believed in them coming into the season.  Obviously nobody was believing in the team when they were losing games for six straight weeks during the winter.  To a degree there probably still aren’t many believers now, at least in terms of the Devils being anything other than a one-and-done team.  However this team continues to defy the odds.  Despite being without their starting goalie for the forseeable future and the bad defense, despite mounting injuries up front and the sheer amount of league incompetence in terms of reffing decisions they’ve had to deal with this team continues to find ways to succeed.

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The effort is there for younger Blueshirts

Posted on February 15, 2018 by Derek

Sometimes, things don’t always go according to plan. For the 2017-18 New York Rangers, that’s been the case. More was expected out of the revamped roster GM Jeff Gorton put together. However, the lack of center depth and a strong blueline has put them on the outside of the wildcard in a mediocre Metro Division.

Injuries to key players contributed to their inconsistent play. But they weren’t exactly lighting the world on fire. With Chris Kreider indicating he’s ready to go, the team is taking their time with him. He’s skating as is Pavel Buchnevich. That’s two-thirds of the top line which had performed well with Mika Zibanejad. It could be weeks before Kreider returns while Buchnevich could be a little closer. However, Kevin Shattenkirk remains out along with Marc Staal. Jimmy Vesey returned two games ago and notched the winner in a gutsy win at Winnipeg.

Given the state of the present situation, Gorton and Team President Glen Sather were right in holding a joint press conference exactly a week ago to announce that they would look towards the future instead. Indeed, the Blueshirts are gonna rebuild. When they were blown out of MSG by a very good Bruins team 6-1 which was a game I left following the sixth goal, the amount of dissatisfaction from loyal paying customers was heard. Boos rained down along with a few “Fire AV!” chants in my section.

It’s hard to pin it all on the coach who’s had a whirlwind of success both here and Vancouver where he guided teams to the Stanley Cup Finals. He hasn’t been known as a very patient guy with young players. So, now he’s put in a unique situation with plenty of reinforcements from Hartford comprising the back end. After reeling off two consecutive wins over Calgary and Winnipeg following the announcement, the Rangers fell short in the third game falling to Minnesota.

A four-minute stretch in the first period doomed them. They made some costly mistakes leading to three Wild goals. The third a giveaway by Brady Skjei that Marcus Foligno one-timed past Henrik Lundqvist for a 3-0 deficit. Skjei has been playing major minutes with Ryan McDonagh sidelined. The target of interested suitors, the captain could be moved by next week’s Feb. 26 trade deadline. If he is, it will be for a very good package. Both Boston and Tampa are very interested. But it should be on Gorton’s terms. Particularly with McDonagh having another year remaining on his deal before hitting the open market in 2019. He doesn’t have to trade the valuable top defenseman unless the timing is right. There’s also the summer and even next year’s deadline if it comes down to that.

Skjei logged over 26 minutes on Tuesday but his misplay was enough to lose the game. He hasn’t blossomed into that top pair defenseman yet. He’s only in his second year. It takes time. This isn’t a perfect situation. Especially when he doesn’t know daily who he’ll be paired with. Right now, Brendan Smith is in the minors after clearing waivers trying to find his game. Nick Holden remains for now but could be on the move.

Indeed, it’s a bunch of unknowns that comprise most of the Rangers defense. From Tony DeAngelo, Neal Pionk, John Gilmour and Ryan Sproul, all are part of the six-man rotation under Vigneault. Gilmour and Pionk have impressed thus far with their speed and skating which has aided the transition along with breakouts. Gilmour was the forgotten man in the 2017 training camp. After nearly making the roster in 2016, he struggled last year in Hartford. But here he is finally up scoring his first career NHL goal on an assist from Pionk. His first NHL point as well. It’s nice to see what they can do.

DeAngelo remains a work in progress. On his third organization, he certainly has the speed and ability to move the puck effectively and contribute offensively. It’s about finding that consistency defensively. He’s had a few tough games. However, he has picked up assists in two of his last three contests. Since being recalled, DeAngelo has four helpers with 25 shots and a minus-six rating in 11 games. Unlike the first part of the season in October, he’s receiving more ice-time. This will give the organization a better idea of what the 22-year old former Lightning ’14 first round pick is capable of.

When Steven Kampfer went down for four to six weeks, it gave Sproul an opportunity. The former Red Wings ’11 second round pick had only played in 28 NHL games prior to Tuesday. He totaled a goal and six helpers in those 28 for Detroit. Having put up a decent showing with the Wolf Pack that includes nine goals and nine assists, he was given the chance over Ryan Graves. While I disagree with not recalling Graves, he hasn’t had as good a third pro year with the Pack. He’s 4-7-11 with 60 penalty minutes and a minus-12 rating. After starting out with promise his first two seasons in the AHL, it remains to be seen if the former ’13 fourth round pick has a future on Broadway. He has been passed on the depth chart by DeAngelo, Pionk and Gilmour. That Sproul is up over him is indicative of how the organization feels.

Even though they’re going with younger players both out of necessity and soon due to trades in less than two weeks, the Rangers have to be pleased with the effort the kids have given them. It’s true that some rookie mistakes have put them behind in each game. But they dug deep to rally back twice against two good Western opponents. That bodes well. When you bring up prospects, they are hungry to prove they belong. We’ve seen it with Vinni Lettieri, who is always noticeable during shifts. He is a shoot first forward who has been rewarded with power play time. He needs to stop hitting posts and hit pay dirt. That would boost his confidence and prove he should be part of the solution over the long term.

It can’t be easy for the veterans who are so used to the team having better results and being considered a contender. Henrik Lundqvist continues to start a lot of games. He’s given up goals on the first shot more than anyone. But hasn’t allowed it to become a negative. While the franchise netminder isn’t going anywhere, the same can’t be said for Rick Nash. He’s open to some Canadian teams (Leafs) if that’s what it comes down to. The Bruins are interested and the Predators and Stars seem to be top contenders. Nash has continued to perform well raising his value. A team first guy who likes it here, there’s a chance he could re-sign. But that will largely depend on the organizational plans this summer.

Michael Grabner leads the club with 23 goals. He definitely has increased his value as a reliable five-on-five threat who is dangerous shorthanded and superb defensively at the end of games. His seven empty net goals are proof. Twenty-two of the 23 markers have come at even strength. He has been terrific in two seasons totaling 50 goals. The most for a Ranger over that span. If he does go, he’ll definitely be missed. The unique defensive awareness, speed and transition he brings are reasons to want to keep him. Who knows about what he decides on July 1.

It remains up in the air if McDonagh will go. It’ll depend on the type of package being offered. As noted above, Gorton holds all the cards. Do what’s best for the team. Keeping McDonagh around for now isn’t a drawback. Not when he can help the younger D develop. Despite criticism, he’s been a leader and is always accountable. Replacing a player who can play any situation and match up against opponents’ best scoring lines isn’t easy. Let’s cross that bridge when they get there.

They’ll visit Brooklyn later tonight against a inconsistent Islanders team who loves playing them. The humiliation at MSG should still be fresh in their minds. As uncompetitive a game as they’ve played with the Bruins one right up there. This is a chance for redemption. The Isles are facing the pressure with GM Garth Snow coming under fire along with coach Doug Weight. We’ll see if some of those newer faces can change the end result.

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