Devils hit new low with winless streak

Posted on March 12, 2017 by hasan4978

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Every time you think things can’t possibly get worse for the Devils they find a new low, such as their current ten-game winless streak which has crested in back-to-back regulation losses to the worst teams in the NHL at Colorado and Arizona.  Truth be told there’s been nothing worth either watching or writing about the Devils for weeks.  My last full game watched – or even close to one – was the back-to-back blown lead home fiascoes against the Rangers and Canadiens that I attended almost three weeks ago.  Though I couldn’t help watching the end of last night’s game which was kind of hilarious all around.  After their AHL lineup with preseason motivation surrendered a 4-0 lead to the Coyotes, the Devils put on the ultimate tease getting to within 5-4, and having the GREAT Taylor Hall have an opportunity to tie the game on a penalty shot late in the third period.  However, if you’re a Devils fan and you’ve been paying attention at all to this team or to Hall’s dissapointing lack of goalscoring the last few months (seven goals in 42 games), you just knew he was missing this one too, which he did.  And with what little the games mean at this point I couldn’t help but laugh.

Honestly to a degree I feel a little sorry for Hall, who must have thought he was finally escaping purgatory getting out of Edmonton only to get trapped in a purgatory just as bad while the Oilers are on pace to break their long playoff drought without him.  But only a little, Hall certainly hasn’t helped the cause much since early in the season and is floating around just as bad as anyone else during this stretch.  Granted he’s a good playmaker and you can only control a little bit how often your fellow stonehands forwards put the puck in the net, but on this team he’s got to initiate a little more, the way he did early in the season during the Devils’ 9-3-3 start (that was really this season?!).  Since then, the Devils have gone 16-28-9 as the team has crash-landed at last place in the entire Eastern Conference.  In a sign of the times, just above them in 14th place is the Detroit Red Wings.  Not too long ago the Devils and Red Wings were both the gold standard for winning and consistency.  Now it’s all about who can win more ping-pong balls.

More than anything else this is the reason I just don’t watch later in lost seasons.  I don’t get into actively rooting for THE TANK.  Yes it’s better at this point for the Devils to lose and get more ping-pong balls in that sense but what people overlook in their myopic focus on the draft (besides the fact it is far more of a lottery than it was 5-10 years ago and just as variable as the NBA’s draft now) is that the more the team stinks now, the less one single draft pick is going to fix all our ills.  Especially in a non-generational player draft.  And this idea that people just want to see the young players play well and still lose is a canard…it doesn’t work that way folks.  You can’t have your cake and eat it too.  If you’re losing this much down the stretch it means the young players you have aren’t doing the job, and that the vets who aren’t getting traded anytime soon anyway because of contract status/NTC’s aren’t being part of the solution either – or enhancing the little trade value they do have.

In that sense, perhaps the most dissapointing development in the 2015-16 season is the lack of it from most of the young forwards including Pavel Zacha (who granted was playing well before his concussion a couple weeks ago, but has been listless since his return to the lineup), along with the regression of Miles Wood after he set the world on fire his first few games here, his development’s stagnated.  Not to mention the neverending inconsistencies of the young defensemen, such as Damon Severson.  Granted he actually had a good game last night with two assists and 29 points in 67 games is fair production overall, but given that point total his – by far – team worst -26 is doubly dissapointing.  Among all the rookies, only defenseman Steven Santini doesn’t look like he’s been trapped in the vortex of suck afflicting 90% of our roster right now.  However even he’s not going to drive play on the offensive end with seven points in 31 games, Severson himself is the only defenseman that can consistently contribute offensively but he’s been horrid defensively.

While the kids’ lack of development is troubling, so is the horrid play of the few vets we do have.  I’ve already gotten into Hall, but even his goal shortage doesn’t compare to Mike Cammalleri, who’s scored a pathetic one goal – ONE! – in his last 37 games.  This is a guy who scored 27 goals (in 68 games) as recently as two years ago, with nearly a point a game last year.  This year, there’s just no nice way to say this…he’s been a pile of trash with just ten goals and 30 points in 55 games, and most of that production came in an eight-game binge between November and December when he actually as nine of those goals and 14 points.  In his other 46 games?  ONE goal, and 15 assists.  For a guy I’ve always thought of as a pro’s pro, this fall from grace evokes memories of late-career Jamie Langenbrunner, but even Langs was never the force offensively Camm was in his prime.

There’s hardly any vets you can point to that are playing well though, other than Travis Zajac, but you can’t exactly count on him for consistent offensive production either.  Adam Henrique’s continuing his pattern of a bad season following a good one.  Andy Greene, well perhaps other things have been influencing his down year given his dad’s recent passing.  And Cory Schneider…sigh.  I almost broke my recent silence to vent about big-game Cory again blowing late leads in the back-to-back meltdowns against the Rangers and Habs last month that ended my last vestige of caring about anything this season.  He’s clearly given up on the season too with another indifferent performance in Arizona last night, followed by overdue frustration boiling over after being pulled.

Assuming Cory still has the trade value he might have had coming into this season, the Devils may have to take a long look this offseason at whether keeping Cory around is best for either him or the team in the long run.  If you’re not going to make a big step forward this offseason in terms of bringing in talent via trade/FA, then what’s really the point of keeping any of these vets around merely to improve to 8th/10th in the draft lottery in the process?  Other than Kyle Palmieri – who barely counts as a vet – who of these guys has really had a positive influence on things this season?  Sure at least none of them embarass themselves on Twitter or off the ice but at some point you need more from these guys on the ice and in the locker room.

And you need more from the coaching staff in terms of getting these guys ready to play and developing the younger players.  I don’t want to kill John Hynes for this recent stretch, every team that’s out of it (when reality sets in that they are indeed out of it) goes through a period like this where they just don’t want to play anymore.  Clearly coaching isn’t the source of the problem but at the moment it doesn’t seem to be part of the solution either.  Especially when Hynes does minor-league things like not calling a timeout late in the Habs game after his players on the ice went through a long shift before an icing, presumably to save it for the video review that may or may not have happened in the last three minutes of regulation with a one-goal lead.  It’s one thing to save your timeout in the first two periods but with three minutes left in a one-goal game, really?
With almost no time left at that point your priority’s protecting the lead, not worrying about a hypothetical that may or may not happen.

Just like with my football Jets in the second half, now this season’s become a crawl to the end, hoping for a better draft pick and no serious injuries while I pay as little attention as possible.  Although as a season ticket holder who is going to have more trouble selling tickets in these futile last weeks, I may have to go to a few games just because.  Tuesday won’t be one of them though, even if the NHL dictates the game be played despite the doom and gloom weather forecasts.  Devils-Winnipeg in late March isn’t exactly worth braving a snowstorm for whether it turns out to be 6 inches or a worst-case scenario of 18 inches of snow.  Nine of the team’s last fourteen games are going to be at the Rock, in an ideal world I’m maybe at three or four of those games – one I’m already going to with a friend and the home finale on April 8 being two – but that depends on how many tickets I can sell/find a sucker to go with.  Either way it just isn’t really worth watching when the team’s asthetically horrifying to watch, and when losing is more meaningful than winning.

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Hip injury to Lundqvist not end of world for Rangers

Posted on March 11, 2017 by Derek

Henrik Lundqvist

The Rangers will be without Henrik Lundqvist when they visit Detroit tomorrow night. The franchise netminder injured himself in a recent 5-2 road win at Florida this past Tuesday. A game in which he was super making 43 saves to reach 30 wins for the 11th time in 12 seasons passing Grant Fuhr for number 10 on the all-time wins list with 404.

Apparently, Lundqvist suffered a hip strain and will be sidelined two to three weeks. So, the 35-year old will sit and watch from the press box while dependable backup Antti Raanta takes over in net. The 27-year old Finnish goalie has been stellar. In his second season on Broadway, he’s 13-6-0 with a 2.33 goals-against-average, .922 save percentage with a team-leading three shutouts.

So, losing Lundqvist for a stretch in March isn’t the end of the world. He can rehab while Raanta assumes the mantle. With 14 games remaining, the Rangers still have five sets of back-to-backs including four the rest of the month starting with Detroit and Tampa 3/12-13 and ending with Anaheim and San Jose 3/25-26 as part of a tough three games in four days stretch in California.

That means Hartford recall Magnus Hellberg is gonna have to start a game or two. The team can’t just ride Raanta with so many games over such a short span. Acquired from Nashville on July 1, 2015 in exchange for a 2017 sixth round pick, the 25-year old has never started an NHL game. He’s gotten in three with the Predators and Rangers. So, the question for coach Alain Vigneault is will he trust Hellberg enough to start him and rest Raanta during one of the back-to-backs. He’ll need to.

The only concern for Lundqvist is how quickly he recovers from the hip injury. He was playing better challenging shooters and had carried the team when they stopped scoring. You worry about rust with a veteran goalie who likes work. When April rolls around, the Blueshirts will have four games left between 4/2-9 including the final back-to-back against Ottawa and Pittsburgh to conclude the regular season.

The last time he had an injury this late was during ’14-15 when he missed two months due to a sprained blood vessel in his neck that actually was life threatening. It’s hard to believe he played the next game which coincidentally was a win over Florida before the serious nature of the injury was discovered. That year, the team had Cam Talbot as a great replacement who carried them down the stretch to a President’s Trophy.

Lundqvist was able to successfully return going 5-2-0 down the stretch. He got the team past the Flyers and Capitals in seven with a closely contested Eastern Conference Semifinal one of the franchise’s most memorable series. For a second straight year, Lundqvist helped the Rangers rally from a 3-1 series deficit in the second round stunning the Caps in Game 5 on Chris Kreider’s tying goal and Ryan McDonagh’s game-winner. Both set up by Derek Stepan. After hanging on in Game 6, it was Stepan’s overtime winner that sent the Rangers to a second straight Conference Final.

Without Lundqvist, the comebacks against the Pens and Caps in consecutive years don’t happen. Unfortunately, it was more of a cruel ending in 2015 with the team getting shutout 2-0 in Game 7 at MSG by the Lightning. A perplexing series where the road team won five of the seven games.

So, what’s in store this time? It’s hard to say. This team isn’t going to be the favorite. The favorites are the Pens and Caps. Both have loaded rosters with better star talent, scoring, team defense and arguably better goaltending. Hard to admit. But until Braden Holtby proves himself along with playoff choker Alexander Ovechkin, who knows about Washington. They haven’t exactly lit the world on fire since overpaying for Kevin Shattenkirk. They’re 3-2-0 since getting him having lost two straight.

The Pens and Blue Jackets are only three behind the Caps for first. Each have 16 games remaining. Washington holds the first tiebreaker with 43 ROW compared to 41 ROW for Columbus and 39 for Pittsburgh. Both are four up on the idle Blueshirts, who are in comfortable position in the first wildcard with 88 points. Thirteen more than the Islanders and 14 better than the Maple Leafs. Toronto is battling the Islanders for the final wildcard with the Lightning lurking behind while the Flyers are still alive but need to outpoint them due to only 25 ROW. A bad 2-1 loss to Boston didn’t help losing on a last second goal from Drew Stafford.

As long as the Rangers take care of business, they should be fine. It continues to look like they’ll wind up with the first wildcard and draw either the Canadiens or Senators. That’s only a two point difference with Ottawa holding two games in hand.

At this point, I don’t care who they draw. Whoever it is, it won’t be easy. Obviously, avoiding the 2/3 match-up in the Metro is probably better because it means either Pittsburgh or Columbus. But they didn’t beat Montreal once and split with Ottawa with one game left. So, there is no guarantee.

A healthy Lundqvist is the key. A couple of weeks off and some game action to sharpen up isn’t necessarily bad. He is the workhorse once the postseason starts. I’m not opposed to Raanta replacing him if he’s off and it comes down to that. But most likely, it’s Lundqvist’s show again. He’s proven capable of taking this team deep getting them to three Final Four appearances.

The more pressing concern is the defense and Vigneault’s use of Tanner Glass, who played over Pavel Buchnevich in the final minute of a frustrating 4-3 loss at Carolina. You have to wonder why Brady Skjei got less ice-time than Marc Staal. Skjei should be getting over 20 minutes at this point proving he’s fully capable of a top four role. Instead, Vigneault continues to lean on his vets including Staal, who can use a blow once Dan Girardi returns. Nick Holden gets more ice-time and key acquisition Brendan Smith has been solid.

Nobody can predict how this season will turn out. It’s already better than it was expected to be. But the scoring has been inconsistent lately. The need for Stepan to end his scoring drought is great along with J.T. Miller getting out of his funk. Kevin Hayes scored in the win over Florida but needs to get back to the form we saw through January. Mika Zibanejad has shown signs netting his first two power play goals at Carolina. Rick Nash seems to get chances every night he plays. But isn’t burying them.

Chris Kreider is up to 26 goals. He needs four for his first 30-goal season. He’s taken the punishment and been more consistent. But with so few finishers, are the Rangers good enough to make a run? Getting Michael Grabner back can only help. The chemistry he had with Hayes and Miller was instrumental. Even though he hadn’t finished prior to his injury, his 26 markers exceeded expectations. When he and Jesper Fast return, the Rangers become much tougher up front. As long as Vigneault understands Glass must come out along with ineffective Brandon Pirri.

A fourth line of Oscar Lindberg, Jimmy Vesey and Fast is capable of contributing offensively without losing much defensively. For the first time since Brian Boyle left for Tampa, the Rangers are four lines deep. It will all depend on Lundqvist and a team defense which leans heavily on Ryan McDonagh, who hasn’t always been lights out.

Thankfully, Raanta will fill in the same way Talbot did. That will allow Lundqvist to take his time before being cleared to return. Never a bad thing with a goalie in their mid-30’s. He should be fresh. Maybe the injury is a blessing in disguise. We’ll find out.

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Replay challenge screws Rangers in 4-3 loss to Canes

Posted on March 9, 2017 by Derek
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A controversial Sebastian Aho power play goal thanks to the idiots in Toronto and the refs hurt the Rangers in a frustrating 4-3 loss at Carolina. Aho also notched the game-winner. AP Photo via Getty Images courtesy NHLCanes.

I don’t normally blame refs for losses. Anyone that knows me knows this. I will usually put the blame where it belongs. On the team. The Rangers were in a winning position up 3-2 on not one. Not two. But THREE POWER PLAY GOALS! Say that again. That’s a month’s worth. Who knows when they’ll score one on man-advantage again?

On PPG’s from Chris Kreider (team-tying 26th) and two from Mika Zibanejad (10, 11), the Rangers were ahead by one against the Hurricanes. They led in shots 29-12 with one period to go. But all hell broke loose literally in Raleigh when a botched video review cost them their timeout for the joke that is the coach’s challenge. Sure enough, the blind mice ruled that Sebastian Aho’s power play goal counted. Even with contact in front from Canes bust Elias Lindholm on Antti Raanta which was easy to see, Toronto didn’t overturn it. Or they wouldn’t.

Alain Vigneault lost his timeout. He was steamed. He told John Giannone he felt 100 percent right that it was the wrong call. They said it was a good goal despite Raanta’s feet being in the blue paint due to his mask being outside even though it was contacted. That’s gotta be one of the cheesiest, lamest explanations I’ve ever heard. It’s like the ridiculous Magic Bullet Theory which any brain surgeon knows is the biggest lie ever told by our government. But they say physics can prove it. Sure. The same way Raanta wasn’t impeded by that scrub Lindholm and couldn’t pick up Aho’s shot which tied the score.

Honestly, the NHL can go piss off. This whole coach’s challenge thing is a joke. It’s a circus that continues to confuse players, coaches and infuriate fans. Even if their play in the third didn’t merit a win because they stunk and fittingly lost the game in which they scored three power play goals, the Rangers got screwed. They got absolutely robbed, jobbed and any other adjective you can use that’s clean or vulgar.

It doesn’t fully explain the third period. It was the third game in four nights. So, they had to be tired. But they should’ve still won. Instead, for the 17th time when they out-shot the opposition, they lost. They’re now 15-17-2 when they have more shots than opponents. This one went in favor of them 43-30 and the attempts were 71-50. This is who they are. They do better when they’re out-shot. They’re 27-6-0 when opponents out-shoot them and 1-0-0 when shots are even.

You can’t take penalties when you’re up. The Rangers did and paid the price. Nick Holden first which led to Aho’s very controversial tying goal which is still mystifying. Our great captain Ryan McDonagh didn’t get an explanation. How is that possible? Blueseat Blogs’ Dave Shapiro had the best look at the goal that wasn’t:

https://twitter.com/BlueSeatBlogs/status/840022631621525504

There it is plain as day. Lindholm elbows Raanta at the edge of the crease as Aho’s shot goes past him. So, tell me how he had a chance to stop it. Unbelievable.

As for Aho’s second power play goal, that was predictable. Zibanejad took a bad penalty and the Canes were opportunistic and made the Rangers pay. Basically, a low scoring team flipped the script. This is what the Rangers do to opponents. But tonight, the fell victim to their own strategy. Rope a dope.

I am not going to bother getting into the rest of the game. For the most part, the Rangers were the better team except for a nightmarish sequence that emulated last year when they gave up two straight goals in a 39-second span. Ranger killer Jeff Skinner scored and Valentin Zykov scored what else but his first NHL goal as our D melted down. Both were the end result of sloppy turnovers from forwards and poor coverage in front.

The positive was that Derek Stepan had another good game assisting on two of the goals. That included a brilliant no look backhand feed from behind the net to Kreider for his power play tally that made it 1-0 on a five-on-three. They still took too long to shoot and score. But the power play goal gave them a huge confidence boost that continued during the game. Previously, they were 1 for their last 40.

Stepan finished with a game high 10 shots. He admitted that he’s been pressing prior to the game. I guess it’s hard not to think about his goal drought which is now up to 23. He’s never gone this long without a goal. His worst stretch was 18 during a very good rookie season. Stepan played well though with the two assists. Unfortunately, he has no puck luck with his shot ringing off the goalpost with a chance to tie it.

As long as he continues to stay aggressive and play better, it’s only a matter of time. He’s a smart enough player who understands the game. And he’s gotten much better in the last three.

The final point is on Vigneault. He loves Tanner Glass. As fans, we all do. We respect what he brings. He hasn’t been a liability so far since his recall, outplaying the hideous Brandon Pirri and Matt Puempel, whose turnover led to the Canes’ second goal. Having Glass out in the final minute on the Zibanejad line replacing Pavel Buchnevich is inexplicable. Even if Glass forced Cam Ward to make a couple of stops, it’s the wrong decision.

No disrespect to Glass, who always hustles and plays hard. If only every Blueshirt played as hard as him consistently. But you cannot have him out down a goal. Buchnevich is much more dangerous and talented. It is ridiculous that he didn’t take that shift yet the same coach had Buchnevich out for an empty net goal protecting a lead the other night.

I don’t get it. No one does. As for the injuries, everyone has them this time of year. Rick Nash was out and so was Henrik Lundqvist. They still should’ve won. Instead, they lost a winnable road game dropping their away record to 24-9-0. Now, they get a couple of days off before visiting Detroit in Brendan Smith’s homecoming.

I’m still flabbergasted at the refs for tonight. But as Vigneault said, their game wasn’t good enough in the third. That’s why they lost. Does it really matter? Whoever they draw in the first round won’t be any picnic. Maybe the plan is to get the first wildcard. The Islanders played for it last year and beat Florida. We’ll see.

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Classy athlete Lundqvist now top 10 in wins remains Rangers’ best

Posted on March 8, 2017 by Derek
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Henrik Lundqvist remains a champion that has made the Rangers so competitive over the last decade. He now is in the top 10 all-time in wins after a 43 save performance against Florida for number 404 passing Grant Fuhr. AP Photo via Getty Images courtesy NYRangers.

In last night’s 5-2 victory over the Panthers, Henrik Lundqvist passed Grant Fuhr for 10th all-time in wins with number 404. The 35-year old affable Swede did it in style making 43 saves to lead the Rangers to another road win. Their second in succession following a brilliant performance from Antti Raanta in a 1-0 overtime triumph at Tampa Bay.

The win also gave Lundqvist 30 for the 11th time in 12 seasons. Even in what’s been at times a challenging season in which he’s gone through slumps, Lundqvist remains the backbone of this franchise. When on, he can still steal games. He’s going to have to in the upcoming playoffs. A certainty with the team up to 88 points with 15 games left. They’re tied with the Penguins in points for third in the Metro but Pittsburgh has three games at hand including one tonight at Winnipeg. The Blue Jackets’ 2-0 shutout of the Devils completed a sweep putting them into second with 90.

After getting a night off following three losses in his last four in which he permitted four or more in each defeat, Lundqvist was much sharper. He made some big stops to turn away the Panthers. Especially during the final two periods. Florida out-shot the Rangers 38-17 but were only able to beat him twice. Both coming on point blank chances. One with Thomas Vanek retrieving a loose puck in front and firing home his first as a Panther. The other from Aaron Ekblad on a power play late in regulation when he shot through Brendan Smith for his 10th cutting it to 4-2 with 3:26 remaining.

Pavel Buchnevich would seal it with an empty netter for his eighth off a good defensive play from Rick Nash with 1:45 left. When it was over and Lundqvist made one last stop before retrieving the puck, his teammates came over to congratulate him. A prideful Lundqvist talked about being proud to reporters afterwards:

Lundqvist was out challenging shooters. He also got a bit lucky sticking out the left pad at the last split second to deny Aleksander Barkov on the doorstep. A terrific save from a terrific goalie who’s been a classy Ranger. He’s probably one of the classiest New York athletes in recent memory. Think Derek Jeter and Eli Manning. David Wright too. He’s there win or lose and is accountable.

There’s no doubting his leadership. It’s why he’s so immensely popular with teammates, coaches and fans. There’s just not enough positives you can say for how Lundqvist goes about his business. A determined athlete who gets it. He wants to win. He came close once in 2014 with the Rangers falling to the Kings in gut wrenching fashion. Getting back has proven much harder. The third period of Game 7 at MSG against the Lightning the following year still a fresh wound for Blueshirt faithful.

What will it take for Lundqvist to climb the top of the mountain? He’s not getting any younger. The team is again good. But questions remain as to whether they’re playoff tough enough to go through either an unforgiving Metro with potential opponents Pittsburgh/Columbus and Washington or the Atlantic with Montreal winning all three match-ups and humiliating this past Saturday.

That was enough for the organization to recall Tanner Glass. Having been exiled to Hartford where he played in the AHL, the proud vet who’s played for Alain Vigneault in Vancouver and now New York has returned with a point to prove.

In the win at Tampa, he got into an early scrum battling for a rebound and then had a lengthy bout with Luke Witkowski which was one of the best fights of the season. Last night was his best game as a Ranger. He scored his first goal since 3/21/16 also against the Panthers by parking himself in front and rebounding home a Oscar Lindberg shot. He was all smiles as excited teammates mobbed him. It was definitely a feel good moment.

Glass was a catalyst in the victory. After missing an assignment on Vanek’s goal, he atoned for it by getting in on the forecheck and helping set up Nick Holden’s huge goal less than two minutes later. The goal wouldn’t have been possible without Glass perfectly setting a screen on Florida goalie James Reimer just as Holden shot. Reimer never saw it. Florida challenged but to no avail. Glass never made contact with Reimer. It was just a great job of getting in front which allowed Holden to notch his 10th to restore a three-goal lead. He finished with a goal and assist earning the Broadway Hat.

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There isn’t a more deserving guy. Glass will never be the most talented player. A fringe player who at best is a 13th forward who can inject energy and physicality when he plays, he’s a popular teammate. They appreciate his effort, hustle and heart.

It’s not worth discussing the opposition from the Corsi community who only view hockey through statistical charts. I’m not advocating keeping Glass in the lineup once Michael Grabner and Jesper Fast return. Obviously with Grabner the leading goalscorer, he’ll go back in. I’d bench Brandon Pirri. He brings nothing and the power play is in such a bad funk, there’s no point playing him. Until Fast is ready to go from a separated shoulder, Glass stays in over Matt Puempel, who you can plug depending on the match-up.

The challenge for Vigneault is what to do once both Fast and Grabner are healthy. Jimmy Vesey is currently on the third line with Kevin Hayes and Miller. With Buchnevich regaining his spot in the top six with Mika Zibanejad and Nash, does Vesey move down to the fourth line for Grabner to reunite with Hayes and Miller? Undoubtedly. A fourth line of Vesey, Oscar Lindberg and Fast should be good enough to play consistently. But Vesey isn’t a fourth liner. Hopefully, he’ll fit in.

The Rangers are at their best when Lundqvist is standing on his head. Ditto for Raanta. They’ve now been out-shot by opponents in 33 games. Their record in those contests is a remarkable 27-6-0. With this team, it’s not about quantity. But quality. In games where they out-shoot the opponent, they’re 15-16-2. On even shots, they’re 1-0-0. When you add it all up, it can be attributed to timely saves from one of the league’s best goalie tandems, leading to offense.

What does it all mean? The Rangers likely will need Lundqvist to steal a series. There’s no guarantee they will make it out of the first round. None of the potential opponents will be easy. All have had success against them. They’re going to need great goaltending. At 35, Lundqvist isn’t washed up. But he’s also not the same goalie he was during his Vezina season in ’11-12. It’s about staying aggressive and challenging shooters. When he does, that bodes well.

The defense remains a puzzle. Brendan Smith played his best game as a Blueshirt finishing plus-three with three blocked shots while taking the front of the net away. He was paired with Holden, who’s looked better since Smith was teamed with him. For a second consecutive game, Ryan McDonagh worked with Marc Staal. The captain shifted to the right side and made it work logging 23:12 with three blocks and a plus-one in 30 shifts. Brady Skjei was sensational getting the primary assist on Hayes’ breakaway goal which ended a 10-game drought. Skjei did well in 19-plus minutes with the more defensive oriented Steven Kampfer, who filled in admirably in 13:30 with his point shot redirected by Chris Kreider for his 25th which started the scoring.

Dan Girardi is closer to returning than Kevin Klein, whose back remains an issue. Once Girardi is ready, he’ll replace Kampfer. As for Klein, I don’t know if we will ever see him again in the lineup. Unless Vigneault realizes Staal can use a breather, Klein might not be in the top six again. Especially with Smith an upgrade who can play either side. As for Adam Clendening, he’s slipped to ninth on the depth chart behind Kampfer. It looks like it’s over for him. Even if he was treated unfairly, he was never the answer.

If the Rangers are to make a run, it’ll be due to Lundqvist with Raanta in reserve just in case. That is a possibility that didn’t exist earlier in his career. Especially if he has a couple of bad games against say Montreal. Then Raanta has to be considered. It’s hard to believe I just typed that for a goalie who now ranks in the top 10 all-time in wins. Hopefully, it doesn’t come to that.

One thing that must change is the offense. Last night was a step in the right direction. They scored four goals or more for the first time since posting four in an overtime win at the Devils on 2/25. They’ve only scored three times or better twice in the last 11. Prior to that stretch, they got four each in wins over Calgary, Anaheim, Nashville and Colorado between 2/5-11 followed up by three in a 3-2 win at Columbus on 2/13.

At least Hayes finally got off the snide when he converted a breakaway goal for his first in 11. Derek Stepan remains stuck on 12 goals. His goal drought up to 22. He’s looked on the verge the previous two games. But if there was a glaring example of how mental it’s become, how about the wild miss off a perfect Mats Zuccarello set up with a gaping net. He’s gotta bury that. The Rangers need Stepan desperately.

For all the accolades Zibanejad’s received for his overtime heroics and shootout theatrics, he doesn’t have a goal in regulation since Jan. 17 when he tallied twice versus Dallas in a 7-6 home loss. Also the last game Stepan scored in getting two. The only center pulling their weight is Lindberg, who’s scored three times over the last 10. He had two assists in Wednesday’s win. He’s gotten better since the New Year scoring all five of his goals with a two-point effort in a 5-4 win over Columbus on Jan. 7 starting his season. Eleven (5-6-11) of his 15 points have come since January. He also is over 50.0 percent on face-offs going 9-and-4 against Florida.

Simply put, the Rangers’ top three pivots must start scoring. They can’t be this inept. Miller has also cooled considerably. While he still leads them in points with 49, he has only one goal and two assists in the last 11. He did pick up a helper last night. Maybe that will get him going. When he and Hayes are scoring, the team becomes a lot better. Both are key penalty killers who have combined for four of their eight shorthanded goals. Their chemistry is undeniable.

It will be interesting to see how they finish the season. It’s pick your poison in the first round. What remains unchanged is Lundqvist’s importance to the team’s success. They’ll need to continue playing with the same edge they have in the last two adding to a league-leading road win total which is now up to 24-8-0.

The organization is lucky to have Lundqvist. A fact no one can deny. He’s blessed us with the playoffs in every year except one since coming over from Sweden as an unknown seventh round pick in 2000. Regardless of how it turns out, he’s a champion.

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Zibanejad OT Clutch

Posted on March 6, 2017 by Derek
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Antti Raanta dons the Broadway Hat after a brilliant 38 save performance highlighting a 1-0 Rangers overtime shutout win over the Lightning. AP Photo via Getty Images courtesy NYRangers.

The Rangers defeated the Lightning 1-0 in overtime to start their four-game road trip on the right foot. The lone goal coming from Mr. Overtime, Mika Zibanejad. He scored his second overtime winner on a clean breakaway beating an otherwise brilliant Andrei Vasilevskiy with a wicked forehand deke with 1:04 left in the 3-on-3 roller derby.

Say this for Zibanejad. He is an interesting player. There’s no doubting his skill level. It’s more a question of consistency for the 23-year old second line pivot who came over from the Senators last off-season in a trade for Derick Brassard. He can be exasperating with some of his wild misses on open one-timers on the power play. His defensive game is also mind numbing. But he wins face-offs and gets chances. It’s just a matter of time before he figures it out.

For a guy with his talent, he’s still scratching the surface. One thing about Zibanejad. He has great hands and is money on the breakaway. He displayed it in an overtime winner over the Devils a couple of weeks ago. This time, following a near miss from ever dangerous speed demon Ondrej Palat who crashed wildly into the boards, Ryan McDonagh sprung him and it was over. If only the Swede could do it more consistently in regulation at even strength and on the man-advantage.

The game-winner was his ninth of the season in 40 games. Undoubtedly, even if he missed two months due to a broken leg, he should have more goals. Then again, we can certainly say the same for Derek Stepan, who’s now at 21 games without one. His game is coming back together. He was thinking shot more throughout getting five on a sharp Vasilevskiy, who was locked into a great goalie duel with super backup Antti Raanta.

Raanta won the battle finishing with 38 saves for his third shutout of the season. He was sensational stopping everything against a very skilled opponent, including 16 saves in the second and another cool dozen in a seesaw third. If the Rangers lose him to expansion Las Vegas, he’ll be missed. As Zibanejad told John Giannone in the post game, it’s nice to have two goalies they can depend on. A great luxury that allowed Henrik Lundqvist the night off with Florida tomorrow in the second of a back-to-back.

There was a lot more than Raanta’s goaltending and Zibanejad’s OT winner going on here. You had Tanner Glass in his season debut making an impact with his energy and physicality. While other whiny bloggers complain about him getting 5:17 in 10 shifts, they must’ve missed Glass being a pest in front of the net in search of a rebound creating a scrum. They also ignored his lengthy bout with bigger man Luke Witkowski. One which the refs asked both participants if they wanted them to step in. They didn’t and landed some more hey makers. Glass also nearly set up Jimmy Vesey in the third with the game scoreless.

With Glass in for Matt Puempel, the team played tougher. They were more engaged battling in the corners and getting into it with the Lightning post-whistle. This was out of character for them. Glass obviously had a positive effect which is exactly why Alain Vigneault brought him up from Hartford. You even had Vesey mixing it up during a scrum. This was much more fun to watch than the same old same old from a team that hadn’t done this stuff enough.

Sometimes, it has to be ugly. Hockey isn’t always pretty. It’s not always art out there on the ice with fancy skating and rushes and pretty goals. Sometimes, you have to go after the opponent and make it nasty. Even though both teams combined for 72 shots and 113 attempts, there was more edginess which made the game more fun for old school hockey fans like myself.

There were plenty of scoring chances from both sides. But each netminder was fantastic throughout which is why there was no score entering the three-on-three madness. How hectic was it? You had Palat turning McDonagh inside out for what looked like a potential winner. But he missed. That set the stage for McDonagh to pass ahead for Zibanejad, who went to his bread and butter winning it in style with his usual grin.

When asked in the post interview about it by Giannone, he quipped, “Score.” He definitely has some personality. Maybe that’s why I find him interesting. The two months he missed hurt his timing. It still doesn’t explain why he hasn’t lit the lamp more. But if he can get hot down the stretch, it would sure go a long way to giving me a more positive outlook about the first round.

Just as long as Vigneault sticks with Zibanejad, Rick Nash and Pavel Buchnevich. The trio were dangerous throughout. Buchnevich was perfectly set up by Vesey on a power play only to watch a sliding Vasilevskiy get across and deny him. That’s how it’s gone for the power play. No wonder they can’t score.

Nash was dominant leading all skaters with eight shots. That included a great power move around Victor Hedman for one chance and another strong move forcing Vasilevskiy into a tough save before running over the Tampa goalie for a goaltender interference minor which his teammates pridefully killed off with some Raanta heroics.

As for Stepan, he had five shots and seems on the verge of finally breaking out. A second straight good game for him, Chris Kreider and Mats Zuccarello bodes well.

Kevin Hayes and J.T. Miller were a bit quiet again. Hayes and Miller were back together for one penalty kill shift creating a shorthanded chance that was blocked. They definitely are missing Michael Grabner, who completes that third line. Not a knock on Vesey, who competes hard. But Grabner is that missing ingredient. Both still need to be better even if Grabner isn’t in. One combined shot isn’t enough from two of your most skilled forwards.

The fourth line didn’t see much ice in the third. But Glass was fine in his role. Oscar Lindberg can be counted on when given shifts. Brandon Pirri is hit or miss. He was more engaged even delivering a check. But if he isn’t hitting the net on the power play, what does he bring? He looks more and more like the odd man out once Jesper Fast returns near the end of the month.

Steven Kampfer filled in for Adam Clendening, who wasn’t too pleased about being a healthy scratch after one bad game. Kampfer drew a boarding penalty which should’ve been a major. He was okay in 15 managed shifts receiving 8:40 recording two shots and two hits. Vigneault rode McDonagh, who rebounded from a miserable game with 26-plus minutes and his 32nd assist on Zibanejad’s overtime winner. His season is eerily similar to Keith Yandle last year except Yandle was better on the power play.

Marc Staal bounced back too with some strong defensive work preventing some dangerous shots from getting through. That included a Nikita Kucherov point blank opportunity with under 20 seconds left when he recovered to block his shot. Staal has been dumped on for his struggles since returning from a concussion. It’s been a rough go for the alternate captain. But tonight, he made some big defensive plays in an effective 25 shifts (18:04).

Nick Holden had one of his better games lately getting 25:59 while also making some strong plays defensively. Brendan Smith took 29 shifts going over 24 minutes while getting involved physically. Brady Skjei had five shots on goal, six attempts with two blocks in 16:33 (24 shifts). I wonder why he didn’t get more or if they just wanted to keep his minutes down after the flu. It became a five-man rotation in crunch time. Skjei can go from defense to offense so smoothly that his upside is unlimited. He could be the best defenseman the team has produced since Brian Leetch.

So, what else did I like aside from the win? Just how emotionally involved the Rangers were. That’s how they have to play. Something McDonagh reiterated afterwards. They must be engaged. It’ll be interesting to see how much they have left for a rested Panthers team in the wildcard hunt.

As for the Lightning, they get a point moving up to 69 to pull within two of the Islanders. The issue for them is they didn’t get a win. They have only 17 games left and just 26 ROW which is the first tiebreaker. Three less than the Islanders and two fewer than the Maple Leafs. Florida has 25 with 18 remaining. The Bolts need to get wins in regulation or overtime. If they tie in points with the Islanders or Leafs and finish with less ROW, they’re out. Ditto for the Panthers.

As for the Rangers, they stay locked into the first wildcard by getting their 42nd victory. They are up to 86 points with 16 games remaining including 39 ROW. Two behind both Columbus and Pittsburgh, who each have two games at hand.

The one gripe was the officiating. How they only gave Gabriel Dumont two for boarding when he nearly decapitated Kampfer was pathetic. It should’ve been at least a double minor. Honestly, it was a major and should be reviewed. A disrespectful play. Will the league even review it? Player safety fail because Kampfer was able to return. Hypocrisy. And then the same refs called a substandard game sending a bunch of players to the box for tick tac stuff. Ridiculous.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Mika Zibanejad, Rangers (electrifying OT winner on breakaway-9th of season)

2nd Star-Andrei Vasilevskiy, Lightning (33 saves-looking like the stud Tampa thought they had)

1st Star-Antti Raanta, Rangers (38 saves for 3rd shutout of season)

OT Hero Mika Zibanejad talks about his game-winner:

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Fight of the year: Glass vs Witkowski

Posted on March 6, 2017 by Derek
Tanner Glass battles Mark Stuart

Tanner Glass battles Mark Stuart during last night’s Rangers loss to Winnipeg. Getty Images/Photo by Kathy Kmonicek

So much has been made of the Rangers recalling gritty forward Tanner Glass. Maybe too much from the charts contingent who just have become blind to how soft and predictable this team is. They needed an infusion of energy and sandpaper. Glass provided it in a more lively first period than we’re used to seeing.

On one shift, he drove hard to the net for a rebound which drew the ire of the Lightning, who came to Andrei Vasilevskiy’s aid. Unlike most of the second half, this wasn’t a drive by. But rather a hungry determined player searching for a loose puck which annoyed the opponent. This is the kind of stuff Henrik Lundqvist has to deal with all the time.

A couple of shifts later, Glass was challenged by Luke Witkowski. Never one to back away, he accepted the bigger man’s challenge and engaged in a long entertaining fight that lasted over a minute. Both men gave it everything they had. Glass had to deal with Witkowski wearing a visor while his helmet was off for the big battle. This one was easily one of the best fights of the year. Here’s how it looked and was called by the Lightning broadcast:

The first period had more life in it than most of the Rangers’ second half. Players were engaged. Brendan Smith went after a Bolt. Of course, there was a bit of nastiness and edge unlike most periods this team plays. There also was some ugliness with Gabriel Dumont boarding Steven Kampfer from behind with a vicious hit that should’ve resulted in a major. Predictably, the idiots in stripes called it a “two-minute boarding minor.”

What a joke! The Rangers didn’t score. They should have been steamed. What exactly does it take to draw a five-minute boarding major in this league? Unbelievable. The Rangers are 0-for-2 on the power play. Not for lack of chances. An unreal passing play which involved Jimmy Vesey and Pavel Buchnevich resulted in Vasilevskiy flat out robbing Buchnevich. Rick Nash started it actually.

Chris Kreider also had a great chance but instead of shooting with a full head of steam, he passed. Why? I have no clue. He also didn’t fight during a wild scrum. Injury? Who knows.

But the one noticeable difference is the Rangers have been more engaged with Glass in the lineup. Coincidence? I still am not sure why Kampfer is in for Adam Clendening. But he hasn’t been bad. Kudos to Glass for giving our fans something to get excited about. A real scrap that will be replayed for a while.

A win would be nice. Antti Raanta is standing on his head in the second. He’s stopped 15 shots in the period and 24 overall. Vasilevskiy has 20 saves after making a dozen in a busy first. It is still scoreless with over three minutes left in the period.

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Remember when MSG was a home ice advantage?

Posted on March 5, 2017 by Derek
Derek Stepan

Derek Stepan is mobbed by teammates after scoring the dramatic OT winner in Game 7 to beat the Caps 2-1 and advance to the Conference Final in 2015. The last time the Rangers were tough to beat at MSG. AP Photo by Julie Jacobson/Getty Images

In thinking about how poor the Rangers are at MSG, it’s hard to fathom. They’re not the same team on home ice that they are on the road. Entering tomorrow’s road match at Tampa Bay, they’re 22-8-0 away from The Garden. The 22 road wins pace the NHL. At home, they’re 19-14-2 after falling for the third straight time in a lopsided 4-1 loss to the Canadiens.

So, what’s the biggest issue? For starters, the Rangers have a goal differential of plus-nine in 35 games at MSG. They’ve scored 111 and allowed 102. They rank 27th at home on the power play only going 15-for-101 (14.8 percent). They’re not much better on the penalty kill ranked 25th out of 30 teams. They’ve allowed 20 power play goals in 90 chances which translates to 77.8 percent. Anything below 80.0 is bad. If your specialty teams aren’t up to par, it’s pretty hard to win consistently at home.

The bad special teams contributes negatively. Especially when this team is busy firing blanks on the power play. Though it’s not just exclusive to MSG, they’re 1 for the last 30. The power outage has dropped them to 18th overall converting 18.1 percent (34-for-188). How do they do on the road? Significantly better. The Rangers rank sixth going 19-for-87 (21.8 percent).

The penalty kill is also much better tied with the Ducks for fifth best. They’ve allowed 12 power play goals in 80 attempts killing off 85.0 percent. A big difference compared to how they play at home. When you combine the better special teams away from MSG with their even strength play, the Rangers have a goal differential of plus-27 on the road. They’ve outscored opponents 96-69.

Just how much better are they when not at MSG? Seven of their eight shorthanded goals have come on the road. The Blueshirts are currently tied for the league lead in shorthanded goals with three other teams.

The good news is they have 11 more games on the road compared to only six at home. With 17 games left, they can turn it around. The next four are away from their kryptonite. That includes a back-to-back in Florida starting with the Lightning tomorrow followed by the Panthers Tuesday. The third game in four is at hapless Carolina. Then they conclude a four-game road trip at Detroit in Brendan Smith’s homecoming next Sunday.

Here’s how bad the Rangers have been lately at The Garden. Facing three potential playoff opponents, they were outscored 13-4 by the Blue Jackets, Capitals and Canadiens. Each played more physical and forced the Rangers into mistakes that wound up in the back of the net. The last home win was a throwback game in which they edged the Caps 2-1 on Feb. 19. A game in which Henrik Lundqvist turned back the clock finishing with 31 saves while the team played lock down defense. He stifled Marcus Johansson twice in the final minute.

The Blueshirts final six games at The Garden are versus the Lightning Mar. 13, the Panthers Mar. 17, the Islanders 3/22, the Penguins 3/31, the Flyers April 2 and the Penguins the final day of the season on April 9. All come against teams either in the playoffs or competing for it. None will be easy. Especially given the way they play at home.

Have you ever seen a more fragile team defending home ice that’s playoff bound than the ’16-17 Rangers? It’s easy to forget that after a very successful ’14-15 in which they won the President’s Trophy for home ice advantage throughout the postseason, they lost three of four games at MSG to the Lightning in a heartbreaking Eastern Conference Final. A weirdly played series where there was no such thing as momentum. If there had been, the Rangers carry it forward following a convincing Game 6 rout in Tampa by taking Game 7 and advancing to a second consecutive Stanley Cup Final. Instead, they were shutout 2-0 by the Lightning with both Tampa goals coming in a devastating third. They also were blanked in Game 5 by an identical 2-0 and lost Game 2 by a 6-2 count.

If you include last year’s first round exit to the Pens, they’ve dropped five straight playoff games at MSG. After splitting a pair in Pittsburgh, they lost the next two games on home ice getting outscored 8-1. Counting the three previous home playoff defeats against the Lightning, they’ve been outscored 18-3 in the last five home playoff dates. That’s insane.

Talk about home ice disadvantage. How can anyone explain it? Vigneault has the last change. He had a role in it not making good in game adjustments. But what about the players? Why are they so ineffective at the World’s Most Famous Arena? It wasn’t always that way with 2015 Conference Semifinal heroes Chris Kreider, Ryan McDonagh and Derek Stepan stunning the Caps in remarkable fashion. They had Lundqvist too who was significant making huge saves in sudden death of both Games 5 and 7 to help complete the franchise’s second straight second round comeback from a 3-1 series deficit.

In the playoffs, everything gets magnified. Each shift matters. The battle level is so vital. Something Stepan alluded to in his interview Saturday and then today with the team preparing for Tampa. He spoke of working smarter. He has the pulse of the team. Of course, he must snap out of it and start scoring goals. He hasn’t lit the lamp since 1/17. He is reunited with Kreider and Zuccarello. They combined for the lone goal in the third period on Saturday.

At the moment, the team sits comfortably in the first wildcard position with 84 points and 17 games remaining along with 38 ROW. The next closest team is the Islanders with 71 and 18 left following a 5-2 blowout loss at red hot Calgary. They’re competing with the Leafs, Panthers, Lightning and even the Flyers for the final wildcard spot. I have counted out Buffalo following a brutal 4-3 loss in regulation at Pittsburgh. A game which they led 3-0 after one only to see the Pens score four unanswered including a Jake Guentzel backwards redirect that was ruled a legal goal tying it. It probably was due to where the puck touched his stick. Then Justin Schultz set up a wide open Conor Sheary for the stunning game-winner.

While those teams continue to jockey for position, the Rangers remain in good shape. Something Stepan emphasized today. They need to be better and focus on the next four games. As far as whether they earn home ice or not, does it matter? Look how they play in front of our fans. No wonder there’s no atmosphere. Fans were booing them as early as the second period yesterday. They earned it. That’s how dominant Montreal was.

It would be nice if they defended themselves. You can’t let Grade A punk Steve Ott chase J.T. Miller around in the final minute looking to goad him into a fight. That’s unacceptable. It’s pathetic on so many levels. Where is the team toughness? No wonder they recalled Tanner Glass. He can’t save the team from themselves. But at least you know he’ll give maximum effort and finish checks.

Saturday’s embarrassment was the final straw for me. I tuned out after it became 4-1. So, I missed Brendan Gallagher going full Brian Gionta mode and running our goaltender. At least there was a response from Marc Staal. Who else is gonna do it? Not the captain Ryan McDonagh. Smith would because he plays with edge. He wasn’t out there. Nick Holden was out while Ott chased Miller like a clown. Brutal.

For all the talk about how easy target Dan Girardi isn’t the same player and a likely buyout candidate, you know he doesn’t take shifts off. Neither does Kevin Klein, who could be left unprotected and on Las Vegas. Adam Clendening was badly exposed against a relentless Habs attack. I like him but he is suspect defensively as are our elder statesmen.

Will there ever be a home ice advantage at 33rd and 7th Avenue ever again? I am not sure. Much of the crowd has changed. You still have your regulars. But they’re few and far between. The upper part has become a rover section for non-hockey fans to invade our section and go to their seats even if play is going on. So much for waiting for the whistle. No wonder I hardly go anymore. I’ve been to three games all year. I have two left.

I miss the old MSG. A raucous atmosphere where you had more real fans there. The top half wasn’t separated from the bottom allowing you to walk down to ice level following the game. I always enjoyed doing that and looking up at the broadcast booth where Sam and JD did games. Sorry Micheletti. You’re not JD. No one is. He’s irreplaceable. I’m glad ’05-06 allowed the current Columbus Blue Jackets President one final chance to be proud of the team which made it back to the postseason. That was a feel good story. Even if it ended bitterly to the Devils in a sweep, we all loved that team.

Ditto for the following two years where they made the second round pushing the Sabres six led by Lundqvist and Jaromir Jagr before falling in gut wrenching fashion. The new building is nice to look at. Especially from the top where you are basically next to all the retired jerseys of Knicks, Rangers along with championship banners. But it’s not the same building.

That might explain why there isn’t the same vibe. I don’t know if it’ll ever be again. What I do know is the Rangers shouldn’t be this bad defending home ice. This year’s team isn’t hard to play against. They need to up their compete level or we’re looking at another lopsided early exit. It doesn’t matter who the opponent is.

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Tanner Glass returns

Posted on March 5, 2017 by Derek
Tanner Glass

Glass Half Full: Tanner Glass celebrates his first goal with Kevin Hayes and Matt Hunwick. AP Photo by Adrian Wyld of The Canadian Press

For most of the season, Tanner Glass spent it with Hartford in the AHL. Now, with 18 games remaining, the Rangers turn to him. On the heels of a brutal 4-1 loss in which the Canadiens abused them at MSG, the organization decided to recall Glass.

That in a nutshell typifies how soft this team is. They’ve become so easy to play against that they’re getting run out of their building by good teams. The lack of consistency and battle level in three straight home defeats to the Blue Jackets, Capitals and Canadiens was enough to finally get the organization’s attention.

Derek Stepan’s candid interview following last night was eye opening. He spoke about how the team works hard but doesn’t always work smart. That they’ve played stupid hockey and chased the puck too much. If you don’t have the puck enough, you can’t sustain a consistent attack or score. In eight of the last nine games, they’ve scored two goals or fewer. It was even a life and death struggle to come back and get two points against the Devils, who imploded.

The most embarrassing aspect of Saturday in a game seen also on Hockey Night In Canada is how a tougher Montreal manhandled the Rangers. They crashed the net with reckless abandon making Henrik Lundqvist’s job hectic. The organized chaos worked with Lundqvist permitting two questionable goals while Carey Price made some key saves when the Rangers made a push in the third.

Brendan Gallagher crashed into Lundqvist late in the contest leading to a goalie interference which Marc Staal negated by going back at Gallagher. Of course, the masses poked fun at him. So, they’d rather no one do anything. Especially if it’s Staal, who’s struggled mightily. The hypocrisy of a Jekyll & Hyde fanbase showing its true colors.

If that wasn’t enough, you had pest Steve Ott chasing J.T. Miller around at the end of the game. The notified punk trying to goad Miller into a fight. Humiliating. Miller can stand up for himself. But the game was over. I’d already tuned out after noted offensive defenseman Jordie Benn made it 4-1 off a clean Ott face-off win against Mika Zibanejad.

I’d seen enough. That’s how hard it is to watch this team. An extension of their coach Alain Vigneault, they rarely stand up for each other. How many times are they going to back down from the opposition? In each home loss to Columbus, Washington and Montreal, physical play resulted in Blueshirts coughing up the puck. There’s no sandpaper on the roster. This is what some of the charts people wanted. A vanilla team with only speed and skill. There’s no Avery or Dubinsky or Callahan even though he’s basically done.

Brendan Smith can aid the blue line in that department. He showed some gumption in his debut in Boston knocking down David Pastrnak after his undetected cheap shot. But there’s not a single forward who can play that role and protect our skill players. When Mats Zuccarello is the most notable Blueshirt getting involved like a less tamed Theo Fleury, that speaks volumes. Zuccarello doesn’t take crap from nobody. How about his clean hip check on former Ranger Dominic Moore at center ice?

The Rangers need more of that style in spades. Chris Kreider was more involved last night. He mixed it up during one shift and later scored the team’s only goal by going to the net and converting a Zuccarello feed by steering in his own rebound. Rick Nash crashed into Price, who was out but he failed to score off a Pavel Buchnevich set up that should’ve been a lay-up.

Still missing Michael Grabner and Jesper Fast, the Blueshirts are desperate. So, Glass is back. They can’t be this easy to play against. Can Glass do any worse than Brandon Pirri? He’s done virtually nothing since his good start. At least with Tanner, you know he’ll bring a lunch pail work ethic. Glass will get the puck deep and finish checks. He’ll make guys accountable. It doesn’t mean they won’t take liberties. The silly argument from the corsi crowd. But that’s more about how the game is now. There’s no respect.

Glass may or may not play in Tampa. Vigneault was undecided. I will bet he’ll get in. Whether it’s for Pirri or Matt Puempel. Considering he still has Pirri on the power play, Puempel probably comes out even though he’s done more recently assisting on a Lindberg game-winning goal in a win at Boston.

The Rangers also brought back defenseman Steven Kampfer. Unless Brady Skjei is sicker than usual or Vigneault decides to sit Adam Clendening following a poor game, I don’t see Kampfer getting in. It’s not like he’d bench Staal or sit Nick Holden.

When Glass plays, Twitter just became a lot more interesting. Let the bitch fest begin.

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Quote of Day: Stepan sums up pathetic loss by Rangers

Posted on March 5, 2017 by Derek
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It was a rough night for the Rangers who lost on home ice again to a potential first round opponent who outskated and outplayed them. AP Photo via Getty Images courtesy NYRangers.

I’m not gonna bother summarizing that lifeless performance the Rangers gave. For two periods, they were awful in what amounted to a lopsided 4-1 loss on home ice against the Canadiens, who swept the season series.

Just wonderful. Your most likely first round opponent humiliated you at MSG with their more defensive style under much better coach Claude Julien with key additions Steve Ott, Andreas Martinsen and Dwight King key factors. The new Habs finished every check. They won every battle. Their 35 hits forced the Rangers into some brutal turnovers. They had 14 giveaways compared to Montreal’s six. That stat was every bit indicative of what transpired.

Henrik Lundqvist was both good and bad. At times, he made some big saves to keep the game from getting out of hand. At other inopportune moments, he was at fault with the second and third Montreal goals ones he would’ve liked back. Why doesn’t the coaching staff tell Lundqvist never to come out and play the puck? He’s awful at it. His misplay led directly the the Habs’ second goal from Artturi Lekkonen.

On the third goal, he took an accidental stick from teammate Brady Skjei and it affected him. He never recovered as Adam Clendening had a nice view of the annoying Andrew Shaw scoring on an easy wrap around. It wasn’t one of Clendening’s better nights. He was on for three goals against and coughed up the puck twice. He’s a good puck possession player with offensive capabilities. But against a physical team that can forecheck, he can be exposed just as badly as our vets who get all the blame.

I’m pinning it entirely on Dan Girardi. Why not? All kidding aside, a game like tonight is where you actually miss his battle level. Everyone’s favorite Marc Staal had another struggle with Nick Holden. It’s sad to see Staal at this level. He was having a good bounce back season prior to the concussion that sidelined him. Ever since, his play has regressed to the point where you wonder if he shouldn’t be a healthy scratch when Girardi and Kevin Klein are finally healthy.

There was only one goal scored in the first. Shea Weber notched his 15th- fourth even strength. The other 11 have come on the power play. He didn’t overpower Lundqvist. But had some puck luck when his shot redirected off Clendening’s skate. It was headed way wide. Like I said, it was a rough one for Clendening.

After Lekkonen put the Habs up 2-0, Pavel Buchnevich created a ton of scoring chances. He was easily the Rangers’ best player. Dangerous throughout, his speed and play-making resulted in some near misses. Give Carey Price credit. He made some big saves and finished with 26 overall. Buchnevich thought pass too much on one chance where he would’ve been better off shooting. That can be a problem with the team in general. They’re sometimes too unselfish for their own well being. Shoot the puck!

I definitely think Buchnevich is here to stay. Even when Michael Grabner gets back and Jesper Fast returns, you have to think Brandon Pirri and Matt Puempel are the odd men out. But Alain Vigneault must find a way to keep Buchnevich with Mika Zibanejad and Rick Nash. Kevin Hayes and J.T. Miller are missing Grabner. Jimmy Vesey hasn’t done enough and might wind up back on the fourth line when everyone is healthy.

This blog is about what Derek Stepan said following the loss. He was pointed in his remarks to John Giannone. Granted. He’s in a horrific scoring slump now 20 games without a goal. But Stepan is very honest when things go bad. He more so than Ryan McDonagh is the true leader of this team along with Lundqvist, who also didn’t mince words referencing “will.” Something Vigneault alluded to in a not so fun post game.

One thing about Stepan. He does compete hard and was in on the Blueshirts’ lone goal. Chris Kreider’s 24th early in the third that made it 3-1. He started the play with Mats Zuccarello making the pass in front for Kreider, who got the follow up to score for just the second time in his last 11. He has been banged up. Something Joe Micheletti referenced with Kreider missing some shifts last game. Kreider’s been playing through it. I do get on him at times. But even I can see that he hasn’t been himself.

Kreider was more visible this game. He nearly took advantage of a Price giveaway and made it 3-2 only to see the acrobatic Montreal goalie get across and close up the five-hole. Kreider could only smile in disbelief. If he scores there, who knows what happens. The Rangers had more jump than the first two periods combined. Price also made another big stop denying Oscar Lindberg, who shook his head.

The Rangers at least showed for the third. But you can’t allow the fourth goal which came off a clean face-off loss from Zibanejad to Alex Galchenyuk, resulting in a harmless Jordie Benn right point shot going through Staal and Lundqvist for an insurmountable 4-1 lead. The Rangers aren’t scoring lately. It was another game of two or less. Something that’s becoming a troublesome trend.

If not for a comeback at the Devils in which they prevailed 4-3, they’d be nine straight with two goals or fewer. That’s not good enough. You knew the offense would slow down at some point. The lack of a power play is really hurting now. Astonishingly, they didn’t get one power play even though Habs took down our players on multiple occasions. Typical Montreal. There was only one power play the entire game. And I didn’t stick around to see it. I heard Brendan Gallagher ran Lundqvist intentionally and Staal responded. Of course, he gets mocked for it by ignorant fans. At least he has a backbone.

What about our captain? Does he ever do anything when Lundqvist is run? Nope. McDonagh is a quality player. But he’s as much a captain as Brian Leetch was. Some players just aren’t cut out for it. Listen to what Stepan said here about the team’s recent inconsistency and struggles. It’s dead on:

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The birthday boy Lundqvist gives himself a present

Posted on March 3, 2017 by Derek
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Excited teammates mob Henrik Lundqvist after his 32 saves preserved a 2-1 win at Boston to give himself a nice birthday present on his 35th birthday. AP Photo via Getty Images courtesy NYRangers.

For over a decade, Henrik Lundqvist has treated New York hockey fans great. He has spoiled us with his consistency. The former 2000 seventh round pick on the suggestion of former chief European scout Christian Rockstrom turned 35 today on March 2, 2017. All he wanted was a win is what he told MSG’s John Giannone following a virtuoso 32 save performance in a 2-1 Rangers victory at Boston.

It hasn’t always been easy this season for the franchise netminder who increased his team record in wins to 403. The same last year in what amounted to a disappointing conclusion. One thing about the proud man from Sweden who once won a championship with Frolunda and then the country’s greatest honor, an Olympic gold medal. He wants it badly. Always has. It was nice to see him put forth the kind of effort that reminded of the old days against a familiar opponent he’s owned.

The birthday boy was extra special. He had to be. The Rangers were flat in a lopsided first period that saw them get only three shots on Tuukka Rask. On the other hand, the Bruins peppered Lundqvist throughout forcing him into some difficult saves. He stopped all nine in the first to allow his team to settle down.

In his Rangers debut, defenseman Brendan Smith was solid while paired with former Badger teammate Ryan McDonagh. The captain had a throwback game of his own making tremendous reads and reactions in an outstanding game high 27:16. He worked well with Smith, who showed that edge that’s been lacking on the Ranger back end forever. After a shaky first shift, the former Red Wing adjusted and played well in 28 shifts logging 20:51. He did take a bad penalty off a face-off when he hooked down a Bruin in the first. But the Rangers killed it off. They went two for two on the penalty kill.

The second was much more evenly played. Both netminders were outstanding combining for 19 saves. Lundqvist stopping 11 more while Rask saved eight. The Rangers earned a power play early in the period when Pavel Buchnevich was taken down in front. In his return following a two goal and assist game in a win at Hartford Wednesday, the ’emergency recall’ had an impact throughout. He would later score a beautiful goal and draw another penalty. Like I said, he doesn’t belong in the AHL and should stay in the lineup when Michael Grabner returns.

My favorite part of the game came when Smith took a cheap shot from Bruins forward David Pastrnak at center ice. Of course, it went undetected. So, Smith gave a cross check to Pastrnak taking him down. There was no call on the play. The refs let it go. A refreshing change from the usual crap.

For the most part, the Rangers were okay defensively. However, the second pair of Nick Holden and Marc Staal continued to struggle throughout. They were beaten repeatedly by the faster skating Bruins causing dangerous shots and quality chances which Lundqvist bailed them out on. This game was all about the goalie who exhibits class every time he wears the jersey. He stole it. He didn’t look his age. Instead, looking about 10 years younger when he always had these duels with former Bruin Tim Thomas.

The Rangers were able to kill off the remainder of a Staal tripping penalty at the start of the third. With the game still scoreless, Buchnevich finally ended an 11-game goal drought when he made a perfect fake and used Zdeno Chara as a screen before firing a rocket past Rask top shelf for the game’s first goal at 5:10 from Holden and Rick Nash. The goal was eerily similar to one scored by another young Russian during a memorable game 23 years ago. His name was Alexei Kovalev:

Buchnevich reminds me of him. Similar skill set. Very good skater. Shifty. Has a deadly release. He also is a good passer. If they let the 21-year old play the last 18 like they did tonight, good things can happen. I’ll just leave it at that. Here is how his goal looked by comparison:

A few minutes later, another young Blueshirt found the back of the net. Oscar Lindberg has been playing his best hockey. It took a while for him to earn the fourth center spot. But he’s an active player who is noticeable during shifts. Someone who can win draws and get in on the forecheck while being defensively reliable, the second-year player scored a beauty to put them up two.

On a good defensive play by a hustling Brady Skjei, Matt Puempel handed for Lindberg, who gained the zone and went around Bruins rookie Brandon Carlo before going to the forehand and beating Rask far side for his fifth that made it 2-0 at 9:35. A terrific individual effort from a more confident Lindberg, who showed off some nice skating and finishing ability. Not bad for a checking center who doesn’t get a ton of ice-time. But he made his 15 shifts count getting the winner while going plus-one in 8:52.

In their first game back together, it didn’t quite happen for Derek Stepan, Chris Kreider and Mats Zuccarello. The trio combined for five shots with the active Zuccarello getting four of them. The same feisty Zuccarello who went right back at a Bruin in front of the bench. He doesn’t take anything from anyone. That is the kind of mentality this team needs the rest of the way. It was nice to see Smith add that element to the blue line. Especially against a Bruins team known for their antics.

The tandem of Skjei and Adam Clendening were again good throughout. Even if Clendening was kept to 14:27 in 19 shifts, he got one shot on net and attempted three while making sure to close out his man in front following a tough save from Lundqvist. Skjei got 18:34 while recording another even strength assist (24). He finds ways to impact the game due to his skating.

Of course, Lundqvist couldn’t get a shutout because we can’t have nice things. He deserved one on his birthday. But a horrible miscue from Holden and Staal allowed Pastrnak to split them and then get the puck through a sliding Staal which allowed pesky Brad Marchand to stuff one home for his 29th at 12:56. He would score. Marchand’s the kind of player that always will annoy you. But if he’s on your side, you love him. He’s one of the best players in the league.

The Bruins came hard in search of the equalizer. But a focused Lundqvist wasn’t having it. Not tonight. Not on his 35th birthday in Beantown. He wouldn’t allow the shaky Staal-Holden tandem ruin his night. He stopped 12 of 13 shots in the third with a few more late preserving his 29th win of the season. One more and he reaches 30 for the 11th time in 12 years.

Lundqvist was aggressive throughout challenging shooters. When he plays like that, he’s tough to beat. Due to that style, he drew a ticky tacky David Backes goalie interference with 2:22 left. Backes tried to avoid contact but Lundqvist was on the edge of his crease and got the call by going down. The Ranger power play spent a good majority down low in the Boston end but couldn’t put it away. That gave them one last chance.

When there was one more Bruins offensive draw with 2.4 seconds left, Lundqvist had to sweat it out. Patrice Bergeron won it back to Torey Krug but he fanned on his shot as the buzzer sounded at TD Garden.

As McDonagh congratulated Lundqvist, he smiled and sighed in relief. You can tell how much he wanted this one. His 403rd victory tied him for 10th all-time in wins. The numbers will say that it hasn’t been his best year. But that doesn’t matter. When number 30 plays like tonight, the Rangers are a much more dangerous team.

Adding Smith was a good move that should solidify the defense. How long Alain Vigneault stays with Staal and Holden remains to be seen. I know he doesn’t want to mess with the chemistry of Skjei and Clendening. But he might need to shift Staal to the third pair with Clendening and move Skjei up with Holden. We’ll see what happens.

This was a feel good win. One that reminded of the old days when Lundqvist was in his mid-20’s stealing two points. He did it again. Happy Birthday Henrik! 🙂

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Pavel Buchnevich, Rangers (goal-7th of season snapping an 11-game drought in return, drew 2 penalties, +1 in 22 shifts-15:13 including 11:41 ES and 3:32 PP)

2nd Star-Ryan McDonagh, Rangers (4 shots in 7 attempts, 4 hits, 3 blocked shots, even in 32 big shifts-27:16)

1st Star-Henrik Lundqvist, Rangers (32 saves including 11/11 in 2nd and 12/13 in 3rd for his 29th win of season-403rd career on 35th birthday)

Notes: Shots were in favor of the Bruins 33-21. They out-attempted the Rangers 63-44. The Rangers improved 25-5-0 when they’re out-shot by opponents. They’re only 15-16-2 when they out-shoot opponents and 1-0 when shots are even. So much for corsi mattering. … Hits were 27-24 Blueshirts with Holden and Jimmy Vesey pacing them with five apiece. Backes led all skaters with seven for the B’s. … Blocked shots were 14-11 Rangers led by McDonagh and Miller, who each had three. Smith had two in his debut. Backes and Krug each had two for Boston. … Face-offs went in favor of the home team 35-28 led by Bergeron (14-and-10). Mika Zibanejad led the Blueshirts going 8-and-7. …

Rangers swept the season series winning all three games in regulation including both in Boston. They upped their record to 41-21-2 with 84 points tying idle Pittsburgh. With Columbus shutting out Minnesota 1-0, they moved ahead of the Pens into second place with 86 points. Their 38 ROW are two more than Pittsburgh. Both teams have 20 games left while the Rangers have 18 to go. The Rangers also have 38 ROW. Their next game is Saturday against the suddenly resurgent Canadiens, who won for the first time in regulation in a month on Paul Byron’s game-winner with 8.3 seconds left spoiling P.K. Subban’s emotional return. Montreal did a great job with a classy video tribute followed by loud chants of “PK! PK!” from the Bell Centre crowd which moved him to tears. The Habs are now up to 80 points- six ahead of the Senators. Ottawa still has three games at hand.

Brendan Smith assesses his first game as a Ranger:

The birthday boy Lundqvist talks about the big win:

A happy Vigneault talks to Giannone on the win:

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