Vigneault changes lines for four game road trip

Posted on November 12, 2016 by Derek
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The Rangers take to the ice for the morning skate at Calgary. AP Photo via Getty Images courtesy NYRangers.

After a three day break, the Rangers are back in action tonight when they visit Calgary. It’s the first of a four game road trip which includes a back-to-back at Edmonton on Sunday. They’ll play the first three over four nights with a return match at Vancouver Tuesday. Then get a break before concluding the swing at Columbus next Friday.

Coach Alain Vigneault has decided to change the lines. Having seen his team’s play slip, he has made a few tweaks. Even when they swept four points last weekend, it wasn’t their best effort. So, the 5-3 loss to the Canucks on Tuesday was coming. It didn’t matter how badly Vancouver had struggled. They were hungrier despite it being a back-to-back. The end result was predictable.

As for hot topics, one is the difference in opinion between Vigneault and pupil Chris Kreider. Kreider was displeased about being benched twice in third periods of recent games. That included missing some shifts in the third against the Canucks before being moved to a different line. One he’s familiar with. Vigneault reunited Kreider with Rick Nash and Derek Stepan. A combo that will stay intact for now.

“I think a couple of games I’ve been fine and a couple of games I haven’t been, and that’s just not good enough,” Kreider told New York Post columnist Larry Brooks.

“But I think that when you’re working hard and doing the correct things in the defensive zone, but maybe the flow isn’t quite there offensively, it would be nice to be able to get the opportunity to work through that.”

He has a point. Since returning from neck spasms, Kreider has struggled to find the back of the net. He hasn’t been as consistent. Since lighting the lamp in each of the team’s first three games, Kreider is without a goal in his last seven. In his first game back, he tallied two assists in a 5-0 blowout win over St. Louis. But only has one point (assist) since in three of the last four.

In the past, Vigneault and Kreider haven’t always seen eye to eye. So, this isn’t surprising. However, in this instance Kreider is right. He needs to play his way out of it. The work habits are still there. Maybe sticking him with Nash, who’s playing some of his best hockey, will get snap him out of it.

One further point with the coach. He will make examples of younger players while remaining loyal to vets. There isn’t much of an age difference between Kreider and Stepan. But Stepan rarely misses any shifts. His 1-9-10 line isn’t bad. But his defensive play has slipped with a few blown coverages including on a goal against versus the Canucks. More is expected from the number one pivot who earns $6.5 million. His shorthanded play remains terrific. But his face-offs again have leveled off. He’s 109-and-136. He can do better than one goal in the first 14. He’s a notorious slow starter. So, there’s that.

Vigneault also sat rookie Jimmy Vesey for most of the third last time out. He only saw one shift. The 23-year old Harvard product has been as advertised scoring six goals with four assists. He has a nose for the net and good instincts. But he is still a first-year player. So, he’ll find himself on the third line with Kevin Hayes and J.T. Miller. With both Hayes and Miller tied for the club lead with 13 points, it should be a good fit.

After a good start, Mika Zibanejad hasn’t been as effective. Though he did get his third goal in garbage time on Tuesday, his line will have a different look. Red hot rookie Pavel Buchnevich returns along with constant Mats Zuccarello. Buchnevich has scored in three straight and is coming off a career high three point game (1-2-3). The 21-year old Russian is getting it. His confidence grows with each shift. He and Zibanejad had chemistry at the beginning of the season. So, he gets moved up from the fourth line.

“That same chemistry [between Kreider and Zibanejad] that was there at the start of the year hasn’t been there lately,” Vigneault admitted. “I don’t think it’s all on Chris; Mika has not been at the top of his game. They’re both working extremely hard, watching a lot of video, in trying to get to the level we need. I’m not sure I’m going to split them up, but it’s definitely in the back of my mind.”

One positive with the changes is that Vigneault can’t go wrong. There are so many skilled players that they are interchangeable. The fourth line will be Brandon Pirri with Michael Grabner and Jesper Fast. A cohesive checking unit that started together at the beginning.

The only question is what to do with Oscar Lindberg. He’s gotten into four games and had no points basically only being used at even strength. Will Vigneault eventually insert him to get him some time? That remains to be seen.

Vigneault also has moved emerging rookie defenseman Brady Skjei up to the second pair with Marc Staal. Skjei will shift to the right side. A place he played in Hartford last year. Vigneault is hoping the fast skating former 2012 first round pick can adjust well and form a solid shutdown tandem with Staal. He provides better skating than either Nick Holden or Kevin Klein. Skjei is tied with anchor Ryan McDonagh in points by a Ranger defenseman with nine. All assists for each.

Since being moved to the second unit on the power play, Skjei has been good helping set up two power play goals while making several good keeps that allowed them to keep possession. The more responsibility he takes on, the better he plays.

Henrik Lundqvist gets the start. He’ll try to be better than the two goals on six shots he allowed in an emergency relief outing due to Antti Raanta being forced out of the last game. Raanta took a shot to the head. The new NHL safety rule requires a player who takes head contact to get checked out in the locker room. Fortunately, he was okay.

The Rangers enter play leading the Metropolitan Division with a 10-4-0 record. Their 20 points are tied with the Penguins. But they are in first due to one more ROW (regulation/overtime win). The Capitals are right behind with 19 points and the Devils have 17 entering the second of a home-and-home series with the Sabres. They won their third straight Friday night on captain Andy Greene’s penalty shot goal in overtime. Worth a second look. See Hasan’s post.

The Flames are losers of three straight. Their 5-9-1 record is second to last in the Pacific Division. The Coyotes are a point behind having played two less games. For Calgary, what it comes down to is their offense hasn’t performed up to par and the defense and goaltending have been dreadful. Their goal differential is a minus-15.

They’re hoping a two-goal performance from Johnny Gaudreau in a 4-2 loss to Dallas will get them on the right track. Johnny Hockey had struggled mightily with just two goals in his first 14 contests. So, the two goals he had couldn’t come at a better time. He’s still tied with Michael Frolik for the team lead in points with 10. Frolik leads in goals (5).

Gaudreau is on the top line with sidekick Sean Monahan (4-2-6). The issue is they’re each a minus-10. Not what you’d expect from two of hockey’s bright young stars who played for Team North America in the World Cup. Alex Chiasson joins them.

Frolik has performed much better in Year 2 after signing a big contract in the summer of 2015. He’s been the team’s most consistent player with 5-5-10 including a team high two shorthanded goals. While he never quite reached the potential some predicted after going 10th overall to the Panthers in the 2006 Draft, he’s always been a solid contributor who can be counted on in a secondary scoring role while being responsible defensively.

Frolik plays on the second scoring unit with Mikael Backlund (1-6-7) and Michael Ferland. Ferland plays physical but his role is different. He has only five penalty minutes while going 2-4-6.

Keep an eye on Sam Bennett. A second-year pivot who anchors the third line. The talent is there for the former 2014 fourth overall pick. It’s just about consistency. A dangerous skater with good skill, he must be watched. So far, he has three goals and four assists. Troy Brouwer rides shotgun. The proven power wing who is always a pest in front of the net due to his size. He’s been fine with four goals and three helpers. Hunter Shinkaruk gets a chance on the third line due to top pick Matthew Tkachuk missing a second consecutive game with a hand injury. He’s day-to-day.

Mark Giordano anchors the blue line. The Calgary captain is off to a slow start with one goal and four assists with a minus-three rating. Partner T.J. Brodie has had a nightmare beginning going minus-11 with just two assists. He’s a huge minutes logger who the Flames are counting on along with Giordano, who can be lethal on the power play due to his heavy shot.

Dougie Hamilton leads Flames’ defensemen with six points (2-4-6). But has under performed since they acquired him from the Bruins prior to last year. Only 23, more is expected of the right skating offensive D. Hamilton pairs with vet Dennis Wideman, who’s 2-2-4 in eight contests. Like Giordano, he can bring it. A word of advice for the Blueshirts. Don’t put the Flames on the power play. Throw out that they come in ranked dead last going a pathetic 4-for-50 (8.0 percent) with one shorthanded goal allowed. There’s enough skill for that to turn around.

Astonishingly, Deryk Engelland has been their best D going 1-3-4 with a plus-nine and 14 penalty minutes.Brett Kulak (3 assists) pairs up with him.

The Flames need better from Brian Elliott. The ex-Blue has found life in Calgary difficult. He’s only won three of his first 10 starts with a 3.30 goals-against-average and .885 save percentage. In case you’re wondering, that’s 33 goals allowed on 286 shots.That is a far cry from how good he was with a more defensive oriented St. Louis team. He will oppose Lundqvist. Chad Johnson is the backup.

Without consistent goaltending or improved D, it could be a long year for the Flames. What the Rangers want to do is create doubt by getting to Elliott early. If they can build an early lead, that would be favorable.

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Video of the day: Greene’s OT penalty shot winner

Posted on November 11, 2016 by hasan4978

Tonight’s Devils game ended in such a remarkable way I’m adding a special non-weekly post to put up the video of the day.  Setting the table for this remarkable ending, the Devils and Sabres went to overtime tonight in Buffalo.  Despite outshooting the Sabres 43-26 and having six power plays – including a 5-on-3 and a four-minute double minor on Evander Kane, the Devils came up empty against backup Anders Nilsson sans Yohann Auvitu’s first NHL goal in the third period that tied the game at one.

Just twenty-nine seconds into overtime, Devils captain Andy Greene got a breakaway but was obstructed by Kane – the ref instantly signaled penalty shot.  An overtime penalty shot is rare enough, but rarer still was what happened next with Greene making a nice deke and shooting it through Nilsson’s legs to win the game in dramatic fashion.  What odds could you have gotten on a penalty shot winner in OT, with Greene of all people winning it?  Not that Greene’s totally clueless offensively…but he’s not exactly a big goalscorer either.  At least he was when it mattered tonight.

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Princeton Hockey: A Forgotten New Jersey Tradition

Posted on November 10, 2016 by Pan Karalis

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Baker Rink; Princeton, NJ

 

New Jersey is an incredibly crowded sports market. With Philadelphia to our left, New York to our right, and the Devils and the haunting apparition of the Nets within state lines, major professional sports teams in the area sometimes struggle for exposure in such a crowded space. Developmental and minor league teams in the state often find it difficult to get any attention outside of their home counties. Besides the occasional nationally ranked Rutgers football teams or the competitive groups Monmouth and Seton Hall basketball manage to occasionally assemble (such as this past college basketball season), teams outside of the big four likely find the Garden State’s clutter too big of a foe in the battle for relevancy. This millennium has been particularly difficult for a lot of those organizations, as we have seen the demise of teams like the Newark Bears, Atlantic City Surf, Trenton Titans, Camden Riversharks, and Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies (excuse me if I missed any), none of which have yet been replaced. Stadiums and ballparks across the state remain underused or entirely vacant. One glaring example of a team that does not have much traction in the local sports market is the Princeton University ice hockey program, a Garden State tradition of 116 years that is almost entirely neglected by sports fans and media in New Jersey.

 

Princeton University has sponsored an ice hockey team since the 1900-01 season, a quarter century before the New York Rangers and New York Americans joined the NHL, and 82 years before Jersey City native Dr. John McMullen brought major professional hockey to New Jersey. Their early years were spent playing some fellow Ivy League schools like Penn, Columbia, Yale, Brown, and Cornell, against colleges and universities in Canada, and against local independent hockey clubs in New Jersey, New York, and Philadelphia. For much of their early history, Princeton played many of their home games at the St. Nicholas Ice Rink across the river in New York City. The team didn’t shift permanently to their campus in Mercer County until their on-campus rink was built in 1921. Baker Rink, named for Princeton sports and American hockey legend Hobey Baker, Class of 1914, still houses Princeton hockey.

 

Hobart Amory Hare Baker, better known by his nickname, Hobey, is not only one of the most revered figures to emerge from Princeton athletics, he is also considered to be the first American superstar in the game of hockey. Baker was born to an elite family in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, a wealthy area that straddles Philadelphia and Lower Merion Township. A direct descendent of an original Quaker settler of Philadelphia, Baker went to Princeton in 1910 as a third generation Tiger. Hobey learned hockey at a prestigious New Hampshire preparatory school called St. Paul’s School, where by some accounts the first hockey game in the United States was played in 1883. He excelled at every sport he participated in, and immediately starred with the hockey and football teams as a freshman at Princeton. He only dropped baseball due to Princeton’s policy of allowing students to participate in no more than two varsity sports. He captained both teams and set many school records, at least one of which with the football program still stands. Baker graduated in 1914 and went to New York to take a job on a Princeton connection. He continued to play hockey and drew large crowds at the same rink in Manhattan he played in for Princeton, but he never played professionally. Although Baker was offered a contract by the Canadiens, men of his social status were not supposed to play sports professionally during this time.

 

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Portrait of Hobey Baker during his military service

 

Instead of accepting a contract from the Canadiens, Hobey chased the adrenaline-rush he sought to France and joined the World War I effort when America entered the conflict in 1917. As an already accomplished aviator, Baker became a fighter pilot and eagerly sought to participate in combat on the front. He quickly rose to the rank of captain and spent time in England and Paris training other pilots. He did eventually see action, accumulating three confirmed kills and earning the Croix de guerre, a French military decoration. He said military combat was the greatest thrill he experienced in his life. In October of 1918, a month before the armistice of November 11th, Baker was given command of a new unit, the 141st Aero Squadron. Baker chose to use a tiger for the squadron’s insignia and orange and black for its colors. Residents of Central Jersey can still see Baker’s squadron today, as the 141st still exists in the New Jersey Air National Guard as a refueling unit stationed at McGuire Airforce Base.  Their colors are still orange and black, and a tiger still occupies their insignia. The KC-135s are easily recognizable aircraft, and are the only large planes that regularly fly in some local airspace. If you live anywhere around either Navair in Lakehurst, Dix, or McGuire, take a look up next time you hear the sound of a jet engine; it could be one of Hobey’s planes.

 

Although Hobey Baker made it through the war, he never made it back to the United States. A month after the armistice, Baker received his orders to return home, and decided to take an aircraft for one more flight. Shortly after takeoff, his plane experienced engine failure and crashed just outside of the airfield in Toul, France; Hobey Baker died at age 26.

 

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Plaque commemorating a few of Hobey Baker’s accomplishments

 

Hobey Baker was the quintessential all-American; star athlete, war hero, a gentleman on and off the ice and field, academically accomplished. He was a beloved athlete and socialite. He was the first American to be elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame, of which he is a member of the inaugural class of 1945. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, the United States Hockey Hall of Fame, and the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame, and lends his name to the Hobey Baker Award, the trophy given to the top player in NCAA Division I ice hockey. In a short 26 years, Hobey Baker left an incredible legacy still felt almost a century after his premature death. His jersey hangs in the Princeton ice rink that bears his name, and his portraits litter the walls of many Princeton facilities, including the Ivy Club, an eating club at Princeton which is considered the university’s most prestigious social institution, of which Hobey was a member. The rallying cry of “Make Hobey Proud” can still be seen on banners at the rink today.

 

 

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A view of the action at Baker Rink

 

Since Hobey Baker graduated, however, Princeton hockey has lacked the prestige and success he helped cultivate in the program’s early years; since the 1930’s, Princeton hockey has been remarkably bad. Princeton regularly goes years upon years of not even breaking the double-digit win mark. Their failures have been so great and consistent, I think it is an achievement in itself that they still compete in a major division one conference and against the best schools in the NCAA. If it sounds like I’m exaggerating, let me put it in some perspective;

 

Between the 1956-57 and 1978-79 seasons, the Tigers managed to break double-digit wins two times, hitting a low of 1-22-0 in 1970-71. The 1967-68 season, when Princeton had a 13-10-1 record, would be the last time the school would hit the .500 mark until 1994-95, almost 30 years later. Princeton has never won a regular season ECAC title, a 55-year-old conference of which they are a founding member. They have managed two conference tournament championships, winning their first in 1998, and second in 2008. That 1998 conference tournament victory gave the Tigers their first Men’s Ice Hockey Championship tournament appearance, 50 years after the inaugural tournament took place in 1948.

 

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My best attempt at film photography

 

In more recent decades, the Tigers have managed to stagger their futility a little more. They were able to put a somewhat competitive team on the ice for eight consecutive seasons starting in 2005-06, before falling to a 6-26-0 record in 2013-14. They haven’t yet recovered, having won a total of nine games in the previous two seasons. The school has won a game early in its 2016-17 campaign, but it was an exhibition against the United States Under-18 national team. They have allowed at least four goals in all of their three losses to NCAA opponents this season.

 

Although there may not be a Hobey Baker on this roster, New Jersey is well represented on this current Tigers team. There are four Garden State natives skating for Princeton this season, including stand-out goaltender Colton Phinney. In the 2015-16 season, Phinney managed a .924 save percentage and a sub-3.00 goals against average on a Princeton team that finished 5-23-3, making an average of just over 35 saves per game. Phinney may have the best chance to be the next Princeton alumnus to join the NHL ranks, a small fraternity of about 10 players highlighted by goaltender Mike Condon, and retired enforcer and New Jersey native George Parros.

 

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Another view from ice level

 

Back in February, after discovering that Princeton’s hockey program played in a hundred-year-old rink right in our back yard, I decided to buy a couple of tickets, and a friend and I made the trip to the campus. Princeton was taking on Yale in their last home series of the year, and the ranked Bulldogs made no mistake of illustrating the massive gap of quality between the two programs. Before the first period came to a close, Yale had taken a 4-0 lead. They would eventually cruise to a 6-0 victory. Chances were few and far between for Princeton, who were outperformed in every aspect of the game. Despite being disappointed at not being able to see at least a goal from the home side, the experience was incredible. The intimate but electric atmosphere was far from what I expected, with plenty of animosity in the packed stands with a large Yale contingent on hand. Apparently the two schools don’t care much for each other. Every bleacher-style seat is on top of the ice with a small capacity of just north of 2,000, and every tiny detail of the game is on full display for all in attendance. The highlight of the trip was absolutely Baker Rink. The beautiful facility features a stone facade and interior, with wood fixtures and a wooden ceiling with steel supports. One corner of the rink carries a small Hobey Baker museum, with various equipment of his and a few plaques and photographs commemorating his playing days and military career.

 

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Baker Rink during play

 

Baker Rink is absolutely a must visit for any New Jersey sports fan. I don’t know how this isn’t one of our state’s athletic highlights; with Princeton being the only Ivy League to demolish their traditional football stadium, and the original Rutgers Stadium having been abandoned over 20 years ago, Baker Rink is the oldest facility used by a major sports program in New Jersey. Tickets are cheap ($10), Princeton is easily accessible from anywhere in the state and Philadelphia and New York, and the university setting offers plenty to do before and after the game. With a beautiful and historic campus to explore and plenty of nightlife options on Nassau Street, there’s as much to do around a Princeton game as there is in Newark or Philly on game-day. Princeton takes on #10 Harvard in their home opener this Friday, November 11th. The following night they host Dartmouth at Baker Rink. If you have an open night this weekend, make the trip. Maybe the Tigers will surprise us and grab a victory.

 

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An opposite perspective of the rink

 

When you think of college hockey, you generally think of the Bean Pot tournament in Boston, UNH taking on Maine in Orono, undrafted free agents out of Providence, packed stands in North Dakota and Minnesota. You think of Martin St. Louis at University of Vermont, Jack Eichel at BU, the Clarksons and Unions and St. Lawrences in Upstate New York. You think of the 1980 Miracle on Ice team.  You don’t think of New Jersey. Talk to a casual sports fan in the state, and I doubt you’ll hear the conversation turn to the ECAC and Princeton’s slim chances of taking the conference this season. Princeton hockey is a marginal competitor in this area’s sports market and mostly serves the exclusive Ivy League community it represents, but I think it is important for every New Jersey sports fan to take a game in and experience one of our state’s oldest sports institutions. Make the trip to Princeton to watch these Tigers who have been quietly competing at the top level of college hockey since the puck first dropped between American universities. And the next time someone tells you that New Jersey is a non-traditional hockey market, just remind them that we’ve been making Hobey proud for over a century.

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Game 14: Canucks expose Rangers 5-3 in forgettable game

Posted on November 9, 2016 by Derek
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Canucks’ forward Sven Baertschi celebrates a goal in the third period as Vancouver halted an eight-game winless streak and outplayed the Rangers to win 5-3 at MSG. AP Photo via Getty Images courtesy Vancouver Canucks.

It had to happen eventually. That it came against a struggling opponent who had all sorts of issues winning didn’t matter. All streaks come to an end. Tonight, two did. The Rangers’ run of scoring five or more during a five-game win streak was halted. The Canucks’ eight-game skid also ended with an emphatic 5-3 win over the Rangers at MSG.

Let’s be fair here. The Canucks earned it. They outworked and outhustled the Rangers. They also outdefended them and slowed down the pace to a crawl that made you want to take a nap. On Election Night no less, the Rangers got a lesson from a desperate team that needed a win in the worst way.

Having played the night before and losing to the Islanders, the Canucks wisely slowed down the pace to a crawl. They played a more conservative defensive style that took away most of the Rangers’ speed and transition. That resulted in a scoreless first period where the teams combined for 13 shots. There was no flow and little excitement. To be honest, I flipped to Sharks/Caps to catch some of Staten Island native Kevin Labanc’s NHL debut. I also caught a bit of Oilers/Pens in the first ever McDavid versus Crosby match-up.

Between the lack of excitement or sharpness in the Rangers’ game and the historic Presidential Election that got Donald Trump elected, I was all over the place.

It wasn’t all negative for the home team. Promising rookie Pavel Buchnevich continued to show improvement scoring for a third consecutive game. The 21-year old Russian is blossoming in front of our eyes. It doesn’t matter who Alain Vigneault puts him with. He plays balls out and shows off dynamic puck skills which make him impossible not to love. If only more of his teammates gave that kind of effort Tuesday.

One player who did was Rick Nash. The oft critiqued star forward had another good game. On a night where many teammates were passengers, Nash recorded his 400th career goal and played well throughout. The milestone came on a power play in the third period. With the team trailing Vancouver 2-1 on goals from Loui Eriksson, who got his first as a Canuck, and Henrik Sedin, who beat Antti Raanta on a breakaway out of the penalty box, Markus Granlund bumped into Raanta going off for goalie interference. Eventually, Raanta would leave the contest due to new NHL policy to examine him. He took head contact.

On their fifth and final man-advantage, the Rangers finally capitalized thanks to some textbook passing. Buchnevich, who already tallied his third in succession in the second on a nice redirect from Jesper Fast, passed across for Nash who buried his seventh at 5:27 of the third for number 400. He is now tied with Michael Grabner for the team lead in goals. Kevin Hayes started the play to pick up a helper, continuing his consistent offensive play.

But in a game where they didn’t play particularly well, they allowed nuisance Alex Burrows to score the go-ahead tally on reliever Henrik Lundqvist a few minutes later. Forced into action without any warm up due to Raanta’s injury, he was flat on his back as the Canucks outworked the Rangers to a loose puck. Rookie defenseman Brady Skjei was down on the ice and Kevin Klein was busy pushing out a Canuck behind the net. That allowed Burrows to retrieve a Bo Horvat pass and score into an open net for his first point of the season. It had to be him.

As if that weren’t bad enough, Sven Baertschi padded Vancouver’s lead to 4-2 when he finished a Jack Skille feed on a well executed rush with 6:52 remaining. You could’ve turned it off there. I knew they weren’t coming back. As optimistic as my Dad was, I felt it wasn’t their night. They weren’t themselves with some of the bad habits from a four-point imperfect weekend creeping in. When you still are winning despite not being at your best, eventually it comes back to bite you.

The Rangers went only 1-for-5 on the power play and didn’t take advantage of some undisciplined Vancouver play early.They also only had 13 total shots thru 40 minutes against Jacob Markstrom. Chris Kreider was a non-factor and saw his ice-time cut in the third. Jimmy Vesey only received one shift with it coming very late. A displeased Vigneault opted to shorten the bench and tweak his lines. He stuck Kreider with Nash and Derek Stepan, who had a dreadful showing going minus-two and losing 13-of-16 draws. His defensive game has been spotty so far.

For once, Mats Zuccarello was ineffective. He was held without a shot and was on for three goals against. Even normally reliable top defenseman Ryan McDonagh struggled getting caught out of position for a Canucks’ goal and finishing minus-three. Hayes went minus-two and had his four-game goal streak snapped. Even J.T. Miller didn’t have a strong game recording only one shot with a minus-one while being moved down to center the fourth line.

It happens. Vigneault decided to lift Lundqvist early. That didn’t work either. It backfired with the loathsome Burrows getting his second into a vacated net for a 5-2 Vancouver lead with 3:06 remaining.

Even though Mika Zibanejad got one back at 19:01 from Buchnevich, who recorded his first career three-point game, it was just window dressing. Zibanejad’s game has leveled off. Sure. He still has 10 points (3-7-10) but most of the production came early. He needs to be better. Ditto for Stepan, who has one goal in 14 games. Not enough from your number one center who’s gotten caught napping on a few goals against. Hayes has been the top performer at center with six goals while tied with Miller for the team lead in points (13). Brandon Pirri has been solid centering the fourth line going 4-5-9 and a plus-seven thus far.

What it comes down to is you’re never as good as you are when you’re winning and you’re never as bad as you are when you’re losing. The Rangers still have plenty to work on as they prepare for a four-game road trip that includes stops in Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Columbus. They finally get some time off which can be beneficial. They don’t play again until Saturday night at Calgary. Then have a back-to-back at Edmonton for a busy weekend. They conclude the Western Canadian swing at Vancouver the following Tuesday for three games in four nights. Then get two days off before visiting the Blue Jackets next Friday.

We’ll see how they do away from MSG where the Canucks ended the Rangers’ six-game home winning streak. The schedule has been favorable so far with the Blueshirts playing 10 of their first 14 at home. They did a great job going 8-2-0. They’re 2-2-0 on the road. With the Pens coming back to beat the Oilers late in regulation, they’re tied for first in the Metro Division with a 10-4-0 record and 20 points. The Pens have played one less game. The Caps are three back having played two fewer after getting shutout by San Jose 3-0.

Also with a shootout win, the Devils are up to 6-3-3 with 15 points. So, the division is competitive. It should be all year.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Henrik Sedin, Canucks (goal-5th of season, assist, +2 in 23 shifts-17:41)

2nd Star-Pavel Buchnevich, NYR (goal-3rd of season, 2 assists, even in 18 shifts-16:03)

1st Star-Alex Burrows, Canucks (2 goals incl. GWG and ENG, 5 shots, +1 in 24 shifts-15:51)

Notes: The Canucks crushed the Rangers on face-offs dominating 39-21 highlighted by Brandon Sutter, who went 14-and-7 followed by Henrik Sedin (13-and-8). The Rangers’ most effective was Pirri, who was 3-for-5 with Miller going 3-and-4. … Key Stat: Giveaways Canucks 9 Rangers 23 (Buchnevich 4). … Rangers out-attempted Canucks 52-41. But that was it. As a team, they were minus-16 compared to the Canucks’ plus-15. … Baertschi had a goal and assist and Horvat tallied two assists. … Skjei did record an assist becoming the first Ranger rookie defenseman to have an assist streak of six since Brian Leetch. … Markstrom finished with 23 saves. … Raanta made 20 stops before Lundqvist came in and allowed two goals on six shots.

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Staten Island’s Kevin Labanc to make NHL debut for Sharks

Posted on November 8, 2016 by Derek
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Staten Island native Kevin Labanc fulfills a lifelong dream when he makes his NHL debut for the Sharks in the nation’s capital on Election Night. Here’s his story. AP Photo via Getty Images by the Hockey Writers.

It’ll be a special night for Kevin Labanc. On Election Day, the 20-year old Staten Island native will make his NHL debut in the nation’s capital when the Sharks visit Washington at 7 PM.

A 2014 sixth round selection who went number 171 overall, the 5-11, 179 pound forward developed well in the Ontario Hockey League where he ripped it up for the Barrie Colts in junior hockey. Over the past two seasons, Labanc totaled 70 goals and 164 assists for 234 points. His 127 points (39-88-127) led the OHL in ’15-16. He added six goals and 20 assists for 26 points in 15 playoff games last Spring for the Colts.

A player who originally began his career in Staten Island before playing for the New Jersey Rockets in the Metropolitan League as a teenager. Eventually, he played for the U.S. National Development Team in Ann Arbor. Originally committed to Notre Dame for collegiate hockey, Labanc changed his mind deciding to play for coach Dale Hawerchuk in the OHL for the Barrie Colts. Regarding the decision, here’s what he told me in an interview on Hockey Prospects:

“It was a tough decision for me and my family to decide whether to go NCAA or take the OHL route. At the end of it all it came down to where I had the best chance of becoming a pro and me and my family thought that playing for Dale [Hawerchuk] a person who played in the NHL knows what it takes to get there and he can help me succeed my goal as a player. Also the OHL is like a mini NHL because of how hard and tough the schedule is we play lots of games and it provide us with a little taste of what the next level is going to be like so you will be that much more ready when you move on.”

Ultimately, he made the right choice. Labanc learned under one of the NHL’s best players and developed into a very good scorer who the Sharks signed along with Barrie teammate Dylan Sadowy. Unfortunately, Sadowy was traded last May to the Red Wings for a 2017 third round pick. So, they won’t get the chance to play together. He has no points in five games for Grand Rapids.

With San Jose actually struggling offensively, they decided to recall him for tonight’s game at the Capitals. In six games playing for San Jose Barracuda of the AHL, he’s off to a quick start leading them in scoring with 10 points (4-6-10). The 10 points are tied for the team lead with 2014 first round pick Nikolay Goldobin.

Interestingly enough, a good New York Ranger fan blogger I follow on Twitter named Melissa has a brother who actually played with Labanc. He was trying to get tickets to see Labanc’s NHL debut in Washington. Hopefully, he gets in and sees his former teammate. How cool would that be.

For Labanc, he gets the chance to fulfill his dream. At age 20! Even on a big night for the nation in what’s been a frustrating and nasty Presidential election which I voted for this morning, you better believe Staten Island will be following Labanc tonight in between the saturated political coverage. Best of luck to him.

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The destruction of Dylan McIlrath

Posted on November 8, 2016 by Derek
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Dylan McIlrath finally was given his freedom when the Rangers traded him to the Panthers for Steven Kampfer and a conditional seventh round pick. A look back at how poorly he was handled. AP Photo via Getty Images courtesy We Bleed Blue.

Six years ago, the Rangers took a risk when they went off the board and selected defenseman Dylan McIlrath out of Moose Jaw in the Western Hockey League. The Winnipeg native who went number 10 overall ahead of Cam Fowler– taken two picks later by the Ducks- was considered a reach.

As most have since observed, Vladimir Tarasenko was still available along with Jaden Schwartz. Both have evolved into key scorers for their respective teams. Tarasenko a 40-goal threat while Schwartz is more well rounded. Ironically, both play for the Blues. Other notables of the first round include Nick Bjugstad, Kevin Hayes, Charlie Coyle and Brock Nelson.

At the time, the Rangers needed a defenseman. So, the notion that they missed out on Tarasenko is misguided. They prioritized D. That day, I attended a team Draft Party in the city. It was fun even thought it was crammed. I was all for them grabbing Fowler. A player I’d seen on Team USA at the Under-20 World Junior Championships. But with the team having committed to ’08 first round pick Michael Del Zotto, they decided they didn’t need another left skating offensive defenseman.

So, they went for McIlrath. A big, strong stay at home right D who represented the old guard. A mean player who could clear the front of the net and protect teammates. A serious knee injury at age 20 contributed to his demise. If not for that injury, he probably develops faster. Instead, the bad knee hindered his skating and forced the Rangers to be very patient with him. He spent the majority of three years with the Wolf Pack between ’12-13 and ’14-15.

The Rangers recalled him in ’13-14 for two games. Coach Alain Vigneault hardly used him. He got baptized by Flames’ enforcer Brian McGrattan, who he took on and battled to a draw on Dec. 15, 2013. McGrattan gave him a tap on the shoulder in a show of respect. After that second game, he went back down and completed the season with Hartford finishing with six goals, 11 assists and 165 penalty minutes with a plus-two rating in 62 contests.

After getting into one more game during ’14-15 in which he had another fight and nine penalty minutes, McIlrath spent most of the season in Hartford where he again went 6-11-17 with 165 PIM in 73 games. He helped the Wolf Pack reach the third round of the AHL playoffs tallying two assists and 23 PIM with a plus-two in 15 games.

With no more options, he had to make the Rangers last season. It was either they designate him for waivers where any team could’ve claimed him or they keep him up. In a year where mainstays Dan Girardi and Marc Staal struggled coming off surgery from serious injuries sustained in the 2015 postseason, McIlrath was needed. As the team’s seventh defenseman, he didn’t disappoint. Showing improvement from training camp, he gained enough trust from Vigneault where he finally played him.

McIlrath got into 34 games as a rookie registering two goals and two assists with a plus-seven rating and 64 penalty minutes. When he did get in the lineup for an injured Girardi, he was a bright spot playing alongside Keith Yandle on the third pair. When they played together, Yandle and McIlrath were the team’s most consistent defensive pair at even strength, faring well in shot differential. A statistic measured by Corsi/possession.

While Girardi struggled mightily, Vigneault preferred to stay loyal to him. He played the majority despite a bad knee. The coach just didn’t trust McIlrath enough to play him consistently. But Big Mac did help avenge Ryan McDonagh when he battled Wayne Simmonds in a home rematch with the Flyers after a big hit by the Flyer power forward concussed McDonagh. However, he only got into one game in the postseason. This despite a defense which was a mess. That included an aging Dan Boyle, who had his own issues and ripped into antagonist Larry Brooks before permanently retiring.

What it came down to is Vigneault chose to go down with the players who helped the team reach a 2014 Stanley Cup Final and come within a period of doing so again a year later before getting shutout by the Lightning. In a way, it was understandable. He showed loyalty to the vets. However, it wasn’t the wisest decision which left some observers frustrated.

Entering his second season, McIlrath was supposed to be part of the defense. However, the acquisition of Nick Holden from Colorado in the summer and promised development of Brady Skjei stood in the way. In truth, Skjei has the makings of an excellent puck moving defenseman who can flourish in today’s faster NHL. He’s really played well thus far posting eight assists while playing even strength and power play. The game has changed. The image of the tough defenseman in the mold of new assistant Jeff Beukeboom is coming to a close. However, the process was far from fair.

A surprising camp from Adam Clendening overshadowed McIlrath, who fell to eighth on the depth chart. With Girardi and Staal proving to be healthier and improved, Vigneault only got McIlrath into one game. In it, he stood up for backup Antti Raanta getting an extra minor for roughing with Sharks’ forward Tomas Hertl late in the second period. Even though Raanta appreciated it, Vigneault didn’t benching McIlrath. He never saw the ice in a third period which saw the Sharks cut into a 5-2 lead making it 5-4 with the Rangers going with five defensemen.  They did win 7-4 on two empty netters.

It didn’t sit well with me how Vigneault treated McIlrath. Shortening the bench almost cost the team the game. The writing was on the wall. Once Girardi returned, he was done. With Vigneault preferring the puck possession, skating game from Clendening, who also has been underused, they finally came to a decision on McIlrath putting him on waivers. No one claimed him allowing him to clear and get into games with Hartford.

After playing four games and totaling 11 penalty minutes with a minus-three, the now 24-year old McIlrath finally was freed from jail. The Rangers traded him to the Panthers in exchange for journeyman Steven Kampfer and a conditional 2018 seventh round pick. The deal came down an hour ago and was broken by TSN insider Bob McKenzie. The conditional pick depends on if McIlrath plays 30 games for Florida. If he does, then the Rangers get the pick.

Honestly, who cares. I’m not going to say I didn’t see it coming. It was pretty obvious that McIlrath’s days as a Ranger were done. That was decided by Vigneault a long time ago. To McIlrath’s credit, he didn’t blame the coaching staff for the situation. He blamed himself indicating that his play wasn’t good enough during preseason. This guy is a tremendous character with a gigantic heart. He would never do that. It’s not his style.

It’s a shame that it ended this way. But I really wanted him to get a chance elsewhere. Now, maybe he’ll find a new home with the Panthers. I hope it works out. Ironically, Florida is also the home of Yandle, who signed a long-term contract with them after they acquired his free agent rights this past summer. He’s teamed with anchor Aaron Ekblad on the top pair. In 13 games, Yandle has seven assists and a plus-two. Ekblad has struggled with just two goals and no helpers.

Florida also counts on Jason Demers and Alex Petrovic for big minutes on the blue line. Mike Matheson has been a surprise. If there is a spot that opens up for McIlrath, it could be number six where Mark Pysyk is currently. Poetically, he was also taken in the first round of the famed 2010 Draft going number 23 overall to the Sabres. Thirteen spots behind McIlrath. Pysyk was acquired by Florida in the off-season in a four-player deal that sent Dmitri Kulikov to Buffalo with the teams swapping 2016 second round picks. Florida also got a third round pick too.

The Panthers lost some edge when they moved tough right defenseman Erik Gudbranson to the Canucks for forward Jared McCann before the 2016 playoffs concluded. Neither has made an impact. Florida felt it needed toughness. So, they sent the well traveled Kampfer to the Rangers. Only he’ll be reassigned to Hartford. As for McIlrath, he could play for the Panthers, which would be much better for him.

Hopefully, it works out. All in all, the Rangers butchered McIlrath. Any way you slice it, they messed up. Between the time it took to develop him and the PR quotes from Vigneault about how he liked him was all a front. In hindsight, they would’ve been better off selecting Fowler, who’s off to a better start for the Ducks. As far as Tarasenko, they were never taking him. They were going D. So, quit whining.

At 24, McIlrath gets a new opportunity. Hopefully, a second chance to see if he can make it. He’s already been successful showing tremendous heart coming back to make the NHL. Whether or not he can stick remains to be seen. Best of luck to him the rest of the way.

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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:

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Lee-Nelson-Chimera

Prince-Strome-Quine

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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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