Chytil Cleared to Travel

Posted on November 19, 2024 by Derek

In a promising sign, Filip Chytil has been cleared to travel. After seeing a specialist, he’ll join the Rangers when they arrive in Calgary later this week.

https://twitter.com/vzmercogliano/status/1858913257521816041

After accidentally colliding with teammate K’Andre Miller during the second period of the Rangers’ 3-2 win over the Sharks on Nov. 14, Chytil returned and took a shift before the period concluded. He didn’t return for the third. Following the game, Rangers coach termed it an upper-body injury.

As promised, Chytil was further evaluated by a concussion specialist. After it was determined that he didn’t suffer a concussion, he will later fly out to join the team when they take on the Flames this Thursday. He could rejoin them for practice. Laviolette indicated that that’s still to be determined.

It’s the best news the Rangers could’ve hoped for. After missing most of 2023-24, Chytil has shown improvement this season. In 15 games, he has four goals and five assists for nine points. His plus-11 rating ranks second among all Rangers’ forwards. Linemate Will Cuylle leads them with a +12. Kaapo Kakko is third with a +10. The third line has been consistent offensively. The cohesive trio has outscored opponents 11-0 at five-on-five.

Skating without Chytil for a second straight game against the Canucks on Tuesday night, the Rangers continue to have Jonny Brodzinski fill in to center the third line for the time being. They weren’t as effective against the Kraken in a 2-0 victory. According to Natural Stat Trick, the line was outshot 8-4 and finished with a 32.0 Corsi rating. However, both Cuylle and Kakko picked up assists on a Zac Jones goal in the third period.

Miller Out for Canucks

With the Blueshirts currently in action against the Canucks, they won’t see J.T. Miller. The former Ranger took an indefinite leave for personal reasons.

There’s been some speculation that Miller might want out of Vancouver. Whether or not it’s true, he and his family should be given the utmost respect by fans. The Canucks statement on Miller showed plenty of support. That’s how it should be.

In 17 games, Miller ranked second in scoring with six goals and 10 assists for 16 points. Canucks captain Quinn Hughes led Vancouver with 18 points entering play tonight. Miller was leading the Canucks in faceoffs with a 59.1 win percentage (169-and-117).

It was last season that the former Rangers 2011 first round pick set personal bests across the board with 37 goals, 66 assists, and 103 points to pace Vancouver in scoring. He also posted a career high plus-32 rating. Miller also scored 10 power-play goals, two shorthanded goals, and nine game-winners. He also led the Canucks with 61 even strength points and 40 power-play points.

Currently, Miller is signed to a long-term contract for an $8 million cap hit. The deal doesn’t expire until 2030.

The Canucks also skated without regulars Brock Boeser and Derek Forbort. They’re still without starting goalie Thatcher Demko. Arthurs Salovs got the start against Igor Shesterkin for the Rangers.

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Devils resume winning ways on Florida trip

Posted on November 19, 2024 by hasan4978

With some actual time off between games for once this season, now is probably a good time for more of an overview post with the Devils, especially given that they’ve officially reached their quarter pole of the season. After winning seven of their last nine games and improving to 12-7-2, things are currently looking up even after a dull 4-0 loss at Tampa Bay on Saturday night, the only blemish in Florida week after a surprising sweep of the Panthers in a rare two-game road series.

Yes, that shutout was the third blanking already this season but to me that’s a bit of a non-story people are giving way too much oxygen to. Okay, the Devils were blanked four times all of last season so from that standpoint three in a month and a half isn’t ideal, but would the Tampa or Calgary games really have been any better as 4-1 and 3-1 defeats? We have scored 72 goals in 21 games including ten in the two games against the Panthers, so that’s overall pretty good.

Of course the other shutout – the inexcusable 1-0 home defeat against the Sharks – was the last time anyone saw them in New Jersey when they were understandably booed out of the building after the almost inevitable Mackenzie Blackwood revenge game to the tune of a 44-save shutout. As much as I didn’t like Blackwood, honestly I was just more annoyed we lost to the worst team in the league and it was another dreadful home performance, particularly the first two periods. I get they had a stirring late comeback from two goals down late in the third against the Isles the night before and had won three in a row before that game, but those are the kind of games that can drop a playoff team to a bubble team.

If I have any concern at this point, it’s the home form. Once again, we’ve been a lot better outside of New Jersey (9-4) – including the neutral site ‘home’ win against the Sabres – than at the Prudential Center (3-3-2). Ironically the Sharks game was my first regulation loss in four games attended this season, but it definitely gave me a bit of PTSD after any number of horrible performances against teams we ‘should’ beat at home. Yet the same team who couldn’t even score against the worst team in the league two weeks ago all of a sudden started raining in goals against the Stanley Cup champs in back-to-back games.

I would have watched Tuesday’s game…except for the fact it was an ESPN+ only game. It’s quite honestly silly that certain regular season games are behind an additional paywall while you can watch every last playoff game on network TV. I don’t know enough about the business end of contracts to know why the NHL can’t do the same thing the NFL does with its exclusive rights games and put them on the air locally. Every last dopey New York Jets game I’ve been able to see even if it’s a Prime Network exclusive. Honestly, I’d almost forgotten about the game last Tuesday until I saw the 4-1 score afterward. The phrase out of sight, out of mind applies here. At least being able to watch the highlights back was nice.

It was especially annoying since I had other plans Thursday and really couldn’t watch that game either. In many ways, the 6-2 Thursday win was even more impressive, especially since they were outshot heavily on Tuesday but Jacob Markstrom shined in a 34-save game and goals by Jack Hughes, Paul Cotter and Timo Meier gave the Devils just enough offense to win the game, with Ondrej Palat also getting an empty-netter late to snap a long Panthers winning streak and get the bad taste from the Shark game out of our mouths.

However, Thursday’s win – in a sign perhaps of being a good team – had a completely different starring cast with Jesper Bratt throwing down a hat trick, Stefan Noesen also scoring a brace and Dawson Mercer adding a power play goal, one of three the team scored with the man advantage in the game! Also, a different goalie starred as Jake Allen would make 25 saves getting each member of the tandem a win in Florida. Granted, Thursday’s game was a bit more balanced in terms of the play than Tuesday was…but they all count the same in the W column.

I kind of figured Saturday would be a coming down to earth game, especially against a Lightning team that have owned us in recent years (granted, so have the Panthers). This is one where I do give a bit of a schedule pass, especially with the insanity that has been the Devils’ first six weeks of the season. Not only did we kick off with an overseas trip to start the season, but the majority of our first few weeks have been on the road with a Western Canada trip and a Florida trip among our thirteen games away from home. The fact we have 3-5 more games played than most of our competitors at this point in the season is ludicrous. I guess it’s good for the back end at least in terms of wear and tear?

Not that I really trust the team yet to be able to take advantage of the softer part of their schedule – which isn’t even going to come until after they play the Hurricanes on Thursday and go to Washington Saturday – at least they’re thriving against the odds over the last few weeks though. And we’ve had good health to this point with thirteen skaters having played in all twenty-one games so far, as well as our starting goalie tandem both being available and in the net for all of them. Thankfully they’ve both been decent to above average so far, a rarity for Devils goalies in the last decade! Among guys who haven’t played every game so far, at least people like Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce have been able to add to the defense, especially since they gave up fourteen goals in the two games before the pair returned to the lineup, and since they have come back the team is 7-3-1.

Despite my pooh-pooing of the shutout stat I do think we’re due for some regression offensively, unless you think both Noesen and Cotter will have 25-35 goal seasons (since both have 9 and 7 respectively so far, and their career highs are 14 and 13). I don’t know if this is a three and a half goal a game team without a real solution in the top six although at least Hughes and Bratt are making Palat seem like he’s got a pulse offensively, while he’s done the grit work for the skill part of the line. Speaking of offense, hopefully Dougie Hamilton is due for some more goals after only scoring one in his first twenty-one games so far, albeit he’s at least put up thirteen assists including beauties like this one to spring Jack for the OT winner against the Isles a couple weeks back:

I haven’t even said a word yet about Nico Hischier, who’d clearly be the team’s MVP through the first quarter of the season, leading the team in goals with ten, third in points and being second in plus-minus with a +10 (only behind defensive revelation Jonathan Kovacevic with +13) along with all the faceoffs and stellar defensive work he brings to the table. As you would expect, Bratt, Hughes and Nico are pacing the rest of the team in points. We’re gonna need good health to continue though, especially without much help on the horizon from Utica who’s still winless in thirteen games, even after firing coach Kevin Dineen a couple weeks back. That said, Nolan Foote has been one of the few offensive bright spots for the Comets and now that he’s been called up by the Devils, he’ll hopefully get a chance before too long.

I’ll likely have to miss this Thursday’s game as well, which might be a good thing considering the double bugaboo of it being at home and against another of our nemesis teams in the Hurricanes. Even if they didn’t have a history of owning us, the game wouldn’t be easy against the team currently leading the East in winning percentage with a 13-4 record. It’s still early but man the Metro playoffs look like they’re gonna be a handful with the Canes, Rangers and a resurgent Caps team all off to hot starts. Of course, our goal first is just to make sure we’re in the playoffs this time around and go from there.

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Quick Pitches Second Straight Shutout

Posted on November 18, 2024 by Derek

Having strong goaltending can solve a lot of problems. It remains the biggest reason for the Rangers’ good start. Thanks to 24 saves from backup Jonathan Quick, they shutout the Seattle Kraken 2-0 last night at Climate Pledge Arena. The win improved them to 11-4-1 on the season.

For the second straight start, Quick pitched a shutout. He previously stopped 37 shots to blank the Detroit Red Wings on Nov. 9. The 38-year-old netminder continues to deliver when he’s called upon by Rangers coach Peter Laviolette. He passed Turk Broda for sole possession of 18th on the all-time shutout list with the 62nd of his career. He became just the fourth goalie over the past 15 years to post consecutive shutouts at the age of 38 or older – joining Martin Brodeur, Dwayne Roloson, and Mike Smith.

For Quick, he’s now three wins shy of 400. When he reaches it, he’ll become the first US-born goalie to reach 400 in NHL history. He passed Ryan Miller (391 wins) last season for the most by an American-born goalie.

“You don’t really put too much thought into it. You’re honored to have those numbers. At the end of the day, as a goalie, you’re very dependent on your team in front of you. All those numbers really mean is I’ve played with some great players and teams that value winning more than anything. I consider myself very grateful and lucky to have played with all those guys over the course of my career,” a humble Quick told Mollie Walker of the NY Post.

https://twitter.com/MollieeWalkerr/status/1858373268018991293

Quick improved to 4-0 this season. He remains inpenetrable. In four starts, he’s only allowed three goals on 125 shots. If you include a relief appearance against the Buffalo Sabres on Nov. 7, he’s stopped 131 of 135 shots. For those keeping track, that’s a .970 save percentage. His goals-against-average is now 0.91. Pretty insane numbers for the former Stanley Cup champion.

Before we get too crazy over his performance, he’s done it against beatable opponents. He beat the Red Wings twice, the Ducks, and the Kraken. They aren’t exactly world beaters. Igor Shesterkin remains the starter who draws the harder assignments. He’ll likely return to the net when the four-game road trip continues at the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night.

The Kraken came in on a four-game winning streak. They had done it without two of their best players. Vince Dunn is on long-term injured reserve. He’s their best defenseman. Jordan Eberle missed his second straight game with a lower-body injury. Eberle is second in team scoring with 11 points, including six goals. Subtracting a key scorer on a team that’s offensively challenged doesn’t help. Counting Sunday night’s game, Seattle ranks 18th in offense averaging 2.84 goals-per-game. The Rangers are tied for sixth with the Tampa Bay Lightning, averaging 3.56 goals-per-game.

In a tightly contested game that had little space to make plays, the Rangers’ superior skill proved to be the difference. They got goals from Alexis Lafreniere and Zac Jones in the victory.

There wasn’t much offense during the first period. In a period they outshot the Kraken 9-6, the Rangers were unable to beat backup Philipp Grubauer. He made some good saves early to keep the game scoreless. That included stopping Jimmy Vesey on a good shift from the fourth line. The trio of Vesey, Sam Carrick, and Adam Edstrom were around the puck often. Carrick had a big night on faceoffs, winning seven of eight.

Kaapo Kakko had the best scoring chance. On a strong shift by the third line, which included Jonny Brodzinski, who filled in nicely for Filip Chytil, Kakko had Grubauer down with an open net. But he hit the side of the net. It was a missed opportunity for a player who struggles at finishing. Overall, he remains a good player who forechecks and defends well.

Seattle didn’t generate a whole lot. However, they spent some time in the Rangers’ end due to their skating. Most of the attack time came when Ryan Lindgren was on with Jacob Trouba. Lindgren had issues with their team speed. Fortunately, the Kraken missed the net a good amount. Both teams totaled 16 missed shots for the game. When you had Oliver Bjorkstrand and Andre Burakovsky firing wide from the slot, it looked like the gang that can’t shoot straight.

Later in the period, Quick came up with two stops on Jaden Scwartz. When they needed a big save, he made it.

If you like hitting, Will Cuylle supplied it. He was finishing checks throughout the game. In fact, he paced all skaters with 10 hits. Cuylle also was involved offensively, picking up an assist on the second Rangers’ goal. The most improved Blueshirt continues to play with consistency.

Most of the game was played at five-on-five. The lone exception was when Lindgren went off for grabbing Yanni Gourde with 2:35 left in the first period. Instead of the Kraken getting anything on the power play, they allowed a shorthanded chance. After a good read from K’Andre Miller, Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider came in on a two-on-one. After criss crossing, Kreider worked a give and go with Zibanejad, who dished the puck across for a one-timer from the right circle that a quick reacting Grubauer slid across to deny.

Before the period concluded, Quick was called upon to stop Brandon Tanev. He only made six saves but they were timely. To their credit, the Rangers defended better than in previous games. There still were some hiccups in the second period.

The Kraken picked it up in the second. They got the first six shots. Most came from long range, which Quick handled. His best stop came on Schwartz in tight. Seattle held the edge in shots 10-7.

In the period of the long change, each side took turns keeping the puck in the offensive zone. On a very long shift for Miller and Adam Fox that saw them top two minutes each, the third line bailed them out. Brodzinski, Cuylle, and Kakko defended so well. They backchecked and didn’t allow the Kraken to get any significant chances. Eventually, Cuylle cleared the zone. That finally helped Miller and Fox make a much needed line change.

On the flip side, Vincent Trocheck got a great chance. But he was unable to beat Grubauer, who up to that point had played like a number one goalie.

During an extended shift by the big scoring line, with Jones and Braden Schneider changing on for Miller and Fox, a very patient Artemi Panarin waited before making a bullet pass in front for Lafreniere to tip in for the game’s first goal with 2:30 remaining.

https://twitter.com/SNYRangers/status/1858352229461188991

It was a well executed play from two skilled players. Panarin’s one of the best passers in the league for a reason. He had too much time and space. Lafreniere was parked in front for the easy finish. It was his seventh goal. He extended his point streak to four (2-2-4). With the primary assist, Panarin extended his point streak to seven (4-5-9). Since the start of the season, he’s only been held off the score sheet once in 16 games. He leads the Rangers in scoring with 24 points (10-14-24).

In the third period, the Kraken had some good sustained pressure in the Rangers’ zone. Quick made a key stop on Adam Larsson to keep the Rangers ahead. On another shift, Jones made a good defensive play to get out of his zone. On a quick play in transition, Cuylle and Kakko combined to move the puck to Jones in the Kraken zone. He walked in and beat Grubauer through the wickets for his first of the season at 2:58. It was a nice reward for a defenseman that continues to improve each game. He and Schneider were again the Rangers’ best.

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Following a Lindgren turnover, Quick denied Jared McCann. The Kraken held a slight 8-7 edge in shots for the period. Most came from the outside. When their attempts didn’t connect, it was either blocked or missed entirely. The Rangers blocked 21 led by Schneider (4). Jamie Oleksiak blocked six for Seattle. They repellled 17 shots.

With the Blueshirts leading by two, the fourth line nearly made it three. But Adam Edstrom was stopped by Grubauer. A good skater for his size, he seems to get chances every game. With that line playing well, Laviolette rewarded them with more ice time. They all topped 10 minutes with Carrick pacing them with 11:03. That included a 37-second shift on the penalty kill.

By rolling four lines, Laviolette’s keeping ice times down for his best forwards. Zibanejad only received 14:37. Kreider had 14:45. Even Panarin finished with 18:37. Without a power play, they didn’t play as much.

With Grubauer lifted for an extra skater, Panarin missed an empty net wide. Daniel Sprong had one last attempt blocked as the buzzer sounded. It was a solid effort. While certainly not the most exciting style, the Rangers earned two points. Considering how good the top of the Metropolitan Division is, that matters most. With 23 points, the Rangers sit in fourth place. They’ve played one fewer game than the Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals. The New Jersey Devils have played four more.

If they continue to separate themselves from the middle of the pack, all four could make the playoffs. As the season evolves, we’ll see what happens. The Rangers visit the Canucks in two days.

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Fans Wrong to Blame Miller for Chytil injury

Posted on November 17, 2024 by Derek

During the Rangers’ win over the Sharks this past Thursday night, Filip Chytil was injured when he accidentally collided with teammate K’Andre Miller with 7:49 remaining in the second period. Both Chytil and Miller converged on a loose puck to keep a play alive in the offensive zone.

Chytil went to the locker room to get checked out after a stoppage with 7:34 left. He returned to the game before the period concluded. In fact, he only missed a single shift. He took a regular shift with his linemates, Will Cuylle and Kaapo Kakko with 3:39 remaining. As it turned out, it was his final one of the game. He didn’t return for the third period.

Following the game, Rangers coach Peter Laviolette indicated that Chytil suffered an upper-body injury. As usual, he couldn’t get into specifics. That didn’t change on Friday after practice.

“We’re always careful with players. Nobody jumps back without doctors and everybody doing their job. And players come back out on the ice and they get put into games for health reasons. So, there’s always that. We’re always watching out for the players. Right now, [Chytil] is still getting evaluated and we’ll see,” Laviolette told reporters.

https://twitter.com/nypostsports/status/1857885258638635373

As expected, Chytil didn’t fly with the team to Seattle for the first of a four-game Western road swing that includes stops in Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton this week. The Rangers will return to action versus the Kraken later tonight.

Without Chytil, they recalled Jake Leschyshyn from the Hartford Wolf Pack on Saturday. Leschyshyn will be a placeholder for now. Jonny Brodzinski will move into Chytil’s spot to center the third line. He has played with Cuylle and Kakko before last season. So. They should be familiar with each other.

If he isn’t out long-term, there’s even the slight possibility that Chytil could rejoin the Rangers later on the trip. It all depends on how he progresses. Obviously, given his injury history, they’ll proceed with caution. His health and well being is the most important thing. When it comes to Chytil, you’re hoping for the best. Nobody knows what’s going on. We shouldn’t assume anything. If he was cleared to return to the game on Nov. 14, it’s hard to draw any conclusions.

Following the unfortunate injury he sustained, Miller came under fire on social media from incensed fans. It’s one thing to criticize his defensive play. But quite another to rip into him for a freak accident that occurred with Chytil. I’m sure nobody feels worse than Miller about what happened. Sometimes, things happen.

https://twitter.com/rmny1976/status/1857233325368177137

Hockey is an unpredictable game. If two players are coming from reverse angles with speed for a loose puck, they can collide. Especially if they don’t see each other. Neither Miller nor Chytil knew where they were. They had their heads down. Chytil was moving faster than Miller, who braced himself at the last second. It could’ve been worse. It wasn’t that hard a collision. Hopefully, it isn’t the worst case scenario.

If he’s out for an extended period, the Rangers will miss him. Chytil was off to a good start. He had four goals and five assists for nine points and was tied with Cuylle for first among Rangers’ forwards with a plus-11 rating. The line of Chytil, Cuylle, and Kakko had outscored opponents 11-0 at five-on-five. Chytil has been a big part of it. His game-breaking speed allows them to transition quickly and get things set up. He looked stronger. The chemistry they’ve had makes them an asset. For the time being, Brodzinski will slot in.

Miller has had his struggles thus far. He’s made several mistakes that have led to goals against. It doesn’t help that his offense has suffered. With only a goal and assist, he must perform better to justify his spot in the lineup. Currently, Miller is back playing with Adam Fox. They had a good game the other night after being reunited. We’ll see if Miller can turn it around.

Flashback to LaFontaine

A long time ago during another era, Pat LaFontaine was acquired by the Rangers from the Buffalo Sabres for a second round pick due to him missing most of 1996-97 due to suffering a concussion on a big hit from Francois Leroux. It was thought that he’d retire due to the severity of the injury. He suffered from post-concussion syndrome. Instead, he came back and played for the Rangers during 1997-98.

A great player who’s considered one of the best American-born players in history, LaFontaine proved that he still had it. He was second in team scoring with 23 goals and 39 assists for 62 points in 67 games. Unfortunately, it all came to an end when teammate Mike Keane accidentally collided with LaFontaine during a game against the Ottawa Senators on Mar. 16, 1998. He missed the remainder of the season and the entirety of 1998-99. He announced his retirement on Oct. 12, 1999.

For his career, LaFontaine finished with 468 goals, 545 assists, and 1,013 points. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a player in 2003.

Rempe Scores in Wolf Pack Win

In other news, the Wolf Pack defeated the Providence Bruins 4-2 last night at XL Center in Hartford. They got 32 saves from Dylan Garand.

For the first time this season, Matt Rempe got on the score sheet. He scored his first goal and added an assist in the win. Rempe converted a two-on-one off an Adam Sykora pass to ice the game with 3:25 remaining. Earlier in the third period, he helped set up Casey Fitzgerald to put the Wolf Pack ahead 2-1. Sykora picked up a primary helper. He tallied two assists.

https://twitter.com/TheAHL/status/1857960205700530219

Brett Berard also recorded two assists. He got primary helpers on goals from Blake Hillman and Connor Mackey. Berard leads the Wolf Pack in scoring with 11 points (6-5-11). Sykora is tied for fourth with eight (3-5-8).

Hartford improved to 7-5-1-1 on the season. They are third in the Atlantic Division with 16 points. Their next game is this Tuesday against the Charlotte Checkers. Game time is 11 AM.

Quick Gets the Start

It’ll be Jonathan Quick in the Rangers’ net when they challenge the Kraken at 9 PM tonight. In three starts, he’s been brilliant winning all three while allowing only three goals on 111 shots. In four appearances, he has a 1.17 goals-against-average (GAA) and .964 save percentage.

His last start came in a win over the Detroit Red Wings on Nov. 9. Quick stifled the Red Wings by making 37 saves for the 61st shutout of his career. It also was win number 397. He is three shy of 400.

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Zibanejad’s Goal Sparks Rangers past Sharks

Posted on November 15, 2024 by Derek

It had been long enough for Mika Zibanejad. The struggling center snapped an eight-game goal drought by scoring his third goal of the season to spark the Rangers past the Sharks 3-2 at Madison Square Garden.

Zibanejad’s game-tying goal came with 8:19 left in the second period. His rebound of an Adam Fox shot helped the surging Rangers get untracked. They would score three straight goals within a 4:40 span to go from being a goal down to 3-1 up on the Sharks. Most importantly, the goal from Zibanejad allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief. It energized the Blueshirts, who bounced back from a 6-3 loss to the Jets with a better all-around effort.

That wasn’t evident early on. Instead, it was the Sharks who got the game’s first four shots. It marked the return of Barclay Goodrow. Unceremoniously dumped on waivers by Rangers team president and general manager Chris Drury in the off-season, Goodrow played on the Sharks’ first line with 2024 top pick Macklin Celebrini and Tyler Toffoli. He received a warm ovation from appreciative fans during the first stoppage after they showed a video tribute on Garden Vision.

By that point, the Sharks had already gone ahead. Timothy Liljegren scored on a fluky shot that deflected off Jimmy Vesey’s stick and went up in the air through a maze past Igor Shesterkin at 2:51. Luke Kunin and Nico Sturm drew the assists.

After a sluggish start, the Rangers got going thanks to a strong shift from the third line. Almost everyone touched the puck before Ryan Lindgren had a good shot from the slot that Mackenzie Blackwood stopped. They applied more pressure on the next shift. But Alexis Lafreniere was denied by Blackwood, who was sharp throughout the opening period.

On a play in transition, William Eklund came close to putting the Sharks up two. But his shot hit the from distance hit the goalpost. In a period that the Rangers didn’t show much energy in, that was a break.

Lindgren got an even better opportunity on some good work from Lafreniere, Vincent Trocheck, and Artemi Panarin. But Blackwood robbed him. Before the first concluded, the Sharks hit another goalpost. The Rangers were fortunate to get out of the period only down one.

The Rangers started quickly in the second period. On a strong shift from the first line, Zac Jones made a good pinch and rang a shot off the goalpost. But on the opposite end, he grabbed Kunin in a board battle to go off for holding. The Sharks’ power play was negated right away by Goodrow after his skate knocked down Jacob Trouba for interference.

On the four-on-four, Celebrini got a dangerous chance in transition. Using his speed, he skated into the Rangers’ zone and fired wide. On the other end, Kreider was stopped by Blackwood. He also missed wide on a better chance.

With the Sharks looking for a backdoor play, Braden Schneider took down Ty Dellandrea to go off for holding. Eklund again nearly put them ahead by two. But his shot hit the goalpost.

The Rangers were able to kill the penalty off. As the period moved on, they spent more time in the San Jose end. They began to dictate the action with strong puck possession. Eventually, the hard work paid off.

On a good Smith cross-ice pass in the slot, a pinching Fox took a low shot that rebounded off Blackwood right to Zibanejad for an easy put away into an open net with 8:19 remaining. That tied the score.

Finally with momentum, the Rangers swarmed the Sharks’ end. Filip Chytil had a backhand denied by Blackwood. He couldn’t prevent them from eventually taking the lead. Prior to that happening, Chytil ran into K’Andre Miller in the offensive zone. He never saw him and was shaken up at the Rangers bench. He went to the locker room for concussion protocol. He did return before the period ended.

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It was the fourth line that produced the go-ahead tally. Sam Carrick moved the puck to Jimmy Vesey. He had his pass bounce back to him in front. Vesey whipped a backhand past Blackwood to make it 2-1. It was his second goal in three games.

On the following shift, Fox thought he had his first goal of the season. However, a video review confirmed that Trocheck knocked out Blackwood’s stick for goalie interference. It was incidental contact. There was no penalty on the play.

Later on, Trocheck wouldn’t be denied. Lafreniere made a good outlet across the ice to Panarin, who gained the Sharks’ zone. With the San Jose defense backing up, that gave Panarin enough time to make a nifty backdoor feed for a cutting Trocheck to redirect in for a 3-1 lead. It was a superb pass from Panarin.

Moments later, Schneider had a point shot hit the goalpost. On that same shift, Adam Edstrom just missed putting them ahead by three. At the conclusion of the second, Lafreniere drew a hooking minor on Eklund to give the Rangers a full two-minute power play to start the third.

When they returned for the period, one thing was different. No Chytil. He was ruled out with an upper-body injury. Obviously, nobody knows with concussions. There’s no way they would have cleared Chytil to return if he didn’t pass the protocol. After what happened against the Hurricanes a year ago, the Rangers know how tricky head injuries are. Hopefully, keeping him out was only precautionary.

On the man-advantage, they were unable to extend the lead. Blackwood made a pair of stops on Panarin and Smith. In between that, Goodrow got a clean shorthanded breakaway from center ice. He came in and narrowly missed beating Shesterkin. If he scored, the game might’ve swung.

The Rangers were able to play a more structured third period. Edstrom nearly put them ahead by three. But his shot from in front was stopped by Blackwood, who outside of a bad rebound that allowed Zibanejad to score, played a good game.

Panarin would late come close on a rocket that again drew iron. He was flying. When he plays with Trocheck and Lafreniere, they know where each other are. It never made sense for Peter Laviolette to break them up. That’s a line that shouldn’t be touched the remainder of the season. You don’t fix what isn’t broken.

Zibanejad looks more comfortable with Kreider and Smith. They were more effective after being reunited. In particular, Smith was noticeable. He does a lot of good things during shifts. He’s very active. That line should also stay together.

Without Chytil, Trocheck was double shifted. He took some shifts with Will Cuylle and Kaapo Kakko. During one, Cuylle had a good shot right on Blackwood. He continues to play well.

In the second part of the period, Shesterkin came up with some key saves. That included one on Celebrini and another on Goodrow. With Blackwood on the bench for an extra attacker, Zibanejad took down Mikael Granlund to put the Sharks on a six-on-four advantage with a minute left.

On some quick passing, Eklund made a good feed from behind the net that Fabian Zetterlund buried with less than 27 seconds remaining. That pulled the Sharks within 3-2.

There wasn’t much time left. Zetterlund sent in a long shot on Shesterkin that led to a rebound. The Sharks nearly set up one final shot in the slot. Good thing it didn’t connect. The Rangers hung on for the victory.

They now will embark on a four-game road trip. The first stop is at Seattle on Sunday night. They’ll also visit Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton.

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Costly Mistakes Adding Up for Rangers

Posted on November 13, 2024 by Derek

Costly mistakes doomed the Rangers in a 6-3 loss to the Jets on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden. Facing a good opponent with the league’s best record, they certainly were ready to play. The trouble was that they committed turnovers at the wrong time. The Jets took full advantage to improve to 15-1-0. They made NHL history by becoming the first team to win 15 of its first 16 games to start a season.

Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor scored twice for the visitors. Will Cuylle had a goal and assist in a losing effort for the Rangers. Connor Hellebuyck outplayed Igor Shesterkin, finishing with 33 saves. Shesterkin allowed five goals on 32 shots. Both teams scored on the power play. Winnipeg went 1-for-2. The Rangers were 1-for-4.

A big headline from the game was the deficient play of Mika Zibanejad. He turned over pucks three different times. All wound up in the back of the net. Zibanejad finished with a -4 rating along with linemates Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere. K’Andre Miller was also culpable. He made some mistakes in coverage. Miller was a minus-four. Jacob Trouba was a minus-three.

The continued defensive issues that have plagued this team remain problematic. They can’t keep leaving hanging goalies out to dry. When he got off to a hot start, Shesterkin covered up those mistakes. Jonathan Quick also did in a recent shutout of the Red Wings on Nov. 9. When they don’t make the clutch stops, it’s a problem. The Rangers have relied heavily on each to start 9-4-1.

“We need to help our goalies more. Because five goals or six goals is still a lot. We just have to work on it every day now until it’s going to be – not perfect – but at least way better than right now,” a concerned Filip Chytil told Mollie Walker of the New York Post after the game.

https://twitter.com/MollieeWalkerr/status/1856540634510705019

Chytil’s line was one of the few bright spots. They produced two of the Rangers’ three goals. Cuylle scored his fifth to tie the score at one in the first period. Kaapo Kakko cut the Jets’ lead to one early in the third period. Both have formed a strong third line with Chytil. Their five-on-five play remains superb. As a line, they’ve outscored opponents 11-0 this season. The Rangers need to take a cue from how that line plays. There hasn’t been enough consistency at even strength.

Ever since Rangers coach Peter Laviolette changed his top two lines, it hasn’t worked out. Vincent Trocheck has struggled since being put with Chris Kreider and Reilly Smith. He’s more comfortable playing with Panarin and Lafreniere. It never made any sense to break them up. Laviolette tried to accommodate Zibanejad by bumping up Panarin and Lafreniere. At Wednesday’s morning skate, they were back together with Trocheck. Zibanejad was between Kreider and Smith. That’s how they’ll likely line up for tomorrow night’s game against the Sharks.

On the game’s opening shift, Kreider came close to putting the Rangers ahead. But his shot hit the goalpost. Trocheck also rang one off the post. A promising start was tarnished by a Zibanejad misplay. His errant clear led directly to Scheifele taking a Josh Morrissey feed and beating Shesterkin 57 seconds in. Neither Miller nor Adam Fox could do anything about that one. It was on Zibanejad to make a stronger play with the puck. Instead, Morrissey kept it in and found Scheifele open in front for his eighth.

A few shifts later, Cuylle had a good scoring chance. But Hellebuyck made the save. Following a stop on Adam Edstrom, there was a scrum. Morrissey was sent off for high-sticking Jimmy Vesey.

On the power play, the top unit generated very little. With the exception of a Zibanejad shot that Hellebuyck got over and stopped, they were unable to gain any momentum. Instead, they were on too long before the second unit changed. It’s been a recurring theme over the past few years. It doesn’t seem to matter who coaches them.

With less than seven minutes left in the period, a strong shift from the third line led to Cuylle tying the game. On a good cycle, Chytil moved the puck up for a pinching Braden Schneider, who let go of a wrist shot that came right to Cuylle. He was able to put in the rebound past Hellebuyck for his fifth at 13:07.

Following the goal, Trocheck took an ill-advised penalty when he held Cole Perfetti. In the first matchup between the number one ranked power play against the top-rated penalty kill, the edge went to the Rangers. In fact, Sam Carrick made a nice pass to lead Fox in for a shorthanded chance. But his backhand was foiled by Hellebuyck.

After each goalie took turns making saves, Lafreniere had his shot hit the goalpost in the final minute. Despite being on for four goals against, he was very active along with Panarin. Unfortunately, the center wasn’t. Following an even period, the game remained tied.

The second was controlled by the Rangers. They outshot the Jets 16-11 and generated better chances but were only able to beat Hellebuyck once. He made several critical saves, stopping 15 of 16.

On an early defensive draw, Zibanejad went to the bench in some discomfort. Whatever was ailing him, he only missed one shift. Trocheck took his place with Panarin and Lafreniere. Right away, he got a shot right on Hellebuyck. A bit later, Trocheck was on with Panarin and Smith. Hellebuyck turned away Panarin and Smith, who was denied on a backhand.

Still without Zibanejad, Laviolette had Chytil with Lafreniere and Panarin. Panarin tested Hellebuyck with a backhand that he handled. The trio spent some time in the offensive zone against Scheifele, Connor, and Gabe Vilardi.

The Jets’ top line got a favorable matchup against the Rangers’ fourth line. Connor had his shot stopped by Shesterkin. If there’s an area they need to fix, it’s improving the defensive coverage. There are too many instances when opponents get wide open chances in the slot. The structure they had under Laviolette last season has disappeared. Is assistant coach Phil Housley working on it?

Nearly halfway through the contest, Cuylle grabbed onto Connor to go to the penalty box for holding. After a near miss from Smith shorthanded, it was advantage Jets on special teams. On a good keep in by Neal Pionk, he created a two-on-one down low. Vilardi then dusted Miller to work a give and go with Nik Ehlers for an easy put away that made it 2-1 Jets.

Following a key Shesterkin save on Vladislav Namestnikov, Panarin was taken down by Connor. This time, the Rangers went to work on the power play. After Zibanejad fanned on a one-timer, the Jets cleared the zone. Lafreniere replaced Zibanejad on the top unit. On some good work from Panarin and Fox, they combined to find a wide open Lafreniere up top. He skated in and fired a snapshot past Hellebuyck to tie the score. It was his sixth of the season. The confidence he showed on the goal is a reason why he deserves to play on the top unit over Zibanejad. Of course, nothing changed.

On another effective shift from the third line, Zac Jones got a good backhand off that Hellebuyck denied. Along with Schneider, Jones continues to impress. He’s played very well since rejoining the lineup in place of Victor Mancini. With Jones and Schneider looking like the third defensive pair, how much longer will Mancini stay up? If he’s not going to play, they should send him down to Hartford. That way he plays in all situations. Perhaps they’ll consider it soon.

UPDATE: Apparently, they listened to me. Mancini has been sent down to the Wolf Pack. Chad Ruhwedel was recalled. It’s for the best. Mancini needs to play.

https://twitter.com/WolfPackAHL/status/1856823397197484313

Hellebuyck continued to be the story. On another good shift, Trocheck got a good scoring chance in the slot only to be stopped by Hellebuyck. That proved to a crucial moment. Less than a minute later, the Jets retook the lead with less than four minutes left.

Zibanejad fanned on a pass in the middle of the ice. That fueled the Jets’ quick transition. Pionk then sent Connor flying out of the zone. On a two-on-two with Miller back, he beat Shesterkin with a wrist shot blocker side to make it 3-2 with 3:57 remaining. It was one Shesterkin would want back. If he wants to get paid the big bucks, he needs to make that save.

https://twitter.com/MollieeWalkerr/status/1856511472408367435

Following the go-ahead tally, Winnipeg got caught with too many men. That put the Rangers back on the power play. Zibanejad came close but hit the goalpost. After the top unit again overstayed their shift, the second unit had basically the final 25 seconds to do something. Lafreniere created an opportunity by finding Kakko open in front for a shot that Hellebuyck stopped. Why can’t they get more power play time? Ask the coach.

With time to spare, Hellebuyck made a big save on Carrick. Vesey made a good play behind the net and had him open in front. Carrick had his one-timer denied by Hellebuyck with only 17 seconds remaining. That’s as close as they came to tying it again.

At the start of the third period, each side exchanged goals 32 seconds apart. Following a Zibanejad neutral zone turnover, Lafreniere had a clear attempt go off the skate of Connor. He then moved the puck across for Dylan DeMelo, who fed an open Scheifele in front for his second of the game to increase the Jets’ lead to 4-2 at 1:08. Trouba was too late on the switch.

On the next shift, Laviolette sent his best line back out. They delivered in quick fashion. Schneider took another shot from the point that Cuylle deflected off Hellebuyck. The rebound came to Kakko, who was able to steer in a backhand for his second of the season at 1:40. It snapped a seven-game drought. Although he went the previous four games without a point, Kakko continues to play well. He’s been more assertive during shifts. There’s more of a comfort level playing with Chytil and Cuylle. It’s nice to see.

Trailing by one, the Rangers didn’t generate as many scoring chances as they did in the second. The Jets were much better in the third – limiting the Blueshirts to eight shots. They held a 12-8 edge.

Shesterkin was called upon to make a few key saves. He was up to the task against Namestnikov, who had two point-blank chances denied. Shesterkin also would stop Vilardi to keep the deficit at one with less than 10 minutes left in regulation.

The closest the Rangers came to tying it was when Zibanejad got a good shot right on Hellebuyck, who handled it with ease. It was that kind of night for Zibanejad. He’s had too many of them. His last goal came against the Canadiens on Oct. 22. He’ll look to end an eight-game drought when the Sharks visit the Garden tomorrow night.

Winnipeg was able to extend the lead to two with 6:52 remaining. Initially, the Rangers fourth line spent some time in the Jets’ zone. Trouba pinched to try to keep the play alive. Instead, Namestnikov came out with the puck to start a two-on-one rush with Ehlers. He passed across for Ehlers, who sent a shot over the net. The puck took a carom off the back boards right back to Namestnikov, who tucked it in before Shesterkin could recover. On the goal, Miller took himself out of the play by going down. He didn’t get back up in time to prevent Namestnikov from scoring.

The Rangers had one more opportunity on the man-advantage. Instead, they failed miserably. In particular, Zibanejad flubbed a one-timer from the left circle. It was frustrating to watch. How many more chances will he get on the first unit? He isn’t doing enough to justify occupying a spot over Lafreniere. In limited duty, Lafreniere has two power-play goals. That’s two more than Zibanejad. It was only two years ago that he scored a career high 20 power-play goals. He had 12 last season. If he continues not to produce, a change should be made. They can’t keep catering to him.

With the teams back at full strength, Kakko gained the Winnipeg zone and had a wrist shot go off the goalpost. Cuylle then just missed on the same shift. With less than three minutes left in the game, Shesterkin came up with a pair of saves on Jets captain Adam Lowry. He was lifted with less than two minutes to go.

In their final push, the Rangers did everything but score. Hellebuyck stacked the pads to rob Lafreniere in tight. He then kicked out a long Panarin wrist shot through traffic. Panarin teed up another but went wide. Hellebuyck then denied Zibanejad from close range. He delivered the clutch saves when his team needed it most. At this point, he’s the best regular season goalie – surpassing Andrei Vasilevskiy. Hellebuyck is every bit as valuable to the Jets because they don’t have a great backup. Eric Comrie is in his second stint with Winnipeg after a failed two-year existence in Buffalo.

Connor scored into an empty net from his own zone to close it out. It was a disappointing but expected. The fact is that the Rangers aren’t on the Jets’ level. They played well enough offensively. Defensively, they were a mess. That was enough to lose.

Laviolette Goes Back to Old Lines

As I noted earlier, Laviolette decided to go back to the old lines. It looks like they’ll have a familiar look to them when the Sharks visit 33rd and 7th on Thursday night. The game marks the return of Barclay Goodrow. He could find himself on their first line with Macklin Celebrini. He still isn’t happy with how his departure happened. We’ll see what happens.

With Mancini reassigned, the defensive pairs were also changed back. No more Miller and Trouba for now. Miller is with Fox. Lindgren is with Trouba. Jones and Schneider remain intact.

FORWARDS

Kreider-Zibanejad-Smith

Panarin-Trocheck-Lafreniere

Cuylle-Chytil-Kakko

Edstrom-Carrick-Vesey

DEFENSE

Miller-Fox

Lindgren-Trouba

Jones-Schneider

Shesterkin Going the Wrong Way

In allowing five goals for a second straight start, Shesterkin has seen his save percentage dwindle. It went from over .930 to .913 rather quickly. His goals-against-average climbed to 2.85.

Any time a goalie gets chased the way Shesterkin did when he gave up five goals on 12 shots against the Sabres on 11/7, the numbers can get out of whack. Thursday wasn’t about him as much as it was about how the Rangers play. They’re careless. That must change.

If there’s an eye-opening statistic, it’s Shesterkin’s save percentage at even strength. It’s declining. When he won the Vezina in 2021-22, he posted an incredible .933 even strength save percentage. It went down to .925 in 2022-23. Last season, it fell to .918. Due in large part to his last two starts, it’s dropped to .906. The raw numbers are 27 goals on 288 shots.

Obviously, it’s a trend that has to change. There is little doubt that the Rangers will go as far as Shesterkin takes them. He needs help. Chytil touched on it. They have been far too sloppy. We’ll see if they can lock down against a younger and faster opponent that doesn’t mind trading chances.

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Rangers Must Play Up to Jets’ Level

Posted on November 12, 2024 by Derek

When the puck drops this evening at 33rd and 7th, the New York Rangers step up in competition when they host the Winnipeg Jets. The Jets boast a league best 14-1-0 record. It isn’t by accident.

Under former Rangers assistant Scott Arniel, they enter play with the top ranked offense. The Jets have outscored opponents 67-31. That includes 48-25 at even strength and 35-24 at five-on-five. Nobody has more comeback wins than the Jets. Half of the 14 wins have come when trailing. Five from two goals behind and two from a goal down. They’re outscoring opponents 25-9 in the third period. They’ve won all three games that have gone to overtime.

The Jets are also good in the first period, where they’ve outscored opponents 18-10. Starts have been an issue for the Rangers in recent games. They don’t want to fall behind early against a dangerous opponent. To their credit, they’ve done a good job by outscoring opponents 17-9 in the first period. The second has been problematic. The Buffalo Sabres exploded for four goals in a 6-1 blowout on Nov. 7.

The Rangers hold a slight 16-14 edge in goals during second periods. However, anyone that’s paid close attention knows that they’ve struggled mightily. Too often, goalies have bailed them out. On most nights, it’s Igor Shesterkin. When they defeated the Detroit Red Wings 4-0, it was Jonathan Quick who stifled 19 Red Wing shots in a lopsided second enroute to the 61st shutout of his career. Late in the period, Jimmy Vesey and Artemi Panarin provided crucial goals to help the Rangers pull away.

In that particular game last Saturday night, only two skaters finished with a Corsica rating of at least 50.0 or better. They were Panarin (50.0 CF) and Adam Fox (61.8 CF), who had arguably his best game of the season. Fox picked up two assists and saved a goal with a key stick check to deny Alex DeBrincat with a gaping net. Fox’s play has been uneven up to this point. Maybe his strong play will carry over. The Blueshirts need him to be the Adam Fox who’s been one of the game’s best defensemen. He enters tonight with 11 assists. The breakdown is six on the power play and five at even strength. Obviously, five-on-five is a key area they need more from the anchor of the defense.

Zibanejad’s Issues at Five on Five

Of all the Rangers’ stars, Mika Zibanejad hasn’t performed up to expectations. The 31-year-old first line center is being counted on by coach Peter Laviolette to provide consistent play at five-on-five. It hasn’t been there yet. Laviolette broke up his best scoring line to try to get Zibanejad going. He’ll again play with the Rangers’ top two forwards when Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere join him on the top line. It’s an experiment the coach is willing to see through. Zibanejad picked up a nice primary assist on Panarin’s team-leading ninth goal against the Red Wings. That’s a start. The trio have been on for one goal against. So, they’re even so far.

Prior to that assist, Zibanejad went the previous six games without a point at five-on-five. He tallied three assists in a 5-2 win over the New York Islanders on Nov. 3. One came early when he set up Chris Kreider for a shorthanded goal. The second came on a Panarin power-play goal. The third came when Panarin scored into an empty net. Prior to setting up Panarin this past Saturday, his last point at five-on-five came on Oct. 22. in a 7-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens.

If there’s an area he continues to excel at, it’s on the penalty kill where the Rangers rank first in the NHL at 91.1 percent. They’ve only allowed four power-play goals in 45 attempts. The tandem of Zibanejad and Kreider remain one of the league’s best shorthanded. As usual, Kreider leads the Blueshirts with two shorthanded goals. Nobody has scored more shorthanded than him since 2021-22. His 11 are the most in that span. He and Zibanejad have great chemistry together. It’s similar on the power play, with Zibanejad often finding Kreider in front for tip-ins. That’s probably why Zibanejad remains on the top unit.

From a five-on-five standpoint, Zibanejad and Kreider have been the weakest links. Laviolette stuck with them along with Reilly Smith for a while. The metrics were too hard to ignore. Although they were only outscored 4-3, that line was getting pinned in by opponents. According to Natural Stat Trick, they were outshot 62-44 for a 43.08 CF percentage (111-84). They were spending too much time in their zone. Something needed to change. Laviolette broke up Zibanejad and Kreider.

Trocheck’s Recent Struggles

Right now, Vincent Trocheck is playing with Kreider and Smith on the second line. Trocheck’s struggled recently. He had a team high five giveaways against Detroit a few days ago. His 28 are the most on the Rangers. To put it into perspective, he only totaled 36 all of last season. He’s still been good on faceoffs, winning 53.5 percent. Zibanejad has improved by winning 53.9. A welcome change from the 49.3 he posted in 2023-24. Sam Carrick actually leads the team with a 56.6 winning percentage (60-46). Filip Chytil still struggles on draws, going 54-and-81 (40.0 percent).

Miller and Trouba Not Working

There are other concerns. By reteaming Fox with Lindgren, Laviolette is once again relying on K’Andre Miller and Jacob Trouba as the shutdown pair. It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to see that whenever they’re teamed up, bad things tend to happen. Miller has a hard time skating backwards while Trouba is slow getting back. They also leave too many gaps in the middle of the ice, which allows for breakaways. Miller struggles at taking the right angles. On odd man rushes, Trouba will go down to the ice taking himself out of the play. A snow angel. Many players do it. It’s ineffective.

Given how much better he worked with Braden Schneider, who’s been the Rangers’ best defenseman, it would be wiser to have Trouba play with Schneider. Schneider proved that he’s capable of shifting over to the left side to play bigger minutes. He and Zac Jones have been the most consistent duo since Jones returned to the lineup. With Ryan Lindgren struggling thus far, what’s more important? Having a good third pair or improving the top four by moving up Schneider. There’s no reason for Laviolette to stick with the old pairs. They were better defensively before that.

Miller remains a frustrating player to watch. He’ll have active shifts where he plays more aggressively by using his size and strength to take players off the puck. Then, there’ll be shifts when he makes mistakes in coverage and on bad pinches. He is a strong puck possession player. However, he remains inconsistent. It also doesn’t help that his offense has disappeared. In the Rangers’ 14th game, he comes in with a goal and assist. For a defenseman with his skill, that shouldn’t be the case. Rookie Victor Mancini has four points in nine games. Jones has four assists in eight.

It wasn’t long ago that Miller established career bests in goals (9), assists (34), and points (43) in 2022-23 under former coach Gerard Gallant. That was only his third season. Miller produced 38 of his 43 points at even strength. In his first year under Laviolette, he finished with eight goals and 22 assists for 30 points. Twenty-eight of the 30 came at even strength. A disappointing second half has carried over. Miller is in a contract year. The 24-year-old remains a key to the season. It’s up to him to elevate his play.

Handling the Jets’ Offense

If they’re to be successful tonight, the Rangers will want to avoid the penalty box. The Jets’ offense ranks first on the power play. They’ve gone 18-for-43 for a league best 41.9 percent. That includes seven-for-14 on the road. Kyle Connor leads them with four power-play goals. Nik Ehlers and Cole Perfetti each have three. Neal Pionk and Alex Iafallo have two apiece.

The Jets have a very balanced attack. Eleven different skaters have at least 10 points. Connor and Mark Scheifele are tied for the team lead in scoring with 19 points. Ehlers has 16, followed by defenseman Josh Morrissey (16), and Pionk (14). With both Morrissey and Pionk contributing regularly, the Jets are getting plenty of offense from the blue line.

Perfetti and Gabe Vilardi are tied with 13 points. They’re part of a strong supporting cast which includes Nino Niederreiter, captain Adam Lowry, and Vladislav Namestnikov. Even former Ranger Morgan Barron plays a key defensive role for Winnipeg. He averages over 11 minutes per game.

The Blueshirts will need to defend well and come out of the neutral zone. They must establish a consistent forecheck. Something that’s been mostly absent from the current top six. It’s usually the bottom six that provide more offense. Chytil, Will Cuylle and Kaapo Kakko are coming off a rare bad game. They have good chemistry and should play a role in the outcome. Cuylle remains a strong forechecker due to his north-south physical style. He makes a difference.

If there was a bright spot in the win over the Red Wings, it was the play of Carrick, Vesey, and Adam Edstrom. They put together a strong shift that resulted in Carrick setting up Vesey for his first of the season. Since they’ve been together, there’s been a lot to like. They’re all good skaters who can get in on the cycle and make things happen.

Shesterkin Versus Hellebuyck

It looks like Igor Shesterkin will oppose Connor Hellebuyck. Despite Quick being the first goalie off at Monday’s practice, Peter Baugh of The Athletic reported that it will be Shesterkin.

https://twitter.com/Peter_Baugh/status/1856364867784966153

If that’s the case, Shesterkin will look to bounce back from allowing five goals on 12 shots in a 6-1 loss to the Sabres. He enters play with a 6-3-1 record with a 2.62 GAA and .920 save percentage. That goals against went way up from getting chased. Ditto for the save percentage, which fell way down.

Hellebuyck is the rating Vezina winner. He’s off to another great start. With an 11-1-0 record, he has a 1.83 GAA and .935 save percentage. His three shutouts lead the league. With 286 career wins, he’s 14 away from 300. The 31-year-old American is the best regular season goalie, winning two Vezinas. He’d like to improve on the postseason where he hasn’t gotten out of the first round since 2021. The last two years were colossal disappointments.

Unlike Hellebuyck, Shesterkin has performed well in recent postseasons by taking the Rangers to two Conference Finals appearances over the last three years. Hellebuyck did that for Winnipeg in 2018 as a 24-year-old.

It’s a matchup that pits the two best goalies against each other. The only difference is Hellebuyck took a discount to stay with the Jets. He has an $8.5 million cap hit. Shesterkin is looking to break the bank in a contract year. It looks like it’s $12 million or bust if the Rangers plan to keep him.

Hopefully, Shesterkin gets more support from his teammates. If he doesn’t, it could be a long night.

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Rangers Shutout Red Wings Thanks to Quick

Posted on November 10, 2024 by Derek

The Rangers keep winning hockey games. The recipe continues to be the same. Strong goaltending has carried them to nine wins in their first thirteen games. On Saturday night, it was Jonathan Quick who stopped all 37 shots to highlight a 4-0 win over the Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena. His brilliance in the net allowed him to record the 61st shutout of his career – tying Turk Broda for 18th on the all-time list. He’s three shy of tying Henrik Lundqvist (64).

It might have helped that they faced one of the league’s worst offenses. Detroit entered the game ranked 29th. After getting shutout, they now sit 30th out of 32 teams in goals per game (2.43) through Saturday, Nov. 9. The Red Wings also rank 30th in five-on-five goals with only 18.

Facing a defense that continues to struggle, they generated plenty of scoring chances in the first two periods. The Rangers gave up 12 high danger chances over the first 40 minutes according to Natural Stat Trick. It didn’t matter. Quick was there to bail out his teammates. He was on his game.

In his third start of the season and second versus the Red Wings, he turned them away repeatedly. In fact, he was at his best during the second period when Detroit fired away. He stopped all 19 shots, including seven high danger chances. When he wasn’t making acrobatic saves, the Red Wings were either missing the net or getting their shots blocked. As a team, they blocked 20 led by captain Jacob Trouba (7). It was a tough night for Trouba and defensive partner K’Andre Miller. They were hemmed in a lot. They were far from alone.

The Rangers had all sorts of trouble with Detroit’s speed. Almost immediately, Alex DeBrincat got an open shot right on Quick. In fact, the Red Wings got the game’s first three shots without much resistance. Patrick Kane also had a dangerous attempt go high and wide. Miller and Trouba were on for that shift. It wasn’t a strong night for Vincent Trocheck. Mika Zibanejad was no better. At least he finally recorded an even strength point, assisting on an Artemi Panarin goal late in the second period. Panarin scored his team-leading 10th from a near impossible angle. He remains the one constant. The Bread Man had a goal and assist in the victory.

There wasn’t a lot happening early on. The Rangers seemed to be a half step behind again. With Quick sharp, that allowed them to do what they do best. Take advantage of special teams. After Zibanejad drew a tripping minor on Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson, it took them only seven seconds to convert on the power play. On a set play, Panarin got the puck over for Adam Fox, who had his shot pass tipped in by Chris Kreider for his eighth of the season with 6:47 remaining. When Edvinsson left Kreider to shift over to Zibanejad, Ben Chiarot didn’t switch. That left Kreider to again burn another opponent with his great hand-eye coordination. Nobody is better at redirecting pucks for goals than him.

After failing to capitalize on a second man-advantage, they survived a couple of more Detroit opportunities. Marco Kasper’s tying bid was denied by Quick in the final minute to preserve a one-goal lead to the locker room.

The second was so lopsided, it made you wonder how the Red Wings didn’t break through. They either couldn’t or wouldn’t. If you watched each shift, it looked like an extended power play for the Winged Wheel. Leading scorer Lucas Raymond just missed on the opening shift. He has only one goal in the Red Wings’ first 14 games. Of course, that would happen the year I took him in our fantasy hockey league. After watching Detroit closely, I now understand why he isn’t scoring. At least he leads them in assists (12) and points (13).

For most of the period, the Red Wings applied so much pressure that it looked like it was a matter of time before they tied the game. On one extended shift, Mo Seider missed wide. With Zibanejad in no man’s land after failing to get the puck out, Edvinsson was all set up. But he didn’t get all of his shot, allowing Quick to make the clutch stop. He’d later shut the door on Vladimir Tarasenko. Talk about a declining player. He came in with only two goals. What’s happened to him? He still is five goals shy of 300. A player with his talent should be approaching 400 by now.

In between Quick making big save after big save, both teams were sloppy. There were a lot of turnovers. Each side finished with 20 giveaways. If anything was indicative of how bad the game was, Trocheck led all skaters with five. Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin had four. If they play similarly on Tuesday against the NHL best Winnipeg Jets, it’ll be a long night. The Jets improved to 14-1 by defeating the Stars 4-1 yesterday.

Detroit’s best opportunity came on the power play. With Ryan Lindgren off for high-sticking Christian Fischer, they kept the puck in for the entirety. That led to some excellent chances. After he stopped Raymond, Quick made big saves on Kane and Larkin. With the penalty killers tiring, Larkin was left alone in the right circle when he fired a pea that rang off the far goalpost. That close to tying it.

As usually happens when a team can’t score at one end, they get burned. DeBrincat was turned away on another point-blank chance at five-on-five. Quick also stopped Raymond again. He was the story. In three starts (all wins), he’s made 98 saves on 101 shots. If you include a relief appearance for Igor Shesterkin when he stopped nine of 10 shots against the Sabres, Quick has a miniscule 1.17 goals-against average (GAA), and .964 save percentage. He’s the best backup in the league for a reason.

Following all the near misses by the Red Wings, the Rangers got huge insurance from the fourth line. After a good offensive shift from the third line, Zac Jones pinched down to keep the play moving. He got the puck behind the net to Sam Carrick, who centered in front for an easy Jimmy Vesey finish past Ville Husso. That made it 2-0 with 3:08 left. It was Vesey’s first of the season. Since returning to the lineup, Jones continues to excel. He’s proving that he belongs. Coach Peter Laviolette has expanded his role to include manning the point on the second power play unit. It’s well deserved.

On the next shift, Zibanejad finally did something at five-on-five. On a forecheck, Alexis Lafreniere got the puck over to Zibanejad behind the net. He made a great feed across for an open Panarin, who somehow beat Husso from a sharp angle to make it 3-0. There wasn’t much wiggle room. Panarin made a great shot to give the Blueshirts two goals within a 48-second span.

But before the period concluded, the Red Wings kept coming. Desperate to get back in the game, they nearly pulled within two. But Seider had his shot go wide. Detroit missed 23 shots. They were the gang that couldn’t shoot straight.

After being outplayed by a wide margin, the Rangers were much better in the third period. They were able to forecheck more and force Husso to make some stops. Through 40 minutes, they managed only 14 shots. In the final 20, they had 10. It was a better effort.

In what became one of the most bizarre moments of the game, Trouba came out of the penalty box and got a clean breakaway. The Rochester, Michigan native opted for a slapshot. Husso made a good stick save to keep it out.

With Detroit still trailing 3-0, coach Derek Lalonde lifted Husso with over four minutes left in regulation. Of course, it backfired. Following a Trouba block, Fox moved the puck to Reilly Smith, whose long shot hit the empty net with 3:43 remaining to put the game out of reach.

Quick turned aside 10 more shots in the final period to get the shutout. He sure deserved it. Without him, there’s no victory.

The only other point to add is that the Red Wings are bad. They still don’t resemble a playoff team. They came close to making it last season. If they miss again, it might be time for Steve Yzerman to come under criticism. How much longer does he get? Not surprisingly, the Rangers swept the regular season series.

Now, it’s onto some real competition. If they don’t come out fast in two days, they’ll get blown out of Madison Square Garden. The Jets are explosive. Get ready for Shesterkin against rating Vezina winner Connor Hellebuyck.

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Bad Trend Can’t Continue for Rangers

Posted on November 9, 2024 by Derek

When the New York Rangers visit the Detroit Red Wings later tonight, they’ll bring an 8-3-1 record into the match. For the most part, there isn’t much to complain about. They’ve banked 17 of a possible 24 points through the first dozen games. However, it hasn’t been all positive.

In the 6-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Nov. 7, the defense struggled mightily. Combined with substandard goaltending from the normally unflappable Igor Shesterkin (5 GA on 12 shots) and it was a predictable result. With Kevin Weekes tweaking followers on Twitter with an $11.5 million question mark in a post, fans wondered if a new deal was imminent. It doesn’t appear so. Instead, Shesterkin gave up a bad goal to Rasmus Dahlin 26 seconds in on Thursday night. He also couldn’t stop Dylan Cozens’ shot from distance in the second period.

While it was his worst performance of the season, he didn’t get much help from his defense. A much-maligned blue line that’s been underperforming.

K’Andre Miller tops the list. For a player who’s trusted by the coaching staff to play important minutes at five-on-five, he hasn’t gotten off to a good start. There’s been too many instances when he’s made the wrong decision. Whether it’s making an overaggressive pinch that causes an odd man rush or taken the wrong route defensively, he hasn’t performed up to expectations.

Despite positive metrics that include a 54.46 Corsi rating, Miller has been on for nine goals against at five-on-five. The Rangers have scored seven goals at five-on-five with him on. A fifth-year player, the 24-year-old from Saint Paul, Minnesota is playing for a new contract. He’s earning $4.65 million on the final year of a bridge deal. His current cap hit is $3.87 million. He’ll turn 25 in January.

When they started the season without Ryan Lindgren, Rangers coach Peter Laviolette decided to try Miller on the top pair with Adam Fox. They produced mixed results. Miller and Fox spent more time in the offensive zone, which was a plus. But there were also some mix-ups in coverage that led to opponents scoring goals. While you could make the argument that they’ve created more offense together, neither has played up to expectations.

Fox has been a little better. According to Natural Stat Trick, he’s been on for 10 goals for and 8 goals against at five-on-five. Similar to Miller, he’s made some mistakes defensively. He’s looked a half-step behind compared to last season. With nine assists in 12 games, he’s still the Rangers’ best offensive defenseman. However, five of the nine apples have come on the power play. That means Fox has only produced four points at even strength. That won’t get it done. He must be better in that area.

Laviolette went back to the old pairs when the Rangers defeated the New York Islanders 5-2 on Nov. 3. Lindgren was back with Fox and Miller was reunited with Jacob Trouba. In that game, Lindgren and Fox were on for one goal for and one goal against with a negative CF rating. They gave up three more shots against and three high danger chances. They also generated three high danger chances for.

Miller and Trouba struggled. They allowed one goal against and were pinned in their end. Miller had a 33.33 CF and Trouba had a 32.35 CF. The only pair who held their own was Zac Jones and Braden Schneider. They were on for one goal for and each were right around 50.0 CF. Long story short, Shesterkin bailed the Blueshirts out by making 35 saves.

Unlike the previous two games, including a lopsided 2-1 win over the Ottawa Senators on Nov.1, the one against the Sabres was a bit different. The Rangers only gave up three high danger chances and played on even terms through two periods despite trailing 5-0. Shesterkin had a bad game. There also were defensive breakdowns. Especially in the Sabres’ four-goal second period that all but sealed the victory.

Both Fox and Lindgren were effective at five-on-five, finishing with CF ratings better than 70 percent. However, they were on for two Sabres’ goals. The first came when Dahlin beat Shesterkin with an unscreened wrist shot five-hole. Neither was at fault. The second came when Lindgren lost a battle in the corner, with Jason Zucker finding Jordan Greenway for a tap-in that made it 4-0. That was mostly on Lindgren, who looked slow. Fox was late to Greenway.

It was a rough game for Miller and Trouba. Despite only being outshot 8-6 while together, they each finished a minus-three. On Cozens’ goal that made it 2-0, Miller failed to win a board battle. He then lost his stick, which led to Zach Benson feeding Cozens for a shot from the left circle that went high glove on Shesterkin. Mika Zibanejad didn’t provide any help either. He stood and watched instead of switching back onto Cozens.

On the next goal scored by Tage Thompson, that was a simple case of Reilly Smith not marking Thompson. It was a play in transition with both Miller and Trouba back in coverage. Smith was a step behind. That allowed J.J. Peterka to pass the puck over for Thompson for a blast upstairs that made it 3-0.

Following Greenway’s tally, Sam Lafferty finished off a Beck Malenstyn dish across to make it 5-0. The real issue started in the neutral zone. Rookie Adam Edstrom was beaten badly by Peyton Krebs to create an odd man rush. Krebs then fed Malenstyn, who had a two-on-one down low. A sliding Trouba took himself out of the play, leading to Malenstyn’s pass for Lafferty, who patiently tucked a backhand in to chase Shesterkin from the game.

It’s these types of glaring mistakes that the Rangers must cut down on. They’ve won eight games mostly due to the brilliant play of Shesterkin. Jonathan Quick has also performed well by winning two games. He’s stopped 70 of 74 shots. That’s too many allowed. In Shesterkin’s 10 starts, the Rangers are giving up 31.1 shots per game. They need to tighten up defensively.

When Laviolette’s heaping praise on Jones and Schneider on an off day, that speaks volumes. He isn’t getting enough consistency from his top defensemen. It’s also worth noting that when Trouba was paired with Schneider at the beginning of the season, they were better together. Schneider proved that he could effectively play his off side. He deserves a top four role.

While most critics believe it should be at the expense of Trouba, I’m not one of them. I think Miller’s been the worst defenseman. With only a goal and assist with a disappointing -1 rating, he hasn’t played up to capability. You can cite any metrics you want. It is lazy. Watch each shift. Miller dragged Fox down when they were together. It didn’t take long for Trouba to revert once Laviolette put Miller back on the second pair. Miller has been the common denominator. If he struggles again tonight, he deserves a seat in the press box.

In seven games so far, Lindgren has had issues. There’s no question he’s still trying to find his timing. He isn’t the best skater. He’s known for winning battles due to his grit and physicality. He usually makes smart pinches to keep plays alive. It’s the lack of footspeed that’s a growing concern. We saw him get beaten badly by Zucker in the corner for a goal on Thursday night. That can’t happen.

Nobody will ever question Lindgren’s battle level. He always brings it. No. 55 is similar to a popular former No. 5. Dan Girardi played the same taxing style. Eventually, he wore down. Belligerent fans targeted him. He was unfairly blamed for the Rangers losing to the Los Angeles Kings for the Stanley Cup in 2014. All they see is that giveaway in overtime which led to Justin Williams’ Game 1 winner. It doesn’t work that way. That was a very winnable series. Former coach Alain Vigneault chose to sit back in the third periods of both Games 1 and 2. It proved costly.

I don’t want to see Lindgren get the same irrational hate that Girardi received. It’s approaching that level. He’s on a one-year deal that pays him $4.5 million. It remains uncertain what his future is. Lindgren can become an unrestricted free agent next summer. If he continues to struggle, then he probably won’t be back. The guy is a warrior. That deserves respect. The Rangers don’t make two Conference Finals without him.

Mancini To Sit Out Again

Victor Mancini is expected to sit out a third consecutive game. He’s been a nice story. With a goal and three assists in nine games, the 22-year-old defenseman has proven that he has a bright future. If he isn’t going to play, it would be wise if the organization sent him down to the Hartford Wolf Pack. But who would come up? Matthew Robertson is off to a good start. Do they consider it or wait? We’ll see.

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Devils starting to hit their stride?

Posted on November 8, 2024 by hasan4978

It’s taken me a while to write, in part because I need to find my motivation back for blogging November game or week recaps, and in part because I just haven’t watched much lately for one reason or another – after attending our get-well 6-2 win against the Ducks which ended a four game losing streak almost two weeks ago, I actually missed most of the Hughes showdown last Wednesday being compelled to watch the end of the World Series, even though it wasn’t my team involved and I clicked the channel immediately after the final out. By that time, the Devils were up 5-0 and the rout was already on anyway.

I could have watched Friday and did see the latter part of the game – but I figured the letdown was coming since we haven’t handled prosperity well in recent years. Sure enough, a flat performance could only be masked by a strong game by Jacob Markstrom so long before the dam finally broke late in the third with three Flames goals, spoiling what could have been an increasingly rare 0-0 regulation tie. Of course, the Devils were outshot and dominated for much of the game so the result was pretty deserved.

Still, the Canada Coast trip proved to be a successful one as the Devils shutdown a McDavid-less Oilers 3-0 on Monday. I just didn’t want to attempt to stay up late for that game so I saw none of it, given it was already going to be a lot of trouble for me to sleep this week as it was battling the effects of a sore throat/cold since Saturday night. Two shutouts by two different goalies on the trip (Jake Allen played this game while Markstrom played the 6-0 party night in Vancouver) with strong goaltending performances in all at least put the 22 goals allowed in the previous four games before the Duck win firmly in the rear view mirror – for the moment.

Things have been going so well defensively that second-year pro Simon Nemec hasn’t been able to get back into the lineup and was inevitably sent back down to Utica once the team returned from the Canada Coast. Seems like he’s never really recovered from that shoulder injury he received playing for his country before camp. At least he’ll get to play bigger minutes and in all situations there…although things are currently a mess in Utica where the team’s lost its first nine games and AHL coach Kevin Dineen just got sacked.

https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1854283334500938123

One of my main pet peeves of the latter Lou years was how he let Albany/Lowell become neglected with the farm team Devils constantly among the bottom feeders in the AHL and that seems to be happening again now. Not that winning in the AHL is important per se – but being somewhat competitive helps develop the prospects you do have down there. Tom Fitzgerald can pick all the goalies he wants every draft, but if Nico Daws and Isaac Poulter keep getting pumped full of goals and red lights night after night, how does that help their development exactly? <end rant>

Thankfully there isn’t nearly as much to rant about with the big club after wins in four of their last five, culminating in a 5-3 home win against the Canadiens last night – which was probably a bit sloppier behind the blue line than it was during the trip, but at least the offense fully came to life again led by the newly formed trio of Peanut Butter and Jelly, which I guess is code for Palat, Bratt and Jack (Hughes) – a trio that’s finally gotten Bratt and Hughes fully unlocked this season while the vet has found new life with the younger stars.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t concerned with Ondrej Palat’s lost in the woods start to the season after a disappointing first two seasons in red and white, though I did think the whole scratch him rhetoric was a bit over the top. That wasn’t going to happen ten games into the season with almost three years left on his contract, especially when your in-house alternative is usually one of Kurtis MacDermid (who granted has been something of a good luck charm since he started playing more regularly) or Nathan Bastian. I can’t really claim that two goals and an assist in his last five games is great, but it’s certainly leaps and bounds over the one assist and -7 his first ten games of the season which engendered the panic.

More importantly than Palat’s own production has been the complement he is to the skill and flair of Bratt and Hughes, doing the lunchpail work on the line that hasn’t gone unsung by his teammates:

https://twitter.com/InStilettos_NHL/status/1854945510794129760

I was also concerned about Hughes’ early start following a disappointing last few months of 2023-24 but he’s certainly turned it up a notch himself in recent games with a more Hughes-like four goals and ten points in his last eight games, including a three-point outburst in last night’s up and down game against the Habs. The PB & J line led the way in the Devils’ dominant first period with Bratt and Palat each scoring (even before Hughes also scored his own goal in the third period), but the rest of the night was full with a lot of catch-up suspense as the Habs pulled to within one three times before Bratt’s second of the night into an empty net finally sealed the two points late in the third period.

Although sixteen games into the season, the Devils scoring leaders look more normal than they did after 8-10 games (even if Nico Hischier leading the team by a bit with ten goals is a mild surprise), you can still see the contributions from the role players with Stefan Noesen still off to a strong start with six goals and thirteen points, along with Paul Cotter having six goals and ten points and Erik Haula’s four goals and nine points all chipping in from mostly the back six.

Defensively, Jonas Siegenthaler and Jonathan Kovacevic have become the most unlikely first pairing on a seemingly good team since…maybe Mike Mottau and Colin White? Siegs’ place in the lineup was thought to be on thin ice after a disappointing 2023-24, while Kovacevic was supposed to be the odd man out of the rotation before Brett Pesce came to camp still rehabbing and Luke Hughes got hurt in the offseason. Their absence until the last few weeks has proven to be Kovacevic’s gain (and for the moment, Nemec’s loss since ultimately when Pesce and Hughes returned, it was Nemec’s spot that Kovacevic wound up winning).

When it comes to Pesce and Hughes themselves, it isn’t really a coincidence the D’s played a lot better since their return. After all, the previous two games before they came back into the lineup the Devils allowed fourteen goals in two games. Since then, they’ve allowed fifteen non empty-net goals in the seven games they’ve played and that includes a couple of meh performances by Markstrom (last night and a 5-3 loss in Detroit a couple weeks ago). Granted, there were also games where the goaltending picked up the D on an off night since they were outshot both games in Alberta by a significant margin, but it’s nice to at least have a chance to stop a potential onslaught.

Next task ahead for the Devils? Actually cement a three-game winning streak on the Island tomorrow night, the long winning streak has been a bit elusive for us the last couple seasons so sustaining a good run would be nice, especially with the big teams in our division (maybe even including a resurgent Caps!) all off to strong starts themselves. Don’t really want to have a playoff spot come down to the wild card chase but with the Canes and Rangers already cemented contenders and the aforementioned Caps looking like a threat, it won’t be easy to avoid the muck. At least for now the level of play is getting better with a reasonably healthy roster, and that’s all you can ask for this point in the season.

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