State Of The Sabres Address

Posted on February 9, 2017 by Sambone

Jack Eichel

Here we sit: 30 games are left in the 2016-2017 NHL season for the Buffalo Sabres and it appears the Darcy Regier era has resurrected: 22-22-10, 54 points, 6 points out of the last Wildcard spot.

The Boston Bruins (who get a MAJOR thumbs down for the way they fired Claude Julien) holds that last Wildcard spot: The good news? The Sabres have 2 games in hand versus the long time rivals in Beantown.

Ok it is settled: Sabres GM Tim Murray, burn up those phone lines and buy buy buy!

But as Lee Corso always says “Not So Fast My Friends”

Take a closer look: The Sabres are in a three way tie for LAST place in the Eastern Conference with Tampa Bay and Detroit. Oh and did I mention the Sabres ‘only’ have to climb over Carolina, New Jersey, Florida, New York (Hartford perhaps?!) Islanders and the Philadelphia Flyers to be able to get to Boston.

And considering the Gary Bettman era of the NHL, the one that likes to award 1 point for losses, it makes this an even more arduous task for Buffalo.

The answer is clear as day: The Sabres need to sell and sell fast.

The Anaheim Ducks provided enough evidence tonight in a 5-2 drubbing at KeyBank Center that illustrated the Sabres feel so close, but yet so far away from where Sabres Nation feels the team can go.

I completely can understand why Sabres fans are feeling frustrated and restless. The rivals up the QEW, the Toronto Maple Leafs, are showing greater strides and appear poised to qualify for the playoffs, as Auston Matthews and Mitchell Marner look fantastic and playing like veterans as rookies.

And Leafs Head Coach Mike Babcock is showing why Sabres owner Terry Pegula opened up the vault to lure Babcock to Western New York.
Who to sell? We will debate this going forward, but questions are all over the place: Is Robin Lehner a true #1 goalie? Should the Sabres keep the likes of Brian Gionta who provides veteran leadership? Is it time to buy out Matt Moulson?

These questions will answer itself, but one thing is certain: There is more work to be done. Don’t fool yourself Tim Murray and let the selling commence.

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Girardi out, Clendening in for tonight

Posted on February 9, 2017 by Derek
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AP Photo via Getty Images courtesy NYRangers.

At The Garden, the Rangers get set to host the Predators tonight at 7 PM. The goalie match-up will be Henrik Lundqvist against Nashville rookie Juuse Saros. It will be Lundqvist’s 16th straight start. He comes off his best game in which he made 43 saves in a 4-1 home win over the Ducks. In 10 career games against the Preds, he’s 6-4-0 with a 1.81 goals-against-average, .939 save percentage and two shutouts.

Saros returns to the Nashville net for his 11th game of the season. He’s 5-3-2 with a 1.79 GAA, .941 save percentage and one shutout. In the first meeting between the teams, he made 26 saves in a 2-1 shootout loss on Dec. 17. He’s a former Predators fourth round pick taken 99th overall in the 2013 NHL Draft. Only 21, he’s the heir apparent to franchise netminder Pekka Rinne.

There is one change for the Rangers. Dan Girardi will not play due to a lower body injury. He blocked a shot and showed off a swollen ankle. So, he’s listed as day-to-day. It’s ironic because the oft criticized veteran defenseman played one of his finest games of the season earning the Broadway Hat. Adam Clendening will fill in. He’ll actually play second pair with Marc Staal.

Alain Vigneault is bumping up Nick Holden to play with Ryan McDonagh. A good move in which his best puck possession and top minutes loggers will team up on the top pair. Kevin Klein will stay on the third pair with rookie Brady Skjei. They have been playing together lately and it’s worked out alright. I guess Vigneault doesn’t want to mess with the chemistry. It’ll be interesting to see how Clendening does with Staal. He’s certainly a good enough skater. I’m sure he’ll get some power play time.

It looks like there won’t be any other changes up front. So, that means you’ll probably see these four projected lines again:

Vesey-Stepan-Nash

Kreider-Zibanejad-Zuccarello

Grabner-Hayes-Miller

Buchnevich-Lindberg-Fast

Considering how they played against Anaheim, they’ll want to possess the puck more and pressure the Nashville D which is still pretty good. Roman Josi is back healthy. He anchors a strong blue line that features P.K. Subban, Ryan Ellis, Mattias Ekholm, Matt Irwin and Yannick Weber.

Filip Forsberg, Ryan Johansen and James Neal headline the forwards as a top line. Figure McDonagh and Holden to see plenty of the trio. Vigneault doesn’t normally match lines. But it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to stick the Hayes unit against them. That cohesive trio with Grabner and Miller are defensively responsible and very skilled turning defense into offense quickly. If not, I would expect Stepan’s unit to see them.

Keep an eye on Mike Fisher, who always seems to find the back of the net against them. He redirected the Preds’ only goal in the first match-up. He’ll always be one of those do everything centers who is overlooked. Viktor Arvidsson loves to shoot the puck. He must be accounted for along with Craig Smith, who can park himself in the slot for his dangerous wrist shot.

Vernon Fiddler recently returned to Nashville following a stint with the Devils before they acquired a fourth round pick for the checking center. He only has one goal on the year but is over 52.0 percent in the face-off dot and a solid penalty killer. He’ll anchor the fourth line with banger Cody McLeod and Austin Watson.

Here are the Nashville projected lines:

Forsberg-Johansen-Neal

Aberg-Fisher-Smith

Wilson-Jarnkrok-Arvidsson

McLeod-Fiddler-Watson

Josi-Ellis

Ekholm-Subban

Irwin-Weber

Saros

It’s worth noting that Subban didn’t play in the first meeting. Obviously, it goes without saying that the Rangers must pay attention to the dangerous former Canadien with the absolute rocket of a shot. I would suggest avoiding the penalty box.

Grabner leads the Blueshirts with 25 goals and the entire NHL with 23 even strength. Astonishing. Miller has been on a roll with 20 points over the last 17 and leads the team in scoring with 42 points. He’s playing basically third line and gets over 16 minutes as does Hayes. Imagine if he was on a higher line.

The Rangers have balance. Nash has looked very good lately. He scored against Calgary but didn’t against Anaheim. He, Stepan and Vesey have chemistry. You have to figure they’re gonna break out soon. Why not tonight?

The chemistry between Kreider and Zuccarello is impeccable. They are terrific together. It doesn’t matter who they play with. They’re setting each other up frequently. Zibanejad is a good fit because he thinks shot more. He hasn’t finished much recently. Maybe that changes.

They are facing a good young goalie who has tremendous upside. Let’s see what they do against Saros in the second meeting.

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Devils ‘bye week’ ill-timed

Posted on February 8, 2017 by hasan4978

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Sooner or later you may have noticed a new addition to the NHL schedule this season, the oddly named concept of the bye week – a five-day break each team gets at some point during the season where teams can’t practice until the day before the bye ends, presumably collectively bargained by the players’ union to give its constituents a second long scheduled break from hockey aside from the All-Star weekend (which to be fair not everyone actually has ‘off’).  Calling it a bye week is a bit silly since it’s a five-day span between games but the NHL’s just trying to piggyback on NFL lingo.  That said, I can understand the principle a long in-season break from the perspective of the forty-four or however many All-Stars that don’t actually get All-Star weekend off.  What I don’t understand is why some teams including the Devils get their so-called bye week so close to All-Star weekend.

With the All-Star break shutting down hockey from the 27th to the 30th in January, it’s honestly a bit ridiculous the Devils get their bye only a week after that, which leads to playing a grand total of four games in sixteen days.  Honestly that’s ridiculous, it would be like giving an NFL team two byes in a three week span, and it’s just another indiginty to heap on a schedule that was embarassingly road heavy in the first half of the season.  Of course after the bye the home/road part of the schedule will finally start to even out and there’ll be a ton of home games in Feburary – with our luck right when we might get hit with more storms such as the one allegedly hitting New Jersey tomorrow.   At least I should be glad I’m not missing a home game tomorrow, though driving to work won’t be a picnic should I have to go.

What makes the timing of the bye worse is the Devils had played some of their best hockey of the season the week after the All-Star break, going 3-0-1 in four games.  Even (gasp!) finally winning a home game for the first time in a full month, and the first time in two whole months with me in attendance.  My nightmarish streak ended at seven straight losses, with the seventh being the Devils’ only post-All Star blemish – a 4-3 OT loss against the Flames where they wasted one of their best periods of the season putting up three unanswered goals in the second period, only to follow it up blowing another third period lead and losing another OT game.  Our 2-1 home win over the Sabres on Monday felt like a long time coming, which it was.  Really it should have been more of a blowout than that, but some strong goaltending from Robin Lehner and horrendously bad goaltending by Cory Schneider on a Tyler Ennis weakside floater in the third period made the game closer than it should have been.  Fortunately rookie Pavel Zacha bailed out his goaltender with a power play goal giving the Devils back the lead for good, continuing his own strong play of late since a benching in Edmonton.

Amazingly the Devils have continued their spotless play of late on the road, running their road winning streak to six games and road points streak to nine games (8-0-1) with post-ASG wins over Detroit and Columbus…this IS the same team that couldn’t buy a win on the road the first two months, right?!  Even more surprisingly, both games the Devils more or less dominated though some more horrible goaltending by Mr. Once-upon-a-time-elite Schneider turned a 4-1 laugher into a 4-3 nailbiter for the final few minutes in Detroit.  Our home loss to Calgary pretty much sapped my enthusiasm to watch the Columbus game the next day (Saturday), especially considering we normally are a stepping stool for the Jackets to thump us.  This time however, the tables were turned and it was the Devils who shocked the hockey world with a 5-1 clown pounding of a Jackets team twenty games over .500, and mostly silencing the Jackets’ goal cannon that’s a bane to beat writers everywhere.  Showing that perhaps hell did indeed over that night, the Devils even got goals from normally hopeless (except in the shootout) Jacob Josefson and AHL plodding defenseman Seth Helgeson.

What’s changed for the Devils over this recent stretch since the break?  For one thing the power play’s been a lot more effective than it’s been most of the season, going 5-10 in the four games.  They’ve also tightened up structurally for the most part, particularly against the Sabres, who they held to just 23 shots on goal.  That should have been the easiest shutout of Schneider’s career, seeing as he didn’t have to make one tough save in the game.  Despite only one goal allowed in each of the last two games, Cory’s still been horrendously roller coaster all season, following up great saves with soft goals.  Thankfully the team’s played well enough – especially offensively – to pick up the goalie in a couple of these recent games, but make no mistake, he’s going to have to play a lot better to keep up this playoff chase (currently just three points out but behind a few teams still).  Fourteen goals in four games is usually a couple weeks’ total for us.  Thankfully it seems as if the seat’s cooled on coach John Hynes, and the team’s been giving a lot more effort in the last few games.  Perhaps the trade of popular fourth-liner Vernon Fiddler just after the break served as a bit of a wakeup call to others in the room?  That’s the theory of a friend of mine, seeing the effort the last few games compared to the effort for much of the season I’m not inclined to argue at the moment.

Of course after the long break we get served up a non-ideal opponent (defending WC Champ San Jose) at a non-ideal time (Sunday at 12:30 PM) with former coach Pete DeBoer coming into the Rock for the second time with San Jose since being let go.  Though we split the two games with the Sharks last year, their 4-0 whitewashing of us in San Jose this year showed we still have issues with big teams in general, as radio hosts Matt Loughlin and Sherry Ross remarked while I was listening to the postgame on the drive home from Monday night’s game.  What’s annoying about the start time Sunday from a personal standpoint is the Devils are having a Taylor Hall bobblehead giveaway my friend wants to go to, but since they’re only giving it away to the first 9000 fans it’s likely we’ll have to go insanely early to get one on a weekend.  And even if we do get there early enough to get one, we’ll likely have to have a long wait between getting into the arena and the game start time.

In some ways that wait would mirror the one this week without hockey.

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Cool Moment: Getzlaf helps Stepan

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Derek
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Ryan Getzlaf helps Derek Stepan get up after he was knocked down from behind by Logan Shaw. A cool moment during Tuesday’s game between the Rangers and Ducks at The Garden. AP Photo via Getty Images courtesy Sportsnet.

During the third period of a Rangers 4-1 win over the Ducks at Madison Square Garden, Derek Stepan was hit hard by Anaheim’s Logan Shaw right into the boards. As he struggled to get to his feet, there was Anaheim captain Ryan Getzlaf doing Stepan a solid by helping him get up and out of the way of a scrum that ensued near the benches.

It was a cool moment. Here was Stepan in a prone position as players came together following the Shaw hit which went undetected. As Jimmy Vesey came to his aid leading to matching roughs, Getzlaf made sure Stepan didn’t suffer any further injury. It was a gentlemanly display by a player who exhibits class. Here is the video and call from MSG’s Sam Rosen and Joe Micheletti:

In a game where players are giving it their all and battling, this was one of those great moments that makes hockey special. On You Can Play Project night, it was fitting.

Kudos to you, Mr. Getzlaf.

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Lundqvist makes 43 saves in Rangers’ 4-1 win over Ducks

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Derek
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Dan Girardi sports the Broadway Hat after a stellar effort in a Rangers’ 4-1 victory over the Ducks highlighted by a virtuoso performance from Henrik Lundqvist, who made 43 saves to give Alain Vigneault win number 600. AP Photo via Getty Images courtesy NYRangers.

All season long, we’ve been waiting on that one signature performance from Henrik Lundqvist. He certainly has dealt with a lot more criticism. Given the inconsistency and struggles behind not always a strong defense, the affable 34-year old franchise leader in games, wins and shutouts had a night to remember. He finished with 43 saves to highlight a well earned 4-1 Rangers’ win over the Ducks at MSG.

Lundqvist was great all night. He made every big save in a game that saw possession strong Anaheim out-shoot the Rangers 44-20 and out-attempt them 83-40. Many would say how could they have won. If you haven’t paid attention, our team doesn’t need a lot of shots or chances to score. They are supremely skilled and have great speed that can hurt opponents. Their passing was terrific on all four goals.

It’s not always about Corsi or Fenwick. Tonight, the Rangers protected Lundqvist by defending the front of the net well. They didn’t allow the Ducks to run wild. They protected the house and allowed their goalie to see most of the shots. It won’t go down as a virtuoso performance. Obviously, they didn’t have the puck enough. But they made their shots count scoring four on 20 including three on 19 against John Gibson.

When Anaheim didn’t get shots through, there were plenty of Blueshirts paying the price by getting the jersey dirty. They blocked 23 shots. Somehow, Dan Girardi was only credited with two. I could’ve sworn I counted more. But he had a strong game finishing plus-two in 23:09 including 18:32 at even strength going mostly against the top Anaheim line of Ryan Getzlaf, Richard Rakell and Corey Perry. Girardi’s partner Ryan McDonagh was brilliant blocking a team high five shots while going plus-three in a game high 26:13 including 20:33 even strength.

Both were tremendous on the penalty kill each logging an extra 4:37. That included being forced to kill off consecutive Ducks’ power plays. The defense did a great job as did the forwards with usual suspects Kevin Hayes and J.T. Miller leading the way. Despite getting enough shots (8 total), Anaheim went 0-for-4 on the power play. That included a two save sequence from Lundqvist in which he got across to rob Rakell on a great Getzlaf feed and then aggressively challenged Hampus Lindholm knocking the puck out of play to loud cheers and “Hen-rik, Hen-rik!” chants from appreciative home fans.

It was the first time in nearly two months the Blueshirts have won two straight at home. The last came against Carolina on 12/3 and the Devils on 12/11. Maybe this is the stretch where they turn it around. With home dates against Nashville and Colorado on Thursday and Saturday, they can make a statement. Both are winnable.

The game itself demonstrated early that the Ducks would control the possession and shots. They play a tough physical style and are very effective on the forecheck. In the first, Lundqvist faced and stopped all 16 shots fired his way. Anaheim threw them from everywhere. Even though they were out-shot 16-6, it was the Rangers who took a 1-0 lead into the locker room.

Oscar Lindberg got the game’s first goal when he was given a brilliant backhand feed from gifted Russian rookie Pavel Buchnevich in front burying home his second past Gibson at 4:01. Marc Staal picked up a secondary assist. Buchnevich made the play with the no look feed as Lindberg cut to the net for an easy finish.

At the start of the second, the opportunistic Blueshirts got a great shift from Chris Kreider and Mats Zuccarello leading to a goal from the very popular Zuccarello just 66 seconds in for a two-goal lead. Brady Skjei started the play and then Kreider set up Zuccarello twice. On the first one, he missed. But they stayed with it allowing Zuccarello to notch his 11th from Kreider and Skjei. Although he’s still a project defensively, Skjei has been putting up points. He tallied two assists in the victory.

Before the Ducks got back in it, Gibson made a few timely saves to give his team a chance. He didn’t face as much volume but the Rangers generated some high quality chances. One such opportunity coming from Jimmy Vesey on a Derek Stepan set up that had MSG radio analyst Dave Maloney in shock. Gibson kicked it out.

Anaheim was able to finally get on the scoreboard thanks to Jakob Silfverberg, who was able to beat Lundqvist in front off a quick feed from Andrew Cogliano behind the net cutting it to 2-1 at 6:14. On the play, Skjei was separated from the puck allowing Cogliano to feed Silfverberg for his 16th.

From that point, it was mostly Ducks. They continued to get pucks deep and cycle the Rangers to death. One such shift had both McDonagh and Girardi caught out for a long time. But they were able to get out of trouble with McDonagh skating the puck out. The problem for Anaheim was they couldn’t beat Lundqvist. He was making the key stops and his defense cleared the rebounds. Something that also happened against Calgary in their last home win. If the D continues to make a conscious effort to make life harder on opponents in front, that would be a huge plus.

Skjei took an undisciplined double minor for high-sticking Antoine Vermette. This was an egregious stick foul with Skjei basically using his stick to nearly decapitate Vermette, who thankfully had a visor on but still was bloodied which resulted in a four-minute Anaheim power play. This was a pivotal moment in the game. It was Lundqvist and the penalty kill which got the job done. Some great hustle from Hayes nearly led to another Miller shorthanded goal. He just missed.

After they successfully killed the first 3:22 to stay ahead 2-1 after 40 minutes, the Rangers had no trouble finishing off the final 38 seconds at the start of the third. Stellar efforts were also tuned in by Staal, Nick Holden along with penalty killing forwards Stepan, Rick Nash, Mike Zibanejad and the amazing Michael Grabner. I’ve run out of adjectives to describe Grabner. He has been arguably the best free agent signing of last summer.

When general manager Jeff Gorton gave Grabner a two-year contract worth an average of $1.65 million, nobody blinked an eye. The prevailing thought was he would help the penalty kill immensely and be a nice upgrade on the fourth line. If you had Grabner leading this team in goals with 25 at this point with still two months left, you’re either a liar or completely insane. There’s no question that the former Islander and Leaf brings tremendous speed and defensive acumen to the Rangers’ transition game. He’s a perfect fit under Vigneault, helping the coach win number 600 by scoring twice.

Prior to his first goal which increased the lead to 3-1, the game got a little hectic. A big hit by Anaheim forward Logan Shaw caught Stepan straight from behind shoving him right into the boards by the Ducks bench. Incensed, Nash immediately jumped in with Vesey trading punches with Shaw. Somehow, the refs didn’t view the hit as a penalty. So, they gave Shaw and Vesey coincidental minors. It was a total botch job.

While they discussed the play and got it wrong, Getzlaf did a gentlemanly thing by helping Stepan get up and off the ice. He was sitting down on his bench and grabbed a fallen Stepan pulling him away from the scrum. It’s one of the classiest things I’ve ever seen. It was respectful and the way players should treat players even when it gets heated. I can’t say enough for what Getzlaf did there. As for Stepan, he went to the locker room but returned fast. Vigneault said he didn’t think he even had to go through concussion protocol. If true, he’s lucky. Hopefully, nothing else comes of it.

During the four-on-four, as if by a twist of fate, it was the Rangers who benefited with Miller making a terrific pass to lead Grabner for number 24 at 3:45. Skjei started the play to Miller and he just made a perfect pass that allowed Grabner to come in and beat Gibson for a two-goal lead with 16:15 left.

Even in a period where they had to kill consecutive minors from Kreider (holding) and Hayes (delay of game) a few minutes apart, it didn’t matter. The Rangers had their goalie back. Lundqvist stopped 12 more Anaheim shots en route to the game’s first star.

With the Ducks pulling Gibson for an extra attacker, it was Miller again who made a smart play lifting the puck and making a pass in mid-air right to Grabner at center, who was ahead and scored his 25th into an open net with 19 seconds to go. Hayes also got a helper. It was fitting that he was out with his linemates. That cohesive trio have been largely responsible for why this team has been successful. All strong two-way forwards who have been tremendous at even strength. Twenty-three of Grabner’s 25 goals have come at even strength. The other two are shorthanded and now an empty netter five-on-six.

All in all, a good performance even though they were badly outshot. An area Vigneault wants to improve when the Predators are in town Thursday. As for him becoming the second fastest coach to win 600, he emphasized having good players. Without that, you don’t get far. He certainly has had plenty in Vancouver and now New York.

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BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Michael Grabner, NYR (2 goals-team-leading 24th and 25th for a player who scored a combined 17 the last two years-he’d be my second candidate for the Extra Effort behind J.T.)

2nd Star-J.T. Miller, NYR (2 primary assists-up to 26 helpers for J.T. who is my top candidate for the Steven McDonald Award)

1st Star-Henrik Lundqvist, NYR (43 saves incl. 31/32 first 2 periods-more like the King)

Gif of Game: Grabner celebrating the first of two

Lundqvist On His Game:

Grabner talks about his game:

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Lundqvist to start 15th in row versus Ducks, Julien dumped on Patriots Day

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Derek
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Henrik Lundqvist gets ready for tonight’s match against the Ducks on You Can Play Night at MSG. AP Photo via Getty Images courtesy NYRangers.

Not long ago, Henrik Lundqvist wasn’t getting enough starts. His in season struggles forced Alain Vigneault to go to backup Antti Raanta more than he liked to. When Raanta went down, the coach had to go with Lundqvist exclusively. The results have been mixed. He had a nice stretch before the All-Star break winning three of four while permitting only six goals.

Then came a five day layoff. He wasn’t sharp against Columbus in an ugly 6-4 home loss that saw Raanta replace him and also rudely greeted. He even took the loss due to the Rangers scoring the last four goals. Following another tough home defeat, Lundqvist has bounced back with consecutive wins at Buffalo and over Calgary. So, he has played better in winning five of his last seven which also coincides with the team that sits in the first wildcard with 67 points in 52 games. Eight clear of the Flyers, who have played two more games.

The Rangers are nine ahead of the Bruins, who predictably fired coach Claude Julien on the same day the Patriots were celebrating their miraculous Super Bowl LII comeback from 28-3 down to stun the Falcons 31-28 in the first ever Super Bowl that went to overtime. Unless you really hate football (some hockey fans do) or just don’t care for sports, that’s the all-time greatest comeback I’ve ever seen in sports. I am talking for one game for all the marbles. Not the Red Sox stunning the Yankees from 3-0 down or the Flyers stunning the Bruins from the same deficit.

Considering the situation, it’s pretty remarkable. It certainly resonated with Kevin Hayes, who is from Massachusetts and was seen wearing a Tom Brady jersey in the Rangers locker room at practice on Monday. He returns to the lineup tonight after missing the last five games with a lower body injury. He and fellow Boston College alum Chris Kreider had to be ecstatic over that comeback. Jimmy Vesey is also from the area. My final thought is as great a comeback as it was, it was a total collapse by Atlanta. They really screwed up. I feel bad for my Georgia friend who took it in stride concluding “This is who the Falcons are.”

If that happened to any of our teams, we’d be beside ourselves. Just maybe we need to take a step back after what that Super Bowl. I do. Plenty of Ranger fans do. Even if you disagree with Alain Vigneault on his personnel decisions, do we really have it that bad? I don’t think so. Think of all the Atlanta fans who have seen one Braves World Title and now have to endure a long off-season following that choke job. Or talk to a Buffalo sports fan. Or someone who roots for the Indians or Browns.

I guess it puts things in perspective. It’s sport. Anything can happen. But really. Could anyone else have pulled that off besides Brady and Bill Belichick? You know the answer. I still can’t believe the audacity of the Boston Bruins organization firing Julien today. Everyone knew he was getting fired. It was the worst kept secret. Cam Neely was a heck of a player but is a terrible executive. Do you think Hasan or any Devils fan would take Julien back over John Hynes? There will be a few hot suitors for him including the Las Vegas expansion.

As for tonight, the Rangers host a very good Ducks team. Anaheim has 66 points and enters play second in a much improved Pacific where three total points separate first place San Jose from both the Ducks and Oilers. Anahim sits second by virtue of one fewer game played and one more ROW. After that, the chase is on for the wildcard out West where you have six teams battling for two spots.

Anaheim is a funny team. In a year where Corey Perry only has nine goals but still ranks third in team scoring with 36 points, they’re led by Richard Rakell (21 goals) and Ryan Kesler (18-24-42). Team captain Ryan Getzlaf still is second in points behind Kesler with 39 including a team-leading 31 assists. Whatever the reason, he doesn’t finish anymore. But remains a great set up man on a heck of a line with Perry and Rakell.

But it’s Kesler who has done the heavy lifting. He and Jakob Silfverberg (15-18-33) have had big years. Andrew Cogliano and Antoine Vermette play supporting roles. Nick Ritchie 11 goals) finishes every check pacing the club with 177 hits.

On the blue line, Cam Fowler’s had one of his best years with 11 goals and 16 assists including five power play goals, a shorthanded goal and three game-winners. With Dylan McIlrath now back in the AHL for the Florida affiliate, it’s always going to be what if. That said, I still don’t think McIlrath ever got a fair shake. He wasn’t worse than Dan Girardi last year. With respect to Girardi, who played hurt, I will never fully grasp Vigneault. He’s doing similar to Adam Clendening. Not that he’s the answer. But there are nights where Girardi or Kevin Klein should sit. It makes you wonder what they’ll have left by April.

In fairness, Vigneault has managed their ice-time better. Nick Holden has allowed for that. He micromanages Klein and rookie Brady Skjei especially. They aren’t used as consistently five-on-five. Girardi sometimes fluctuates depending on the match-up. Ryan McDonagh remains the backbone. Holden follows. Marc Staal being healthy again helps immensely.

As for the lineup, it looks like Matt Puempel comes out for Hayes. That means Oscar Lindberg remains in to center the fourth line over Brandon Pirri, who has fallen out of favor. If he’s not scoring on the power play, the more offensive minded Pirri isn’t a good fit at even strength. So, it makes sense. Especially with Hayes back where he can play power play if necessary. So can penalty kill partner J.T. Miller, who has continued his strong play.

The goalie match-up pits the youth of American John Gibson against the experience of Lundqvist. The 23-year old former American World Junior Championship hero is coming into his own. He brings 20 wins with a 2.27 goals-against-average, .921 save percentage and three shutouts in 41 games into tonight’s match. With Anaheim not the most explosive team, Gibson’s play has been crucial. Ex-Leaf Jonathan Bernier backs up.

Lundqvist remains below his career numbers with a 2.74 GAA, .907 save percentage and two shutouts. He’s still allowing a few goals short side. But is trending in the right direction. It should be a good match-up.

The Ducks will be without Sami Vatanen, who will miss a second consecutive game due to a lower body injury. Rookie Brandon Montour will fill in for him on the top pair with Fowler. Here are projected lines via the Ducks website:

ANAHEIM DUCKS

Rakell-Getzlaf-Perry

Cogliano-Kesler-Silfverberg

Ritchie-Vermette-Kase

Cramarossa-Thompson-Shaw

Fowler-Montour

Lindholm-Manson

Theodore-Bieksa

Gibson

Vesey-Stepan-Nash

Kreider-Zibanejad-Zuccarello

Miller-Hayes-Grabner

Buchnevich-Lindberg-Fast

McDonagh-Girardi

Staal-Holden

Skjei-Klein

Lundqvist

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A win is a win Rangers style

Posted on February 5, 2017 by Derek
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A Fast Connection: Teammates J.T. Miller and Michael Grabner congratulate Jesper Fast on his game-winner in a good home win for the Rangers 4-3 over the Flames. AP Photo via Getty Images courtesy NYRangers.

A win is a win. Even if it wasn’t pretty by any stretch, the Rangers found a way to win at home finally. They defeated the Flames 4-3 at Madison Square Garden on Super Bowl Sunday. Why they played hockey today I have no idea. But they did.

You don’t get style points for winning. And when it comes to MSG, they haven’t been all too successful. They entered losers of five out of six at home. It was refreshing just to see them win at 33rd and 7th Avenue. Even if I picked the right period to miss and treat myself at the Mall, it was great to see them score three times in a wild third in which the teams combined for five goals.

In the first, Dougie Hamilton and Rick Nash traded power play goals 1:55 apart for the scoring. Hamilton’s came on a iffy Dan Girardi phantom trip with his right point shot deflecting off Nick Holden past Henrik Lundqvist at 6:59. Not much you could do about that. Nash finally got one on a brilliant pass from Derek Stepan to end a seven-game goal drought. He had been so close last game that it was a matter of time. It was number 16 from Stepan and Ryan McDonagh at 8:54.

I got back just in time to see Michael Grabner score his team-leading 23rd off a great passing play from Brady Skjei and J.T. Miller. It was a wonderfully constructed play with Miller feeding a pinching Skjei, who found Grabner wide open for an easy finish following a sloppy Calgary turnover.

Before they could breathe, Troy Brouwer got to a Johnny Gaudreau errant shot that took a funny hop right to him and tied it up. Just a bad break. Ten seconds later, Pavel Buchnevich got into it with Kris Versteeg in an odd and very quick fight if you could call it that. Versteeg didn’t have his jersey tied down. So, he received an automatic ejection.

The third continued to be wide open. A few minutes later, Chris Kreider matched his career high with his 21st tally off a rush. His shot may have deflected off a Calgary player. Mika Zibanejad and Girardi picked up helpers. A Flames’ miscue led directly to Jesper Fast burying a lay-up from the crafty Miller (24th assist). Grabner also helped set it up giving him a two-point day. It’s always nice to see a hard worker like Fast get rewarded. He never takes a shift off and is responsible defensively. Always hustling.

But with a two-goal lead, the Rangers got too comfortable. Girardi did as did Lundqvist. The two elder statesmen were responsible for Matthew Tkachuk’s tally 61 seconds later which made it 4-3 with 7:27 remaining. Girardi felt forecheck pressure from Mikael Backlund with the puck going right to Tkachuk, who let go of a wrist shot Lundqvist probably should’ve had. It went short side. Something that’s happened too much. Just an ugly play overall by the two Rangers who have been here the longest.

Tkachuk’s 10th came following a near miss by Jimmy Vesey at the other end on a Stepan set up. If he doesn’t miss the net, the Calgary goal doesn’t happen. That’s hockey.

There were a couple of nerve racking moments as the Rangers protected a one-goal lead on home ice. Honestly, when the Flames pulled Brian Elliott for an extra attacker, I thought they would tie it. But Lundqvist made a couple of big saves and his teammates defended well enough to come away with an important victory to start a four-game home stand on the right foot.

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Broadway Hat recipient Jesper Fast following the win is all smiles. AP Photo via Getty Images courtesy NYRangers.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Rick Nash, NYR (goal-16th, 5 shots on 7 attempts, 3 hits, 2 takeaways, 2 blocks, even rating in 27 shifts-18:41-has looked really good last 2 with Stepan and Vesey)

2nd Star-Mikael Backlund, CGY (2 assists, 4 shots on 8 attempts, +1 in 21 shifts-17:59-quietly leads the Flames in scoring and plays a similar style to another Swede Michael Nylander)

1st Star-J.T. Miller, NYR (2 assists, 4 shots on 6 attempts, 2 hits, +1 in 24 shifts-14:35-J.T. makes so many things happen. How did he only get 14:35? He’s tremendous)

Ferland’s response to Klein an overreaction to a clean hit: Prior to Fast scoring to put the Blueshirts ahead by two, Kevin Klein came across the ice with a clean hit on Lance Bouma sending him down. There was nothing wrong with it. It was a good hockey play. Predictably, Micheal Ferland made a bee line for Klein dropping his gloves first and the two fought. Honestly, clean hits shouldn’t prompt such a response. But this is the wussified NHL we get now. It should’ve been an instigator on Ferland. Instead, he and Klein each got five apiece. Alain Vigneault deflected the question letting it speak for itself. The last I checked, hitting is allowed as long as it’s legal. There are too many instances where players overreact to clean checks. That’s my hard hitting take for the day. Enjoy the Super Bowl. Let’s Go Falcons!

Postgame Reaction:

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This is how the Blueshirts must play the rest of the way

Posted on February 2, 2017 by Derek
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Chris Kreider celebrates in style after his 20th goal gave a much better Blueshirts a well deserved 2-1 overtime win over the Sabres in Buffalo. AP Photo via Getty Images courtesy NYRangers.

Mark down Game 51 on Groundhog Day, Feb. 2. This was the kind of hockey the Blueshirts must play the rest of the way. For starters, they played the right way. It kind of reminded me of how they used to play. Playing strong defense and getting great goaltending from a laser focused Henrik Lundqvist while generating quality chances off the D.

Indeed, the Rangers’ well earned 2-1 overtime victory at the Sabres was an eye opener. It was a complete 180 from the incomplete dismal effort the other night in an awfully disappointing 6-4 loss on home ice. All 18 skaters in the old home white, red and blue gave consistent effort shift to shift. The goalie was outstanding.

It was almost letter perfect. Sure. The Sabres found a way to tie it when the Rangers lost track of Cody Franson in the slot with 5:31 left in regulation. But there were plenty of skaters protecting Lundqvist in search of the loose puck. A notable difference from most of the games they’ve played in front of him.

Unlike the previous 50, this was the most enjoyable game I’ve seen from the Rangers. It wasn’t just how they played. But also how the Sabres did. They also played well defensively and got a stellar performance from Robin Lehner, who at times was brilliant in making 42 saves. Between him and elder Swedish statesman Lundqvist, who countered with 36 including his biggest on a Buffalo power play to deny Jack Eichel and Kyle Okposo at the doorstep, it was playoff caliber hockey.

The kind that’s easy to sit back, relax and enjoy on a rare day off from work. You had the Rangers playing a tremendous first by having the better of the puck possession and play to get 14 shots on Lehner. That included some great rushes by Rick Nash, who had a tremendous night even though he didn’t have any puck luck. Michael Grabner was dangerous throughout but also didn’t have any luck hitting a goalpost.

When they took penalties, the team played together killing them off. The Sabres went 0-for-3. The Rangers penalty kill got the job done on the first two by not giving Buffalo’s top players much room. Unlike the last two games- both losses- Eichel didn’t have all sorts of time and space. However, he did get wide open in front on his team’s third power play only to have a razor sharp Lundqvist deny him pointblank with the kind of save he’s spoiled us with the last decade.

The game’s only goal till that point was scored by Mats Zuccarello, who somehow managed to get his stick on a terrific one-timer from captain Ryan McDonagh for a power play goal with 2:10 left in the second.

J.T. Miller set it up because that’s what he can do when he’s used properly by coach Alain Vigneault. Miller doesn’t always get the most ice-time. But when Vigneault uses him in all situations, he makes things happen. There he was again in the middle of something good to set up Chris Kreider perfectly for the overtime winner with 1:04 remaining. That followed a four-on-three power play which never really was in sync.

But Lundqvist made a good play for a change from his net to get the puck to Mika Zibanejad and start a transition for the winner. Zibanejad got the puck to Miller, who drew defenders before making a sweet dish for Kreider’s 20th to make a winner of Lundqvist. A game he deserved. It really should’ve been a shutout. But sometimes, things happen to change that.

The overtime was wonderful. Each team went for it. Buffalo came close to ending it with Evander Kane hitting the far post. Grabner making a bid but unable to come up with the right stuff.

It was likable hockey. You had Zuccarello sticking his nose in and getting dirty during a scrum at a stoppage. Kreider went to bat for him going after Marcus Foligno with each going off for two minutes. Unlike the last game when they were awful on consecutive four-on-four goals from Columbus, there would be no repeat. That’s how much in sync the Rangers were.

If they want to be taken seriously the final 31 games in the regular season and beyond, this is how they must play. With focus, precision and purpose. There won’t be any complaining tomorrow about a lineup that included Oscar Lindberg in for Brandon Pirri and Dan Girardi and Kevin Klein both in with Adam Clendening out as the extra.

A virtuoso performance for a change from the Broadway Blueshirts. One that could be worth remembering if they can do it consistently.

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Groundhog Day: Alain Vigneault is boring

Posted on February 2, 2017 by Derek

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It’s not that he’s not a good coach. In his fourth year behind the bench of the Rangers, Alain Vigneault has already earned a extension with the organization rewarding him with a $2 million raise that would take him through 2020.

Truth be told, he’s done a good job. In his first season, the Blueshirts made their first Stanley Cup Final since that thing happened when I was a teenager in high school. Consecutive comebacks from 3-1 series deficits in tough second rounds and two straight Conference Finals along with a President’s Trophy are the highlights.

The team plays a more exciting style under Vigneault than they did under John Tortorella. A coach I still hold in high regard. He does it differently. They are polar opposites. Both successful at their jobs. One having won a Stanley Cup while the other has come up short twice with two different franchises.

It goes without saying that Vigneault is more buttoned down than Tortorella, who wears his emotions on his sleeves. Full credit to him for toning it down while rebuilding a very good young team in Columbus. Vigneault always talks about sticking to the system and their structure. Here is the latest example before tonight’s game versus Buffalo:

“Execution. One shift at a time. Respecting our structure with or without the puck and we gotta compete every shift. And that’s what we’re gonna do tonight.”

This is basically classic AV. He always says this along with the usual “we got our looks” following a loss. It’s who he is. He’s not gonna deviate from who he is. He loves emphasizing team speed and transitional play leading to offense. It’s worked with the Rangers entering the second highest scoring club behind only the defending champion Pens.

A stronger core up front that now includes top finisher Michael Grabner along with gifted rookies Pavel Buchnevich and Jimmy Vesey have made them deeper. Not having Kevin Hayes for a while hurts. Can anyone explain why Buchnevich finds himself on the fourth line? He’s now basically traded places with Vesey, who went through a rough patch before scoring in the 6-4 loss at home to the Blue Jackets. Trading Places is a classic movie. Who doesn’t love Dan Akroyd as Winthorpe and Eddie Murphy as Valentine in the 1983 comedy?

But for Ranger fans, it’s Groundhog Day literally. It really is today. The groundhog Chuck out here in Staten Island didn’t see his shadow. So at least there’s that. An early Spring would be welcome. Even if winter hasn’t been too bad. Hopefully, that trend continues. We usually get hit hard around this time. So, keep your fingers crossed.

In the postgame the other night, ESPN Radio’s Don LaGreca concluded that the Rangers could use more personality. He feels they’re too businesslike. He might be right. But Vigneault leaves most of it to the locker room. So, when things go bad, he lets leadership handle adversity. That’s why it was so discouraging to see Henrik Lundqvist take only one question before exiting the room after giving up three goals on 16 shots before being replaced by Antti Raanta. The well spoken Finn didn’t have much better luck giving up another three in another Ranger second period implosion.

Congrats to Raanta on the birth of new daughter Evelyn. At least he gets away for a day. That means Magnus Hellberg returns to back up. Good news for Hank? He did play better when Raanta was out.

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Raanta probably is glad he didn’t make the trip to Buffalo. The Sabres have already beat the Rangers twice. The last one one of those MSG no shows we’ve grown accustomed to. The Rangers have been very mediocre going 8-8 in the last 16. They still have a nice hold on the first wildcard leading the Flyers by seven with nine more ROW and one game at hand. The Maple Leafs are eight behind with 55 points and still have 34 games left. The Panthers have 54 but don’t look like a threat having given up 20 more goals and played 51 games. The streaking Islanders are the team to watch with 53 points and only 48 games played.

After that, no other team can be looked at as a threat. Not even the schizophrenic Lightning. That’s how bad it’s gone down in Tampa. Maybe they should be sellers. And this sure looks like the year Detroit finally misses.

So, who are the 2016-17 Rangers under the gum chewing stoic Vigneault in Year 4 of now 7 thanks to team brass? Are they capable of being a playoff threat? Or is this who they are? An inconsistent bunch who always say “We’ll get ’em next time” or “We have to be better.” Isn’t it about time someone shows a little bravado? There’s no Sean Avery coming.

Maybe that’s why my father and brother can’t stand watching this team. There isn’t any personality. When players are knocked down, there aren’t going to be many retaliations. It’s not how they’re coached. Nick Holden took up last game going back at Brandon Dubinsky. Kevin Klein will on occasion. J.T. Miller and Chris Kreider are the likeliest candidates of the forwards.

This team is in desperate need of a change. I’m not suggesting blowing it up. I am not even suggesting making a splash before that Feb. 28 deadline. It’s Feb. 2. A short month. A lot can happen in 26 days. Tonight’s the first game of the month for this team. They have a lot of home games before hitting the road. They have to stand up and protect home ice. Now that the Islanders have Doug Weight running it, they are doing that and beating good teams. Even if Barclays Center doesn’t want them. Hypocrites.

Would it kill Jeff Gorton to get a player like Antoine Roussel? Not like the Stars would trade him. But that’s the type of character player this team lacks. I kind of wish Kreider was more like Brad Marchand. Yes. He’s a prick and cheap shot artist who the league again let off the hook. But he is a very good player who makes things hard on opponents and scores big goals. Kreider btw is on pace for 30. He has 19. This could be the breakout year we’ve been waiting for. And he does play tough in front of the net and mix it up.

Rick Nash is a terrific overall two-way player who isn’t going to do that stuff. He’s poetry in motion when on. Scoring some of the prettiest goals. He is defensively responsible. Much more so than when he arrived in a tumultuous Year 1 under angry Torts.

Derek Stepan is always at his locker talking to reporters after bad losses. He talked about how they have to prevent these 10-minute naps. Or was it sleeps. They’re basically the same. He seems like the true leader of this team. Nothing against Ryan McDonagh, who says all the right things at his locker. But I never envisioned him as a captain. He reminds me of Brian Leetch. Some guys just aren’t cut out to be captain.

So, what will change tonight? Will the Rangers remember to skate with the Sabres and not get sucked into a track meet? Will they stop taking chances and leaving the front of the net for target practice for the likes of Eichel, Kane, Okposo and O’Reilly? I already have this game penciled in as a loss. Prove me wrong fellas.

If it gets ugly, you can always flip to AMC and watch Groundhog Day with my favorite Bill Murray as Phil seeing his collective shadow on repeat. Plus the wonderful Andie MacDowell as Rita. ❤

 

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Totally Random: Top 100, All-Star Exhibition, Islanders

Posted on February 1, 2017 by Derek
Nick Bonino, Kris Letang, Carl Hagelin, Evgeni Malkin, Chris Kunitz, Sidney Crosby

Nick Bonino is mobbed by teammates after scoring against the Washington Capitals during overtime of Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Eastern Conference semifinals. Also pictured, number 71 Evgeni Malkin who somehow was omitted from the Top 100. AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar of Getty Images

This is a totally random hockey edition from the mind of the one and only Derek Felix. They are only my opinion. Not anyone else’s on this blog. Here are some hot takes:

-At the All-Star Game in Los Angeles at Staples Center, the NHL unveiled its top 100. While I agreed with most of it, there were a couple of questionable selections. No disrespect. Jonathan Toews is a quality player who’s led the Blackhawks to three Stanley Cups and has one Conn Smythe and Selke on his resume. Excellent accomplishments. But he comes up a bit short to make the top 100. His 592 points in 688 games are solid and the 108 in 124 postseason games proves he can step up. But who is more deserving? Him or Evgeni Malkin. It’s not even close. Malkin has a Calder, two scoring titles, a Hart and Conn Smythe with two Cups and is over a point-per-game with 814 points in 691 games. He also is money for the most part in the postseason totaling 129 points in 124 games including a remarkable 36 (14-22-36) in the Pens’ run to the Cup in 2009.

-Toews is a great two-way center who has never had a minus season. He’s a complete player who is superb on face-offs and can play any situation. But he’s simply not on par with Malkin. Toews’ best season was in ’10-11 when he totaled a career high 76 points in 80 games following his Conn Smythe in the 2010 playoffs. He won it with 29 points (7-22-29) edging Patrick Kane. Both are in the top 100 along with Duncan Keith. Kane is the most deserving with a Calder, Art Ross, Hart, Conn Smythe and over a point-per-game (712 points in 710 games). Keith is a superb defenseman. But he’s not better than Zdeno Chara. Another glaring omission. Keith has two Norris Trophies and a playoff MVP. But he’s not as complete a player as Chara, who led he Bruins to a Cup in 2010-11. He only has one Norris but that’s also because the Professional Hockey Writers would rather select higher scoring defenseman than the best overall blue liners who do everything.

-When Mike Milbury traded Chara as part of that awful package to the Senators which also turned into Jason Spezza for Alexei Yashin, do you think he was thinking clearly? This is the same guy who thought it was a good idea to trade away Roberto Luongo and Olli Jokinen for Mark Parrish and Oleg Kvasha. At least he got one right acquiring Michael Peca from Buffalo for a package headlined by Taylor Pyatt. Those teams made the playoffs but were one and done even after Rick DiPietro took over in net.

–Joe Nieuwendyk’s inclusion in the top 100 is mystifying. It’s not that he wasn’t a very good player. He won a Cup with the Flames and was pivotal to the Stars’ Cup in ’99 a decade later winning playoff MVP with 11 goals and 10 assists. A third Cup came with the ’03 Devils with his injury helping inspire the team to upset the Senators in Game 7 and defeat the Mighty Ducks in seven. His career numbers are excellent with 564 goals and 562 assists for 1126 points in 1257 games. Nieuwendyk was a very good player. Compared to Joe Thornton, who somehow wasn’t “good enough” for this list, he comes up short. Jumbo Joe doesn’t have the Cups finally playing in last year’s Final for the Sharks before losing to the Pens. But he is about to reach 1,000 assists. One of the game’s best passing centers who is very complete, he’s got an Art Ross and Hart coming in ’05-06. After coming over from Boston, he put up a ridiculous 92 points with 72 of them assists to pass Jaromir Jagr and win the MVP. While his postseason history has been criticized, Thornton has 121 points in 156 games. That included 21 last Spring with 18 helpers. Even in the latter stages of his career, he had a huge second half to finish in the top five in scoring with 82 points in ’15-16. A tremendous accomplishment. Yet he’s so disrespected.

-These lists are far from perfect. That’s why you wonder how they decided. Malkin not being in makes no sense. Who approved Toews over him? Don Cherry. I wonder if Ilya Kovalchuk would’ve been considered had he stayed in the NHL. Pavel Datsyuk made it. He never won any major awards but was amazing. He’s one of the best two-way centers I’ve ever seen. Similar to Sergei Fedorov minus an MVP, Datsyuk was magical to watch. A three-time Selke recipient who never stopped skating, he could take the puck away and keep it like it was his before undressing defensemen and goalies with an array of moves that would make Renoir jealous. It’s too bad he went home. He finished with 918 points (314-604-918) and a plus-249 rating while winning two Cups all with the Red Wings. He will make the Hockey Hall of Fame without ever winning a scoring title, Hart or Conn Smythe. That’s how complete he was.

-I only caught a glimpse of the All-Star Game on Sunday. The 3-on-3 tournament is fun to watch for fans but let’s be honest. It’s a glorified exhibition that is hardly what the original game was. I prefer the 5-on-5 format. Switch it back to North America versus the World. And alternate East vs West. Or maybe even do a Young Stars vs All-Stars challenge. That would be way better.

-Ever since Doug Weight replaced Jack Capuano, the Islanders haven’t lost in regulation. In my opinion, what set the tone was a defiant Weight saying they’re a playoff team after a win at the start. I think that was a message the players needed to hear. It certainly wasn’t coming from Capuano, who at one point called out management for the departures of Kyle Okposo, Frans Nielsen and Matt Martin. With the team 5-0-1 since Weight took over, they’re only three out of the the last wildcard. In fact, don’t forget they won Capuano’s final game 4-0 over Boston. So, they’ve gotten 13 of a possible 14 points while impressively beating the Blue Jackets, Canadiens and Capitals in succession. Full marks to Weight and his players for turning it around.

-Who would’ve ever thought Thomas Greiss would be the best goalie in New York?

-When Henrik Lundqvist bails after a 41 second interview in which he again had a rough night getting chased in a home defeat to Columbus, you know it’s bad. Sadly, he’s basically costing my fantasy team a chance at not only winning our league but even finishing in the money. Way to go Derek!

-One thing about this whole Barclays Center thing with the Islanders. Did anyone really expect it to work out? They used them. Plain and simple. Where the Islanders wind up nobody knows. They belong in Long Island. Nassau County kicked them to the curb like a bunch of rats. They were the best thing about that place. What a bunch of egotistic snobs. I don’t like the idea of the Islanders building a new arena adjacent to Citi Field in Queens. It would create too much traffic. Don’t believe me? Try going to Met Life Stadium and getting out of there following a concert or football game.

–Alain Vigneault is a good coach. I just don’t know why the Rangers rushed it. They should’ve waited to see how this year plays out. And with Lundqvist looking like he’s aging right before our very eyes, it could spell doom.

-The Rangers are supposed to be a good team yet they can’t win at home. The Devils are not good but win on the road but stink at home. Why am I confused as to who is better at the moment?

-The dismissal of Ken Hitchcock was predictable. Even though he was gonna be replaced by Mike Yeo in ’17-18, the Blues were such a mess that they got started early. It might not be a coaching thing. But more about personnel. No David Backes. A disappointing roster that doesn’t score consistently and a overrated defense. Maybe the coaching change will work. You can’t lose on home ice to Winnipeg.

-Finally, Dale Hawerchuk was way over a point a game but played in obscurity first with Buffalo and then Winnipeg before finishing with the Flyers and Blues. I’m not saying he belongs in that top 100. But I wonder how much consideration he got. Since the committee seemed to value championships, you better believe he’d have made it if he won one.

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