Chimera and Ladd score in Islanders’ 4-2 win over Canucks

Posted on November 8, 2016 by Derek
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Third period hero Cal Clutterbuck celebrates the game-winner in a much needed 4-2 Islander win over the Canucks. AP Photo via Getty Images courtesy NYIslanders.

It was a night of firsts in Brooklyn. Three different players finally scored in an Islanders’ 4-2 win over the Canucks at Barclays Center. Jason Chimera and Andrew Ladd highlighted the much needed victory with their first goals of the season to help the Isles snap a three-game losing streak.

“It’s big, for me & Jason, just getting that good feeling when you put pucks in the net. Sometimes all it takes is one & you go from there,” Ladd told reporters afterwards.

They had been waiting for something positive to happen with both free agent forwards who signed with the club during the summer. Maybe it’ll give them a confidence boost as the team hits Tampa and Florida for a two-game road swing beginning Thursday and concluding Saturday.

“We battled and were resilient and I thought we did some good things. Everyone contributed,” coach Jack Capuano said after his team improved to 5-6-2.

On a night where they hosted special guest Olympic gymnastic champion Aly Raisman, who dropped the puck and answered questions on Twitter during the second intermission, the Islanders stuck with it to earn a big two points. They got contributions throughout the lineup which is what needs to happen for them to be successful.

The game featured four different scorers including three Islanders who tallied their first goals of the season. Aside from Chimera, who tied the game at one on a feed from Anders Lee, Nikolay Kulemin also picked up his first. Cal Clutterbuck notched his second for the game-winner with 10:49 left in the third period. Ladd followed with number one to give them insurance for a two-goal victory.

It didn’t start out well. Canucks star forward Daniel Sedin picked the pocket of Ryan Strome and broke in and beat Jaroslav Halak unassisted at 4:22 of the first. The Isles responded thanks to the third line of Chimera, Lee and Brock Nelson, who’s continued to play well so far. The centerman picked up his seventh assist on a play in front of the Vancouver net where they left Chimera wide open for a tap in from Lee to even the score 5:20 later.

In the second stanza, Kulemin was able to bury home a rebound from John Tavares and Thomas Hickey to put the Isles in front at 7:38. On the play, Hickey threw a puck in front which Tavares got a piece of sending it to an uncovered Kulemin for an easy finish past Vancouver starter Ryan Miller.

But a Tavares minor penalty for tripping led directly to a Canucks’ power play tally coming from Markus Granlund with 3:30 remaining in the period. Bo Horvat set it up with Ben Hutton adding a secondary helper.

With the game still knotted nearly halfway through the third, Clutterbuck was able to get free in front and backhand home a Johnny Boychuk rebound past Miller for the game decider at 9:11. Alan Quine added an assist.

Less than two minutes later, Ladd finally got one to go when his shot deflected off a Canuck in front for his first goal in the Isles’ 13th game. Bridgeport call up Adam Pelech worked the puck to Nick Leddy, who found Ladd open in the high slot. He let it go and finally caught a much needed break.

Unlike the past couple of games, there would be no Vancouver comeback. The league’s lowest scoring offense go to two against Jaroslav Halak, who was strong finishing with 30 saves in his third straight start. He stopped 24 of 26 shots in the first two periods. The final one was a lighter workload with him required to only make six saves.

“Last 5 minutes of the third were what we needed. Everyone doing the right thing, guys making solid plays & being strong on their sticks,” Clutterbuck said.

Now they’ll hit the road for two in the sunshine state.

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Aly Raisman rocks an Islanders jersey after dropping the puck. Photo by NYIslanders.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Johnny Boychuk, Islanders (assist, 3 shots in 4 attempts, 2 hits, 5 blocked shots, +1 in 23 shifts-team high 21:26 including 18:30 EV, 1:31 SH, 1:25 PP)

2nd Star-Andrew Ladd, Islanders (1st goal of season, 2 shots in 5 attempts, +1 in 21 shifts-16:14 including 14:22 EV, 1:25 PP, 27 seconds SH)

1st Star-Cal Clutterbuck, Islanders (GWG-2nd of season, 2 shots in 4 attempts, 6 hits, 2 blocks, +1 in 21 shifts-14:52 including 14:01 EV, 51 seconds SH)

Notes: In his first game of the season in place of injured Travis Hamonic, Pelech was fine picking up a helper while going plus-one in 19 shifts with all coming at even strength (17:08). … Twelve Isles recorded a point in this one. Thirteen players were a plus led by Leddy, who went plus-two along with Hickey, Kulemin and Tavares. … Isles blocked 23 shots led by Boychuk (5) with Dennis Seidenberg recording 4. Canucks went 38-and-25 on face-offs led by Brandon Gaunce (6-and-0) with Henrik Sedin 10-and-8 and Brandon Sutter 12-and-9. Tavares finished .500 going 9-and-9 with Nelson 5-and-6.

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Islanders lose Hamonic for at least a month, host angry Canucks

Posted on November 7, 2016 by Derek

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When the Canucks visit Barclays Center later tonight, the Islanders will be without Travis Hamonic. The shutdown defenseman was injured in Saturday’s shootout loss to the Oilers when he blocked a shot that resulted in a power play goal. He left the contest in the first period and didn’t return.

The 26-year old Hamonic suffered an “upper body” injury. He’s expected to miss between four to six weeks. In his place will be Adam Pelech. The 22-year old former 2012 third round pick got into nine games for the Islanders last season tallying two assists. In 10 games with Bridgeport this season, he has a goal and three assists with six penalty minutes and a plus-three rating.

Losing Hamonic for any stretch is tough. The Isles’ top right-handed defenseman is a player coach Jack Capuano relies on to go up against top scoring lines. Even though he was off to a shaky start with partner Nick Leddy, it’s a big hit.

Pelech will get the chance to play with Leddy against Vancouver. A big assignment which means seeing the Canucks’ top rated Sedins Line with Loui Eriksson. They are off to bad starts with Henrik leading the team in scoring with only six points (2-4-6) while twin brother Daniel is 3-2-5. Eriksson has yet to score a goal and has four assists. Brandon Sutter (1-5-6) and Bo Horvat (4 goals) have been their most consistent forwards.

The Isles’ other pairings remain the same. Thomas Hickey with Johnny Boychuk and Calvin de Haan with Dennis Seidenberg. They are facing the league’s lowest scoring team. Amazingly, the Canucks rank dead last in offense with a pedestrian 1.58 goals-per-game- scoring only 20 in 12 games. That helps explain their 4-7-1 record.

How bad has it been? After finding a way to win their first four games including one in a shootout and two in overtime on late comebacks, they’re winless in their last eight and have lost seven in a row in regulation for a putrid 0-7-1 mark. During that stretch, they’ve reached three goals twice including a 4-3 shootout loss to the Kings on Oct. 22 and an ugly 6-3 loss at the Maple Leafs on Saturday night.

The latest defeat featured 32 penalties and 171 combined penalty minutes. It became gruesome in the third period following a Nazem Kadri hit from the blindside on Daniel Sedin. He left his feet to make the hit and was assessed a charging major followed by a fight with Jannik Hansen and game misconduct. I’ve looked at the hit several times. While he did leave his feet which is why the correct call was made for a charging major, the main point of contact isn’t the head. He caught Daniel in a prone position with shoulder to shoulder contact which knocked him down landing on his head. It was unnecessary. Kadri wasn’t suspended. Something that the Canucks didn’t agree on.

It only got worse from there with more ugliness that included Alex Burrows going after Morgan Rielly. What would you expect from one of the NHL’s notorious punks? Former Ranger Derek Dorsett picked on Leo Komarov beating him up after a face-off and then yelled at Matt Martin.The worst part was when Martin picked on Troy Stecher which resulted in an immediate response from Ryan Miller. The toughest goalie in the league stood up for his teammate who only was playing his fourth game. It wound up in a line brawl with opposing goalie Frederik Andersen skating across the ice to greet Miller. Miller said all the right things following the game about why he stood in for Stecher:

It’ll certainly be interesting to see how the Canucks respond. Their coach Willie Desjardins is on the hot seat. Something Capuano can relate to given the Isles’ struggles. They bring a 4-6-2 record into play and sit seventh in the Metropolitan Division. With the Rangers, Penguins and Capitals rolling along with the Flyers and Devils playing solid hockey, they have to dig out of it soon.

The Islanders have dropped three in a row on home ice. Even the last two defeats- both shootouts- weren’t good because they blew leads in each case. If they can’t get up and beat the lowly Canucks, that could spell doom for Capuano and even Garth Snow, whose off-season was a disaster.

Alan Quine is in the lineup for rookie Anthony Beauvillier, which is perplexing. Here are the Isles’ lines:

Bailey-Tavares-Clutterbuck

Lee-Nelson-Chimera

Prince-Strome-Quine

Ladd-Cizikas-Kulemin

It speaks volumes when your big free agent replacement for Kyle Okposo is now on the checking line. Granted. Casey Cizikas is one of their most consistent players. If that doesn’t get Andrew Ladd going, yikes.

Jaroslav Halak gets his third straight start. Summer Olympic champion Aly Raisman will drop the puck. If only they could clone her.

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Game 13: Rangers offense does it again in 5-2 win over Winnipeg

Posted on November 6, 2016 by Derek
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Pavel Buchnevich celebrates his first goal at MSG with Brandon Pirri and Adam Clendening in the latest Rangers win. AP Photo via Getty Images courtesy Ranger Fanly.

Goal scoring isn’t supposed to be this easy. Routinely, the ’16-17 New York Rangers continue to light up the scoreboard with regularity. They followed up a five-goal performance in Boston with another five in a 5-2 win over Winnipeg at The Garden.

Through 13 games, they’re 10-3-0 with a Metropolitan Division-leading 20 points. Over those lucky 13, the Blueshirts have scored 55. Even if you’re not a math major, it’s easy to figure out that it averages out to over four goals-per-game. Is it sustainable? Of course not. But the level of depth this roster has up front makes all four lines a threat.

Full credit to general manager Jeff Gorton for a great off-season that included adding Michael Grabner, Brandon Pirri, Mika Zibanejad along with rookies Pavel Buchnevich and Jimmy Vesey to a core that features Jesper Fast, Kevin Hayes, Chris Kreider, J.T. Miller, Rick Nash, Derek Stepan and Mats Zuccarello. All 12 forwards have been superb comprising four balanced lines that have speed and skill. Oscar Lindberg is the extra at the moment.

Like a broken record, five different Rangers scored to highlight their fifth consecutive win. All five have seen them reach at least five goals. Over that stretch, they’ve outscored opponents 26-8. You’re not gonna lose many games that way. Defensively, they did show some holes against the very fast and skilled Jets, who tested Henrik Lundqvist. He was up to the challenge finishing with 24 saves.

On a night in which coach Alain Vigneault decided to rest Dan Girardi and reinsert Adam Clendening, who sat the last seven games, they played an even first period and were tied at one with Winnipeg. For the fourth straight game, Hayes scored. He opened the scoring at 2:12 netting his sixth from Kevin Klein and Brady Skjei. Klein passed across to Hayes, whose one-timer from way out beat Jets’ goalie Connor Hellebuyck cleanly. It was a harbinger of things to come for him.

The Jets replied back when exciting 18-year old rookie Patrik Laine was able to deflect home a Ben Chiarot shot past Lundqvist to even the score at 10:45. The 2016 second overall pick leads all rookies with eight goals.

The game remained tied 1-1 until the second half of a wild and crazy second period. From that point, the Rangers outscored the Jets 4-1 to end the stanza up 5-2. Zuccarello got it started when he converted a three-on-one pass from Kreider at 10:02. A patient Kreider took advantage of a neutral zone turnover and waited before dishing across for Zuccarello, who sniped his sixth past Hellebuyck for a one-goal lead.

But in a game where they weren’t as good defensively, a coverage breakdown led to Mark Scheifele slamming home his seventh from Paul Postma and Nikolaj Ehlers only two minutes later to even the score. On a quick Winnipeg counterattack, Zibanejad completely got lost leaving his man wide open in the slot. Lundqvist made a great first save on Postma and then a sliding Skjei partially blocked a rebound before Scheifele was able to stuff it home. It was some poor play from the forwards on the top line.

Less than a minute later, Miller had an immediate response when he cruised into the right slot and let go of a wrist shot from distance that beat Hellebuyck to restore the one-goal lead. Nick Holden drew the only assist, extending his point streak to three straight. Miller’s goal was very stoppable. But Hellebuyck wasn’t sharp allowing two bad ones. Fast chased him when he had the good fortune to have a Klein point shot deflect off his right skate in front increasing the lead to two with 3:36 left in the second. A play that Pirri set up for the first of two goals from the fourth line in less than a minute.

With Hellebuyck replaced by Michael Hutchinson, nothing changed for Winnipeg. Even in a game where he took a huge hit from Dustin Byfuglien against the boards, Buchnevich got some revenge on the scoreboard when he took a Pirri outlet and put on a show to score a highlight reel goal for his second in two games. Clendening got the puck out to Pirri, who then passed for Buchnevich, who patiently faked and went to a ridiculous forehand deke sliding the puck into an open side for a 5-2 lead with 2:55 remaining.

The play reminded me of a young Alexei Kovalev. Another talented Russian who could skate like the wind, dangle and make opposing goalies look bad. Basically, Buchnevich undressed the Winnipeg defense and then pulled off a sweet move to finish for a second game in a row. The great thing about him is he never lost his confidence when they didn’t go in at the start. He also has shown the ability to be defensively responsible which explains why Vigneault trusts him on the fourth line and plays him on the power play.

Buchnevich wears number 89. The number of another famous Russian scorer who lit it up during the 90’s and early 00’s. I’m referring to Alexander Mogilny. There’s a lot to like about Buchnevich. An exciting Russian with immense talent. In what was a scoreless third thanks to Lundqvist and the team defense picking it up, Vigneault left the Russian out for an extended shift- reminding some of what former coach Mike Keenan did to Kovalev.

He has a happy go lucky personality too. His English is amusing to listen to. You can’t help but smile or laugh. Kovalev was similar back then. As he continues to learn and mature, Buchnevich should gain even more trust from Vigneault, who loves him.

Right now, it’s all going right. The Rangers are a first place team with a great offense. As Pirri noted in the post game, they do have some things to work on. They weren’t perfect in getting all four points this weekend. So, there will be some stuff to fix before the Canucks visit MSG on Election Tuesday. It’s a lot more enjoyable than that process.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Pavel Buchnevich, NYR (highlight reel goal-2nd of season-first at MSG, +1 om 15 shifts-13:41)

2nd Star-Brady Skjei, NYR (assist-8th, 2 attempts, 2 hits, 2 blocked shots, even in 20 shifts-17:51)

1st Star-Brandon Pirri, NYR (2 assists, +3 in 17 shifts-11:33)

Notes: Klein had his best effort of the season recording two assists while blocking four shots in 23 shifts-18:45. … Eleven different Rangers had points including Clendening, who picked up a secondary assist on Buchnevich’s first goal at home. … Hayes has now scored a goal in four straight and is up to a plus-12 on the season with 6-6-12. A welcome change. … Scheifele finished with a goal and helper in a losing cause for Winnipeg. … Hellebuyck allowed four goals on 16 shots before giving way to Hutchinson, who only saw two shots making one save. … The Rangers didn’t record a shot in the third getting out-shot 9-0. They also took the game’s only two penalties killing off both. … Holden is up to a goal and six assists going plus-two in 23:06. His plus-13 rating is tied with Grabner for second trailing only Habs’ defenseman Shea Weber (+15).

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Devils weekly recap: Road success at last

Posted on November 6, 2016 by hasan4978

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An old sports adage is you want to win most of your games at home and go .500 on the road.  In the Devils’ first few weeks however, they took it to an extreme going 4-0-1 at home while starting out 0-3-2 on the road – before finally winning away from Newark earlier tonight with a 4-1 thumping of the Hurricanes.  True, the most recent road trip on the whole wasn’t terribad although once again Florida proved to be a fruitless task with an overtime loss at Sunrise (after rallying back from a 3-1 deficit to tie the game in the third period) and a desultory 4-1 loss last night at Tampa.  Thankfully the Devils got both Florida trips out of the way early this year, although that’s not to say things get much easier the rest of this month with a West Coast swing looming next week.

A couple of important things did happen tonight for the Devils going forward.  For one, backup Keith Kinkaid had his second consecutive strong outing of the season, looking more like the goalie that showed promise two years ago rather than the dissapointment he was last year.  Of course the backup goaltender position is often fickle, very few can handle the job consistently well but on a team with little margin for error it’s key that the Devils’ backup does well and is able to give Cory Schneider the night off on the schedule-induced occasions where he needs a rest.  Honestly I would have given Schneider tonight’s game and thrown Kinkaid against Tampa where we never win these days anyway, but in the end it worked out about as well as could be expected.

Perhaps the most important thing to come out of tonight’s game was the breakout of Mike Cammalleri – goalless on the season and generally ineffective through the season’s first month, many were starting to wonder if he was washed up.  Some of the lunatic fans wanted him scratched (yeah as if scratching him for Jacob Josefson is going to solve anything).  Personally I wanted to wait and see what happened when Cammalleri finally got on the board with his first goal.  Even veterans need a confidence boost from time to time, and clearly Camm’s first lifted some pressure off him.  What followed shocked even me though, as Camm put in a second goal, and then a third.  A natural hat trick is quite a way to break out of a slump, and it couldn’t have come a moment too soon for the Devils, or for Camm, who’d been dropped to the third line in recent games and was playing with Beau Bennett (two assists, +3) and the aformentioned Josefson for much of the game tonight.

Coach John Hynes wasn’t taking the team’s lackluster start in Florida and overall game in Tampa lightly, making a pair of lineup changes with Devante Smith-Pelly and Sergei Kalinin scratched in favor of Josefson and Reid Boucher.   Tonight’s game didn’t do much to get Boucher out of the doghouse he’s been trapped in all season, as he played less than ten minutes of 5-on-5 though he and Josefson did get some power play time.  Hard to say the changes really had as much of an impact as did Camm’s breakout though, but it does seem like Smith-Pelly’s fallen off dramatically from the flashes of potential he showed late last year, so clearly his lineup spot is no longer safe.  Kalinin’s a fine fourth liner but like most of our fourth-liners he’s allergic to offense, so he’s an interchangeable part too.

Defensively I can’t say the Devils are really playing particularly well allowing over thirty-one shots per game including thirty-four tonight.  Fortunately their goaltenders have been good enough to bail them out so far and keep them in every game – aside from the third period in Tampa which was the first loss that truly got away from the team this season.  However, the defense has been home to one of the season’s brightest spots in Damon Severson.  After he struggled for much of his first two years in the league after a brilliant first ten games of his NHL career, the light seems to be coming on for Damon this year.  Particularly on offense where he’s already surpassed his meager goal total from last year and leads the team in points with nine in eleven games.  Sure, playing with Andy Greene always helps but Damon’s carving out his own path on the man advantage without Greene too (five power play points).

Looking ahead, this is a must make hay week for the Devils with a return match against the Canes at the Rock on Tuesday, followed by a home and home with another struggling team in the Sabres over the weekend.  After that slate of games looms the big four-game trip starting in Dallas and then moving onto California for the three games there.  If the Devils win at least two of the three games this week they allow themselves a slight margin of error on the Southwest coast trip.  No game’s ever easy for this team though, well tonight was but I had a little sports fatigue after that annoyance of a football game earlier today that ended my Jets season so I wasn’t in the mood to double down with the Devils tonight.  At least they gave me a better result though.

Of course I won’t be at the game Tuesday because needless to say I don’t want my attention divided that night, if anything I’d rather not pay attention to the game at all.  If you need to ask what else is going on Tuesday, you’re not an American citizen and/or are blissfully ignorant considering how much the presidential election has dominated the news.  This is the last place I’m going to preach about the election or opine about either of the candidates running for president because nobody wants their politics and their sports intertwined, god knows there was enough hulabaloo about the stupid anthem protests in the NFL.  I certainly have my own strong opinions about which way this country should vote for president and why but all I’ll say here is get out and vote.  If you don’t want to vote candidates for president in some sort of protest that’s your choice.  I vehementely disagree with that choice but if you refuse to vote for the two major party candidates at least get out and vote downballot to make your voice heard.  Nobody has the right to complain about government if they don’t participate in electing who runs it.

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Islanders fall 4-3 to Oilers in shootout for third straight home loss

Posted on November 6, 2016 by Derek
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Mark Letestu beats Jaroslav Halak in the third round of the shootout as the Islanders fell to the Oilers 4-3. AP Photo via Getty Images courtesy Sportsnet.

When things aren’t going your way, you make changes. Even with coach Jack Capuano making changes to his lines, the Islanders couldn’t hold two leads in a frustrating 4-3 shootout loss to the Oilers at Barclays Center. It was their third consecutive loss. All have come on home ice.

Despite getting offense from other players, the Islanders’ penalty kill again let them down. They gave up two Oilers’ power play goals in three chances including Milan Lucic’s game-tying marker with 3:10 left in the second period.

The difference was Mark Letestu’s goal in the bottom of the third which resulted in Isles’ starter Jaroslav Halak breaking his goalie stick on top of the net. That summed up how things have gone. In a 3-2 shootout defeat to the Flyers, they also blew a two-goal lead. However, the two Flyer tallies came in the last 7:05 of regulation. That included Matt Read’s power play goal at 19:02.

The Islanders responded to Capuano’s challenge with a great start against Edmonton. Having moved Cal Clutterbuck up to the top line with John Tavares and Josh Bailey, Capuano got immediate results when Clutterbuck found a cutting Nick Leddy 13 seconds in for his second of the season. Tavares started it working the puck to Clutterbuck, who made a great centering pass for a Leddy finish. It marked the eighth straight game an Isles’ defenseman has scored a goal.

Shane Prince continued to contribute notching his third increasing to 2-0 at 5:49 of the first period. Dennis Seidenberg set it up along with Calvin de Haan. The 35-year old German veteran who general manager Garth Snow signed late following the World Cup of Hockey has been a real find. Thus far, his eight points (4-4-8) rank third in team scoring. He also picked up a helper on the Isles’ third goal.

Trailing by two, the Oilers got back in it thanks to a Patrick Maroon redirection of defenseman Matthew Benning’s right point shot. Maroon parked himself in front and got a piece of Benning’s blast to beat Halak at 8:22 to pull Edmonton within one.

Penalty trouble hurt the Isles. With Seidenberg off for tripping, Leon Draisaitl was able to score on the power play thanks to a favorable carom off Islander defenseman Travis Hamonic. Hamonic left the contest with an injury which could keep him out of action a while. He only took seven shifts logging 6:10 of ice-time. His block of an Oilers’ shot could prove costly. The Islanders only ice six D due to carrying three goalies. With Ryan Pulock on the injured reserve, they’ll likely recall Adam Pelech for Monday’s game against the Canucks.

The game remained tied until Casey Cizikas was able to get to a Prince feed in front and beat Cam Talbot for a 3-2 lead with 8:42 left in the second. That gave Prince a goal and assist. Seidenberg recorded his second assist of the night.

Unfortunately, another Isles penalty resulted in the Oilers taking full advantage with their second power play goal. Connor McDavid got a step on Tavares forcing the Islander captain to grab a hold of his stick to prevent a scoring chance. On what was a bad break that saw veteran defenseman Johnny Boychuk do a split while banging into the boards, he was unable to recover in time for Milan Lucic’s rebound of a Jordan Eberle shot. The Islanders got better news on Boychuk, who was able to return.

The teams played a scoreless third combining for 18 shots with the Isles holding an 11-7 edge. The best chance came when Bailey forced Talbot into a difficult toe save point blank. Talbot basically is the Oilers because they still haven’t started their backup. I didn’t even know who it was until I checked the game sheet. It’s Jonas Gustavsson, who made 10 saves in relief in one appearance. Talbot finished with 30 saves in his 12th consecutive start. Insane.

With the game still tied at three, it went to three-on-three overtime. Both teams had great chances but the goalies were up to the challenge. It was again Talbot who made the biggest stop when he denied Tavares one-on-one after he undressed Benoit Pouliot with under 15 seconds to play. He made a great move around Pouliot but Talbot got his goal stick on it to force it wide.

None of the first five shooters scored in the shootout. The Isles’ three included Leddy, Andrew Ladd and Jason Chimera. After denying Oilers’ sharp shooters Eberle and Ryan-Nugent Hopkins, Halak was unable to thwart Letestu, whose quick snapshot beat him top shelf for the game-winner.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Patrick Maroon, Oilers (goal, assist, 3 hits, -1 in 21 shifts-18:02)

2nd Star-Dennis Seidenberg, Islanders (2 assists, 2 shots in 3 attempts, 5 blocked shots, 4 PIM, +2 in 23 shifts-21:41 including 20:27 EV, 1:14 SH)

1st Star-Shane Prince, Islanders (goal-3rd of season, assist, 3 shots in 4 attempts, 2 takeaways, +1 in 17 shifts-13:06 including 12:30 EV, 36 seconds PP)

Notes: In seven games, Prince is 3-3-6. … Halak finished with 20 saves. … Oilers went 2-for-3 on the power play while the Islanders took the collar in three chances. … Benning tallied two assists for Edmonton. … The Oilers won for the first time in New York since Dec. 14, 1999. … McDavid went without a point taking 26 shifts while logging 23:26 with 6 shots in 10 attempts while going minus-one. … Face-offs went in favor of the Oilers 29-27 with McDavid going 9-and-8 while Letestu went 7-and-2. For the Islanders, both Cizikas and Tavares finished 9-and-8. … As a team, the Isles blocked 23 shots led by Thomas Hickey’s 8. Seidenberg had 5 and Boychuk recorded 4. That trio combined for more blocks (17) than the Edmonton total (14). … Islanders (4-6-2) are home for Vancouver Monday before traveling to Tampa and Florida on 11/10-12.

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Game 12 Rangers offense continues assault in 5-2 win over Bruins

Posted on November 5, 2016 by Derek
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Rookie Pavel Buchnevich shows off the puck of his first NHL goal. The Rangers won again 5-2 over the Bruins in Boston. AP Photo via Getty Images courtesy NYRangers. 

Even one of the NHL’s best goalies was no match for the Ranger juggernaut. Their offense continued to score at a ridiculous clip getting five past previously unbeaten Boston starter Tuukka Rask to post a 5-2 win over the Bruins at TD Garden.

They were opportunistic scoring five goals on 24 shots as Rask had a tough night. The rematch from over a week ago resulted in an identical score. Like that one, the Bruins jumped out in front with Patrice Bergeron finishing off a nice set up from Brad Marchand at 3:44 of the first period. On the play, Ryan McDonagh made a rare mistake losing the puck behind the net and Derek Stepan forgot to take Bergeron, who got his second past Antti Raanta.

After a sluggish start, the Rangers came on with some good chances to tie it. However, Rask kept his team in front until less than five minutes were left in the first. On what was a weird play started by rookie Stepan, rookie Jimmy Vesey found Nick Holden open at the point for his first as a Ranger at 15:09. He let go of a wrist shot that sneaked through traffic past a surprised Rask.

The special teams of the revitalized Rangers came through big time in this game. They scored two shorthanded goals and a power play goal. The Bruins did nothing in three power play chances except drive their fans nuts. Careless play almost led to consecutive Ranger shorthanded goals late in the first. Following a big defensive play by Dan Girardi who saved a goal, out came Michael Grabner flying down the right side on a two-on-one with Stepan. His pass across for Stepan actually went off the center’s skate and in for his first of the season. A shorthanded goal that really swung the momentum.

On the next shift, Stepan and Grabner again came. This time, it was an unbelievable two-on-none with Stepan passing across for Grabner, who fanned on the shot. If he doesn’t, it’s in for a second straight shorthanded goal on one Bruins power play. Fans murmured. Could you blame them?

Trailing by one, the Bruins were put on another power play on an offensive zone Jesper Fast tripping minor 1:19 into the second. Instead of taking advantage, they watched as Marc Staal sent Kevin Hayes in on Rask for the second shorthanded goal of the game. He patiently out-waited Rask before firing five-hole for his fifth, giving him a three-game goal scoring streak. His play has been so much superior to last year. You can tell Hayes is a different, more mature player. He is proving it on the ice.

Hayes had the only goal of the second. Boston applied constant pressure. But they were unable to get one past Raanta, who was superb making 35 saves to earn the game’s first star. For a guy who doesn’t play often, he really gives the Rangers exactly what they need when Henrik Lundqvist needs a breather. In the first of a back-to-back with the talented Winnipeg Jets visiting MSG with splendid rookie Patrik Laine tomorrow night, Raanta was stellar- making several key saves to keep his team ahead 3-1. He stopped all 15 Boston shots in a busy second.

The Bruins didn’t give up in the third. Continuing to come at the Rangers and test Raanta, they couldn’t buy one. Raanta’s best save came on David Krejci robbing the snake bit center twice on the doorstep.

Marchand picked an inopportune time to lose his cool. After getting nabbed for holding, he took an extra two for unsportsmanlike conduct handing the Rangers a four-minute power play. Even though they didn’t score on the first part, they kept possession in the Boston zone. Eventually, some more crisp passing led to Pavel Buchnevich’s first career NHL goal. Brady Skjei continued his impressive play with an assist to start a great passing play with Stepan making a brilliant backhand saucer feed across for Buchnevich, who didn’t miss from the slot. That made it 4-1 with 6:23 remaining.

The Bruins responded thanks to a neat tip in front by David Pastrnak for his team-leading seventh 1:09 later which cut it to 4-2 with 5:14 left. The big forward parked himself in front and was able to redirect a Riley Nash shot by Raanta.

But any hopes of a late comeback were dashed when Grabner stole the puck at the Boston blue line and then fooled Rask with a quick snapshot five-hole 2:02 later for a 5-2 lead with 3:14 to go. It was his team-leading seventh. What a pick up he’s been. It makes you wonder how the Islanders and Maple Leafs gave up on him. It’s probably more the Ranger system under Alain Vigneault, who has so much skill up front that it makes them very tough to play against.

Their combination of speed and skill have given opponents nightmares. It’s why they’re 9-3-0 and in first place. They’ll look to keep it going Sunday against the Jets.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Michael Grabner, NYR (team-leading 7th of season, assist, +2 in 24 shifts-14:52 including 11:52 even strength and 2:55 SH)

2nd Star-Derek Stepan, NYR (shorthanded goal-1st of season, 2 assists, +1 in 25 shifts-16:19 including 11:27 even strength, 2:49 SH and 2:03 PP)

1st Star-Antti Raanta, NYR (35 saves incl. 15/15 in 2nd to improve to 3-0-0)

Notes: With a goal and a plus-one rating in 25 shifts (20:48), Holden is up to plus-11 on the season. … Mats Zuccarello missed a couple of shifts in the second but returned. … Chris Kreider also got banged up but also was able to return. … With another helper, Skjei is now up to seven assists. … Krejci and Ryan Spooner were each minus-three for the Bruins. … Matt Beleskey challenged J.T. Miller a couple of times but nothing materialized. … Boston held an edge on face-offs 30-26 led by Bergeron (12-and-9) while Mika Zibanejad went 9-and-10. … As a team, NYR blocked 18 shots including game high four from Girardi and three from Kevin Klein, who recorded his first point of the season.

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Saturday Night Hockey

Posted on November 5, 2016 by Derek
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Ryan O’Reilly gives a puck to a kid before the Sabres take on the Senators. AP Photo via Getty Images courtesy Buffalo Sabres.

Tonight, there’s plenty of hockey on your classic Saturday for puckers. For local hockey fans, all three Battle clubs will be in action. Buffalo is also in action. Game time is 7 PM for each.

The Rangers are visiting TD Garden to battle the Bruins in an Original 6 rematch. The Blueshirts took the home game in convincing fashion 5-2 at MSG. A game that saw them battle back from a 2-0 first period deficit by scoring five unanswered including two from Brandon Pirri. Rivalry Night also saw Bruins forward David Pastrnak go head hunting with an illegal check to the head of Dan Girardi, receiving a minor penalty. He was suspended two games and will be in Boston’s lineup. If anyone decides to do anything, Chris Kreider is the likely candidate. He’s back for his homecoming. So, you know he’ll want to have a big game. Tuukka Rask has been on fire for Boston since returning. He should be a good test for the league’s leading offense. Antti Raanta gets his third start.

The Islanders are home at Barclays Center to host the Oilers. Losers of two straight and called out by upset coach Jack Capuano, they need a bounce back performance in a big way. They’re 4-6-1 and have played bad hockey so far. With newcomers Andrew Ladd and Jason Chimera under performing, Capuano changed his lines moving grinder Cal Clutterbuck up to the top line with John Tavares and Josh Bailey. Ladd is with Ryan Strome and rookie Anthony Beauvillier, who officially plays his 10th game which means he’s here to stay. Brock Nelson anchors Anders Lee and Chimera. Casey Cizikas centers Nikolay Kulemin and Shane Prince. After a strong performance in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Flyers, Jaroslav Halak gets the start. It’ll be interesting to see if the Isles’ D can contain Connor McDavid, whose teammates love to play a fast paced tempo. How will that work on the ice in Brooklyn? Cam Talbot starts again for Edmonton, who really don’t have a backup.

The Devils play the Lightning for the second time in three games. Coming off a 4-3 overtime loss at Florida, it’s the second of a long seven-game road trip. They defeated the Lightning at home 3-1 on Oct. 29. Adam Henrique, Damon Severson and Devante Smith-Pelly tallied and Cory Schneider made 32 saves. Severson broke out with a goal and assist. He’s been hot of late tallying two assists in a one-goal loss to the Panthers, upping his season total to eight points (1-7-8). Former first round pick Pavel Zacha scored his first career NHL goal to help the Devils rally from a 3-1 deficit in the third period to earn a point at Florida. Interestingly, Severson is one of six defensemen leading their team in scoring. Schneider is in net opposing Ben Bishop. The top line features leading finisher Taylor Hall (5 goals), Travis Zajac and P.A. Parenteau, who’s been solid so far. Severson is paired with captain Andy Greene. We’ll see if they can keep Steven Stamkos in check along with Tyler Johnson, Nikita Kucherov and Alex Killorn.

The Sabres visit the Senators too. After a slow start without Jack Eichel, Buffalo has won three of four. Ryan O’Reilly leads them in scoring with eight points (4-4-8). Kyle Okposo has adjusted to life well with four goal and three assists while playing on the same line. Interestingly, former Isles’ line mate Matt Moulson also is on the top line. He’s been rejuvenated with four goals. Rasmus Ristolainen leads the Sabres in assists with seven. Brian Gionta and Johan Larsson have also been key contributors. They’re also without oft injured power wing Evander Kane, who will be out a while. Starter Robin Lehner just returned. He’s been solid in his last three starts winning two while allowing only four goals. He gets his fourth consecutive start. On the opposite end, Craig Anderson gets his second start since finding out that wife Nicholle has cancer. He recorded a shutout to outduel Talbot in an emotional game at Edmonton in which he was named the game’s number one star. Talbot stayed out to cheer him.

Everyone is thinking about Anderson and his wife at this challenging time. It should be an emotional night in Ottawa.

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Capuano right to call out Islanders

Posted on November 4, 2016 by Derek
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Islanders coach Jack Capuano is on the hot seat after calling out his team following a disappointing 3-2 shootout loss to the Flyers. AP Photo via Getty Images courtesy Yahoo Sports NHL.

It hasn’t been a good start to the season for the Islanders. They’ve lost four of their last five. That included a blowout 6-1 loss to the Lightning on Tuesday and a gut wrenching 3-2 shootout loss to the Flyers last night. A game which they led 2-0 before the Flyers scored twice in the last 7:05 to tie it. That included a game-tying power play goal from Matt Read with under a minute to play.

One of coach Jack Capuano’s most trusted forwards was in the penalty box. Casey Cizikas took a hi-sticking minor penalty and could only watch as the Isles’ penalty kill didn’t get the job done. After returning, he got into it with Brandon Manning with the two getting matching minors for roughing with four seconds left.

If not for some superb saves from embattled number one goalie Jaroslav Halak, the Islanders lose the game in overtime. He was under siege after Jason Chimera took a holding minor that handed the Flyers a four-on-three power play with two and a half minutes left. It was a firing gallery for the four dangerous Flyer shooters featuring Claude Giroux, Shayne Gostisbehere, Wayne Simmonds and Jakub Voracek. All four took turns firing tough shots on Halak who gave his team a chance with a couple of point blank stops on Simmonds and Voracek.

It went to a skill competition. In it, Giroux scored the only goal when he literally faked Halak out of his pants with a forehand triple deke to give the Flyers the win in the second round. Islanders’ captain John Tavares was tentative in the top of the third with an aggressive Michael Neuvirth snuffing out his move with a poke check to end it.

The latest defeat made the Islanders 4-6-1 through 11 games. They sit seventh in the Metropolitan Division with nine points. The Rangers, Penguins and Capitals have already built a nice cushion.The Isles trail the Rangers and Pens by seven and the Caps by six. The Flyers are up to 13 points. The Devils have 11 with a two-goal comeback in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Panthers giving them a point on Thursday. Even the Blue Jackets have played better hockey. They’re 4-3-1 with the same nine points in only eight games. They don’t score but also don’t give up much.

The same cannot be said for these Islanders who have already allowed 34 goals. With their “three-goalie system” complicating matters thanks to keeping Jean-Francois Berube on the roster, it has made for an uncomfortable situation in Brooklyn. While Berube has yet to play, neither Halak or backup Thomas Greiss have taken the bull by the horns. Each goalie has posted identical .908 save percentages and the same amount of wins (2). Even the goals-against-averages are similar with Halak at 2.94 while Greiss has a 2.87. That’s simply not good enough to win consistently in a league where offense is up.

It’s not all their fault. The Islander defense has been miserable. They’ve gotten unsteady play from Travis Hamonic, who’s a team worst minus-seven along with anchor Nick Leddy. Also a minus-seven with just four points (1-3-4). Calvin de Haan is a plus-six but even was victimized in an embarrassing five-goal loss at Barclays Center to a Tampa team that was humiliated by the Rangers. Fans chanted “Fire Capuano!” throughout in game number 10. The scary aspect is that had they not signed veteran Dennis Seidenberg who has played well with four goals and two helpers, the blue line would be in even worse shape.

To be honest, the chant was a bit unfair. He’s the same coach that finally got them past the first round last year before they were beaten by the Lightning. Ten games doesn’t make a season. However, when you’re ranked near the bottom in goals allowed per game (3.00) and are in the middle of the pack in offense with 2.73 goals-per-game, it’s alarming. Their special teams are also a mess with the power play tied for 23rd worst at 12.5 percent and the penalty kill has dropped to 17th at 81.4 percent.

The problem for the Isles is they’re going through an adjustment period. When management decided not to bother offering Kyle Okposo a contract and let Frans Nielsen go, they took a big risk. Some would say ‘awful risk.’ So far, losing two of their core players who were a big part of the team scoring and were instrumental on both the power play and penalty kill has hurt them big time.

Replacements Andrew Ladd and Jason Chimera aren’t performing. On paper, Ladd seemed like a good signing to replace Okposo. A respectable top six forward who’s won multiple Stanley Cups and is capable of scoring 20-25 goals and 50-plus points, Ladd hasn’t fit in yet. He hasn’t found any chemistry with Tavares leaving Capuano to throw darts with his lines. Josh Bailey is a nice player but shouldn’t be on the top line. Shane Prince is a depth forward. That he was tried with Tavares is mind boggling.

When asked by MSG’s Stan Fischler about the effort level, Capuano didn’t pull punches. He called out players but not by name and kind of threw general manager Garth Snow under the bus.

“That’s my concern. Where are we gonna get the point production from? We took 134 points out of our lineup that we lost. Now we gotta find a way. Everything gets magnified. I get it,” he pointedly told reporters after the loss.

The third player that was allowed to leave was Matt Martin. A popular Islander who completed the fourth line with Cizikas and Cal Clutterbuck, who ironically was selected to take the first shot in the shootout. That line made the Isles go. Replacement Nikolay Kulemin hasn’t been bad. But he’s only got three assists and no goals in nine contests. Kulemin is a different style player who can skate and obviously doesn’t pack the punch of Martin on the forecheck. It’s not the best fit. Both Cizikas and Clutterbuck each have a goal and four assists.

What really hurts is the lack of production from the new guys. Neither Ladd nor Chimera have lit the lamp, totaling four assists so far. That is inexplicable. Anyone with a pulse knew they couldn’t replace the versatile Nielsen, who doubled as a solid face-off guy behind Tavares while being an effective penalty killer and good all around player who Capuano trusted in every situation.

Okposo was Tavares’ running mate. They had instant chemistry and were a great duo. Last season, Tavares led the club in goals (33) and points (70) while Okposo paced them in assists (42) while his 64 points ranked second. Nielsen was third with 52. Four Islanders scored at least 20 goals or more including Brock Nelson, who wound up with 26. He’s been okay so far tied with Tavares for the team lead in points with nine. Bailey has contributed seven.

After that, there’s a dramatic drop off. The other Isles’ forwards are struggling with consistency. Former first round pick Ryan Strome got off to a decent start but remains at two goals with three assists. Since returning, Prince is 2-2-4 in six games. Solid production. But with Ladd unable to score and Chimera still without a goal, there’s not much going on.

Anders Lee has been a big disappointment with only one goal and no helpers in 11 games. He is coming back from an injury. Maybe it’ll take him some time. 2015 first round pick Anthony Beauvillier looks like a keeper. He’s slotted into the top six and has a goal and four assists in nine games. They held him out Thursday. If the organization is thinking about sending him back to juniors due to the nine game limit, it might be a mistake. Are they that cheap? He’s clearly been one of the bright spots. As for Mathew Barzal, he’s played two games and will be sent back to Seattle of the Western Hockey League.

The Islanders find themselves in an early hole. With home games against the surprising Oilers and the Canucks on the horizon, their character will be tested. Teams have gotten out of the gate slowly before and recovered. However, the players who are under performing must be better. The Isles are a team that needs consistent production from everyone. They need to outwork opponents. That’s what their fans expect. That work ethic has been missing which might explain the attendance last night. They drew over 11,000.

Is Capuano justified? Maybe it wasn’t the best thing to say. Referencing the players who are no longer around won’t help the situation. However, this is the roster he was given. So far, it’s failing. At some point, he can’t be nice forever. Jobs are on the line. Mainly his if it doesn’t get fixed. He’s lasted a lot longer than anyone ever thought. The longest tenured coach in the Metro Division is Capuano. Every other team has made changes. The Isles have remained loyal to him with Snow in his corner.

It’ll be interesting to see what happens over the weekend.

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Game 11 Nash wins it with 1:21 left in thrilling Rangers’ 5-3 win over Oilers

Posted on November 3, 2016 by Derek
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Kevin Hayes celebrates in the Rangers locker room with the Broadway Hat after a three-point night in a 5-3 win over the Oilers. AP Photo via Getty Images courtesy NYRangers.

Mark this one as one that was everything and more. Oilers/Rangers I lived up to its billing. The first of two games between two of the NHL’s most exciting teams with the rematch in Edmonton on Nov. 13 saw them combine for eight goals. However, it was the more experienced and deeper Blueshirts who prevailed thanks to a Rick Nash goal with 1:21 left for a thrilling 5-3 comeback win over the Oilers at MSG.

Three times, they trailed by a goal. In all three instances, the Rangers came back to tie a seesaw contest that its share of skating, transition, scoring chances, defense and goaltending on both sides. The first ever meeting between student Cam Talbot and teacher Henrik Lundqvist was fun. Even though they gave up a total of seven goals with Talbot allowing Nash’s rebound on doorstep at 18:39 of the third period, both had their moments.

Prior to allowing Nash’s go-ahead tally off a wonderfully constructed play set up by the relentless Mats Zuccarello, Talbot made two big stops thwarting Chris Kreider and J.T. Miller. He faced more pressure finishing with 26 saves on 30 shots. Lundqvist wound up with 21 saves to win for a second straight start. He had a dangerous Connor McDavid shot sail high and over the net with the game still tied.

Even though he got the primary assist on Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ first of the season on a power play, it wasn’t a memorable night for McDavid. His line with Jordan Eberle and Milan Lucic had a rough game going a combined minus-10 with McDavid minus-three at even strength.

The line that did most of the damage for the Rangers was the newly minted third scoring unit featuring Miller, Kevin Hayes and Michael Grabner. For a second consecutive game, the cohesive trio dominated five-on-five combining for seven points (3-4-7) with a plus-eight rating. The way they’re going, suddenly it’s pick your poison for opponents. Especially with Mika Zibanejad and Derek Stepan only having a combined two goals while anchoring the top two lines.

On a night where they didn’t get any production from the Zibanejad unit, the Hayes line connected three times including Miller’s bank shot empty netter that sealed it with 64 seconds remaining. Did he call it? The fourth line also was instrumental with Brandon Pirri’s unit responding to an Adam Larsson go-ahead tally with Jesper Fast redirecting a Pirri shot past Talbot to tie the game 3-3 with 10:29 left in regulation. A nice reward for a hard working player who atoned for a double minor for hi-sticking that led to Edmonton’s first goal.

Brady Skjei continues to excel picking up a pair of assists (4, 5) in 24 shifts (17:50). The rookie’s game is coming together. Right now with him assuming a role on the power play and playing well defensively, Keith Yandle isn’t missed. Especially given the contract he got from the Panthers, which the Rangers couldn’t afford.

Even Nick Holden was solid playing responsible in his end while contributing two helpers including his one-timer off a Stepan pass which forced Talbot into a tough save, allowing Nash to pounce for the game-winner. Holden also assisted on Miller’s empty netter with help from Hayes, who’s been much more noticeable defensively. A welcome change from Year Two.

It resulted in the third consecutive victory with each coming on home ice. In fact, the Blueshirts have won their last five at MSG. The only defeat came last Friday at Carolina by a count of 3-2. Their next game is a rematch at Boston on Saturday night. The first game since David Pastrnak’s illegal check to Dan Girardi which resulted in a two-game suspension. The good part is he’ll be in the Bruins lineup. However, it’s not like the Rangers have any toughness. So, the talking will probably come in their play.

Right now, it’s all working. They take their 8-3-0 record on the road this weekend before returning to Broadway for home tilts against Winnipeg and Vancouver. Then they hit the road for four.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-J.T. Miller, NYR (empty net goal-4th, assist, 4 shots, 7 attempts, 3 hits, +3 in 27 shifts-15:06 including 12:48 even strength, 2:18 SH)

2nd Star-Kevin Hayes, NYR (goal-4th, 2 assists, 2 shots, 5 attempts, +2 in 28 shifts-15:38 including 13:42 even strength, 1:36 SH, 20 seconds PP)

1st Star-Michael Grabner, NYR (goal-6th, assist, 4 shots, 5 attempts, 3 takeaways, +3 in 25 shifts-14:13 including 12:39 even strength, 1:34 SH)

Notes: Ryan McDonagh had his eight-game assist point streak end. He led all skaters with 24:12 of ice-time including 16:35 even strength, 4:32 PP, 3:05 SH. … Ice-times for other 5 NYR defensemen: Dan Girardi (19:47, 16:42 EV, 3:05 SH), Holden (17:25, 15:35 EV, 1:17 SH, 0:33 PP), Marc Staal (17:38, 14:11 EV, 3:27 SH, Skjei (17:50, 16:21 EV, 1:27 PP, 2 secs PP, Kevin Klein (17:24, 15:12 EV, 2:12 SH). … Face-offs were 35-32 Rangers led by Zibanejad (10-and-8). Mark Letestu went 9-and-7 for the Oilers. … Edmonton went 1-for-4 on the power play with Larsson’s tally coming after it expired. The Oilers penalty kill dominated the Rangers, who took the collar in three chances.

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Game #11 Preview: Talbot leads first place Oilers into MSG against hot Rangers

Posted on November 3, 2016 by Derek
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Cam Talbot returns to MSG where he’ll oppose Henrik Lundqvist for the first time. AP Photo via Getty Images courtesy Edmonton Oilers.

The Edmonton Oilers are a first place hockey team. Repeat. The Edmonton Oilers are a first place hockey team. At 7-2-1 through 10 games, they lead the Pacific Division with 15 points. Three better than the Sharks.

Connor McDavid and Cam Talbot are the biggest reasons why the Oilers are off to a great start. In his second year, the 19-year old captain is out quickly. His 12 points (5-7-12) in nine games made him the First Star of October. So far, the 2015 first overall pick is 21-39-60 in 55 career games. A dynamic scorer who might be the fastest player in the game, he has lightning quick hands and is everything advertised. If Edmonton can stick around, McDavid should challenge for the scoring title and Hart.

McDavid has great chemistry with Milan Lucic (4-3-7) and Leon Draisaitl (2-4-6) on the top line. They should be a handful for the Rangers to contain. Expect Ryan McDonagh to see a lot of McDavid. He’s back to an elite level dominating at both ends. McDonagh carries an eight-game point streak tallying nine assists over that time. He and partner Dan Girardi will certainly be mixed together with Alain Vigneault likely to give Nick Holden some time as well even though he shouldn’t be anywhere near the top pair. That match-up will be fascinating to watch.

Talbot finally gets to start versus his former club. Everyone knows how well he performed as Henrik Lundqvist’s back up. When Lundqvist went down in ’14-15, Talbot was heroic winning 21 games with a 2.21 goals-against-average, .926 save percentage and five shutouts in 36 games. Talbot became very popular with the Garden Faithful who chanted his name. He should get a warm welcome back.

“They gave me a chance to go somewhere and compete for a number-one job and progress my career a little bit,” Talbot said in a game preview that appeared on the Oilers website. “I loved my time in New York, but it was time to move on for both of us. Obviously, to come back, for me it’s just another game. I want this win as much as I want to win every night. I know a few more guys across the hall, but that’s about it.”

He enters playing extremely well. Talbot has started all 10 games for Edmonton leading the NHL with seven victories while posting a 2.14 goals-against-average and .932 save percentage. That includes two shutouts which tie him for second behind league leader Devan Dubnyk (3).

“We had a really good time together, a lot of good memories and we worked really hard together,” Lundqvist said of his former teammate. “I’m really happy for him. He’s established himself in a role in Edmonton now and he’s off to a good start.”

It didn’t come easy for Talbot in his first year with the Oilers. Initially, he struggled mightily losing the starting job to Anders Nilsson. Nilsson made both starts against the Rangers forcing Talbot to wait before facing them. He did regain the number one job in the second half finishing with 21 wins in 56 games with a 2.55 GAA, .917 save percentage and three shutouts.

That was a team in transition. Under veteran coach Todd McLellan, they went through some tough times. The defense struggled mightily leaving Talbot out to dry most nights. Something Lundqvist dealt with on a nightly basis last year. Edmonton sought to improve the back end by dealing former first overall pick Taylor Hall to the Devils for Adam Larsson. A trade that was laughed at by most observers.

While Hall is off to a nice start in New Jersey with five goals, Larsson has helped stabilize the Edmonton blue line. In 10 contests with his new team, he has two assists with a plus-four rating while averaging 20:20 of ice-time a night. One of four Oilers’ defensemen to get over 20 minutes. Oh btw. McDavid averages 21:29. Second behind veteran Andrej Sekera (21:35). Oscar Klefbom and veteran shot blocking specialist Kris Russell also receive over 20:00.

Second-year player Darnell Nurse could be their best. A good skating physical defenseman who should be a shutdown player for years, the 21-year old has the size (6-4, 213) and strength to anchor the D with Larsson. He’s off to a good start also contributing offensively with two goals and two assists which lead all Edmonton blue liners.

The Oilers block their share of shots against. As expected, Russell leads them with 29. Klefbom has 21 followed by Sekera (19) and Larsson (16). Larsson leads the back end with 28 hits but also is turnover prone with 12 giveaways. Nurse has 25 hits and Eric Gryba has 23 in seven games.

Other key Oiler forwards include Jordan Eberle. Always a pest in front of the net, the speedy and gritty skilled forward is dangerous on breakaways and battles hard. He has three goals and three assists with his six points tying Draisaitl for third in team scoring. Second center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins enters play without a goal but does have five helpers. Another former Oilers first overall pick who’s crafty with good speed and playmaking abilities.

Benoit Pouliot returns to MSG. He’ll always be an integral part of the ’13-14 Rangers who reached the Stanley Cup Final. Playing on a cohesive third line with Mats Zuccarello and former Blueshirt Derick Brassard, they were instrumental in the team’s second round comeback from 3-1 down against the Penguins. Pouliot enters with three goals and a helper in a secondary role. He still takes bad penalties but is a solid offensive player.

The Oilers have gotten good contributions from Mark Letestu (2-3-5), Tyler Pitlick (3 goals) and comeback story Zack Kassian (2-2-4, 14 PIM). A former ’09 first round pick of the Sabres who has overcome alcohol and substance abuse. His struggles with the Canucks are well documented. Eventually, they released him. Edmonton gave him one more chance. So far, it’s worked out for the 25-year old from Windsor, Ontario. He’s a physical player with a mean streak that also has some deft touch.

The best part of tonight’s match is it pits Talbot against Lundqvist. Something I was hoping to see last year. Now, it finally will happen. Lundqvist gets his ninth start. Fresh off a 35-save shutout (60th career), he’ll look to follow it up against a dangerously skilled team featuring arguably the game’s best scorer. McDavid is that good already.

It promises to be exciting. It’s up to the defense to do the job. They’ve been disciplined so far. They haven’t taken many unnecessary penalties. Tied with four other teams for the second least amount of times shorthanded (27), they have also been a solid penalty killing unit allowing five power play goals. While that puts them in the middle of the pack at 81.5 percent, it’s a marked improvement from last year’s awful unit which ranks near the bottom.

That can be attributed to the additions of Michael Grabner and leading scorer J.T. Miller, who’s becoming their best overall forward. Kevin Hayes has also been a pleasant surprise when used. Along with mainstays Derek Stepan, Rick Nash, Jesper Fast, Vigneault can confidently send out three different forward combinations who will pressure the puck with speed and create shorthanded opportunities.

With the forwards more active, it’s taken some pressure off the D allowing them to do their jobs more easily in front of the net. Marc Staal has been better along with Girardi while McDonagh has shined. Holden has been solid in this area too. Kevin Klein normally excels on the PK too. He needs to be more consistent five-on-five.

Brady Skjei has continued to improve. Now being given a chance on the point of one power play unit, he’s looked okay so far registering an assist on a power play goal in the Rangers’ 5-0 shutout of the Blues. The power play converted twice in six chances. Thus far, they’re 9-for-38 going 23.7 percent which ties them for ninth overall. They’ve done most of the damage at home scoring seven of the nine in 31 chances (22.6 percent). Of course, part of that is due to playing more home games early. This will be their eighth of 11.

With four balanced lines that have contributed to the league’s top offense, the Blueshirts have to feel good about how they’re playing. There’s a reason they’re 7-3-0 with 14 points which is a point behind division leader Pittsburgh. It’s not luck either. They’re improved depth and speed has led to even more transition which explains why they blew out quality opponents in the last two wins outscoring the Lightning and Blues 11-1. Ken Hitchcock paid some high compliments, noting how well they’re playing.

Jimmy Vesey looks to keep it going. Tied for the rookie lead with six goals and third in scoring with nine points trailing only Leafs’ pair William Nylander and 2016 first overall selection Auston Matthews, he’s found great chemistry with Stepan and Rick Nash. With Nash up to five goals and eight points, it’s clicking. Stepan has six assists but is still without a goal. He needs to get off the snide.

Balanced lines which feature Chris Kreider and Zuccarello with Mika Zibanejad and Miller with Hayes and Grabner have the Rangers looking tough. Kreider came back with two assists in his return after missing four games with neck spasms. That included a brilliant feed across for an easy Zuccarello tap in. The fourth line is one in name only with Brandon Pirri, Pavel Buchnevich and Jesper Fast capable of contributing. With Vigneault wisely still using Pirri and Buchnevich on power play units, he’s managing his personnel better.

There’s a lot to like about this team. We’ll see if they can keep it going tonight.

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