Devils teetering on the bubble

Posted on February 15, 2018 by hasan4978

It’s been a good news-bad news week for the Devils – the good news is they’re still in a playoff spot, two points and a game in hand up on the sixth place Blue Jackets, while they play the fifth-place Hurricanes tonight at the Rock in the first of four monumental head-to-head games down the stretch.  The bad news is you can add Brian Boyle and recent callup John Quenneville to the walking wounded now, as both missed Tuesday’s dramatic comeback in Philly due to different ailments.  Plus, the margin for error’s even slimmer after a lost weekend where they inexcusably no-showed in Columbus, followed by yet another maddening ‘find a way to lose’ game against the Bruins at the Rock on Sunday.

I was at my low ebb on Sunday for the season, already mad at the 6-1 no-show against another bubble team in Columbus on Saturday (that wasn’t even that close), I was not in the mood for the self-inflicted nonsense which torpedoed us against the Bruins.  A powerless play that literally went -2 for 7 – failing to score in seven power play chances and giving up two shorthanded goals on top of it!  Two own goals conceded and another clunker at the end of the first period that might as well have been an own goal where all backup goalie Eddie Lack had to do was paddle the puck over to Taylor Hall and the period would have been over.

But he hesitated, spin-o-ramaed the puck in back of the net and a streaking Tim Schaller took advantage – taking the puck and beating the hapless goaltender with a craparound goal that wasn’t even called a goal on the ice at first, yet somehow it went to review with the call on the ice a goal after Bruin players celebrating sold the goal call.  While I admit I wasn’t looking closely at the one replay they did show at the arena, I was too annoyed at Lack for botching the play to really care that we were once again getting screwed on a review.  Of course any review where this league has a chance to screw us they do, and if you want transparency then show the angle of the play that caused you to uphold the goal call (and they did specify that ‘replays showed the puck in the net’).  Even if one exists, no TV replays on the local telecast shows that.  Which just feeds into the narrative the league’s out to get us.

Especially when you consider all the injuries and attempted injuries against the Devils where fouls are committed that somehow get missed, yet we get thumbed on either retaliation or some other stupid crap the refs always seem to miss when the other team does it – with the Brad Marchand hit on Marcus Johansson a few weeks ago tops on that list.  Or a couple of different instances in the Flyers game on Tuesday – Travis Zajac gets clipped with a Flyers stick but we can’t call a double minor penalty cause the Devils stick allegedly lifted the Flyers stick (it didn’t) and caused the cut.  Miles Wood gets slashed on the ankle without the puck in open-ice and three blind mice are officiating, not making a call.  Which looks even worse considering Chris Rooney was the ref on Tuesday, he alone has been involved in a number of contreversial games where a ton of big calls all seem to go against the Devils.

Still, most of my ire over the last week has been directed solely at the Devils.  In spite of the league’s contreversial review (the refs themselves actually called a fair game for once on Sunday), the Devils had their own opportunities to beat one of the beasts of the East and squelched them all.  Starting with Mirco Mueller having a dumpster fire of a first period – culminating in the first own goal – that immediately sent him back to the scratch box after one game and the Lack goal that put us behind again at the end of the first period.  Not to mention giving up a power play goal after a mere three seconds while we couldn’t score in over ten minutes on the man advantage, or Drew Stafford’s beautiful deflection past Lack in the third period for the second own-goal of the night, Sunday was just a not very enjoyable night from start to finish.  I was as angry at the team as I’ve been since the hideous blown three-goal lead in Game 3 of the 2012 playoffs against the Panthers.

I couldn’t even bring myself to watch the start of Tuesday’s game in Philly against another team we’re fighting with for a playoff spot/seeding.  After fifteen minutes it looked like a sound decision as the Devils were outshot 13-4 and behind again, with another hideous early Keith Kinkaid goal allowed.  In fact the first time I even bothered to tune on the game was shortly after Hall’s tying goal in the second period that inexplicably needed to be reviewed – clearly in the net, clearly without goaltender interference or offside, even this goal somehow became unneeded drama.  My reaction was incredulous on the very first replay…THIS is what they’re reviewing?!  Of course soon after the goal counted we gave it right back anyway when a 5 MPH deflection somehow slithered past Kinkaid, and I turned it off again.  Not quite for good, though when I did turn it on in the third period we were still behind a goal – only it was 4-3 instead of 2-1 in what turned out to be a wild second period.

Seeing that we scored three goals in the second period and were still behind, then watching us fail to score for most of the third period just increased my ire that much more.  I wasn’t interested in excuses, posts, Corsi, none of that was going to matter with yet another regulation loss to a bubble team which would have left us tied for the final wild card spot.  Our powerless play again petered out in the clutch failing on a late third period chance, and it seemed just a matter of time for the coup de grace when we emptied the net, since these empty-net situations never really pan out for us and always seem to pan out for other teams against us.  I was readying the knives for the rant to end all rants, after being too beside myself to bother last weekend.

Then finally, the worm turned thanks to should-be (but won’t be) Hart candidate Hall, who scored off a rebound with 81 seconds left in regulation, tying the game at 4.  Despite some anxious moments, and another monumental brain cramp from John Moore when he skated out the overtime in the offensive zone without putting a shot on net, the comeback would not be in vein this time.  After another hideous start Kinkaid finally settled down late and stopped all three Flyer attempts in the shootout, while Stafford of all people scored the winner.  He’s basically become our modern-day Viktor Kozlov, useless everywhere else except the shootout.

Even now I’m a bit bemused and worried the momentum swing we got from Tuesday’s game won’t stick tonight against a hot Hurricanes team.  After all we’ve seen false flags in terms of breaking our spiral of doom before.  Just two weeks ago we had a three-game winning streak that was promptly buried with four straight ugly losses.  With five of the next seven and six of the next nine against division foes (and all of whom we’re fighting for playoff spots/seeding), this would be a good time to finally make a good streak stick for a change in 2018.

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The Rebuild is 2-0

Posted on February 12, 2018 by Derek
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Vesey Returns: Jimmy Vesey celebrates his game-winner with teammates Brady Skjei and Steven Kampfer in a second consecutive win for the rebuilding Rangers by a count of 3-1 at Winnipeg. AP Photo via Getty Images 

Since making the announcement that they were officially rebuilding last week following last Wednesday’s Boston Massacre, the Rangers are 2-0.

After Brendan Smith cleared waivers, Neal Pionk was recalled from Hartford along with John Gilmour due to captain Ryan McDonagh being injured. Both young defensemen have paired together to help provide a spark in wins over the Flames and Jets. Each are good skating, puck moving blueliners which helps team speed and transition. Areas coach Alain Vigneault emphasizes.

While it’s nice to see a couple of prospects rewarded under a coach who hasn’t always been patient with kids, the truth is the Blueshirts don’t win either game without improved play from Henrik Lundqvist. Prior to Friday’s 4-3 victory on home ice over Calgary, Vigneault critiqued his franchise goalie for the team’s slide. He made one comment indicating that the goaltending had to be better. When it has, they’ve been competitive.

He told the truth. However, it was utterly ridiculous to place the blame on Lundqvist for the team’s struggles. He had stood on his head to get them back in the playoff race before the team slumped with seven regulation losses in eight games to fall to last place in the Metro Division. Even backup Ondrej Pavelec had been stellar stealing a few games.

The reason for that is how bad the defense had played. Between the forwards and D, there was a lack of communication that led to odd-man breaks and goals against. A goalie can only bail you out so many times. With a decrease in scoring since Chris Kreider went down along with Kevin Shattenkirk, it put more pressure on Lundqvist primarily to be near perfect. When he admitted following the 6-1 Bruins loss that  allowing two goals in the first period affected his confidence, he acknowledged that he became too passive on the ne r two goals in the second leading to Pavelec replacing him.

Mental affects physical. So much of sports is mental. When things aren’t going right, athletes tend to overthink leading to prolonged slumps. This is especially true in baseball. When a hitter goes cold, they fall out of their comfort zone and try different things. It usually is mechanical. The same for basketball when a good shooter goes cold from the outside. Sometimes, just a slight adjustment or a mental break can fix it.

Garden Faithful have been blessed to have such a great athlete over the past decade. Lundqvist is a perfectionist. Most goalies are. Well, the special ones especially. There’s a reason this franchise has only missed the playoffs once since the Swede took over the number one reigns from Kevin Weekes his rookie year in ‘05-06. He is a extremely focused player who makes no excuses. Win or lose, he’s at his locker answering questions.

In the close wins over the Flames and at Winnipeg yesterday with Michael Grabner adding a empty net goal for a 3-1 win over  one of the West’s best in a very tough building to win, Lundqvist showed up off his best stuff.

The 4-3 victory over Calgary was a come from behind at MSG. Rick Nash scored the tying goal on a rebound for his eighth goal since the new calendar year. That gave him 17 continuing to boost his trade value. J.T. Miller made a brilliant pass across for a Mika Zibanejad power play goal that proved to be the winner. It was a gutsy comeback. But not without Lundqvist saving their bacon with a remarkable sliding save on a dive across to deny a two-on-one. In relief of a injured Pavelec (out 2-3 weeks), he stopped 28 of 30 shots to pick up the victory.

It was a similar story on Sunday. Only 24 seconds in, Winnipeg thought they scored the game’s first goal on a Tyler Myers blast. But a offside challenge proved it was offside with a skate in the air instead of on the blueline. It was close but the right call.

Undeterred, the Jets came right back on a legal goal from Nikolaj Ehlers on a open one-timer at 1:06 past Lundqvist for a 1-0 lead. Winnipeg took it to the Rangers early outshooting them 11-6 in the first period. But Lundqvist never allowed anything else to get by him legally.

The Rangers responded well. A Ehlers giveaway allowed Mats Zuccarello to break a long scoring slump when he was able to sneak a wrist shot past Connor Hellebuyck late in the first. It was a momentum turning goal. His team was much better in the second getting 18 shots on Hellebuyck, who kept the game tied.

With the game still tied at one with under four minutes to go, Jimmy Vesey picked a good time to score his 11th in his first game back after missing the past three due to a concussion sustained on a dirty Filip Forsberg elbow. On the winning play, David Desharnais got the puck to Brady Skjei at the point. His long shot was headed wide until Vesey got a piece of it for a big goal at 16:07. It was a nice moment for a player who too often has found himself outside the top nine.

Lundqvist came up big again with under two minutes remaining when he slid across to rob Mark Scheifele on a one-timer. Just a great read by a laser focused goalie whose competitive fire remains intact following the team’s plans. The thing is he can steal games. With the Metro the way it is, the last place Rangers sit only two out of the final wildcard due to the recent Devils’ struggles and the unpredictable Blue Jackets, Hurricanes and Islanders.

In the win, Lundqvist finished with 36 saves. So, after replacing Pavelec, he’s turned aside 65 of 68 shots recording two wins. That included 17 of 17 in the third period with the ice tilted. Winnipeg had another goal taken away due to a high stick. The correct call by the refs which video review confirmed.

So, the Rangers find themselves in a odd position. Still very much alive in the wildcard chase with 59 points in 56 games, they know a few players will be relocating in the next two weeks. Nash is the most likely candidate with at least a dozen teams interested. Grabner could also go along with Nick Holden.

So too could McDonagh with the Lightning involved. The Rangers reportedly want 19-year old rookie Mikhail Sergachev. Highly unlikely. Tampa is rumored to be offering 2017 first round pick Cal Foote, a first round pick and another piece. The Bruins and Wild are also interested. If they really can get a top prospect, a first and either a second prospect or second round pick, I would do it. McDonagh has been a very good Ranger who has been a big reason for the deep runs in ‘12, ‘14 and ‘15. But he’s signed through 2019 and will command upwards of $7 million. That makes him likely a goner.

The Rangers have to do what’s best for the team moving forward. They must build towards the future. Whatever happens these final 26 games of the regular season, so be it.

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Devils roller-coaster season continues this weekend

Posted on February 10, 2018 by hasan4978

At arguably the Devils’ high water mark of the season just after Christmas, the team was sitting pretty at 22-9-5, two points up on the Caps for first place in the Metro with two games in hand and also eight points up on a playoff spot nearing the halfway point of the season.  However, their post-holiday swoon has now been extended for a month and a half after dissapointing losses at Ottawa and home against the Flames this week.  Things have now changed with the Devils having gone 5-9-3 since December 27.  At seven points behind the Caps the division is a pipedream as it should be, but their once firm grip on a playoff spot is also slowly evaporating, with just a three point cushion on Carolina (two games in hand) and four points on Columbus (one game in hand) with a huge head-to-head game this evening.

Our last two weeks have been a perfect prism for how the entire season’s gone.  Following the All-Star break the Devils put up a nice three-game winning streak including beating the Penguins and Flyers that had many including me hopeful they’d finally busted out of their January doldrums.  Guess again!  A dissapointing loss in Ottawa where foolish penalties and bad goaltending put them hopelessly behind the ball against a team that’s been a dumpster fire all season followed by a frustrating loss at home against the Flames where the team dominated late but couldn’t quite make the same late-game comeback this team frequently is the victim of put the Devils right back on the griddle.

As is the case with teams in a prolonged skid, there’s obviously more than one cause but right now the focus (for me) is squarely on the goaltending, in part because after playing just one and a half games in a month’s time, there’s still no timetable for the return of Cory Schnieder to the Devils’ net.  With Schneider out the Devils’ goaltending has been sub-optimal to put it mildly, and almost entirely with Keith Kinkaid in net.  Although Kinkaid played decently during the three-game winning streak, his stretches of good play have been few and far between with a 3.12 GAA and .893 save percentage.  It’s a wonder Kinkaid’s won ten of his seventeen starts with numbers like that but make no mistake about it, this also isn’t the same team of the first half that could compensate for bad goaltending with an offense hitting on all cylinders – more on that later.

One way or another they’re going to need better goaltending and if they’re not going to get it from Kinkaid, GM Ray Shero needs to think about bringing someone in or coach John Hynes needs to be willing to give the other in-house options a chance.  Granted, Eddie Lack hasn’t been anything great his last couple years either and Ken Appelby is struggling in the AHL but the definition of insanity is doing the same failed thing and expecting different results – plus sometimes you can catch lightning in a bottle.  Just ask Brent Sutter, whose best moment as a Devils coach was when he quickly shelved Kevin Weekes and gave Scott Clemmensen a chance in 2009 when the Devils were faced with a four-month absence for Martin Brodeur.  Hynes hasn’t been nearly that bold, giving Kinkaid his sixth straight start in the huge road tilt at Columbus this evening.

Obviously goaltending’s not the only issue right now but it seems the most pressing (and correctable) one with the defense continuing to struggle, and the staff now defaulting to playing vets – re: Ben Lovejoy – thus leaving Mirco Mueller and Steven Santini on the outside looking in.  Although Lovejoy’s been okay in his third pairing role, the team’s periperhals and record have suffered with him in the lineup.  Not to mention Mueller seemed to be improving after getting off of IR, but he and Santini have fallen victim to a numbers’ game, especially Santini who went from the penthouse (first pairing) to the outhouse (playing for a bad AHL team).  You would think at some point coach Hynes would want to shuffle the deck a little bit and at least give the other youngsters the same soft landing role he’s given Lovejoy.

Not that it really matters when your #1 defenseman (Andy Greene) is more or less playing like he should be a #6 defenseman, but still eventually you need to find someone besides Damon Severson or in-season acquisition Sami Vatanen to play at a legit top four D level.  Despite his impending free agency John Moore still seems to have immunity from the accountability hammer for bad mistakes but at some point the Devils are going to have to choose between Moore and Mueller since Greene’s not going anywhere through the end of next year at least, and rookie Will Butcher shouldn’t go anywhere among our LD options.

Of course, Butcher (like the other rookies on offense) does seem to be hitting a wall offensively, which isn’t a terribly big surprise to this blogger and why I never truly felt a playoff spot was a given, even at our high water mark in December.  When a big chunk of your offense is dependent on two teenagers and a college D all playing their first pro seasons, a downturn in production was inevitable.  At that high water mark on December 27, the Devils had 116 goals in their first 36 games, but have scored just 43 in the 17 since.  Along with the rookies you also had guys like Brian Boyle and Brian Gibbons playing over their head offensively early on, but both their goal-scoring binges eventually ran dry and now Gibbons – a key penalty killer – is on the shelf for multiple weeks, which partly facilitated our weeklong fascination with an 11-7 lineup configuration.

As a result, you now have an offense with an enormous gap between Taylor Hall and everyone else not named Taylor Hall.  To wit:

  1. Hall 54 points – 48 GP
  2. Hischier 31 points – 53 GP
  3. Bratt 31 points – 52 GP
  4. Butcher 29 points – 53 GP

Not to mention Hall’s 20 goals leads the team by a healthy margin over Miles Wood’s 14 in second.  Those numbers show not only how important Hall is (and perfectly illustrate why the offense was hopeless in the games Hall missed before the break) but how much of the load the rookies have taken on.

Two names missing on those lists are Kyle Palmieri and Marcus Johansson, both were expected to be top six forwards and big contributors to the offense but injuries and inconsistency have slowed both with Palmieri mostly struggling (and having missed 19 games due to various ailments) after the first month of the season, while Johansson was having a poor season (Fourteen points and a -11 in 29 GP) even before Brad Marchand cruelly took him out with his second long-term concussion of the season, and without being too fatalist both his struggles and his concussion issues might put his future as a Devil in peril given he’s only signed through next year.  Clearly this team could at least use a return to form from Palmieri and perhaps someone else to step up whether it’s Johnasson returning or an in-season callup like John Quenneville or Nick Lappin being given a chance to make a splash.

Writing all this out only tells me that Shero shouldn’t be going nuts trying to improve the team at the deadline unless a long-term solution on D is found and Shero indicated as much lately.  Not quite the theatrical display or headline grabber that the Rangers’ white flag letter is, but prudent nonethless.  They have too many internal options on D they need to evaluate as is, though certainly an improvement there would be welcome.  Up front it doesn’t make sense to expend assets for a big acquisition given the Devils’ youth already on the team and in the pipeline.  Could another goalie be brought in assuming this injury to Cory keeps him out for a long period?  Perhaps though even with the state of mediocrity at the goaltending position it’s hard to envision us spending to get someone better than our internal options for approximately 15-20 starts (if that).

Besides, the only realistic goal this season should be to make the playoffs.  Doing anything in them is gravy.  That said, after the team was in such good position it would be a bitter dissapointment to not make the postseason, especially with the rest of the Metro inconsistent or struggling outside of the Caps and a woken-up Pens team.  It would be especially bitter for Hall, who still hasn’t made the postseason in his NHL career between his time in Edmonton and last season here, and for a fanbase looking to get rejuvanated after five straight years in the wilderness.

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Rebuilding is the right move for Rangers

Posted on February 9, 2018 by Derek
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Rangers GM Jeff Gorton was joined by Team President Glen Sather at a press conference Thursday to announce the team’s plans to rebuild. The right move for the future. AP Photo via Getty Inages courtesy NY Daily News 

By now, we’ve seen the joint press conference where GM Jeff Gorton did most of the talking with Team President Glen Sather standing in support of the Rangers future. Even if the rare announcement which the team also tweeted as a press release to disenchanted fans was clearly for PR purposes following Jim Dolan’s latest fiasco that upset many season ticket holders, it was still refreshing to see the organization acknowledge the obvious.

The 2017-18 New York Rangers aren’t good enough to compete in the playoffs for a championship. Injuries aside to key players Chris Kreider, Kevin Shattenkirk, Pavel Buchnevich, Marc Staal and Jimmy Vesey, the writing has been on the wall for a while. With three losses on a four-game road trip, it was a hint of what was to come.

Since the break, they haven’t won a single game in regulation dropping four straight with two on home ice in ugly fashion. After getting beat badly by Toronto a week ago, they were blown out by a superior Boston club on Rivalry Night. The 6-1 drubbing may as well have been one of its worst installments beckoning to a darker time in Rangerstown.

This team isn’t easy to watch. There are moments where I barely pay attention to what’s happening on the TV. It’s depressing. A team that’s easy to play against without emotion isn’t what fans want to see. The product they’ve put out is the worst since the Dark Ages (‘98-04) Error. Yes. I misspelled it intentionally.

I went to last night’s game. It was the third time we left early. The first came way back in October against the Devils. There was another time they played so poorly, we went home after the second period. My family did last week as well. Could you blame them? When you’re bad, the opponent doesn’t take you seriously. Hence Boston played backup Anton Khudobin in the second of a back-to-back. The Rangers don’t have much firepower and are so inept defensively, it doesn’t take a lot to beat them.

Truthfully, they were fine in the first period playing the Bruins on mostly even terms except the scoreboard. Following a pretty Rick Nash goal in which he abused Zdeno Chara and scored his 16th to further raise his value for the trade deadline, the B’s took advantage of two Ranger mistakes. The first came from lost defenseman Brendan Smith. A awful turnover at the blueline resulted in a 3-on-1 rush that resulted in the tying goal on a rebound with Tony DeAngelo, J.T. Miller and David Desharnais all passengers.

The second was simply overmatched defenseman Steven Kampfer losing a battle that allowed Boston to keep the puck in. They got it to Chara for a bomb right through a Mats Zuccarello screen for a 2-1 lead.

Shots at the end of one were 11-11. The Blueshirts only totaled 11 more the rest of the game. The Bruins seized control by dominating the final two periods. They scored six unanswered en route to a easy rout for another win. They don’t lose games anymore. It’s easy to see why.

Henrik Lundqvist allowed a rare soft goal to Patrice Bergeron right through the wickets. He was anticipating a better shot high glove. But Bergeron missed with it deflecting softly off Nick Holden and rolled past Lundqvist like the Mookie Wilson ground ball through Bill Buckner. He admitted that the first two goals effected his psyche. He said he wasn’t aggressive enough on goals three and four before giving way to Ondrej Pavelec. That’s a pretty good indicator of how much pressure he feels.

Ryan McDonagh called it embarrassing and the worst game he can remember playing as a Ranger. He sounded depressed on the ride home. Who can blame him? He has to do too much for this team to win. He has no top pair partner with Holden coach Alain Vigneault’s choice by default. Holden likely will also go in the final year of his contract. So too should leading finisher Michael Grabner. But what about McDonagh, whose name has been mentioned with Tampa a likely destination? If they’re willing to pay the price, why not. He can reunite with Dan Girardi and play second pair with Victor Hedman and Anton Stralman top pair.

Mats Zuccarello is also available. But the market might not be as strong for the playmaking gritty forward who remains stuck on eight goals despite leading the team in scoring. Like McDonagh, his contract runs through 2019.

With Lundqvist all in, the Rangers can do what’s best for the future. That includes waiving Smith, who was a disaster in the first year of a four-year contract of over $4 million per season. He’s not been close to the same player they acquired last year from Detroit.

Smith got his new contract last summer and got married. He also attended seven weddings. Management was said to be furious with him. He came into camp out of shape and never recovered. They sat him out a bunch of times. Nothing worked. Now, he’ll clear waivers and go down to Hartford. Gorton teemed it “shock treatment.” If he rediscovers his game, he could still be part of the team next season. It’s not like someone is going to take their hands off the remaining three years.

For now, another young defenseman gets a chance to play. Neal Pionk was recalled from Hartford. He turned his season around. Hopefully, he can make a good impression with the big club. That should mean making his NHL debut Friday night at MSG against another tough opponent in Calgary. They defeated the Devils last night. They can score goals and are more physical than the Bruins, who could be the East’s best. But they’ll still have to go through Toronto, Tampa and likely Pittsburgh or Washington.

The thing about rebuilds is this. You can be successful if you promote young talent and give it a chance. Something Vigneault has been unwilling to do. Is he the right coach moving forward? Listening to Gorton in a interview with ESPN’s Michael Kay and Don LaGreca, it sounded like probably no. He hinted at Vigneault having to decide what’s best for his future. Even though he praised the coach for the good job he’s done in five years, it sounds like they might be overhauling the coaching staff following the season.

That’s also assuming the team doesn’t make the playoffs. It’s crazy to think they can given how bad they’re playing. They have only two points out of a possible 16 over the past eight games. Yet remain three behind second wildcard Columbus, who stayed there due to a Islanders’ 4-3 loss to the Sabres. The Flyers are up to 61 points and only one behind the Devils for third place in the division.

Somehow, the Blueshirts with 55 points and none since a crazy win at San Jose before the break, remain in play despite falling to last place in the Metro. It’s absurd. Nobody can put together a good stretch to create distance. The Devils have 62 points and are third. The Flyers have 61 and in the first wildcard. The Blue Jackets despite some awful losses including a brutal one to the Caps late in regulation remain in the last wildcard with 58. Then the Isles with 58 and Hurricanes with 57 followed by the Rangers. With 52 points, the Panthers are coming. They’re making a push.

None of this matters. Management isn’t fooled by it. They know the team cannot continue as it is. That’s why they’re willing to reverse course and sacrifice the present for the future. The days of throwing away first or second round picks are over. It’s now about recouping as many assets as possible.

No matter how difficult this might be, it’s for the best. I’ve been through the tough times before. Wednesday night was very familiar. It’s been a long season. Even Gorton admitted that.

For the younger generation who bleed blue, it’ll be harder. They haven’t been through this before. Not every rebuild happens right away. It’s gonna require patience. Let’s hope for the best.

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Rangers brutalized literally in latest loss

Posted on February 4, 2018 by Derek

It’s bad enough this team is hard on the eyes. Following Thursday’s 4-0 humiliation at the hands of the superior Maple Leafs, the Rangers were brutalized literally in their latest loss to Nashville 5-2 in Music City. The fifth defeat in the last six games spanning the All-Star break dropped them to last place in the Metro Division.

Forget the playoffs. With injuries continuing to mount, the Wolf Pack may as well be the new team name. It’s bad enough Peter Holland is centering the third line. David Desharnais is the fourth line center. Without Chris Kreider (rib resection surgery) and Pavel Buchnevich (concussion), the lineup is already bad. Now, they could be without Jimmy Vesey and Marc Staal. Both took cheap shots from Predators and left the game in the second period. Of course, no penalty was called. Why would there be from a league with its head so far up its ass, it insults the intelligence of every hockey fan.

Maybe the Predators should be renamed the cheapshot artists. What they were allowed to get away with is unconscionable. They’re a much better team and showed why by playing a straight forward North/South game shooting pucks and creating chances while finishing every check. There’s no reason for them to need the blind refs to bend the rules. They missed blatant calls on Alexei Emelin and Filip Forsberg. It overshadowed a game they controlled.

Everyone who follows our team knows they aren’t tough by any stretch. When they start hitting back as Brady Skjei did stepping up for a bloodied Vesey following a Forsberg late cheap shot that stunned him, you know just how ugly it was. Vesey will never be a fan favorite in Nashville after spurning them to sign here. But it was totally uncalled for by Forsberg.

Prior to his shoulder with the elbow coming up on a unsuspecting Vesey with the puck gone, you had Emelin going up high on a prone Staal in the corner. The end result was a nasty hit that could’ve concussed Staal. He got up and skated off. But he would eventually leave the game. Hopefully, it’s just precautionary. With his injury history, there’s obvious concern.

When I first saw the hit, I thought it should’ve been five and a game misconduct. The question is did Emelin leave his feet launching himself into Staal. That is a better one for the Department of Player Safety. A inconsistent mess who nobody can figure out. Staal’s head was down due to his positioning. The impact was scary. It had to be something. Not in this league where the stripes would rather call hooks and holds than more dangerous hits. It was a head shot. Emelin should be suspended.

I actually was more angry with Forsberg than Emelin. He’s a offensive player who you don’t expect it from. This isn’t Brad Marchand, who got a much deserved five-game suspension for his elbow that concussed Marcus Johansson. Forsberg went out of his way to deliver a unnecessary cheapshot on Vesey. He deserves at least a fine. It will be up to the idiocy who run the bureaucracy. Don’t expect much.

As for the final score, it was indictative of the two teams. The Preds outshot the Rangers 12-5 in the first without any scoring. They got a goal from P.K. Subban in the first minute of the second with his 13th deflecting off Vesey passed Henrik Lundqvist, who was blameless a day after indicating that he is all in regardless whether the Rangers sell. He’s a classy athlete who’s the polar opposite of the selfish NBA superstars LeBron “LeFraud” James, Chris “CPKNEE” Paul and Kevin Durant. If only there were more loyal athletes like Lundqvist.

Before the conclusion of a aggravating second, Kevin Fiala scored off another Ranger mistake. Think of it as a tradition. It doesn’t matter who it is. It’s inflicted the entire roster. They only had eight total shots after 40 minutes compared to the Preds’ 23. That’s embarrassing. At least they had a excuse. They were down two skaters.

Of course, they remembered to show up for the third. J.T. Miller had a nice redirection of a Mats Zuccarello shot pass for a power play goal that cut it to 2-1. Ryan McDonagh continued to produce since replacing injured Kevin Shattenkirk on the top power play unit. He set up the goal and finished with two assists while doing all he can in over 25 minutes. I feel sorry for him. He takes his lumps while being relied on too much. He doesn’t have a true first pair partner. Nick Holden is who he is. I’ll leave it at that.

Brendan Smith has played so poorly that I wish they could designate him for assignment. It would be a admission that giving him a four-year contract in excess of $4 million AAV was a huge mistake. He took his usual bad penalty and was caught out of position on a Preds goal that came in direct response to a Ranger one. That’s who this team is. Smith is a huge part of the problem.

Mika Zibanejad scored on the power play with his great one-timer beating Pekka Rinne. McDonagh and Miller assisted. I like Zibanejad but the idea that he’s a number one center is foolish. He finished the game minus-three. I’ll discount the last minus on Fiala’s empty netter. But his play at five-on-five isn’t good. He floats during shifts and never goes up against the opponent’s top line. He’s not that guy. So you can cite whatever offensive stats you want. The Rangers remain weak in the middle. Good thing Jeff Gorton took Lias Andersson and Filip Chytil.

I have more respect for Kevin Hayes, who in Year 4 is learning to become a better overall player. The one positive from soon to be fired coach Alain Vigneault is he turned Hayes into a responsible two-way center who can match up against top scoring lines. His scoring has suffered but he’s a more complete player drawing the tough assignments while being a strong penalty killer and improved in the face-off dot.

There isn’t much else to say. Tony DeAngelo had another solid game. He is a lot more decisive and is making good reads. He should never play in the AHL ever again.

Credit Cody McLeod for shoving Austin Watson down during a scrum. Yes. It was late. But the way his former team played, it was good to see him do it. That’s what it’s come to.

Finally, expect the Rangers to ask Rick Nash to make his list of teams of who he would accept a deal to. As reported on Hockey Night In Canada during the second intermission Hot Stove segment. Winnipeg could be interested despite their offensive talent. We’ll see.

As far as Michael Grabner goes, I really wish they could keep him. He nearly set up Holland’s first which would’ve tied it at two. But the play was correctly ruled offside on a successful challenge from Nashville coach Peter Laviolette. Grabner is a gamer who is tops in goals on this team for a reason. But they must do what’s best for business.

I’ll have more in the coming days.

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Back…with a vengeance

Posted on February 3, 2018 by hasan4978

Just a week ago at the All-Star break things looked bleak for the Devils, with the team in a death spiral of losing combined with some key injuries, it seemed as if this season was going to go the way of the last two where early promise gave way to late-season collapse.  Perhaps Brian Boyle’s All-Star weekend helped overall team morale, or maybe the team just needed this break at the right time (unlike the couple of other long ones they’ve had this season).  Whatever happened last weekend, this week the Devils looked more like the pre-holidays version of the team that opened eyes around the league and picked up three big wins, each more crucial than the last.

First, the Devils scratched out a win in Buffalo on Tuesday with Taylor Hall making a triumphant return to the lineup, scoring what proved to be the game-winning goal in the second period of a 3-1 game that wasn’t settled till Kyle Palmieri’s empty-netter in the final moments.  Then came Thursday’s home tilt with the Flyers, a team that owned us in the first two matchups of the season.  Due to a scheduling conflict I couldn’t attend or even watch the game, but knew I was missing something really juicy when I saw that Travis Zajac of all people beat down Radko Gudas in one of the few fights of the veteran centerman’s career.  Later I found out Gudas had taken a careless if not outright cheap shot, jumping up and hitting Palmieri in the head.  Of course not only did Gudas not get suspended or even a major penalty for the hit on Palms, but it was Zajac who got the extra penalty for instigating a fight after Gudas left the box.  Just par for the course this season, especially when Wayne Simmonds scored to tie the game and the Flyers took the lead in the second period.

Still trailing in the third, the Devils rallied for perhaps their biggest win of the season, starting when Damon Severson scored to tie the game with nine minutes left.  Then with less than ninety seconds remaining in regulation, Blake Coleman’s pass went around defenseman Ivan Provorov and right to a falling Nico Hischier – who managed to deflect the puck through backup goaltender Alex Lyon – giving the Devils a lead they wouldn’t relinquish and a win that showed they weren’t going to back down.  Yet, even after this win I was still wary.  For one, it was non-confirmation bias since I hadn’t been able to see the Flyer game and went back and forth between the Sabres game and the State of the Union nonsense on Tuesday, but more importantly the Devils had two-game spasm of a winning streak against the Isles and Caps a couple weeks ago before getting blown out of the water in Philly and resuming their losing ways.  Facing a hot Pittsburgh team (even one without key winger Patric Hornqvist) tonight didn’t seem to be an optimum time for our first matchup of the season after the Pens had sleptwalked through the first half of the season they’ve been playing like the two-time champs more recently.

Before getting to the game tonight, I got to take advantage of a season ticket perk last night and attend a ‘meet the young Devils’ fan event at the Prudential Center where basically half the team including all of the star rookies (like Nico and Jesper Bratt) made the rounds for two hours between picture lines and mock pressers with Matt Loughlin.  Honestly the pressers and hearing the players answer fan questions – and some from Matt – while interacting with each other appealed to me more than waiting in photo lines for long stretches – and hopefully I’ll get other chances at photos down the road anyway -so I just sat through the four different half-hour mini pressers.  You do get to see a hint of the different personality of the players between Miles Wood giving Severson the needle about his footwear or Severson and Bratt busting on Nico for his ‘varied’ taste in locker room music, not to mention Coleman despite being a rookie himself coming off like the older big brother to the teenage rookies…after all, Coleman IS 26 and barely qualifies as a young Devil.  Some fan questions were awkward and Nico had a charming flub when asked who he would dream of facing in the Stanley Cup Finals he said the Rangers – obviously a current impossibility under the playoff format – but most did a good job and the fan events are always a nice add-on for season ticket holders.

Ironically that was my first good trip to the Prudential Center since the losing started just after Christmas but getting a win out of tonight was infinitely more important for everyone involved.  Right from the hop the Devils came out as if still energized from the Flyer game and skated downhill for much of the night.  If not for some inspired goaltending from rookie Casey DeSmith (who I never heard of until tonight) the game could well have been 5 or 6-0 after two periods but it took two dominant periods just to get a two-goal lead, both with the newly minted checking like of Coleman-Zajac and Stefan Noesen in the middle of the offensive action with Zajac and Coleman each getting a goal and an assist in a three-minute span while Noesen assisted on both goals as well.  While the Devils were dominating and outshooting the Pens 29-10 after 40 minutes I’d seen too many multi-goal leads blown to relax.

Sure enough things started to get tense again when Evgeni Malkin did Evgeni Malkin things dancing through defensemen Ben Lovejoy and Mirco Mueller before going around Keith Kinkaid for a typically spectactular goal to make it 2-1 and send the visions of blown leads past dancing in my head again.  Then out of nowhere it was Zajac, continuing his unlikely breakout with a tip-in of a Severson shot that restored the Devils’ two goal lead midway through the third.  Consider that Zajac had seven points in just thirty-three games this season before tonight returning from injury and looked washed up, certainly offensively.  Perhaps the fight with Gudas gave him a little extra adrenaline carryover.  Certainly it inspired his peers.

Ah yes Crosby…the only times I wound up noticing 87 at all are when he uncharacteristically missed an open net late in the second period, and on the game’s most contreversial play in the third when Kinkaid caught a stick up high and while struggling to get back to his feat got conked again on the head – from a Crosby shot that went into the net.  However, for once we finally caught a break on the whistle when the refs correctly ruled goalie interference and this time even the dreaded video review couldn’t change that.

Perhaps it was fitting after our cycle of death started with the bad offside review against the Sabres that one finally going our way helped put the memories of our January losing behind us.  Also tonight’s game was uplifting in that two players that struggled for much of the season in Zajac and goalie Kinkaid (despite his good record) led the way in a big win that bumped us back into second place and restored a little more of the playoff cushion that got lost in January.  One other meaningful component of the win was that the Devils went 0-for-5 against the Pens last year.  Not that it meant anything considering this year’s team is clearly much different but it’s definitely nice to show the big boys we can play with them too.

With 31 games left in the regular season the Devils are back in reasonably good position, five points up on a playoff spot with still a game or two in hand but now’s not the time to take a break, especially with a potential trap game coming up against Ottawa on Tuesday.  While the Sens have had a dissapointing season they’re still capable of playing us well and did in two barnburner games earlier this year.  While goalie Cory Schneider still seems a ways away from returning at least Kinkaid’s improved play has quelled the urgency of finding a solution at the goaltender position.  In fact, coach John Hynes challenged all of his goalies to play better after the last poor game against Nashville before the break.  Keith, like the rest of the Devils have risen to the challenge so far since the break.

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Who wants the two wildcards in the crowded Metro?

Posted on February 1, 2018 by Derek
Keith Yandle, Mats Zuccarello Ryan McDonagh

Ryan McDonagh and Mats Zuccarello have done a lot of celebrating along with Henrik Lundqvist since the Rangers run in 2014.

With the All-Star break concluding highlighted by Brian Boyle replacing Taylor Hall to represent the Devils to thunderous applause in Tampa from appreciative fans who support the courageous vet battling Leukemia, the question of the day remains the same. Who wants the two wildcards in the Eastern Conference?

It’s not easily answered. With the Pens starting to right the ship now that Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are on fire along with starter Matt Murray finally healthy, it looks like the two-time defending champs will play themselves into a top three finish in the Metro Division. They should overtake the Devils or Blue Jackets.

Assuming that’s the case, it would push either New Jersey or Columbus down to the crazy wildcard competition with the rest of the division. The other five teams are battling for the final two spots. At present entering Thursday’s slate on February 1, the Pens’ recent hot streak has vaulted them up to second with 59 points. One ahead of the Devils, who got a much needed win over the Sabres on Tuesday. They sit third with 58. A identical amount of points to the Blue Jackets. However, they have played one less game and posted one more win in regulation/overtime which is the first tiebreaker.

Columbus sits in the first wildcard. The Flyers remain in the second one despite a disappointing 5-3 loss at the Caps on Rivalry Night. A game they led 2-0 after a period turned into five straight Washington goals. They visit Newark later tonight for a big game between I-95 rivals. The Flyers have won the last two match-ups.

While Philadelphia remains in the second wildcard with 56 points and two more ROW (24), the Rangers finally return to action by hosting Toronto at MSG. At 55 points with 22 ROW and 32 games remaining, they can go one of two ways. With rumors circulating that changes could be on the horizon come Feb. 26, they can either put a good stretch together and change the organization’s mind or continue their inconsistent ways and fall out of the race.

Considering how teams keep losing around them including the Islanders, who dropped two in a row in ugly fashion following a feel good road win at Vegas, the Blueshirts should probably hang around. If for no other reason, a healthy and motivated Henrik Lundqvist continues to have a bounce back year. He maybe turning 36 in a month like tennis pal Roger Federer but you’d never know it. He’s faced a high volume of shots with many quality and has posted a .922 save percentage. The 2.61 goals-against-average is very respectable given the amount of work the affable Swede’s put in. With 21 victories, he needs nine more to reach 30 for the 12th time in his illustrious 13-year career. The only season he didn’t was the shortened year of ‘12-13 when he still won 24.

With scoring drying up since Chris Kreider went down, Lundqvist has kept his team in almost every game. Games such as the Ducks disappointment in which they chased him have been rare. The Rangers were able to salvage the final game of a otherwise bad four-game road trip by edging the Sharks thanks to Kevin Hayes’ return and J.T. Miller responding well to a benching with three points. They’re hoping that will provide a spark.

Even though the defense remains sketchy, Tony DeAngelo has shown improvement since returning following Kevin Shattenkirk having surgery which should keep him out at least another four to six weeks. The young right defenseman from New Jersey has recorded two assists while providing a steady puckmoving D in Shattenkirk’s place. Hopefully, he can build on it.

There remain plenty of questions. Ryan McDonagh could be available if the team decides that’s the best course of action moving forward. They’re not thinking about this Spring but rather long-term. Both McDonagh and popular leading point getter Mats Zuccarello have one year remaining on their deals. Whether it’s at the deadline, this summer or next year, one or both could be on the market.

If McDonagh can be had, it’s time for the club to find out about sophomore Brady Skjei. A skilled player with better speed, skating and size, he would automatically become the team’s best number one option. But is a coaching staff that’s been conservative with young players the right fit? That is highly unlikely.

The Rangers seem to have found something by substituting Rick Nash for Kreider on the top line with Mika Zibanejad and Pavel Buchnevich. Nash caught fire recording three two-goal games in January hiking his total to 15. But with his contract expiring, he’s likely to be traded to a contender for a good draft pick and prospect.

Then there’s Michael Grabner. A perfect fit due to his combination of defensive acumen and game breaking speed, he’s posted the most goals (48) since the start of ‘16-17 after signing. His 27 markers ranked second last year behind Kreider (28). His 21 pace the Blueshirts. Most amazing is most of the production has come at even strength. Grabner recently added a shorthanded goal. He doesn’t play power play and has fluctuated between the third and fourth line most of ‘17-18. He’s penciled in on the third line tonight with Peter Holland and Jesper Fast. Unfortunately, his value won’t ever be higher. A pending unrestricted free agent this summer, he’s a perfect candidate for a team to acquire. His speed and shooting percentage make him a good rental.

So much is predicated on what the Rangers do over the next three and a half weeks. They can also rid themselves of Nick Holden, who’s been miscast on the top pair out of necessity. On a better team, he can be more serviceable as a second or third pair D who can contribute offensively. It’s amazing how the critics have conveniently forgotten his 11 goals, 23 helpers and 34 points from last season. All career bests. While it’s easy to take apart his defensive shortcomings, the notion that he’s been a underachiever is wrong. They only gave up a fourth round pick and can probably get it back if not a third in a buyers market.

Like many, I want to see the team do what’s best for the future. This isn’t a championship contender. They have some tough decisions coming starting this summer with key RFA’s Hayes, Miller, Skjei and Jimmy Vesey. Then comes next summer depending on what happens with the big two of McDonagh and Zuccarello. Do they want to pay a big price for either into their 30’s when they’ll decline?

If they do make the postseason, it’ll be due to the performance of Hayes, Miller and Zuccarello who currently comprise the second line. Nobody can predict what GM Jeff Gorton will do and how it’ll impact the lineup. With 2017 first round picks Lias Andersson and Filip Chytil in Hartford along with Vinni Lettieri, changes are coming.

As far as the Wild Wild Eastern wildcard goes, it’s anyone’s guess. All the remaining contenders are flawed. The Flyers had a great January but can revert due to their goalies and defense. The big line of Claude Giroux, Sean Couturier and Jake Voracek lead the way along with Wayne Simmonds, offensive defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere and future defensive star Ivan Provorov. The Blue Jackets don’t score consistently enough and Sergei Bobrovsky hasn’t been the same since mid-December. They’re banking on Cam Atkinson to bolster a offense led by Russian wizard Artemi Panarin. Seth Jones and Zach Werenski are big factors from the blueline.

The Islanders can handle the Rangers and beat good opponents but then fall flat due to a dreadful D that puts too much stress on Jaro Halak or Thomas Greiss. Led by ace John Tavares, Anders Lee, Josh Bailey and Calder front runner Mathew Barzal along with Jordan Eberle plus emerging second-year man Anthony Beauvillier, they have plenty of offense. The rest is a giant question mark.

The Devils are good offensively when Hall is going along with rookies Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt. But they need more from Kyle Palmieri with Marcus Johansson (concussion) out. Plus continued leadership from inspiration Boyle and offensive defensemen Will Butcher and Damon Severson. Cory Schneider can’t do it alone. Backup Keith Kinkaid had one of his better games the other day.

Quietly up to 54 points with just 20 ROW, the Hurricanes are hit or miss. Like the Devils, they’re a young club that depends on key scorers Sebastian Aho, Jeff Skinner and Teuvo Teravainen. They also have vets like Jordan Staal, Justin Williams and Victor Rask who can aid their push. First-time All-Star Noah Hanifin and Justin Faulk are important cogs to the back end. But can Cam Ward carry this team into the playoffs with Scott Darling clearly the backup?

As one can conclude, there’s no correct answer. Unless Detroit or Florida with the Panthers more capable of making a run, the Metro should place five teams in the playoffs. After the Caps and Pens, who will be the remaining three? We’ll have to find out.

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Playing Cody McLeod over Paul Carey is as absurd as Vesey on fourth line

Posted on January 31, 2018 by Derek

Entering the season, we knew the Rangers weren’t tough. They added no one to address that area by design.

Under Alain Vigneault, they play a certain way. A skating transition style who chooses quality over quantity in shots. By not always shooting, they leave themselves vulnerable to turnovers in the neutral zone and offensive end. That can fuel opponents’ transition.

In a mediocre first half if you can call having 32 games left following the All-Star Game, they often left Henrik Lundqvist and Ondrej Pavelec out to dry. So you get a middling team that enters tomorrow night’s match against the Maple Leafs out of the wildcard.

Without much push back from a roster that often turns the other cheek, it leads to teams crashing into Lundqvist and scrums. Nobody respects this team. They can take runs and not worry about retribution unless Brendan Smith takes matters into his own hands. That is kind of sad.

Say what you want about Tanner Glass. At least he stood up for fallen teammates and did his job. A good character team first guy, the veteran was often criticized for what he wasn’t by many Ranger pundits. His teammates loved him. Something the Corsi metric community fails to understand. Not every player is going to score. This team struggles to score goals and can’t defend.

After 50 games, the organization saw enough to claim enforcer Cody McLeod. A well known tough guy who is ready and willing to drop them, he’s a Ranger for that reason. Maybe seeing Pavel Buchnevich picked on in a recent game out West convinced them to make a move.

The question is why. What’s going to change between now and April? I was under the assumption they would be sellers at the Feb. 26 trade deadline. Even if you must take Larry Brooks with a grain of salt, it makes perfect sense for GM Jeff Gorton to get what he can for expiring contracts including Rick Nash and leading goalscorer Michael Grabner. David Desharnais and Nick Holden are included.

As far as whether or not pending 2019 UFA’s Ryan McDonagh and Mats Zuccarello are dealt, that largely depends on the market. Is there a team that would have interest in renting a good defenseman McDonagh for two years? Toronto possibly. One look at their blueline is enough reason to strongly consider it. But they’ll have to pay a good price.

Zuccarello can definitely aid a team who is looking for a proven playmaking scorer that never backs down. Signed through next year at a cap friendly $4.5 million AAV, he could definitely help a contender. As much as I love him, it’s time to move on.

There’s no reason for Jimmy Vesey to be on the fourth line with Desharnais and McLeod, who will make his Rangers debut over solid depth contributor Paul Carey. I can’t understand it. Are they so concerned all of a sudden about being pushed around? It’s the antithesis of what Vigneault is even if some of his lineups in the past were confusing.

Why should a hard working forward like Carey come out of the lineup for McLeod? Carey has been a nice surprise scoring six goals with six assists in a secondary role. He is a good penalty killer who also netted the club’s first shorthanded goal.

Nothing makes any sense. Not the usage of Vesey, who can go from fourth line to top six and receive power play time. A young player in his second season, he’s been totally mismanaged. He’s one of the few forwards on this roster who goes to the net and mixes it up. When you look at why he has 10 goals, you have to point the finger at the coach.

Nobody will. They did when Buchnevich went from top line to fourth line along with missing some shifts. Granted. He has more talent than Vesey and is tied for second in team scoring with 32 points. The issue is that by having Vesey mostly in a secondary role, it’s no way to properly develop the former Hobey Baker winner. Do you think the Preds would’ve handled him this way had he signed? What about the Sabres who lack scoring depth behind Jack Eichel and Evander Kane?

McLeod will bring what he does and take on all comers. He will play physical and finish checks. This isn’t about him as much as it’s about a confusing organization who leaves its own fans baffled.

I can’t think of one good reason Carey is sitting tomorrow. Just like I can’t think straight regarding Vinni Lettieri, who Vigneault tried in a top six, power play role in his short stint. If he didn’t hit so many posts, he probably would have four or five more goals than the one he produced with three assists in 10 games. He also was moved around.

That’s the coach. It’s confusing. Nothing will ever make sense until the whole staff is gone and they turn over the roster.

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A Salute To Number 68! Saying goodbye to all-time great Jagr is not easy

Posted on January 30, 2018 by Derek
bruins-star-jaromir-jagr-listed-his-favorite-player-growing-up-as-jaromir-jagr

We Salute You Number 68! If this trulyis it for him in the NHL, thank you to one of the all-time best Jaromir Jagr for being a true great of the game. AP Photo via Getty Inages

If this truly is it for Jaromir Jagr, we are saying goodbye to a true hockey legend in every sense of the word. The ageless all-time great has been one in a million. A Eurostar who made hockey so much prettier to watch for fans and journalists.

He made the game look easy. After being drafted by the Penguins fifth overall in 1990, he came in as a Czech teenager and immediately teamed up with Mario Lemieux to win consecutive Stanley Cups. The chemistry between number 66 and number 68 remains poetry in motion. As a Rangers fan who had a couple of big Springs ruined by the dynamic duo, I could only admire them as I got older.

The ‘92 Patrick Division Final stung as a teenager in high school. It was easier to take the five-game second round ouster in ‘96 due to the Rangers winning a Cup in my senior year. The beauty in which Jagr worked with Lemieux was like fine art. Think of them as Renoir or Van Gogh putting the finishing touches on a memorable painting.

Priceless. That’s how I would describe the Lemieux/Jagr Era. The thing about it is what if Mario had not had Hodgkins Disease or missed all that time due to injuries? It’s a age old question. When they went for a three-peat, the underdog Islanders upset them in a physical seven-game series to advance to the Wales Conference Final where they lost to eventual champ Montreal. What if David Volek didn’t score the series winner at The Igloo? Might those Pens have gotten past Patrick Roy and made it three in a row? We’ll never know.

What about that ‘96 run? After Lemieux and Jagr torched the revamped Rangers, they were frustrated against the agitating defensive style of the trapping Panthers when clutching and grabbing stifled the Pens superior attack. It was a much tougher brand of playoff hockey. Eventually, Lemieux retired and left Jagr to take over the leadership role in Pittsburgh.

While it’s easy to point to the amazing goal Jagr scored against the Blackhawks in the repeat in which he undressed them before whipping a backhand past Ed Belfour, my fondest memory remains his heroic performance on one leg in the ‘99 Playoffs to stun heavily favored top seed New Jersey in the first round.

He returned for Game Six with a groin pull. What made Jagr so special was his strength. On one leg, he willed the Pens back to a seven-game upset. It was the way in which he did it that was truly magnificent. Facing the tight checking of future Hall of Famers Scott Stevens and Scott Niedermayer along with the nastiness of Bobby Holik, Jagr kept coming.

With his team trailing by a goal late in regulation, he found a way to stuff in a German Titov drop in front past all-time great Martin Brodeur to tie the game with 2:12 left. The reaction from the home crowd was what you’d expect. That it was on Fox called by Doc Emrick and John Davidson made it better theatre.

Still facing elimination in overtime, a dominant shift by the Jagr line resulted in the momentum turning game-winner. The Devils were unable to change due to turning over pucks in the neutral zone. It would be the death blow. Martin Straka pounced on a turnover and went around a Devil for a two-on-one. The anticipation could be felt as he centered across for a Jagr one-timer top shelf to miraculously win the game to an explosion in the arena.

Maybe that was enough to give his teammates the inspiration needed to go into hostile territory and finish the job. They did. And Jagr was a big part of it along with Straka and ex-Ranger Alexei Kovalev.

I think watching the way they won Game Six with a clearly hurt Jagr leading them with the tying and winning goals is what captivated me. My mind was blown. Coincidentally, that was also the season Jagr won his only Hart Trophy. He won his third Art Ross (second of four straight spanning ‘98-01) by leading the league with 127 points (44-83-127).

For a superstar who won five scoring titles, it’s astonishing that he only won one league MVP. Jagr finished runner-up four times including in ‘05-06 with the Rangers after accurately predicting that they would make the playoffs to end a near decade drought. At 33 going on 34, No. 68 was at his finest shattering single season franchise marks in goals (54) and points (123) to finish second in scoring to Hart recipient Joe Thornton (125). Jumbo Joe edged Jagr for his unreal production with the Sharks following a forgettable trade the Bruins made. It still says in this space Jagr did more with a team predicted by most observers to finish 30th. His astonishing play while playing with Straka and Michael Nylander along with a rookie goalie named Henrik Lundqvist changed the culture on Broadway. Even though they were swept by the rival Devils in a first round in which Jagr hurt himself going after Scott Gomez to be far from 100 percent, what he accomplished was unreal.

After being acquired from the Capitals for Anson Carter in ‘04 prior to the lockout, Jagr spent three full seasons in New York City. A place he wanted to play before the Pens exiled him to Washington in a odd deal that never made sense. Jagr was a Caps killer and he wasn’t motivated leading to criticism. They made the postseason once blowing a first round series to the Lightning.

Following time spent in the KHL with Omsk Avangard, a motivated Jagr was splendid in leading the Blueshirts to three straight postseasons. Playing with Czechs Straka, Petr Prucha, Michal Rozsival and Marek Malik, Jagr didn’t miss one regular season game while pacing the team in scoring each year with 123 points, 96 and 71 respectively between ‘06-08.

It’s astonishing to think just how close the ‘06-07 Rangers were to upsetting the Sabres in a very tight second round series. After losing the first two in Buffalo, behind Jagr they rallied to take the next two at MSG to set up a pivotal Game Five in Western New York. In a very close to the vest game in which Lundqvist didn’t blink before Ryan Miller, Straka beat the Buffalo netminder with over two minutes left to give the Blueshirts a 1-0 lead. I remember being unable to contain my excitement. Could they really pull this off?

But just when it seemed they had it, Chris Drury tied it with 7.7 seconds left to force overtime. It was the closest they came. Maxim Afinogenov broke Ranger hearts when his power play goal in sudden death won it. Despite a great effort from Jagr in a wild Game Six, it wasn’t enough as Buffalo advanced to the Conference Finals. I was heartbroken. That’s how much I wanted to see that team win with Jagr and Lundqvist, who is still searching for his first Cup with a mediocre roster about to be broken up. To put it in proper perspective, he’ll turn 36 on March 2. Jagr will be 46 on February 15.

After one final season in ‘07-08 in which he avenged a first round loss to the Devils with a much better performance along with the same Gomez he injured himself against along with the same Drury who did them in the previous year, the Jagr Era ended in disappointment in Round Two. It came against his first team, the Pens, who were now led by a new dominant duo of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Even though they battled hard, they were simply outgunned by a Pittsburgh team that added Marian Hossa in five games with a crushing conclusion. Hossa ended the series in OT. A bit of revenge for being swept the year before with the Thrashers. Remember when Atlanta had hockey again?

When he hit the open market, Jagr wanted to return but still was asking for top dollar. GM Glen Sather decided to go in a different direction. Instead, Jagr kept a promise he made by returning to Russia to play for Omsk Avangard in the KHL. He would spend the next three seasons there.

Which leads me to the horrible tragedy Jagr experienced as a teammate of former Rangers first round pick Alexei Cherepanov. On a night we were getting ready to leave for MSG, I saw the news flash at the bottom of the screen while Dad and Justin watched a special on Mark Messier. I couldn’t believe it. The teenage prospect who rated high as a potential goalscorer died after a game due to chronic myocardial ischemia. A heart condition that Omsk team doctors were unaware of. He passed out on the bench. The trainers tried to revive him. It’s criminal that they didn’t have a working defibrillator. It could’ve saved his life. So could have a ambulance at the arena. They had to wait before the ambulance came in a last ditch effort to rescue him. It’ll be 10 years on October 13 later this year. Only 19.

There’s no sense wondering what Cherepanov could’ve been capable of. I just wish his life could’ve been saved. Life is precious. Imagine what his family has been through since.

What if Jagr didn’t go back to Russia? He came back to the NHL at 39 with the Flyers. He didn’t miss a beat producing 19 goals and 35 assists for 54 points in 73 games on a line with Claude Giroux. He was more playmaker in doing in his former team the Pens in a Flyers first round win that was memorable for the amount of fights and penalty minutes. Jagr registered a goal and seven assists in the 2012 Playoffs. Sadly, it would be his last postseason goal.

Despite reaching the Stanley Cup Final with the Bruins for the first time since he was 20, Jagr was snake bit in that playoff run during 2013. He still was a very effective puck possession player in the offensive zone producing 10 assists. But he couldn’t finish. I don’t know how many goalposts he hit. But it was a lot. Boston would lose a closely fought series to Chicago in gut wrenching fashion. The Blackhawks stunned the Bruins by tying and scoring the Stanley Cup clincher in the late stages of Game Six. It was astonishing.

Following Boston, he spent time with the Devils, Panthers and Flames. The ageless wonder still amazed crowds with his fitness. Always possessing a strong work ethic along with a winning personality (have you ever seen a better interview for hockey), he still had enough left to pace the Devils and Panthers in scoring.

In ‘13-14, Jagr got to team with Brodeur as the two 40-something legends had a lot of fun together even though the team missed the playoffs. At 42, Jagr totaled 24 goals, 43 assists and 67 points in a full 82. His play was still at a high level. The following year, with his role decreasing, he was traded to the Panthers. He proved the Devils wrong by again discovering the fountain of youth. Taking Sasha Barkov under his wing along with Jonathan Huberdeau, they formed a superb line. In ‘15-16, Jagr paced the Cats in points with 66 (27-39-66) points to lead them to the playoffs. But after winning the Atlantic Division, they were upset by the Islanders in a closely fought first round in six games. Jagr had only two helpers.

After falling to 16 goals and 30 assists for 46 points in ‘16-17, Jagr wasn’t brought back by Florida. They made a lot of changes which haven’t panned out, also letting Jonathan Marchessault go along with Reilly Smith to the Vegas Golden Knights. If only Jagr had wound up there instead of Calgary.

It never worked out. Despite ranking third all-time in games played (1,733) trailing only Mark Messier and Gordie Howe,  third all-time in goals (766) behind Wayne Gretzky and Howe and sitting second all-time in points (1,921) behind the Great One, it looks over.

With Jagr clearing waivers and being assigned to hometown Kladno of the Czech Republic, he will go home and play the rest of the season before his biggest fans. As much as I love him along with countless others, just imagine the excitement for his own country. One more time to see the legendary No. 68 lace them up in the same place he started his brilliant hockey career as a 16-year old. It’s amazing that 40 years later, he’s still playing.

For how long? No one knows. Nobody loves the game more than Jagr. When I think of hockey, I am reminded of him with his classic mullet flowing as he left us breathless with his skating, dekes, toe drags, sweet finishes and scintillating passes. A prideful man with a flamboyant personality that really shined through in his rebirth as a Ranger and was again on display for Devil fans to admire. He’s the opposite of boring. If only there were more Jagrs. We had the Traveling Jagrs who he posed for a photo op with with the Flames. He always leaves you with a smile and laugh. That’s who he is. He made The Traveling Jagrs night.

It’s hard to write this because I don’t want it to end this way. Maybe it’s selfish. But 22 games, one goal against Detroit and six assists is not how I envisioned it. We never do. We want the greatest players to go out on top. It’s so rare in sport. It could happen in tennis with Roger Federer, who just won his record 20th grand slam in Australia. Michael Jordan could’ve gone out that way with his steal and final shot beating Utah for the Bulls sixth NBA championship. But he came out of retirement with Washington. Even Lemieux returned. For a memorable year during ‘00-01, he was unbelievable with Jagr in what amounted to No. 68’s final run with the Pens. A lopsided Conference Final loss to the Devils. Lemieux stuck around and injuries again forced him to hang it up. Brett Hull hung around too long and cried when he called it a career with the Coyotes.

There’s no easy way to see our heroes go out. So I’ll leave you with this. Let’s appreciate greatness. Jaromir Jagr will forever be etched in hockey lore. The greatest European to ever play the game and a all-time great.

If this is it, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I’m so glad I got to see you play live for the Rangers. I wish you could’ve come back one more time.

Thank You Jagr 68!

 

A Longtime Fan and proud owner of a ‘99 home white Pens jersey,

Derek Felix, New York Puck

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Even the wins are ugly

Posted on January 26, 2018 by Derek

By show of hands, how many people stayed up late to watch the game Thursday night in San Jose? Not everyone can due to their schedule. But quite a few including me waited for the late 10:37 PM puck drop and got less sleep.

At least the Rangers managed to win the final game of a ugly four-game road trip to salvage two points with a ugly 6-5 victory over the Sharks. It doesn’t matter where they are in the standings. As it relates to the playoff race, they stand 25-20-5 with 55 points just on the outside looking in at second wildcard Philadelphia.

By now, we know that there’s so much parity in the Metropolitan Division that just a single win can move you up even if you’ve been losing consistently. The Flyers put together a good stretch to reach third in the division with 56 points but a loss in regulation combined with victories by the Blue Jackets and Penguins put them fifth in the Metro behind the slumping Devils and back into the second wildcard. Two total points separate second place from seventh with the Rangers and Islanders each having 55 points through 50 games at the All-Star break. The Islanders won in Vegas 2-1 hanging on to deal the Golden Knights only their third home loss.

What does it all mean? Basically, any of the remaining seven teams including the Hurricanes, who got to 52 with a badly needed victory, can can finish anywhere in the division. That’s assuming the Capitals continue to play well. They’re in first place with 63 points. Six up on Columbus and Pittsburgh. Seven on the Devils and Flyers. Eight ahead of the Rangers and Islanders and 11 clear of the Canes.

The Metro is a competitive division not unlike the Central out West where six total points separate first place Winnipeg from first wildcard Dallas. The second wildcard is up for grabs with the Sharks at 59 points leading a variety of contenders ranging from the Flames, Avalanche, Kings, Wild and Ducks with the Blackhawks lurking behind. Discounting the awful Atlantic Division in the East where the Lightning, Bruins and Maple Leafs appear locked in, the other three divisions are very competitive. A lot can happen between next Tuesday, January 30 when the season resumes and its conclusion in April.

When it comes down to it, the Rangers are mediocre. They continue to make mistakes even in wins like last night. Similar to how they outshot and outplayed Anaheim in a 6-3 loss, they withstood some hideous errors to hold off San Jose for a badly needed win. And that’s the problem.

The first period was similar to the other night. In his return, Kevin Hayes scored a nice goal on a rare slap shot from J.T. Miller to put the Rangers up early. But the Sharks came right back with two consecutive goals from Barclay Goodrow and Logan Couture to steer in front. Jesper Fast finished off a Michael Grabner feed in front to end a long goal drought that tied it up before the period ended. It was a rare assist for Grabner, whose Cy Young campaign is now 21-5.

The crazy aspect is that for a second straight game, they outshot their opponent in the first period (12-7). But only were tied due to more defensive breakdowns. Watching Brendan Smith try to defend has become comical. On one San Jose goal, he stopped skating due to a missed interference call that knocked down Tony DeAngelo. In the process, he lost his man in front.

The Rangers offense was reignited by Hayes’ return. He was really strong in all facets. Centering a second line with a rejuvenated Miller and Mats Zuccarello, they dominated. Hayes also made a nice defensive play before setting up captain Ryan McDonagh for his long overdue first goal of the season. He would score again on the power play from Pavel Buchnevich to put the Blueshirts ahead for good. It was a big night for the captain, who also defended well.

In hockey, momentum is a strange thing. The Sharks had it when Couture notched his second of the game to lead 3-2. But lost it on two McDonagh goals followed by a shorthanded goal from Brady Skjei to fall behind 5-3 after two periods.

Anyone who’s a fan of this team knew the game wasn’t over. Not the way the Rangers play. They went into a cocoon in the third. The prevent defense never works. It’s the same for football. They backed off. So when Marc-Edouard Vlasic cut it to 5-4, it wasn’t shocking. Maybe the most surprising aspect was the Rangers got away with it. Ondrej Pavelec, who started poorly, made a few gigantic saves including a point blank robbery. He didn’t take any credit for the one-goal win.

Five wasn’t enough. A great play by Zuccarello where he went around the net and found Miller open for a big goal with 1:50 left in regulation actually proved to be the game-winner. Miller redeemed himself with a goal and two assists following his benching. It was a good response.

In typical Ranger fashion, the game wasn’t over. Tomas Hertl was credited with his 14th when his shot banked perfectly off Peter Holland by Pavelec with less than 50 seconds remaining.

The Rangers exhaled when the buzzer sounded. So, they got a rare road victory. Only their eighth in 22 games away from MSG. The 8-12-2 record is indicative of a team that struggles on the road unlike past years. With still 19 left compared to 13 at home, it’s going to be a challenge.

Which leaves us with the same conclusion. This team isn’t good enough to contend. They must sell by February 26. If they don’t, they’re fooling themselves. Don’t let the parity fool you.

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