Battle Of Hudson

Slumping Lundqvist, Rangers look to snap out of it at Matthews, Leafs

Posted on January 19, 2017 by Derek

AP Photo via Getty Images courtesy Sportsnet Stats.

There probably are better alternatives than trying to end a slump against the red hot Maple Leafs. Winners of nine of their last 11 having only lost once in regulation, Toronto finds itself tied for third in the Atlantic Division with 50 points. During that span, the rebuilding Leafs have outscored opponents 44-29. That included a 4-2 win at the Rangers last Friday on a night they honored Steven McDonald.

Since that point, the Rangers have dropped three in a row allowing a preposterous 16 goals in losses to Toronto, Montreal and Dallas. Ugly, uglier and ugliest would be how to describe their play at the moment. Even worse, Henrik Lundqvist was in for all 16. The slumping 34-year old franchise goalie gave up all five to the Canadiens in relief of an injured Antti Raanta in only two periods. He followed that up by permitting seven more to the Stars on home ice before giving way to Magnus Hellberg for the third.

With Lundqvist allowing four-or-more goals in his last four appearances which included a 5-4 win at Columbus in which he got stronger, his goals-against-average has skyrocketed to 2.89 and save percentage has plummeted to .902. This isn’t all about the prideful former 2000 seventh round pick who’s been the backbone of a team that’s made the playoffs in all but one year since his rookie season in ’05-06.

It’s about a porous defense that has been exposed. Minus Marc Staal, who is skating, they are a terrible unit that can’t get out of its own collective way. Even workhorse Ryan McDonagh is struggling defensively. It isn’t just a Dan Girardi or Kevin Klein problem. While both certainly don’t have the foot speed to keep up with today’s faster skating transition game, rookie Brady Skjei has also been culpable. He got victimized badly on two Dallas goals the other night. Opponents have been finishing checks on him and forcing turnovers. To be honest, Skjei has been inconsistent for roughly two months. He has to get through this.

How bad has it gotten? Even dependable Nick Holden had an awful turnover and forgot to take his man leading to a second consecutive Dallas goal in 12 seconds. When things go badly, it’s usually a total team breakdown. So, it’s not only a weakened blue line which has used offensive minded Adam Clendening with mixed results.

The forwards aren’t getting the job done either. Sure. They continue to score enough goals leading the NHL in offense. With both Mika Zibanejad (2 goals in return) and Pavel Buchnevich (1-2-3 versus Dallas) finally back, Alain Vigneault has four lines he can roll. But the fourth unit centered by Brandon Pirri struggled mightily on Tuesday. They were on for two goals against and were benched. Pirri was responsible for one goal against when he never took Patrick Sharp on a wraparound. Both he and Clendening were the closest players.

There is one change to the lineup. Jesper Fast is out with an upper body injury. Oscar Lindberg is back in. He should be playing over Pirri. But the coach will have to figure that out for himself eventually.

With the Rangers continually leaving the front of the net unprotected, it’s left Lundqvist naked. Six of the Stars’ seven goals came from in front. The lone exception was an Adam Cracknell shot that beat Lundqvist short side with no one screening him. Right now, his confidence is shaken. He isn’t making the critical stops we’ve been accustomed to. He’s given up goals short side and five-hole more often. It’s all a matter of playing the angles better and challenging shooters more. When he slumps, he’s too often back in the net and off balance.

So, can the Rangers snap out of it at the Leafs against rookie leader Auston Matthews? It’s not the best match-up. In terms of speed and skill, Toronto has plenty of firepower to match the Blueshirts. They can come at you with three balanced scoring lines featuring Matthews, James van Riemsdyk and Mitch Marner. They will be without defenseman Morgan Rielly. But there’s plenty of young talent which also includes William Nylander, Connor Brown, Zach Hyman and Nikita Zaitsev. There’s old reliable Tyler Bozak still teaming with Van Riemsdyk. But they have much more support with Matthews leading the way with 22 goals and 38 points. Plus Nazem Kadri and Jake Gardiner.

If it’s anything like last week, then the Rangers could be in for a long night. They got fore-checked to death and could’ve lost by a wider margin. That said, Lundqvist still allowed two stoppable shots with Nylander catching him off his angle and JVR finding the five-hole following a Girardi gaffe that allowed a pass to get through for a Toronto power play goal.

The Rangers have all said the right things. That they’re embarrassed and can’t leave Lundqvist by himself. It isn’t fair. By the same token, Lundqvist knows he must be better. A better start would help. Too often, he gives up an early one and his teammates are fighting an uphill battle. A few big saves at the start could set the tone.

Vigneault still believes in him. So do his teammates. The big thing is this. This team has permitted seven goals three times in the last month. The other two coming in losses at Pittsburgh and home for Minnesota. Raanta got victimized against the Pens while Lundqvist was in before being chased by the Wild before Christmas.

Maybe it’s the system. Vigneault has the talent to play an aggressive style emphasizing fast skating and transition. The trouble is there are moments where the team is taking too many risks leaving them flatfooted to play defense. The defense pinches and looks to keep plays alive. But when they get caught, look out. The same applies when a forward makes a dangerous back pass that can be intercepted fueling a counterattack.

So, can they figure it out? The All-Star break is the weekend of Jan. 28-29. The Rangers have four games left starting tonight. They remain in fourth place in a tough Metro Division with 57 points. The next two games are 1/22-23 at Detroit and home on Monday for the Kings. Then the Flyers visit next Wednesday.

With teams starting to play better hockey behind them, the time is now for the Rangers to straighten out. If they don’t, they could find themselves falling back to the pack just fighting for a wildcard which is where they currently are. They’re still seven clear of the second wildcard. But it’s getting awfully crowded.

I would like to see them play with more urgency. Particularly defensively. They can score with anyone. But it takes more discipline and better effort to defend their zone and protect Lundqvist. Make it harder on opponents by keeping them to the outside and boxing out in front. It remains to be seen if this group is capable of doing it.

The watchful eye of Jeff Gorton along with the organization are paying attention. Game time is 7:30 at Air Canada Centre. We’ll see if they can respond.

Posted in Game Preview | Tagged Adam Clendening, Auston Matthews, Brady Skjei, Dan Girardi, Henrik Lundqvist, James van Riemsedyk, Jesper Fast, Kevin Klein, Leafs, Mika Zibanejad, Mitch Marner, Nick Holden, Pavel Buchnevich, Rangers, Ryan McDonagh | Leave a comment

Devils come to life with successful (!) road trip

Posted on January 18, 2017 by hasan4978

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Before the Devils’ recent four-game trip to Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver and Minnesota, winger Taylor Hall referred to it as ‘make or break’. Such an assertion seemed laughable to this fan and blogger with the Devils’ season already having gone up in smoke after a winless three-game homestand capped off a 4-11-2 stretch that buried the team in last place of the entire Eastern Conference. Particularly with the Devils’ road woes on the season with just six wins in twenty-three games, and our recent trips to Western Canada had all been nightmares. A funny thing happened on the way to the slaughterhouse though, as after the Devils suffered a laughable OT loss after a hideous line change in Edmonton, suddenly the team found something and ripped off a three-game winning streak to arguably put the team back on life support after last rites had been administered.

If you could have gotten odds on the Devils putting together a trip without a regulation loss and put money on it, you’d be a seriously rich man right about now. Especially this Devils team, which had been an embarassment for over a month in every way possible from effort to execution to coaching to goaltending. What might be more remarkable is suddenly the playoff pipedream can be indulged again with New Jersey a mere three points out of the last wild card spot thanks to a freefalling Flyers team and a mediocre Metro. After careening into the basement the Devils shockingly got back over NHL .500 last night with a wild 4-3 win over a Minnesota team that had been dominant at home all season. Granted in this NHL where everyone this side of Arizona and Colorado is either over, at or just under .500, being one game over is not all that impressive. What does give every fan some hope is the home-heavy schedule remaining…twelve of the next sixteen games at home and only one more road trip that’s as much as three games long the rest of the season.

Granted this team hasn’t exactly been stellar at home lately either, which is part of the reason why I’m not invoking the ‘I thought I was out but they pulled me back in’ Godfather line just yet. They’ve still been outscored 18-4 their last four home games that I’ve attended, it’s going to take a little more for me to believe again. And obviously there’s a lot more work for the team to do to dig itself out of the hole it’s created the last several weeks. Unfortunately I won’t be going to the home return Friday against the Habs either, due to a scheduling conflict. Hopefully the team will get a hero’s welcome home and at least start off on the right foot with the fans, many of whom seemed to finally be at the end of their patience by the end of our embarassing homestand a week and a half ago.

Things got so bad that I literally no-showed for a game for the first time ever several days back. When I say no-show, I don’t mean I was mildly sick or a bad weather forecast kept me home, I mean I just flat had no interest in going to a Monday night home game against the Panthers with the team showing no heart (and more importantly none of my other friends were going to be there either, so I would have been sitting myself watching that mess which turned out to be another desultory 3-0 loss). I would have liked to have given the team a shot at redemption Friday but made plans with a friend for dinner before either of us realized there was a game on Friday. I suppose that’s part of the apathy that set in at that point, normally I’m pretty up on when a game’s being played.

So what’s changed? Granted I’ve watched only on and off due to general apathy, late gametimes and a stomach bug that ruined my weekend (and lost me a few pounds) but the number one thing that seems to have changed have been some of the more recent additions to the team. Defensively things had to change, but with John Moore and captain Andy Greene on the shelf I didn’t think they’d wind up changing for the better. Fortunately their absence has given an opportunity to rookie Steven Santini, more minutes for Jon Merrill and even a shot for AHL lifer Karl Stollery. Santini’s brought a physical edge lacking on the blueline since the offseason trade of Adam Larsson, while Stollery’s come out of obscurity to give the team solid third-pairing and power play minutes. Merrill has been perhaps the most important revelation though, while I expected Santini to do well eventually I had been through expecting anything of Merrill, who’d been an injury-plagued bust since a decent rookie campaign three years ago. However he’s finally blossoming into a solid top four d-man who’s playing 20+ minutes a night and even contributing offensively to an extent.

Up front there’ve been fewer changes but Blake Coleman has added a spark from Albany since being recalled to take the injured Vernon Fiddler‘s spot in the lineup. More importantly, some of our key players are starting to come alive again, like Kyle Palmieri, whose snipe in the third period last night against Devan Dubnyk gave him his tenth goal of the season and answered what seemed to be a back-breaking Wild goal to tie the game again. Hall himself roared to life in Western Canada, scoring back-to-back game-winning goals in Calgary and Vancouver, both in tense 2-1 wins. While I’ve been down on coach John Hynes this season, he made a gutsy decision benching Hall after a second-period turnover last night put the Devils down by two in Minnesota. Hall returned in the third period and responded, assisting on an Adam Henrique goal that tied the game at two. Also coming alive is Cory Schneider, who aside from a horrid goal early in Edmonton has largely returned to form of the previous few seasons in the last couple weeks. Even understudy Keith Kinkaid once again pitched in with a strong effort at Calgary.

In a way it’s fitting the team returns home to face Montreal on Friday, for it was against the Habs that the team’s season first went up in smoke in a 5-2 loss where goalie Carey Price and teammate Jeff Petry combined to gang-bang Palmieri in the crease in early December, and there was little response from the team or the league which should have suspended Price for using his blocker as a weapon and should have suspended Petry for being a third man in. That game started our 0-6-1 death spiral where they were outscored 30-9 in those seven games. It would be nice if this Devils team showed its revival out West wasn’t completely illusory and stood up to the Habs in front of what’ll surely be a rabid (if split) crowd.

Posted in Devils | Tagged Andy Greene, Blake Coleman, Cory Schneider, John Hynes, John Moore, Jon Merrill, Karl Stollery, Keith Kinkaid, Kyle Palmieri, Steven Santini, Taylor Hall, Vernon Fiddler | Leave a comment

Video of Day: Auston Matthews scores against Sabres in first ever match-up against Eichel

Posted on January 18, 2017 by Derek

In the first ever meeting between former first round American picks a year apart, Auston Matthews got the better of Jack Eichel scoring a go-ahead goal as the Leafs edged the Sabres 4-3 Tuesday night. AP Photo via Getty Images courtesy Buffalo Sabres.

Our Video of Day features 2016 first overall selection Auston Matthews. In the first ever match-up between former American first round picks a year apart, Matthews led the Maple Leafs to a 4-3 win over the Sabres at Air Canada Centre last night. His team-leading 22nd goal gave Toronto their first lead. They came back from a 2-0 deficit scoring four straight before William Carrier closed it to 4-3 with over two minutes left in regulation.

Jack Eichel didn’t register a point and finished minus-one in the one-goal loss for Buffalo. He did lead his team with six shots and had 10 attempts missing the net four times. But on Matthews’ tally, Eichel was stripped of the puck in the neutral zone by Matthews, who turned the play in the other direction. He then got open in the slot taking a centering feed from Zach Hyman and buried a perfect shot top shelf to chase Sabres starter Robin Lehner.

A frustrated Lehner screamed at the bench and broke a stick after being replaced by Anders Nilsson. In truth, he only gave up one bad goal with Matt Martin’s unassisted tally squeaking through him from a bad angle to tie it in the second period. Toronto’s first goal came from Leo Komarov when he was able to deflect a Nazem Kadri shot over Lehner at 32 seconds of the second. That started a three-goal Toronto period finished off by Matthews to put them ahead 3-2.

In the third, James van Riemsdyk was able to beat Nilsson from an awful angle in tight for the game-winner on a power play. Carrier would tally his fourth by batting a Zemgus Girgensons pass out of mid-air past Toronto starter Frederik Andersen with 2:23 left. But that was the closest the Sabres got with Kadri winning a defensive draw with a couple of seconds to spare to clinch Toronto’s ninth win over their last 11. They’re tied in points (50) with the Senators and are one of the eight seeds at the moment in a tight playoff race.

#48 drove to the net to make this happen. @zemgus94 the helper. pic.twitter.com/8vuaSUEwnA

— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) January 18, 2017

For the Sabres, Kyle Okposo and Evander Kane scored in the first. Okposo leads Buffalo with 13 goals and 29 points in 43 games. Kane is second in goals with 12. Eichel ranks third with 10 markers in just 23 games with seven helpers. If you prorate it, he’d probably have about 18 goals if he didn’t miss any time. The 20-year old second-year center is a unique talent who combines superior skating and puck possession with a lethal shot. What I like most is he’s a right-handed shot. Think Jeremy Roenick in his heyday with the Blackhawks. That’s who he reminds me of.

As for Matthews, he does things so quickly. Having gotten valuable pro experience playing for Zurich SC in the Swiss League, he is the real deal. With second overall pick Patrik Laine sidelined with a concussion on a Jake McCabe hit in a meeting between the Sabres and Jets, Matthews has taken a one point lead in the rookie scoring race with 37 (22-16-38) in 42 games. Matthews’ talented teammate Mitch Marner is third with 36 (10-26-36) followed by another Leaf William Nylander (9-20-29) and Calgary’s Matthew Tkachuk (8-21-29). Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski is next with 26 (6-20-26) while logging over 21 minutes.

The Calder race is an intriguing one. Matt Murray can’t be excluded. But he’s struggled since returning with the Pens defense depleted. Anthony Mantha is the other interesting first-year player with 11 goals and 11 assists in 29 games. He certainly can finish around the net. It’s worth noting that Rangers rookie Pavel Buchnevich continues to put up points. His goal and two helpers gave him 13 points in 13 games. Had he not missed significant time due to a bad back, he might be in the mix. The Russian is a talented offensive player who makes things happen.

As for the new American rivalry, Eichel and Matthews face off three more times. The next meeting is Feb. 11 at Toronto. The final two are in Buffalo on Mar. 25 and Apr. 3.

Posted in Video Of Day | Tagged Auston Matthews, Calder Race, Jack Eichel, Maple Leafs, Matthew Tkachuk, Mitch Marner, Patrik Laine, Sabres, Video Of Day, William Nylander, Zach Werenski | Leave a comment

It’s time to panic for bumbling Blueshirts

Posted on January 18, 2017 by Derek

Mika Zibanejad scored twice in his return but the Rangers again broke down defensively with Henrik Lundqvist allowing seven goals in a bitter 7-6 home loss at MSG. AP Photo via Getty Images courtesy NYRangers.

I figured they would respond to such an awful loss at Montreal. How wrong was I? Instead, it was more of the same as the Rangers rolled out the welcome mat for the Stars who enjoyed the first two periods scoring seven times before clinging on for dear life to prevail 7-6 in a wild game at MSG.

There is nothing pretty about what’s going on. Ever since I acquired Henrik Lundqvist in my fantasy hockey league to ~~shore up~~ destroy my goaltending, he’s allowed an impossible 16 goals in seven periods. It’s indescribable. If you want to pin the blame on me, by all means go ahead. I thought he was capable of turning it around. I am not ready to throw in the towel yet. But unless something drastic changes with the team defense and a risky offensive system in which they take more chances under coach Alain Vigneault, I may have cost myself not only first place but a chance of finishing in the top three for the money.

It’s hard to fathom what’s happened. We all understand that the Rangers defensively aren’t good. Ever since Marc Staal went down, they have fallen apart at the seams. It didn’t start that way. The team responded to Staal’s injury by going into Philadelphia and Columbus winning respectively with the highlight a 5-4 come from behind win at the Blue Jackets on 1/7. The last time Lundqvist won, he still gave up four. So, over his last four appearances, he’s allowed four-or-more totaling 20 goals allowed on 113 shots in 10 total periods. That is eye opening. If you exclude a 5-2 win at the Flyers, he’s allowed four-or-better in five of the last six games.

Tonight was tough on the eyes. As bad as it was seeing him interviewed again by MSG’s John Giannone and being as blunt as possible in describing how embarrassed and frustrated he is, it was even worse watching the first two periods. He allowed seven goals on 27 shots in two periods of work before Magnus Hellberg replaced him for the third. The seven were the most he’s ever given up at home.

In this one, the defense was putrid. That much is true and has been during a three-game losing streak in which the Rangers have been outscored 16-12. As Lundqvist pointed out to Giannone during his interview. From a tweet on my Twitter feed which can be followed at NewYorkPuck.

https://twitter.com/NewYorkPuck/status/821556225204699136

He also indicated that sometimes, playing that way is going to have an affect on other parts of their game. Mainly by opening themselves up, it can leave defensemen trapped and not able to get back. But also, it doesn’t explain all the blown assignments in front of Lundqvist’s net. Six of seven Dallas goals were scored from within 20 feet. The only one that wasn’t was an Adam Cracknell shot from the face-off circle which Lundqvist missed. That one was stoppable along with a bad wraparound allowed to Patrick Sharp in which he completely got wrong footed. He also gave up the five-hole on a Jamie Benn backhand in the first period.

Worrisome is that he seems to have no answers. He is saying the right things. Lundqvist has always been accountable. Win or lose, he’s by his locker and doesn’t duck out. Confidence is a shaky thing. When you have it, you can do anything. When you don’t, you feel helpless. That’s how I would describe the Rangers’ franchise goalie, who at 34 is going through the worst stretch of his career.

The game didn’t start out badly by any stretch. Only 27 seconds in, Derek Stepan took a Chris Kreider feed from behind the net and beat Dallas starter Antti Niemi with a wraparound for his 11th. Mats Zuccarello picked up the secondary assist. That line was terrific again in defeat combining for three goals and five assists. Zuccarello hasn’t been able to finish but he continues to put up points recording three helpers. Kreider continues to produce scoring a power play goal and an assist in the defeat. Stepan had two goals and a helper.

Offense isn’t the problem. Keeping goals out is. The defense totally let down Lundqvist again. A turning point came when an obvious Kreider goaltender interference in which he bowled over Niemi negated a Nick Holden goal that would’ve made it 2-0. Instead, the Stars, who already had taken over the game by out-shooting the Rangers 9-2, went to work on the power play. The Rangers were victimized again on a declining penalty kill with a Tyler Seguin pass across banking off Ryan McDonagh and Benn right to Patrick Eaves, who deposited it for his 16th to tie the score at 12:34.

Making matters worse, Holden over skated the puck turning it over inside his own blue line- leading to Sharp finishing off the first of two from Radek Faksa just 12 seconds later for a 2-1 Stars lead. The Rangers’ most consistent defenseman messed up and a sliding Brady Skjei couldn’t prevent Faksa’s cross-ice feed from finding an open Sharp for a lay-up. At that point, I had already started to waver on the game. The Sabres were taking on the Maple Leafs in a battle between American first round picks Jack Eichel and Auston Matthews.

By the time I flipped back, Benn was celebrating his 11th goal a day after breaking his stick three different times in a road loss at Buffalo. This one showed more Ranger follies as they allowed a two-on-one with Benn able to go thru the wickets on a beatable Lundqvist for the Stars’ third straight goal at 17:54. Cody Eakin and Eaves netted the assists. Eakin was public enemy number one for running Lundqvist the last time the teams faced in Dallas when he got the gate in a 2-0 Rangers win on 12/15. He served a five-game suspension.

In this one, the Rangers sought retribution. Rick Nash got to Eakin early with a good clean hit. At the start of the second, Kreider gave Eakin a shove from behind near the glass which led to the two dropping the gloves for a wrestling match. Both received five minutes for fighting at 1:52. Even though it was noted that Kreider used Eakin’s helmet to hit him which is supposed to be an automatic ejection according to NHL rules. We’ll see if anything comes from that. The Rangers can ill afford to lose Kreider to a suspension.

When former Ranger Lauri Korpikoski separated Skjei from the puck with a good check against the glass behind the net, he then easily came out and fed a wide open Antoine Roussel for his seventh to make it four consecutive Stars goals at 4:32. It was a weak play by Skjei. But no one took Roussel in front. It was an easy tap in which made it 4-1.

By that point, I’d seen enough. I needed to go to CVS to pick up some stuff and eat. I was gone from the car for approximately 20 minutes. In that span, the score went from 4-1 to 4-3 to remarkably 7-3 with the Stars celebrating number seven as I put on ESPN Radio with Kenny Albert and Dave Maloney discussing how bad it had gone.

During that period, the Rangers made their first comeback attempt. In his return, Mika Zibanejad got back to scoring when he neatly deflected home a Rick Nash shot for his sixth to cut it to 4-2 at 9:56. On a second straight dominant shift in which Pavel Buchnevich first missed a gaping net, he stuck with it and got a favorable carom off the back boards from a wide Kevin Klein shot to beat Niemi for his fifth at 12:06. Buchnevich is on a serious roll. He also picked up a secondary helper on Zibanejad’s first of two. The electrifying 21-year old Russian rookie had three more points in the loss to extend his point streak to seven straight dating back to Nov. 5. There’s no question that had he not gone down with back spasms, he’d be in the hunt for the Calder.

But with the Blueshirts suddenly only down one, they fell apart again. It happened quickly when on the following shift, Sharp scored on a stuff in only 48 seconds later to restore a two-goal lead with 7:06 remaining in the second. Less than three minutes later, here came Cracknell on a two-on-one when he unleashed a wrist shot by Lundqvist that was unscreened. As if that weren’t bad enough, Eakin scored his first when he got to a loose puck in front and beat Lundqvist less than two minutes later to suddenly make it three Dallas goals over a 4:46 span. Boos rained down at the buzzer with the Rangers looking finished trailing 7-3.

But in the third with Hellberg in, a funny thing happened. The Rangers didn’t give up. Instead, they got the momentum back early thanks to a Kreider power play goal when he redirected a Stepan pass in front for his 18th cutting it to 7-4 at 3:11. Pressing for more, they then dominated at even strength when during an extended shift for the top line, Stepan was able to find a McDonagh rebound and snap it upstairs for his second of the game to suddenly make it 7-5 with still 14:29 left.

With the crowd back in it of what was left (and I wonder how many stayed), it was Zibanejad who was able to get his second of the game from in front with the puck taking a nice carom to beat Niemi 1:55 later for a 7-6 deficit. There was still 12:34 remaining. Nash and Buchnevich picked up the assists. It was another great shift in which they had the Stars on their heels.

One thing about Dallas. They can become very fragile once they give up goals. Lindy Ruff’s club became conservative and tentative, allowing the Rangers to dominant play. At that point, the fiery former Buffalo bench boss had seen enough. He called timeout and replaced Niemi with Kari Lehtonen. At the time, I didn’t think much of it. Sure. It was a good timeout to settle his team down. But Lehtonen hasn’t exactly had a good history against the Rangers.

After Niemi had given up three goals on 13 shots during the first part of the third, Lehtonen came in relief and shut the door. He had to make some very tough saves. He stopped all 12 Rangers shots to preserve a one-goal win for the Stars, making Ruff look like a genius. It didn’t come easy.

The Rangers spent plenty of time in the Dallas zone. They had the puck for seemingly ever during extended shifts. With the crowd urging them on, they fired from every angle. Klein was stopped once and missed on another attempt. McDonagh was denied.

Even when they turned the puck over as Adam Clendening did getting caught, Hellberg made a great save stoning Sharp with a glove stop that got the crowd on his side. During their recent struggles, that’s the big save that’s been missing. He made another robbing Seguin with a sliding kick save on an odd-man rush. Hellberg only faced four shots stopping them all. But the confidence he did it with makes me wonder if he shouldn’t get the next start Thursday at Toronto. I put it up as a poll and so far, more Ranger fans have voted in favor of the 25-year old Swedish unknown they traded for from Nashville over a year ago.

https://twitter.com/NewYorkPuck/status/821548173722259456

From looking at my timeline, Vigneault has indicated that Lundqvist is going to play. It is the time to find out if he can regain his confidence. He said he still has confidence in him. Why wouldn’t he? I guess the only other thing to say in response is that there’s no way of knowing if Hellberg could perform consistently in a 60-minute game. Especially at Toronto, who came back to beat Buffalo 4-3 and are now up to 50 points.

The one thing I would say is I like how the Rangers responded when he was in. They seemed to play with more desperation and urgency. Most importantly, Hellberg gave them a chance at the comeback by making two great saves. Lundqvist has always been able to provide that. But he hasn’t come through lately. It makes the whole goalie situation interesting. How will they play in front of him? Based on some of the responses from teammates, they’re embarrassed by it.

#NYR J.T. Miller: "To leave one of the best goalies in the league, a guy that's one of our leaders, it doesn't sit well with the team."

— Seán Hartnett (@SeanLikesSports) January 18, 2017

#NYR Dan Girardi on Lundqvist: "We can't do that to him. He's our no. 1 guy and he's a leader and we can't do that to a guy like that."

— Seán Hartnett (@SeanLikesSports) January 18, 2017

#NYR captain Ryan McDonagh on Henrik Lundqvist: "We've put him in a bad spot. No question about it. That's not fair and he's not to blame."

— Seán Hartnett (@SeanLikesSports) January 18, 2017

Every teammate is being accountable here. There’s no question about the closeness of this group. They are talented enough offensively. But without better defense, they can’t be successful. Here was Vigneault too on the slump:

Vigneault: "We need to do a better job in front of our net. Our offensive game is pretty good. Defensively, there are too many breakdowns."

— Seán Hartnett (@SeanLikesSports) January 18, 2017

The big question I have for the coach is will he make any adjustment. He emphasizes speed and transition creating offense. This team continues to score goals. It’s just that they’re giving up too many which is putting them in trouble. The Caps and Blue Jackets are pulling away. The Rangers are coming back to the pack. They have to get it righted and fast.

I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how it goes. The next two are on the road with Thursday at Toronto and Sunday at Detroit. Then it’s back home for the Kings and Flyers before the All-Star break. It doesn’t matter who the opponent is. It won’t come easy.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Derek Stepan, NYRangers (2 goals-11th, 12th, assist, 8 shots, +1 in 29 shifts-18:00)

2nd Star-Patrick Eaves, Stars (goal-16th, 2 assists, 3 shots, +1 in 25 shifts-13:51)

1st Star-Patrick Sharp, Stars (2 goals-3rd, 4th, 5 shots, +1 in 26 shifts-16:33)

Notes: Buchnevich’s seven-game point streak which includes the last three games since returning from rehabbing his back gives him 5-6-11 during that stretch which started between 11/6-12. … Zibanejad’s two goals in his return from a broken leg were his first since 11/20. Dating back to Nov. 15, he’s on a four-game point streak with six points (4-2-6) upping his season total to 17 points (7-10-17) in 20 games. … With three helpers, Zuccarello matched his career high for a game also doing it against Minnesota on 12/23 in a 7-4 home loss. … Nash had two assists. … Clendening, Klein and McDonagh each tallied an assist. … Victimized for two Dallas goals, the fourth line of Jimmy Vesey, Brandon Pirri and Jesper Fast were benched. … Korpikoski tallied two assists and Benn recorded a goal and two helpers for the Stars. … The Rangers were edged on draws by the Stars 34-32 despite a strong performance from Stepan (12-and-9). Faksa dominated going 16-and-8.

Posted in NYRangers | Tagged Adam Clendening, Adam Cracknell, Alain Vigneault, Antoine Roussel, Antti Niemi, Chris Kreider, Cody Eakin, Derek Stepan, Henrik Lundqvist, Jamie Benn, Kari Lehtonen, Kevin Klein, Lindy Ruff, Magnus Hellberg, Mats Zuccarello, Mika Zibanejad, MSG, NYR, Patrick Eaves, Patrick Sharp, Pavel Buchnevich, Rangers, Rick Nash, Ryan McDonagh, Stars | Leave a comment

HARD HITS: Snow to blame for Islanders mess

Posted on January 17, 2017 by Derek

With Jack Capuano finally relieved of his coaching duties, the focus is on GM Garth Snow for this Islanders mess. AP Photo via Getty Images courtesy NBC Sports.

It only took 42 games. But the Islanders finally fired coach Jack Capuano. A day after the team went into Boston and shut the Bruins out 4-0, they decided to send Capuano his walking papers. So after nearly seven years behind the bench, the embattled coach is finally out. In a way, it’s kind of a relief. His press conferences were tough to watch after losses. At least he can have some peace.

As for the team performance, let’s just say it’s not all Capuano’s fault. It starts at the top. It would be an understatement to conclude that Islanders Team President and GM Garth Snow has had a lousy year. Stemming from a terrible off-season in which he and new ownership let Kyle Okposo, Frans Nielsen and Matt Martin go, his replacements have been underwhelming. The Islanders currently sit dead last with 42 points in the Metropolitan Division. The worst total in the East trailing the rebuilding Sabres by one.

Jason Chimera and most notably Andrew Ladd have been big disappointments. While Chimera’s totals of eight goals and eight assists aren’t bad for his age, it in no way makes up for the departure of Nielsen to Detroit. He hasn’t lit the world on fire either with 25 points (9-16-25) on a low scoring Red Wings roster that seems destined to finally miss the playoffs. But the two-way pivot was a great fit on the Islanders. He could be counted on to play any situation and provided solid scoring behind captain John Tavares and Okposo.

Regarding Okposo, he has fit in well with Buffalo pacing them in goals (12) and tied for the team lead in points (28). That he got the same length in contract as Ladd and was paid just a tad more with an average cap hit of $6 million per year compared to $5.5 million shows Snow’s ineptitude. You’re telling me they couldn’t just keep a cohesive player who was a splendid fit with Tavares? No one expected Ladd to have only eight goals and four assists with just 64 shots and a minus-10 rating at the halfway point of the season. He’s a better player than that. If he doesn’t improve, that contract could be an albatross over the next six years.

Anytime you commit that many years and salary to a player who’s entering their 30’s, there’s a risk factor. I’m no fan of long-term contracts. All one has to do is look on the Manhattan side of New York City to see why. Ladd is 31. He has won two Stanley Cups and has a good resume. How he performs under interim coach Doug Weight in the second half could determine if he can turn it around. For whatever reason, he didn’t mesh with Tavares. Capuano instead found that Josh Bailey and Brock Nelson were better fits. Bailey is second in team scoring with a club best 23 assists and trails Tavares by three points with 29. Nelson ranks third with 23 (9-14-23).

Capuano tried different combos. He was desperate to find the right one. It was like throwing a square peg in a round hole. Sometimes, when a team makes changes to a roster that finally won their first playoff series since ’93, it’s a huge miscalculation. By not keeping core guys who fit the system, they took a risk. So far, the results have been disappointing. The Islanders are currently 17-17-8 and sit eight points behind second wildcard Philadelphia. They’ll have to climb over so many teams and do so in the league’s toughest division.

No one expected Snow to retain Martin, who got four years and an AAV of $2.5 million from the Maple Leafs. For the season, he has two goals and two assists with 154 hits which ranks second in the NHL. His 77 penalty minutes lead Toronto. The 27-year old is a nuts and bolts guy who drives the opposition nuts with his physicality. In a recent win over the Rangers, he certainly got under their skin. Even if it’s hard to justify his contract, Islander fans would agree that Martin, Casey Cizikas and Cal Clutterbuck were a tough checking line that injected energy into the team and building. That in your face style is gone.

The Isles have changed in ’16-17. And not for the better. They aren’t as hard to play against. How inconsistent have they been? This is a team that can beat quality opponents such as the Capitals, Rangers, Bruins and even the Penguins. But they’re also the same team that scored one goal in frustrating consecutive losses to the lowly Avalanche and Coyotes. They then lost at home by an identical 2-1 score to the Panthers. Right there is where I would’ve pulled the plug on Capuano.

Prior to recording his sixth career hat trick to reach 501 career points in a 5-2 win at Florida, Tavares had only 11 goals in his first 39 games. That right there tells the story. Snow has failed to provide one of the game’s premier scorers with a strong supporting cast. He deserves the blame for this mess. He made some horrible decisions. How much of a role new owners Jon Ledecky and Scott Malkin have is hard to say. Former owner Charles Wang was more hands on. But he let Snow run the team.

Aside from Tavares who is up to a team best 16 goals and 32 points along with Bailey (6-23-29), Anders Lee has 15 goals. It took him a while to get going. But he’s been finishing. The 26-year old former ’09 sixth round pick is a key piece of the future. What it comes down to for players such as Lee and Nelson is consistency. Finding it will help the team grow.

Ryan Strome is perhaps the club’s biggest disappointment. In his third full season, he’s regressed. When Snow took him fifth overall in the 2011 NHL Draft, more was expected. In ’14-15, he looked to be on track posting career highs in goals (17), assists (33), points (50) and games played (81) while contributing two goals and two assists in the first round. But he struggled mightily last season scoring just eight times with 20 helpers in 71 contests. The Isles even sent him down to Bridgeport for a stint. Strome totaled a goal and three assists in eight postseason games last year. Not the most reliable defensive player, he’s continued to struggle offensively with only six goals and eight assists in 39 contests.

Maybe the coaching change will help. It’s odd because the Islanders offense currently ranks eighth in the league averaging 2.83 goals-per-game. A big reason for that is the balanced scoring from the blue line with Nick Leddy leading the way with 21 points including seven goals. Under Capuano, that was one of the team strengths. The back end has a combined 25 goals. That includes Johnny Boychuk with five and the one good Snow move Dennis Seidenberg with four while leading the team in plus/minus (17). Calvin de Haan is a good defensive defenseman whose nine points, plus-seven and 111 blocked shots are solid numbers. Travis Hamonic has been the biggest disappointment with a team worst minus-14 rating.

The biggest issue for the Islanders is their team defense which has nights where they give up too many scoring chances and shots leading to games where they’ve allowed six to seven goals. It happened as recently as 1/14 in a 7-4 loss at Carolina following the 5-2 win at Florida. There’s no consistency. How else to explain chasing Tuukka Rask on Martin Luther King Day in a 4-0 shutout? The first of the season for starter Thomas Greiss. Speaking of him he’s had a good year with 11 wins in 21 games with a 2.41 goals-against-average and .925 save percentage.

One issue which made no sense was Snow’s insistence on keeping three goalies on the roster. Until December 30 when they waived former starter Jaroslav Halak, they were basically holding onto Jean-Francois Berube despite him barely playing. When they picked him up on waivers from the Kings last year, you figured the 25-year old would be in their future plans. They couldn’t send him down without exposing him. At one point when the team had injuries to its blue line, they went with six D. About as perplexing as how long they waited on former 2015 top pick Mathew Barzal before sending him back to Seattle. He had a good World Junior Championship posting eight points (3-5-8) in seven games for Canada, who fell to USA in the gold medal game.

Speaking of poor decisions, how about the contracts Snow handed out to former Leafs Nikolay Kulemin and Mikhail Grabovski? Kulemin gets over $4 million thru 2018 to be a secondary player. Following a decent ’14-15 in which he registered 15 goals and 16 assists, he dropped down to 9-13-22 in ’15-16. Thus far in Year 3, he’s 7-6-13.

As for Grabovski, it’s a shame what’s happened to him. Post-concussion symptoms have his career in jeopardy. After totaling 44 points in 109 combined games due to injuries, he has yet to play this season. The 32-year old from Belarus is a gifted player with skill who has had a solid career with the Leafs, Capitals and Islanders totaling 296 points in 534 career games. He has one more year left on a deal that pays him an average of $5 million per season. Grabovski is on long-term injured reserve. It remains to be seen if he’ll ever play another game.

Sometimes, injuries do play a role in what happens with players. When Snow signed both Kulemin and Grabovski, it was with good intentions. Thinking they could play together and be on a third line, it wasn’t bad by any stretch. But he overpaid.

Snow gets credit for trading Nino Niederreiter for Clutterbuck. El Nino didn’t want to remain an Islander. So, Snow went out and sent him to the Wild for the gritty Clutterbuck, who’s been a good player for the Islanders. He’s hit double digits in goals twice including 15 last year with 23 points to go with two markers and a helper in the playoffs. He continues to be a big hitter with his 137 pacing the club. However, his production has dropped off. With only two goals and a helper, the 29-year old misses sidekick Martin. Along with Cizikas, they were inseparable.

That’s why we have no idea why Snow decided to extend Clutterbuck for five years, $17.5 million. It seems like a stretch to give a grinder who will be 30 in the Fall five more years at $3.5 million on average. The deal made no sense. While it’s true he could’ve become unrestricted this summer, it looked like a panic move by Snow. Not to take away from Clutterbuck, who’s a team guy with character. But that’s a contract that will probably be a bad one.

If there is a bright spot, it’s been the play of rookie Anthony Beauvillier. Also a first round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, the 19-year old has shown some glimpses. A good player with superb speed and someone they can plug, he’s done okay with four goals and seven assists in 29 games. If there was one bugaboo with Capuano, it’s that he didn’t play him enough. Beauvillier needs consistent ice-time. He was scratched at times which left Islander fans up in arms. We’ll see what Weight’s plan is.

A big part of the team’s struggles is its special teams. The Islanders rank 26th on the power play (13.6 percent) and are 21st on the penalty kill (80.0 percent). Combined with allowing the second most shots per game giving up a whopping 33.2 which is only ahead of the dreadful Coyotes (33.6), it’s no wonder the team is closer to a lottery pick than the playoffs. Only Arizona (32 points) and Colorado (27) have fewer points than the Islanders (42). Their goal differential is minus-eight with 120 goals for and 128 goals allowed.

If you’re big into puck possession, the Isles don’t have the puck enough. As evidenced by the 29.9 shots they average and over 33 given up, it’s not conducive to winning consistently. It further explains why they are where they are. Most of the teams in the negative shots differential column rank near the bottom overall including the Devils, who allow nearly four more shots than they get. Yet they’re up to 45 points and only five out of a wildcard due to mediocrity in a bunched up conference that has an Atlantic Division with only Montreal and Boston ahead of second wildcard Philadelphia. The Leafs, Senators and Panthers are all tied in points (48) with the Lightning at 46 and the Wings at 44. In the Metro, the Hurricanes are at 49 only one behind the Flyers with three games at hand.

Basically, you can go up in the standings very quickly if you put together a winning streak. That was Snow’s reasoning for the coaching change. It still doesn’t fully explain a tenure that’s seen his team advance past the first round once. It doesn’t explain failing to sign 2008 sixth round selection Jared Spurgeon. A good defenseman who has become a staple on the Wild blue line. Minnesota leads the West with 61 points.

If he doesn’t turn it around, Strome will go down as a bust. He was taken before Mika Zibanejad, Mark Scheifele, Sean Couturier, Dougie Hamilton and J.T. Miller. Other notables include Richard Rakell, Boone Jenner, John Gibson, Brandon Saad and Islander killer Nikita Kucherov. If you’re wondering, the last four went after defenseman Scott Mayfield in the second round. Current Islander Shane Prince went number 61 to Ottawa. If you go through the remainder of the 2011 Draft, it doesn’t get any better. They missed out on some good players including Vincent Trocheck and Johnny Gaudreau.

Snow’s best work came in 2009 when he took Tavares first overall and traded up for de Haan. He also grabbed Cizikas and Lee late. It looks like he swung and missed on Josh Ho-Sang, who remains a puzzling player that is late to team meetings at Bridgeport and has only three goals and 13 assists in his first pro season. The jury on Michael Dal Colle remains to be seen. Defenseman Ryan Pulock has potential but must stay healthy. Devon Toews has been good for Bridgeport with 24 points in his first pro year. Unless Berube or Christopher Gibson pan out, the club doesn’t have a goalie for the near future. However, there is 2014 third rounder Ilya Sorokin, who at only 21 has fared well in the KHL with CSKA Moscow posting 21 wins with a 1.54 GAA and .931 save percentage. But how soon will he be ready to come over?

When looking at the Islanders from the outside, it’s hard to believe they’re not further along. Tavares is in his eighth season and has only made the playoffs three times. He’s played in four series posting 11 goals and 11 helpers in 24 games. Coming off last year’s dramatic first round win over the Panthers in which he scored the tying and winning goals at home in an unreal Game 6 at Barclays Center, more was expected from the team. Instead, they have taken a significant step back.

Unless the coaching change works, they’ll miss the postseason for the fifth time in Tavares’ eight-year career. That’s unacceptable. It’s not just the coach here. It’s Snow, who’s been given plenty of time to put together a roster Islander fans could be proud of.

Where’s the identity? Until they clean house entirely, the Islanders remain a franchise in limbo playing in an arena that isn’t great for hockey. Their attendance remains an issue with the team ranking 29th with an 81.1 percentage drawing 12,819 per ESPN.com. Only the Hurricanes rank worse. Moving from Long Island to Brooklyn hasn’t been a smooth transition. The franchise belongs on Long Island.

There is more at stake than just the current roster here. The team’s future remains cloudy. A better product would definitely help. Management must make more changes to restore order.

Posted in Column | Tagged 2011 NHL Draft, Anders Lee, Andrew Ladd, Brock Nelson, Cal Clutterbuck, Column, Doug Weight, Frans Nielsen, Garth Snow, Hard Hits, Isles, Jack Capuano, Jason Chimera, John Tavares, Jon Ledecky, Josh Bailey, Kyle Okposo, Matt Martin, NHL, Nick Leddy, NYIslanders, Ryan Strome, Scott Malkin, Thomas Greiss | Leave a comment

The time is now for Lundqvist

Posted on January 16, 2017 by Derek

Henrik Lundqvist has never let down the Rangers since assuming the mantle as a 23-year old rookie. Now is the time for him to prove he still has it with Antti Raanta out. AP Photo by Phelan M. Ebenhack/Getty Images

Ever since he entered the NHL as a bright eyed 23-year old who carried Frolunda HC to a championship back home in Sweden, Henrik Lundqvist has been a brilliant goalie for the Rangers. The former 2000 seventh round pick taken number 205 has been the backbone of the franchise. In helping lead a once struggling Original Six outfit out of irrelevancy to 10 of 11 postseasons, the Swedish King made Broadway a big hit.

No longer was MSG an eyesore for the Garden Faithful. But rather a spotlight for its biggest star to shine under the bright lights. Lundqvist has been a model of consistency winning at least 30-or-more games in 10 of 11 seasons. The only year he didn’t was the shortened season of ’12-13 when he won 24 while posting a 2.05 goals-against-average and .926 save percentage with three shutouts in 43 games.

That was the last year under former coach John Tortorella, who emphasized defense first. His volatile personality finally wore out with Lundqvist non-committal to re-signing with the team. He also had some criticism after the team was bounced out of the second round by the Bruins following an appearance in the Conference Finals during Lundqvist’s Vezina season of ’11-12. A year which saw the team gain the East’s top seed and have the franchise netminder achieve career bests in wins (39), GAA (1.97) and save percentage (.929) in 62 contests. He carried that team past Ottawa and Washington before getting outplayed by old rival Martin Brodeur in a six-game series loss to the Devils.

In many ways, that ’11-12 roster overachieved. They weren’t expected to go from a five-game first round exit to the East’s best record and two hard fought seven-game series with their goalie prevailing to help them reach the team’s first Conference Final since ’97 when number 11 and 99 starred along with number 2, 9 and 35 in a classic era of Rangers hockey. As it turned out, they weren’t ready to win. So, after a tumultuous year with Tortorella, whose truthful answer about why he didn’t use Carl Hagelin on the power play caused irreparable damage, then President and GM Glen Sather made a coaching change.

Out was Tortorella and in came Alain Vigneault. Another successful NHL coach who had guided the Canucks to the edge of a Stanley Cup in ’10-11 before losing in awful fashion to the Bruins 4-0 in their own building in Game 7. They won the President’s Trophy with 117 points led by a high scoring offense featuring the Sedin Twins and Ryan Kesler. Roberto Luongo was the star goalie with future Devils starter Cory Schneider the very capable backup. Despite finally edging the Blackhawks in seven games after blowing a 3-0 series lead and besting the Predators and Sharks in easier fashion, Vancouver came up just short of delivering the franchise’s first Cup. They blew series leads of 2-0 and 3-2 to the Bruins.

Following consecutive first round disappointments, Vigneault was dismissed. With both coaches outed, they actually traded places. Vigneault was hired by the Rangers receiving a five-year $10 million contract. Tortorella took the Vancouver job. Ultimately, Vigneault was a lot more successful than Tortorella, who was a bad fit for the Canucks. He lost his job following one season before eventually landing on his feet last year with the now totally rebuild Blue Jackets.

Vigneault took over in ’13-14 for the Rangers. Bringing a more offensive minded approach emphasizing speed, skill and transition, it worked. After defeating the Flyers in seven games thanks to unsung hero Dan Carcillo and the goaltending of Lundqvist, they faced off against the Penguins. A team they’d never beaten in the postseason. When they had two dismal performances at MSG to fall behind 3-1, it looked over.

After learning of emotional leader Martin St. Louis’ Mom France’s death to a heart attack, they went into Pittsburgh and won convincingly. St. Louis played in both Games 5 and 6 scoring the first goal in a Mother’s Day win to even the series. As all this was going on, Lundqvist shut the door allowing just three goals on the final 102 shots- including a gut wrenching 2-1 win in Game 7 with brilliant goalie making Brad Richards’ power play goal in the second period from St. Louis stand up. Without Lundqvist’s performance, the Rangers don’t come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a series for the first time in franchise history. They also don’t beat the Pens again. I remember how emotional I was when they won. It meant everything.

Buoyed by Carey Price’s injury in Game 1 on an accidental collision with Chris Kreider, who was pushed from behind by Alexei Emelin unless you talk to Montreal fans, the Rangers still had to go six to earn their first Stanley Cup trip in 20 years. The only goal came from Dominic Moore on a great set up from Brian Boyle behind the net late in the second. Without a remarkable save from Lundqvist that I still don’t know how he stopped, who knows if they win what still ranks as the best game I’ve ever been to. He only made 18 saves for the shutout but that one save with the game still scoreless before Moore’s series clincher will forever be remembered. Here it is in all its glory called by Doc Emrick:

That team made the Stanley Cup Final due to Lundqvist, who carried them as far as he possibly could. His play against the Pens turned the second round around. Saves like the ridiculous blocker save above were common. Ultimately, they fell short of winning the Cup by falling to the Kings in as close a five-game series as possible. Three sudden death losses all at Staples Center still sting. So too were the blown leads in the third period where Vigneault chose to sit back. Part of it was due to the Kings, whose size and ferocious forecheck turned third periods into nightmares for Blueshirt fans. So lopsided were they that it defied logic. I wish I didn’t have to see Alec Martinez, who continues to score big goals for the Kings to this day.

When I think of Lundqvist’s reaction with him being down and in tears, it still is the saddest sight I’ve ever seen. This guy has meant so much for the Rangers. He has always faced the music win or lose. When they lost in a crushing Game 7 at home to the Lightning in a Conference Final the following year, he was there at his locker responding to reporters’ questions. That loss to Tampa was heartbreaking. Even after we learned of all the injuries key defensemen Ryan McDonagh, Dan Girardi, Marc Staal and Kevin Klein played through, it still hurt knowing the team scored zero goals in the final six home periods in Game 5 and 7. If you don’t score, how can you win? Yet they crushed Tampa in Game 6 on the road as predicted. Let’s just say it was a very weird series with a cruel ending.

In ’15-16, I predicted Lundqvist to win the Vezina. I figured he’d be super motivated. His start was unreal. Despite a battered D with still a not fully recovered Girardi and Staal struggling mightily, Lundqvist was as good as he’s ever been leading the team to a stunning start. But it all broke down in late December. They were never the same. With more and more breakdowns, Lundqvist had to do too much. Somehow, he still wound up with a .920 save percentage, 35 victories, seven shutouts and a 2.48 GAA. But there were more instances where he was pulled for backup Antti Raanta. A sad trend that continued in a lopsided five-game series defeat to the Pens, who would win the Cup.

Unfortunately, this wonderful player who always exudes class and personifies what it means to be a professional athlete win or lose couldn’t bail out a flawed team. It was tough to watch. Seeing him get pulled in the final two games was not how anyone pictured it. But the writing had been on the wall. With Vigneault stubbornly playing Girardi too much despite a bad knee and Staal struggling along with Klein, who hasn’t been the same since a fractured thumb, the defense remains an issue.

Even with rookie Brady Skjei and ’16-17 revelation Nick Holden helping aid the blue line with improved speed from the left side, the Rangers defensively aren’t the same. Despite darts being tossed at Girardi by redundant bloggers who would probably blame him for ISIS and other worldwide issues, he hasn’t been the worst defenseman. That’s been Klein, who is now painful to watch. He gets beat routinely and turns pucks over. It’s become sad to watch him because he was so good his first two years after being acquired from Nashville for Michael Del Zotto. A trade that actually turned into one of Sather’s best.

Making matters worse, Staal has been out with post-concussion symptoms. He hasn’t played since Jan. 3. With the alternate captain bouncing back with a stronger year due to being healthier, it’s made the Rangers defense an eyesore. There is no timetable for his return. Staal must go through concussion protocol. At last check, he is skating. But who knows when he’ll be cleared for full contact. Unlike the improved forward depth which current general manager Jeff Gorton upgraded, the D remains paper thin. Especially when you subtract Staal.

What’s transpired is more games where Lundqvist hasn’t been up to par. He’s not making the key stops we’re so used to seeing. For over a decade, number 30 spoiled us. The franchise leader in wins (392) and shutouts (60) is down to a career worst 2.72 GAA and .907 save percentage. He’s still won 18 of 31 games due in large part to an improved offense. The Rangers rank first in offense just ahead of Pittsburgh averaging 3.41 goals-per-game. With contributions from Gorton steal Michael Grabner (19 goals), Chris Kreider (17 goals), Rick Nash (14 goals), Kevin Hayes (33 points), Derek Stepan (33 points), J.T. Miller and Mats Zuccarello (32 points each), they are well balanced.

The good news is Pavel Buchnevich is already back and Mika Zibanejad returns for tomorrow’s home match against the Stars after missing two months with a broken leg. Offensively, the Rangers should see continued improvement. Especially with Zibanejad centering Buchnevich and Nash while Stepan remains with Kreider and Zuccarello. That leaves Hayes with Miller and Grabner. A very good third line with solid chemistry. The fourth line for tomorrow will be Brandon Pirri centering rookie Jimmy Vesey and Jesper Fast. Pirri has scored five of his seven goals on the power play. It’s the only reason he stays in the lineup. Oscar Lindberg is a better fit for the fourth line.

Offense isn’t a problem. It’s about the goalie and the defense with the latter having been covered extensively. This defense isn’t gonna prevent quality scoring chances. Especially with Skjei hitting a rookie wall, Girardi up and down and Klein in a funk. Even emotional leader Ryan McDonagh is having trouble. His breakdown which led to Max Pacioretty’s breakaway goal in an awful 5-4 loss to the Canadiens at the House of Horrors was part of a total team breakdown in which the Rangers allowed three straight Montreal goals in 62 seconds.

Lundqvist couldn’t stop the bleeding. Following Pacioretty’s 20th, here came a swarm of Habs undefended as they attacked Lundqvist’s net. Eventually, Paul Byron backhanded a loose puck off Adam Clendening in only 26 seconds later to turn a 3-2 Rangers lead into a 5-3 deficit. A total disaster. Had Lundqvist seen Emelin’s shot from 60 feet which tied the score, maybe they don’t have a meltdown.

In truth, he wasn’t expected to play. Vigneault gave Raanta the start following a very disappointing home loss to the Maple Leafs on an emotional Friday night when the team paid tribute to Steven McDonald. Toronto has improved and their team speed and skill caused problems. But Lundqvist also gave up at least two questionable goals where his positioning was off. When he’s right, he is more aggressive and closes down bad angles.

A visibly shaken Lundqvist following the Montreal misery in which he was forced into action due to a lower body injury to Raanta, showed the 34-year old at a loss for words. He gave up all five goals on 22 shots in the final two periods. How tough was it to watch his post game? He even showed frustration with MSG reporter John Giannone, who asked if he saw Emelin’s shot. He fumed:

“Did it look like I saw it?”

It was not Giannone’s fault. He only asks what the MSG production crew tells him to. Sometimes, the obvious questions can make him look bad. Giannone is a pro. It was not the most comfortable situation for him or Lundqvist, whose confidence is shaken. Following a four-game stretch where Raanta played last month, he returned to form and looked to be back. A 27-save shutout of the Stars followed by 31 saves in a shootout win over Nashville and 29 saves in another shootout win over the Devils seemed to indicate that Lundqvist was seeing the puck better. In the three, he permitted three goals on 90 shots in 190 minutes.

But in a perplexing move, Vigneault went back to Raanta at the Pens. Rather than give a resurgent Lundqvist a fourth straight start, he decided to start Raanta who had won at Pittsburgh in an earlier match-up. He was no match as were the team which played dreadful hockey in a 7-2 blowout loss. The reason I disagreed with the decision was because Lundqvist was playing well and hadn’t won at Pittsburgh in a while. It would’ve been a good opportunity to see if he could stay hot and beat a team that’s given him problems recently.

The Rangers also had two days off before a final home game against the Wild. Vigneault went back to Lundqvist, who wasn’t himself giving up four goals on 13 shots before Raanta replaced him in an embarrassing 7-4 loss to head into the Christmas break. Since then, he’s allowed four goals-or-more in five of his last seven starts counting that game. When Vigneault went back to him following a no show against Buffalo, he was stellar with 30 saves in a back-to-back 5-2 win at the Flyers. He also showed great mental fortitude in a come from behind 5-4 win at Columbus by not allowing anything following an early Blue Jackets goal that put the Rangers in a 4-1 hole before they rallied.

Lundqvist is the type of goalie you have to ride. He prefers a heavy workload. When Vigneault decided to go back to Raanta at Montreal following a 4-2 home defeat to Toronto, it was a mistake. By continuing to do this, it’s not allowing Lundqvist to find a rhythm. He’s been so dependable for so long, he deserves the right to figure it out.

Maybe he isn’t the same goalie. However, he’s never given the Rangers any reason to panic before. He’s been through similar poor stretches with the one in Vignault’s first season forcing him to the bench for three straight while Cam Talbot started. Lundqvist came back and recovered.

Now with Raanta out and the Rangers having five games in the next nine days, this is Lundqvist’s chance to regain his form. There’s no time like the present for him to prove he is still the man. There can’t be any doubt. It’s time to see if he still has it.

Posted in Column | Tagged Adam Clendening, Alain Vigneault, Antti Raanta, Brady Skjei, Column, Dan Girardi, Henrik Lundqvist, Jeff Gorton, John Tortorella, Kevin Klein, Marc Staal, Michael Grabner, Mika Zibanejad, Nick Holden, NYRangers, Pavel Buchnevich, Ryan McDonagh | 2 Comments

Lundqvist can’t break Hab-it as Rangers self destruct in loss

Posted on January 15, 2017 by Derek

Paul Byron scores the game-winner on a stunned Henrik Lundqvist as the Canadiens scored three goals in 62 seconds as the Rangers fell apart in a devastating 5-4 loss at the House of Horrors. AP Photo via Getty Images courtesy Canadiens Montreal

This one was self inflicted. It wasn’t that they didn’t try hard enough. The effort was there for the most part. But a total meltdown turned what would’ve been a good road win into a brutal 5-4 loss as the Rangers self destructed against the Canadiens at Bell Centre. It was their second straight defeat and now has them clearly in fourth place in the Metro Division. They could be playing for a wildcard instead of a top three spot in a loaded division full of roadblocks.

They don’t call it the House of Horrors for nothing. Montreal has never treated the Rangers kindly. Especially Henrik Lundqvist. On a night he wasn’t supposed to play, a “lower-body” injury to backup Antti Raanta forced him into action at the start of the second period. It was a long two periods for the franchise netminder who let in all five Montreal goals on 22 shots after Raanta stopped all 10 in a perfect first which had the Rangers ahead 1-0 on a Brandon Pirri power play goal.

It’s hard to explain what happened. After the game’s first 20 minutes, the Rangers led by a goal and had played a good road period. They scored on the power play off a draw with Pirri finally finding twine for the first time in 11 games when his one-time blast beat Carey Price far side from Ryan McDonagh and Derek Stepan at 12:24.

But this was a odd game in so many ways. The Habs thought they had the game’s first goal but a good coach’s challenge by Alain Vigneault reversed the call due to goaltender interference on Raanta. To be honest, Andrew Shaw was pushed from behind by Kevin Klein. It easily could’ve been ruled a good goal. However, Toronto found enough conclusive evidence to reverse it which drew boos from the Montreal capacity crowd of 21,288.

Following Pirri’s fifth power play goal (7th overall), Shaw would be involved in a controversial hit on Jesper Fast. With Fast skating through the neutral zone without the puck, he was blindsided by a high hit from Shaw at center ice leaving him down to recover. While refs Dan O’Halloran and Chris Rooney huddled up with the two linesmen, J.T. Miller had seen enough. He challenged Shaw, who obliged. Even though Shaw got the decision, it was nice to see Miller to come to Fast’s aid. The illegal hit was unacceptable. Especially from a guy who returned from a concussion.

Shaw plays a nasty physical game with edge. He is fiery and sometimes, can lose his head. We saw this last year with the Blackhawks when he lost it a couple of times in the penalty box. Maybe that’s why Chicago parted with him to save on the cap. I doubt Joel Quenneville would tolerate his shenanigans. It probably got tired. Under Montreal coach Michel Therrien, Shaw remains an effective player. But an even more dangerous one. Running around like that isn’t smart. It was a dangerous hit that could’ve injured Fast, who fortunately was okay to return.

The officials made the appropriate call assessing a interference major and game misconduct to Shaw. His hit will be subject to an automatic review by the Department of Player Safety. Figure that to happen on Monday where there should be at least a phone hearing. Whether he’s further disciplined remains to be seen.

If there was a turning point, it was the Rangers’ inability to score on the five minute major. They messed around with the puck too much and didn’t make Price work. Credit also goes to the Canadiens’ penalty kill. They didn’t give up a lot and remained only down a goal after one.

When the teams came out for the second, one thing was different. It was Lundqvist entering the cage instead of Raanta, who left the game. Not to speculate. But it could be the groin. If so, that’s not good news on the Ranger front. They’ll have to recall a goalie from Hartford for Tuesday’s home game against Dallas. It will either be Brandon Halverson or Magnus Hellberg.

After failing miserably on the remainder of a five-minute power play, the Rangers decided to let the Canadiens greet Lundqvist with a warm welcome. As is tradition, he got scored on immediately. On a broken coverage with McDonagh and Kevin Klein way too apart, no one took Alex Galchenyuk in front. He had all day to redirect a Mark Barberio shot past Lundqvist for the Habs’ first shot on him to tie the score at 3:08.

Unlike the first, the second was wide open and played more to the Habs’ frenetic pace. They’re a faster skating team than the Rangers. That is probably why they won. The Rangers got into a track meet. They did well initially. On a two on one set up by Pavel Buchnevich, Rick Nash finished off a Kevin Hayes rebound with Price way out of the crease for a 2-1 lead at 6:29.

The Montreal bench challenged for goalie interference due to Hayes’ skate getting caught in Price’s right skate. But it was the definition of continuation and had no impact on Nash’s goal which was a follow up play with Price out of position. After they justifiably upheld it, more boos rained down at Bell Centre. It didn’t last long with Brian Flynn taking advantage of some faulty Ranger defense to beat Lundqvist at 7:58.

With Nick Holden off for slashing after Alex Radulov undressed the entire D, it was the Rangers who struck gold thanks to the unique penalty kill tandem of Hayes and Miller. The Broadway Bandits combined for a shorthanded goal when Hayes led Miller, who got behind Shea Weber and quickly snapped one past Price for his NHL-leading third shorthanded goal- extending his point streak to seven. A well executed play by two smart players with great chemistry.

Things cooled down for a while. The Rangers even protected the 3-2 lead into the third. For the first half, Montreal had nothing going. Locked up by the Blueshirts’ tight checking, they weren’t able to get any good scoring chances.

That changed following an icing. Of all people, Alexei Emelin beat Lundqvist off a clean face-off win to tie the score with 9:07 remaining. The play was set up by Paul Byron and Phillip Danault (3 assists). How Emelin scored was shocking. He let go of a simple wrist shot from way out that Lundqvist never picked up.

Following the game which saw the Canadiens strike for three goals in a 62-second span to go from 3-2 down to 5-3 up, a downcast Lundqvist snapped at MSG reporter John Giannone. He asked him if he saw Emelin’s shot. Lundqvist didn’t mince words replying, “Did it look like I saw it.”

That’s about as irate as I’ve ever seen him. He never does that. But it was a pretty poorly timed question. Blame the MSG truck for feeding poor Giannone a ridiculous question. He’s made to look pretty bad sometimes by some of the obvious questions he asks after bad losses. Giannone is a stand up guy as is Lundqvist, who’s at his locker win or lose. This wasn’t a normal situation. He got called into a game following an injury and never looked comfortable.

With the game tied, what followed was a total breakdown. On just a terrible read by McDonagh in which he got caught pinching, he left way too much gap with partner Dan Girardi. It led directly to an easy transition with Zach Redmond hitting Max Pacioretty in stride for a clean breakaway goal that put Montreal in front only 36 seconds later. Pacioretty’s 20th was a thing of beauty unless you root for the Blueshirts. It was ugly. Totally on McDonagh too because he made a foolish play. Girardi was never catching Pacioretty.

As for Lundqvist, he doesn’t stop breakaways as frequently. He used to be money. But that was a long time ago. He’s clearly fighting the puck and going through a very tough stretch. When you have MSG feeding Giannone questions about his confidence, it’s humiliating. Does he look confident? How bad can they insult his intelligence along with the fans?

As if that wasn’t bad enough, you had Adam Clendening on his knees while Byron stuffed one home on a chaotic scramble where our D checked no one in Habs’ sweaters. The goal came only 26 seconds later and gave Montreal a 5-3 lead with 8:05 left.

Honestly, no Ranger defenseman played well. They all stunk. Holden was probably the best. But he has been most of the season. As if to prove a point, it was his point shot that was double deflected by Mats Zuccarello and Derek Stepan to cut it to 5-4 with 5:07 remaining. Stepan’s 10th was a nice redirect at the side of the net which gave the Rangers four goals on Price. That should’ve been good enough to win.

The 1:02 implosion where the Habs scored three in a row did them in. You knew Price wasn’t gonna allow them to tie it. I said it to my father. About a minute later, he flat out robbed a flying Michael Grabner with a glove save to roaring approval from the crowd.

Ultimately, the Rangers did it to themselves. This could’ve been a feel good win. Instead, as they ran out of time with Chris Kreider forcing Price to make one more save with over three seconds left, it’s an awful loss that will sting. A very winnable game against a team that was struggling and they had a full fledged panic attack on the ice.

As for Lundqvist, it is what it is. He’s going to get the starts now. So, now is the time for him to respond the way he always has. Like a true champion. He will get the repetition. It’s up to him to fight out of this. At 34, he’s not a kid anymore. It’s too early to say he’s done. But the body language hasn’t been good. Neither has the defense, which looks naked without Marc Staal.

It doesn’t matter which 18 skaters Vigneault pencils into his lineup Tuesday. They have to be much better. From the goal out, they have to be. They still remain tied in points (57) with the suddenly slumping Pens. But they remain fourth in the division with two more games played while the Blue Jackets and Capitals continue to win consistently.

Don’t look now. But while the Flyers are nose diving, the Hurricanes are creeping up. Their 7-4 win over the Islanders has them up to 49 points. With the Leafs, Sens and Panthers all tied with 48, the wildcard race could start to get interesting.

For the Rangers, they must get this one off their minds. Maybe a night out on the town is best. Some drinks might do them some good. They weren’t awful by any stretch. But bad enough to fall apart. They do have a practice on Monday and then the Stars visit. We’ll see what they’re made of.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-J.T. Miller, Rangers (shorthanded goal-14th, fought Shaw, somehow only played 13:44 incl. 11:18 ES, 1:19 PP, 1:07 SH-inexplicable.)

2nd Star-Alexei Emelin, Canadiens (tying goal-2nd, assist, 3 shots, 3 blocked shots, +1 in 29 shifts-23:41-I feel sick doing this. But he scored a big one and played well.)

1st Star-Paul Byron, Canadiens (goal-13th for GWG, assist, +1 in 30 shifts-20:02-a very underrated player who really sparked the comeback.)

Notes: This was a wildly entertaining game with the two Original 6’s combining for 65 shots (NYR 33 Habs 32) and 120 attempts (NYR 62 Habs 58). … Six different players recorded at least two points with four Habs and two Blueshirts. Hayes had 2 assists and Stepan had a goal and assist. … Despite struggling, Price got the win finishing with 29 saves. … Aside from Shaw’s shenanigans, the Habs only took one other penalty. There weren’t many power plays with NYR 1-for-3 (Pirri) and MTL 0-for-2. … Key Stat: Giveaways NYR-20 MTL 12 … Montreal controlled draws winning 36-of-59 led by Torrey Mitchell, who went a perfect 7-for-7. Danault also went 9-and-3 while tallying three assists. Stepan was the Rangers’ best going 8-and-9. … With an assist, Buchnevich made it six straight games with a point dating back to Nov. 5. Over that stretch, he’s 4-4-8. Vigneault wasn’t afraid to play him giving Buchnevich 27 shifts (17:39). Oscar Lindberg and Jimmy Vesey struggled each going minus-two with a shade over eight minutes.

Posted in Battle News | Tagged Adam Clendening, Alain Vigneault, Alex Galchenyuk, Alex Radulov, Alexei Emelin, Andrew Shaw, Antti Raanta, Bell Centre, Brandon Pirri, Brian Flynn, Canadiens, Carey Price, Dan Girardi, Derek Stepan, Game Story, Henrik Lundqvist, House of Horrors, J.T. Miller, Jesper Fast, Kevin Hayes, Kevin Klein, Max Pacioretty, Michael Grabner, Michel Therrien, Nick Holden, NYRangers, Paul Byron, Pavel Buchnevich, Phillip Danault, Rick Nash, Ryan McDonagh | Leave a comment

Game Update: Lundqvist replaces injured Raanta

Posted on January 14, 2017 by Derek

At the start of the second period, Antti Raanta didn’t return to the ice in Montreal. Instead, Henrik Lundqvist replaced him in net. Scheduled for a night off, the 34-year old Rangers starter is back in replacing Raanta, who suffered a “lower-body” injury.

For now, the Rangers are left with only one goalie. Who would become the emergency back up if something were to happen to Lundqvist? I would imagine someone is being rushed to the arena.

Of course, Lundqvist was rudely greeted by the Habs, who scored on their first shot when Alex Galchenyuk was left all alone to deflect a point shot past him to tie the score.

Further updating the game, Rick Nash follows up a Kevin Hayes rush with his 14th past Carey Price to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead in the second period. More to come later. The Habs challenged the call for goalie interference. They had one reversed on them in the first period when it appeared Kevin Klein pushed Andrew Shaw into Raanta.

The Habs lose the challenge because Price was outside the crease and made a kick save to deny Hayes, whose skate got tangled with Price’s right leg outside. That allowed Nash to get the continuation for a good goal at 6:29. It reads Nash (14) from Hayes and Pavel Buchnevich, who for a second consecutive game has an assist. He’s a point machine even when he misses two months.

Posted in Battle News | Tagged Alex Galchenyuk, Antti Raanta, Canadiens, Carey Price, Game Update, Henrik Lundqvist, injury, Kevin Hayes, Rangers, Rick Nash | Leave a comment

Shaw’s hit on Fast dirt cheap

Posted on January 14, 2017 by Derek

During the first period of the Rangers/Canadiens game at Bell Centre, Montreal forward Andrew Shaw took a run at Rangers forward Jesper Fast. With his team trailing 1-0, Shaw came after Fast with a late high hit that knocked him down. He didn’t get up right away. It was the type of dangerous hit the NHL Department Of Player Safety are trying to get rid of.

That it’s Shaw’s first game back from a concussion speaks volumes. The former Blackhawk obviously has no respect for his peers. I don’t recall him going this far with Chicago where he helped them win Stanley Cups. But this is unacceptable. Judge for yourself:

Shaw hit on Fast pic.twitter.com/vstKmuwIRW

— steph (@myregularface) January 15, 2017

Fast has returned to the Rangers bench for the second period. As for Shaw, the officials gave him the gate with an interference major penalty and game misconduct. Will he face further supplementary discipline for his actions in his return game? Don’t bet on it.

One other note. Good on Fast’s teammate J.T. Miller for standing up for him. He lost the battle. But won a lot of respect. If they really are considering trading Miller, it would be a grave mistake.

Posted in Battle News | Tagged Andrew Shaw, Canadiens, Game Update, Jesper Fast, Rangers | Leave a comment

Pregame: Vigneault goes to Raanta at Montreal

Posted on January 14, 2017 by Derek

AP Photo via Getty Images courtesy Canadiens Montreal.

In the second game of a back-to-back, coach Alain Vigneault will go to backup Antti Raanta when the Rangers visit Montreal on Hockey Night In Canada. It’ll be his first start since 12/29 when he made 18 saves in a 6-3 win at Arizona. Raanta won his last two starts in December with victories over Ottawa and the Coyotes. In each, he allowed three goals while turning aside 51 of 57 shots.

There’s nothing wrong with having Raanta start against the Canadiens in a building starter Henrik Lundqvist has historically struggled. However, it’s not gonna help Lundqvist’s confidence following Friday’s disappointment. Somewhat curiously, Raanta is 2-0 in 3 appearances (2 starts) with a 2.30 goals-against-average and .927 save percentage (63 saves on 68 shots in 131 minutes).

By comparison, Lundqvist is 14-15-2 with a 2.77 GAA, .900 save percentage and two shutouts in 32 starts against Montreal. His last game at Bell Centre was a nightmare allowing five goals on 24 shots in 49 minutes. Granted. Every Blueshirt fan knows his history at the Canadiens. However, at some point he needs to get consistent playing time. Vigneault is messing around with a star player who has always done well when he gets more starts.

We’re now into mid-January and Lundqvist still is struggling with consistency. The 2.60 GAA and .910 save percentage would be career worsts. The Rangers are playing their 43rd game tonight. Lundqvist has only started 29 and appeared in 30. Vigneault has indicated he wants to keep him under 60 starts. That’s fine. But at what point will he let Hank play his way out of it?

After tonight, the Rangers are off the next two days before returning home to host the disappointing Stars. They will have five games left following Saturday’s big Original Six match-up. That also includes a return trip to Toronto 1/19 followed by a 1/22 visit at Detroit. Then a back-to-back at MSG against the Kings followed by the Flyers coming in on 1/25. Lundqvist needs to get into at least four of the five. The All-Star break follows. The Blueshirts finish the month at home against the Blue Jackets.

Vigneault also did an about face indicating he will play rookie Pavel Buchnevich again in the second game of a back-to-back. He feels the 21-year old Russian forward who returned from a bad back can handle it. His skill level is certainly a boost. Even in a 4-2 defeat, Buchnevich recorded an assist on J.T. Miller’s late goal. He also received over four minutes of power play time while being limited to 10:43 in 17 shifts.

Figure the lines to remain intact as should the defensive pairings. It’ll be interesting to see what former Habs’ first round pick Ryan McDonagh comes up with against the team that gave him away in the infamous Scott Gomez salary dump. The best trade of the Glen Sather era which also involved Chris Higgins, Pavel Valentenko and Tom Pyatt. Only Pyatt still plays in the NHL doing so in a supporting penalty kill role for Ottawa.

The Canadiens got good news with Alex Galchenyuk returning tonight along with pest Andrew Shaw. They have been up and down lately. After outscoring Winnipeg 7-4, they got hammered by the Wild 7-1. A game in which coach Michel Therrien left Carey Price in for all seven goals. Considering that they had a run in earlier this season when Therrien pulled Price at home during a period, I guess you could say that is a sensitive situation.

Known as the House of Horrors to Ranger fans, it has never treated our team kindly. However, Raanta got a win there and former backup now Edmonton starter Cam Talbot had success. It should be interesting to see how both teams respond coming off losses. Don’t forget Price has an amazing record on Saturday night’s on HNIC.

The puck is about to drop. We’ll see how it goes.

Posted in Game Preview | Tagged Alain Vigneault, Alex Galchenyuk, Andrew Shaw, Bell Centre, Canadiens, Carey Price, Henrik Lundqvist, Hockey Night In Canada, Michel Therrien, Montreal, Pavel Buchnevich, Rangers, Ryan McDonagh | Leave a comment

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