Blueshirts Have a Cuylle Emerging Power Forward

Posted on November 22, 2024 by Derek

When former team president and general manager Jeff Gorton acquired a 2020 second round pick from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for Lias Andersson, nobody knew what the return would be. As it turned out, the New York Rangers made a great selection by taking Will Cuylle with the number 60 pick.

In 2021-22, Cuylle helped lead the Windsor Spitfires to the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Finals. On a team that featured future Stars 2021 first round pick Wyatt Johnston, the Spitfires went 44-17-0-7 under former Ranger Marc Savard. Johnston led the Spitfires in goals (46) and points (124). Cuylle ranked second in goals with 43 and third in points with 80. In the postseason, he paced Windsor in goals (15) and ranked second behind Johnston (14-27-41) in scoring with 31 points.

That same year, he also represented Canada at the World Junior Championships (WJC). He posted two goals and two assists in seven games. Cuylle also racked up 25 penalty minutes.

A feisty player who indicated that he patterned his game after Washington Capitals power forward Tom Wilson, the Toronto native spent his first pro season with the Hartford Wolf Pack in the American Hockey League (AHL). In 2022-23, he had a team-high 25 goals and added 20 assists for 45 points to rank second in team scoring behind Jonny Brodzinski (21-27-48). In the Calder Cup Playoffs, Cuylle had two goals and an assist over nine games. At 21, he was done playing in the AHL.

Cuylle Makes Good First Impression

Following a strong training camp, Cuylle made a good first impression on Rangers coach Peter Laviolette. He liked Cuylle’s bite to his game. In his rookie season, he carved out a secondary role on a roster that featured established stars Artemi Panarin, Adam Fox, Igor Shesterkin, Mika Zibanejad, and Chris Kreider. Cuylle spent most of 2023-24 playing on the third line. Despite not always receiving a lot of ice time, he scored 13 goals and added eight assists for a total of 21 points in 81 games. It was the gritty Cuylle who paced the Blueshirts in hits (249). His 56 penalty minutes ranked fourth on the team.

On a club that won the Presidents’ Trophy, Cuylle played in all 16 games in the postseason. He had a goal and assist along with 46 hits. Most notably, Cuylle was a plus-3. He proved to be a dependable forward in his own zone. Perhaps Laviolette took notice.

Cuylle Emerges in Second Year

In his second year, Cuylle has quickly emerged for the Blueshirts. While continuing to play on a cohesive third line that until recently had featured Filip Chytil and Kaapo Kakko, he has seven goals and eight assists for 15 points in his first 18 games.

With another goal on Thursday night against the Calgary Flames in a 3-2 loss, Cuylle is tied with Alexis Lafreniere for third in team scoring. He ranks fourth in goals and is second behind Panarin in even strength points with 15 (7-8-15). Cuylle is leading the Rangers with 75 hits. Vincent Trocheck is second with 65. On a roster that isn’t known for its physicality, the six-foot three, 211-pound left wing supplies the energy. He also has been defensively responsible with his plus-13 rating tied with defenseman Braden Schneider for the team lead.

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More often than not, you notice Cuylle during shifts. He makes things happen due to his tenacious style. A good skater who never passes up an opportunity to finish a check, Cuylle is very effective on the forecheck. His size and strength creates space for his linemates. It’s a big reason for the third line’s success. Before an upper-body injury prevented Chytil from playing the last three games, the trio of Cuylle, Chytil, and Kakko had outscored opponents 11-0. Their unique blend of skill, speed, and strength has made them a key factor to the Rangers’ 12-5-1 start.

While the big scoring line of Panarin, Trocheck, and Lafreniere gets most of the ink, no line has been more consistent than Cuylle, Chytil, and Kakko. Even with Brodzinski filling in, they’ve had some success. However, they miss Chytil’s explosiveness and creativity.

In a game when they were badly outplayed, Cuylle was exactly where he needed to be on the Rangers’ game-tying goal last night. He followed up a Lafreniere goal by tipping in a K’Andre Miller shot past Flames rookie netminder Dustin Wolf. He does his best work in front. He continues to excel at driving to the net. That’s a big reason for his growth as a player. With seven goals, he’s on pace to score a lot more than the 13 he debuted with last season.

Developing Into a Leader

For a second-year player who’s only 22, Cuylle doesn’t shy away from speaking his mind. Following the Rangers’ 3-2 loss to the Flames, he referenced their bad start. Noting that they weren’t good in the first period, which echoed his coach in the postgame, he emphasized that the team plays best when they keep it simple and recover pucks.

That would be making smarter puck decisions and managing the game. There’s been too many instances where they haven’t played up to their standards. MSG studio analyst Steve Valiquette was quick to point out how off the Rangers’ passing was between the defensemen and forwards. As a result, the Flames were much faster and attacked at will. For the game, they outshot the Rangers 49-29. That included 20-5 in a lopsided first period. Shesterkin did enough to keep them in it. He turned aside 46 of 49 shots in the defeat.

If there’s one takeaway early, it’s that Cuylle is good at assessing things. For a young player to have that quality, it shows a lot of maturity. He won’t turn 23 until next Feb. 5. On an experienced team that has plenty of veterans including captain Jacob Trouba, Cuylle is developing into a leader. It’s not only what he says but how he goes about doing it.

A Bright Future

As he continues to progress, Cuylle has a bright future. Maybe the comparisons to Wilson aren’t too far off. He’s a tough player who’s willing to go into battle. He’s already making a dramatic improvement in the scoring department. If he can keep it up, there’s no question that Cuylle will be a key to the Rangers’ season.

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Rangers Outworked by Flames in Frustrating Loss

Posted on November 22, 2024 by Derek

“We got outworked. They were better than us in the first.”-Rangers coach Peter Laviolette

To hear coach Peter Laviolette say it, the Rangers were outworked by the Flames in a frustrating 3-2 loss at Scotiabank Saddledome in snowy Calgary on Thursday night. He wasn’t in a very talkative mood following the one-goal defeat. Still irked by a call that went against them, with Toronto ruling that there wasn’t a hand pass on a Yegor Sharangovich power-play goal which made it 2-0 Flames, Laviolette didn’t understand how the ruling by the league.

“He opened up his hand to play the puck. He goes to grab it, and it bats off of his hand and goes right to their player. It got called dead two more times in the game – the exact same plays.”

Laviolette was referring to Jonathan Huberdeau. Sharangovich chipped a backhand pass in the direction of Huberdeau, who went to glove it down. Instead, the puck deflected off him. Coronato then retrieved the puck behind the net, came out and centered for a Sharangovich one-timer that Igor Shesterkin had no chance on.

It was a good coach’s challenge by Laviolette. At the time, his team had nothing going. Up to that point, they’d been badly outplayed by the faster Flames. His contention was that Huberdeau opened his hand. While he was correct, the way they ruled on the play made sense. The puck missed his hand and deflected off him. That’s why they upheld the goal.

Having a tough call go against them isn’t why they lost. Will Cuylle summed it up best. “We weren’t doing anything right in the first. We were pretty bad.”

He also spoke at length about when they’re most effective. That would be when they’re moving their feet and generating shots off the forecheck. There wasn’t much of that. In fact, the Flames led 30-9 in shots at one point in the second period. Shot attempts were lopsided. It wasn’t until the second half of the game that they started to get some traction.

Alexis Lafreniere put in a rebound of a Jacob Trouba point shot with Vincent Trocheck screening Flames goalie Dustin Wolf in front. Trocheck didn’t pick up a point on the goal. But it was his grunt work that allowed Lafreniere to score his eighth, cutting the deficit in half with 3:23 left in the second.

On the very next shift, it took only 16 seconds for Cuylle to tie it up with his seventh. After a faceoff win from Kaapo Kakko, who Laviolette shifted to center – a diving Adam Fox got a shot off that rebounded back to K’Andre Miller. He took a point shot that Cuylle redirected past Wolf to suddenly make it 2-2 with 3:07 remaining.

Chris Kreider nearly had the go-ahead goal on a two-on-one with Reilly Smith. Smith skated in and made a nice cross-ice pass for Kreider. But he flubbed the shot with a few seconds to go in the period. It was the only real scoring chance Kreider had. He and Mika Zibanejad were a nightmare. Along with Smith, they were outshot 11-0 at five-on-five. At least Smith had a shot hit the goalpost. He was more active during shifts than his linemates.

If not for the play of Shesterkin, the Rangers would have been blown out of the building. He stood on his head for most of the game. He was peppered by a relentless Flames’ attack. They held a 20-5 edge in shots during a one-sided first period. He certainly held up his end of the bargain. Shesterkin stopped 46 of 49 shots for the game. It was far too many.

The Flames got on the scoreboard first. On a play in the corner, Mikael Backlund won a loose puck from Zibanejad. He then sent MacKenzie Weegar out of the zone. Weegar moved the puck for Sharangovich, who dropped it for a Coronato shot through traffic that Shesterkin didn’t pick up. Coronato’s sixth gave the Flames a 1-0 lead at 7:26. Sharangovich drove to the net, with Braden Schneider back. That made it tough on Shesterkin.

Aside from taking a tripping minor, Shesterkin was the only reason the Flames weren’t ahead by more. He stopped 19 of 20 shots to keep his team within striking distance.

The start of the second was even worse. The Flames kept coming in waves without any resistance. They quickly got off six shots in just over three minutes. They used their speed in transition and fired from everywhere. That was the strategy. To hear Rangers color analyst Joe Micheletti describe it, they peppered Shesterkin. He kept making big saves.

In between the Flames’ barrage, Wolf stopped Lafreniere. A bit later, Smith had a one-timer ring off the goalpost. That was it for the “first line.” So much for riding momentum.

Artemi Panarin took a slashing minor on Martin Pospisil. With the Flames on a five-on-four, they doubled up. Huberdeau had the puck deflect off his glove. He moved it over for Coronato, who then fed an open Sharangovich for the power-play goal. Laviolette took his time before initiating the challenge. After a couple of minutes, they ruled that it wasn’t a hand pass. The goal counted. The Rangers were penalized for delay of game. Laviolette voiced his displeasure with the decision.

On the following Calgary power play, Shesterkin made a big save on Huberdeau. That allowed the Rangers to hand around long enough to make it a game.

They began to build some momentum thanks to a strong shift from the second line. Lafreniere, Panarin, and Trocheck spent some time in the Flames’ zone, leading to some chances. That included Trocheck testing Wolf, who made a nice save. On their next shift together, Lafreniere got off a good wrist shot that Wolf stopped. It was a hint of what was to come.

On a third straight shift in the Calgary end, they finally got one past Wolf. After he stopped Panarin earlier, Ryan Lindgren got the puck over for a Trouba shot that rebounded right to Lafreniere for his third goal in the last five games. Trocheck distracted Wolf just enough for Lafreniere to get the Rangers within one. Before they could exhale, the Flames took a timeout to see if they could challenge the play. However, they decided against it. Maybe that timeout should’ve been to regroup.

Sixteen seconds later, the gritty Cuylle tipped in a Miller shot past Wolf to tie the score. It’s his consistent play that’s stood out. On a team that lacks many glue guys who’ll get the jersey dirty, the second-year forward is that guy. He makes things happen. Whether it’s using his speed to outhustle opponents, or a jarring hit like the one he later delivered on Connor Zary which drew the ire of Blake Coleman, or scoring a dirty goal, Cuylle is the heart of this team. He is the budding power forward who’ll replace Kreider.

In the third, Coleman lost an edge and tripped up Shesterkin behind his net. That put the Rangers on the power play. As usual, the top unit was too deliberate. They accomplished very little. The second unit came on and right away Zac Jones got a shot right on Wolf. It came off a Kakko faceoff win. Kakko was excellent on draws, winning 6-of-9. Off another won offensive draw, Smith had a one-timer in the right circle denied by Wolf. It was a huge save. Wolf really came up big in the third. He made 10 of his 27 saves in the period.

Sometimes, Trocheck runs his mouth a little too much. Still upset over the failed challenge of a hand pass, he was given an unsportsmanlike conduct minor. Fortunately, the penalty kill bailed him out. Shesterkin only made one save. Cuylle used his strength on the boards to get a big clear. It was another example of what he brings. He later outhustled a Flame to negate an icing.

On what was a frustrating sequence, Weegar and Huberdeau combined to get the puck up for Zary. He gained the Rangers’ zone and moved in and beat Shesterkin short side to put the Flames up 3-2 with 9:25 left in regulation. Kakko hustled back to challenge Zary, who still managed to get the shot off. He caught Shesterkin leaning. It was a good shot.

That was enough for the Flames to win. They seized control afterward. The Rangers didn’t spend enough time in the offensive zone. Laviolette double shifted the Panarin line. It wasn’t enough to find offense.

Eventually, Shesterkin was pulled for an extra attacker. Twice, Calgary missed empty nets. First, Coronato sent a shot that hit the side of the net for a faceoff. With less than 40 seconds remaining, Huberdeau had a wide-open shot that he somehow hit the goalpost on. I don’t know how he missed. At least he recorded his 500th career assist on the game-winner. He’s had a good career. It was better with Florida.

Despite the Flames being unable to score on an empty net, the Rangers ran out of time. They got what they deserved. Now, it’s onto Edmonton for a Hockey Night In Canada.

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Montgomery Became Fall Guy for Bruins’ Poor Start

Posted on November 21, 2024 by Derek

Ask any sports fan about the business. It can be cruel. In the Boston Bruins case, a good man lost his job due to their poor start. On Tuesday, Jim Montgomery was relieved of head coaching duties by general manager Don Sweeney. He was replaced by assistant coach Joe Sacco.

It wasn’t that long ago that under Montgomery, the Bruins set an NHL record by winning the Presidents’ Trophy in 2022-23 with the most wins (65) and points (135) in a regular season. That team was upset by the Florida Panthers in the first round of the postseason. They fell in a crushing seven-game series, which included losing the deciding game in overtime.

Last season, they went 47-20-15 to again win the Atlantic Division. After eliminating the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round, they were ousted in six games by the Panthers in the second round. The Panthers went on to win the Stanley Cup.

As disappointing as it was, Montgomery did a great job. The Bruins lost former captain Patrice Bergeron and to retirement. David Krejci also retired from the NHL to return home. He still found a way to create enough offense with centers Charlie Coyle and Pavel Zacha. Both set career highs in points. David Pastrnak followed up a 61-goal, 113-point season with 47 goals and 110 points. Brad Marchand took over as captain – posting 29 goals and 38 assists. Trent Frederic and Morgan Geekie became key cogs. Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark continued to form the NHL’s best goalie duo.

They all bought in. Unfortunately, the Bruins weren’t as good as the Panthers. A championship team that was deeper. It wasn’t surprising that they lost. It still took some great goaltending from Sergei Bobrovsky to lead the Panthers to a hard fought second round victory.

After losing Jake DeBrusk and Matt Grzelcyk to free agency, the Bruins moved on from Ullmark by trading him to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Joonas Korpisalo, Mark Kastelic, and a 2024 first round pick. They signed veteran defenseman Nikita Zadorov to a six-year contract worth $30 million. They also spent big on center Elias Lindholm, giving him a hefty seven-year deal worth a $7.75 cap hit. They overpaid a good player who’ll turn 30 on Dec. 2. Yikes.

Through 20 games, the results haven’t been up to par. Following a 5-1 blowout loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Nov. 18, practice was cancelled. It was an indication that Montgomery had coached his last game for the Bruins. They were 8-9-3 when Sweeney made the decision to name Sacco interim coach.

It didn’t help that Swayman held out for a new contract, missing all of training camp. Team President Cam Neely went public with the negotiations, which created a firestorm. It was an unnecessary distraction. Eventually, they anted up by paying Swayman an $8.25 million cap hit through 2032. What was the point of waiting so long to get their starter signed? They downgraded by acquiring Korpisalo. Somewhat predictably, Swayman has underperformed. In 14 starts, he’s 5-7-2 with a 3.47 goals-against-average and .884 save percentage. Nobody has allowed more goals (47) than him this season.

So far, the Bruins rank 27th in goals against and 28th in offense. Aside from Pastrnak and Marchand, none of the top three centers have come close to expectations. Coyle has four goals and is a minus-10. Zacha has three goals and four assists. Lindholm has two goals and seven assists. John Beecher, Colin Koepke, Justin Brazeau, and Kastelic have performed well in secondary roles.

Even top defenseman Charlie McAvoy hasn’t played his best hockey. With key defenseman Hampus Lindholm on the injured reserve, the blue line is thin. They’re relying heavily on McAvoy, Zadorov, and Brandon Carlo.

With 19 points, the Bruins sit only two points behind the Buffalo Sabres for the second wildcard. The Eastern Conference isn’t strong. Especially in the mediocre Atlantic Division. If the Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs are locks, nobody else is guaranteed to make the playoffs. The Tampa Bay Lightning have been alright so far. They’re third in the Atlantic. They do miss Steven Stamkos on the power play. But Anthony Cirelli has stepped up. Stamkos isn’t exactly lighting it up in Nashville.

If the Washington Capitals are for real, they’ll have to prove it without Alex Ovechkin. He was off to a torrid start with 15 goals before sustaining a leg injury in an incidental collision with Jack McBain on Nov. 18. He’s week-to-week. The Carolina Hurricanes and New York Rangers will once again be playing hockey next spring. The improved New Jersey Devils look like they belong. The Capitals look like a better team than last year.

The Bruins should be able to compete for a playoff spot with bubble teams. That includes the Lightning, Capitals, Sabres, Flyers, and either the Senators or Red Wings. Detroit remains underwhelming. Ottawa has a better roster. But they remain a question mark.

It still is ridiculous how they mishandled a good man in Montgomery. Nobody had a better record than Montgomery since taking over behind the Boston bench in 2022-23. In 184 games, the Bruins lost only 41 times in regulation. He went 120-41-23. Despite winning the Jack Adams and having a remarkable record, he lost his job due to a bad start in Year 3.

It’s mystifying. Montgomery always handled himself with class. When his team was upset by the Panthers, he answered every question following the crushing Game 7 defeat. He was accountable. He’s a good man. It won’t be long before he lands on his feet. Considering how mediocre the league is, there are a few possible spots he could land.

Maybe the Bruins organization should look in the mirror and put the blame where it belongs.

The arrogance is unbelievable. Sweeney is responsible for the roster. Neely is an egomaniac. If the Bruins fail to qualify for the postseason, it would serve as a lesson. They couldn’t wait to get rid of Montgomery. A well-respected coach who the players loved.

“Very disappointing day. Also very frustrating. This is a reflection of our play. It was avoidable. I think that’s the tough part about this. If we would have done our job in here, he’d still be around. We feel terrible as a group. Individually, that we let a really good coach and a really good person down. And not just the affect it has on him. But on his family,” Marchand told reporters.

“We haven’t played to the standard that we need to. The standard that we’ve come to expect. That the management expects. That the fans expect and deserve. When you don’t play to expectations and to the level that we’re capable of doing, it’s not the expectation you want to reach. We haven’t played to our abilities. Things like this happen. Unfortunately, people have to take the fall. That’s what happened.”

Sacco takes over for Montgomery. It’ll be his second opportunity behind the bench. He’ll try to do better than he did when he coached the Colorado Avalanche. They only made the postseason once in four seasons (2009-10 thru 2012-13). He has a career record of 130-134-30.

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Rangers’ Strong Third Period Enough to Handle Canucks

Posted on November 20, 2024 by Derek

By their own admission, it wasn’t their best game. A strong third period was enough for the Rangers to defeat the Canucks 4-3 at Rogers Arena. Chris Kreider’s ninth goal with 9:17 left in regulation was the game-winner.

Mika Zibanejad made a nice play at the Vancouver blue line to keep the puck alive. After receiving a Zibanejad feed, Reilly Smith found an open Kreider down low where he beat Arthurs Silovs with a quick snapshot. It was a well-executed passing play from the first line that came at the right time. They had a little more impact on the win. Zibanejad finished with a goal and assist.

They prevailed despite falling behind early again. With the Canucks skating without J.T. Miller, they wasted no time taking the lead on the opening shift. On a cycle started by Elias Pettersson, Filip Hronek slid the puck over to Quinn Hughes, who then came out and went around Jacob Trouba before whipping a backhand past Igor Shesterkin. The goal came only 34 seconds into the game.

Aside from Trouba going down on the goal, there was no forward in the middle of the ice to help out. Zibanejad, Kreider, and Smith were out of the play completely. The number one line made up for it by evening the game up on their next shift.

On an offensive draw won by Zibanejad, Adam Fox set up a K’Andre Miller point shot that Zibanejad redirected off a Canucks player past Silovs at 2:31. It was a good faceoff play. Zibanejad now has a pair of goals over his last three games. Most notable was the assist for Miller. It was his first point in 12 games. His last one came on Oct. 19 against the Maple Leafs.

In a first period where they spent more time in the Vancouver zone, the Rangers could only manage a draw. Part of the reason for that was the play of Silovs. He made some good saves to keep his team in it. The Rangers outshot the Canucks 15-9. Despite dominating most of the play at even strength, they allowed two goals off the rush.

That included Igor Shesterkin letting in a bad goal to Kiefer Sherwood that tied it back up with under three minutes left in the period. He fought the puck most of the night. Shesterkin’s inconsistent play has seen him let in stoppable shots. After a great start to the season, he’s been up and down in November. In six starts, he has a 3.27 goals-against-average and .896 save percentage. At least he’s won four of the six games this month.

You could make the argument that Jonathan Quick has outplayed Shesterkin. However, he’s had a much lighter workload. Quick posted his second consecutive shutout by making 24 saves in a 2-0 win over the Kraken on Nov. 17. Peter Laviolette could’ve stuck with Quick for Tuesday night’s game. He decided against it. With no back-to-backs until after Thanksgiving, it’ll be interesting to see if Laviolette plays Shesterkin in both Calgary and Edmonton over the next three days.

In a tie hockey game, the Rangers went on the power play. After the top unit hardly did anything, out came the second unit. Will Cuylle has joined the unit with Filip Chytil still out. The second unit showed much more in their abbreviated time. They moved the puck quickly and set up some shots. That also included an active Kaapo Kakko, who is looking much better. His more aggressive mindset is paying off.

With the third line going early, Laviolette sent them back out for another shift. A Cuylle hit on Erik Brannstrom in the defensive zone helped lead to him converting a breakaway on a Kakko lead pass. Jonny Brodzinski moved the puck to Adam Fox, who made a good outlet for Kakko, who neatly tipped the puck ahead for Cuylle to move in and beat Silovs high glove to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead with 5:22 left. It was Cuylle’s sixth.

Following a big save from Silovs to deny a Panarin bid, the Canucks came back to tie the game. After receiving a Carson Soucy feed, Pettersson and Kiefer Sherwood played catch. With Pettersson coming through the neutral zone with speed, he gained the Rangers’ blue line and moved the puck back to Sherwood for a wrist shot from the right circle that went through Shesterkin to make it 2-2 with 2:21 remaining.

Ryan Lindgren was a bit late getting over to Sherwood. Shesterkin didn’t make the save. The second pair of Lindgren and Trouba had a tough night. They were on the ice for all three Canucks goals. While they had strong possession numbers, they got exposed in transition due to their lack of footspeed. That is a legit concern.

At the start of the second period, the Rangers successfully killed off the remainder of a Sam Carrick penalty. On a good shift back at five-on-five, Jimmy Vesey drew an interference minor on Nils Hoglander. That put the Rangers back on the power play.

Following some nonchalant play from the top unit that produced only two shots, the second unit brought more energy. After a Kakko faceoff win, Alexis Lafreniere got off a good shot from long range that Silovs handled. After the power play expired, the second unit continued to maintain puck possession. That led to Silovs stopping another Lafreniere shot.

The Rangers killed off a bad Braden Schneider penalty (illegal check to the head). Shesterkin stopped Hughes to keep it tied. After the successful kill, out came the third line. They made it happen. Brodzinski sent a nice cross-ice pass to Cuylle in the right circle. Instead of shooting it, he centered for Kakko who had a loose puck bounce back to him off a Canuck for a quick shot past Silovs that put the Rangers ahead 3-2 at 8:45.

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It was Kakko’s second goal over the last four games. During that stretch, he’s played some of his best hockey -posting two goals and two assists with a plus-5 rating. The biggest difference is he isn’t overthinking. He has good chemistry with Cuylle, who could be becoming the team’s best overall forward. He provides a lot of grit combined with skill. Cuylle is part of the second ranked penalty kill. There isn’t much he doesn’t provide. He is a well-rounded player who’s become a real key to the team’s success. With six goals and eight assists, Cuylle is tied with Zibanejad and Lafreniere for third in team scoring with 14 points. All 14 have come at even strength, trailing only leading scorer Artemi Panarin (16 even strength points) for the most on the club.

For the third time in the game, the Rangers couldn’t handle prosperity. After a Silovs save on Trouba, the Canucks countered in the opposite direction to tie the score. On another quick rush up the ice that was started by Pius Suter, he handed off for Dakota Joshua, who fed Conor Garland. Garland then cruised into the slot and beat Shesterkin through traffic to even it at three with 6:58 left. Both Lindgren and Trouba were on for the goal.

But as MSG Rangers analyst Steve Valiquette asserted during the second intermission segment, Lafreniere didn’t do a good enough job to prevent Joshua from finding Garland wide open for the goal. All he had to was make a simple stick check. Defense isn’t a strength for Lafreniere, who’s been a bit of a disappointment so far. He hasn’t scored enough to justify some of the lackluster backchecking that has him a minus-5, which is tied with Zibanejad for the worst among all Rangers. He can definitely improve that area.

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During a scrum, Zac Jones roughed the pesky Garland, who was a thorn in the side all game. Hronek elbowed Vincent Trocheck, who for the most part was quiet except for one of his ill-advised penalties late in the third period. Trocheck has also been underwhelming. With the exception of Panarin, none of the Rangers’ top players have played well. They’re lucky to have the 12-4-1 record they do through 15 games. The play of Cuylle, Filip Chytil, and Kakko has helped them be successful.

Nothing materialized on the four-on-four. The teams remained dead even headed to the final period. In it, the Rangers played good enough to come out with the two points. They got the first three shots on Silovs, who made a big save to deny a Jones’ backhand from right in front.

Shesterkin turned away Sherwood, who was everywhere. He had a goal and game-high 10 hits. The tenacious style he plays is similar to Cuylle. The 29-year-old forward isn’t as skilled but finishes every check and has a good shot. It looks like that was a good signing by the Canucks. He’s signed for two years at less than a two million cap hit. Can you say bargain?

A bit later, it was Silovs’ turn to make a good stop on Lafreniere, whose backhand was denied from in tight. Silovs would also make a pair of saves on Trouba point shots that were created thanks to the hard work of Brodzinski, Cuylle, and Kakko. Not to beat a dead horse. But they were far and away the best line. They produced two goals and outshot their opponent 7-1 at five-on-five.

With less than 10 minutes remaining, the first line struck thanks to some diligent work from Zibanejad. He forced Pettersson into a turnover inside the Vancouver blue line. Kreider then picked up the loose puck and moved it down low for Zibanejad, who pushed it across for Smith. He then found a cutting Kreider for his ninth to give the Rangers their third lead with 9:17 remaining.

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This time, they made it stand up. Shesterkin delivered his best work with Trocheck in the penalty box for a ridiculous high-sticking minor that he took on Garland. Trocheck tried to goad Garland into taking a retaliation. He was lucky he didn’t receive an extra two for stupidity. He was yelling at the refs. As if it wasn’t the right call. To quote former coach John Tortorella, “Hold your bleeping discipline!”

Encouraging was that Shesterkin made a couple of tough stops on the Canucks power play. That included one on a long Hughes point shot and a tricky one off a Jake Debrusk deflection in front. That was his best save of the game. During the penalty kill, he grabbed Garland on an intense battle in the crease. It looked like football. The back and forth amused both Sam Rosen and Joe Micheletti. Garland plays a gritty game. He was a pest all night.

With Silovs off for an extra attacker late, Shesterkin had to deal with Garland on a tip-in as time wound down. He made the key save to preserve the victory.

I’ll say this for the Canucks. For a team that was without it’s best forward and top finisher, they sure made the Rangers earn it. That’s a credit to coach Rick Tocchet. They’re not that good right now without J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser. But they compete hard. If they can continue to do that, they should hang around long enough for their best players to return. That includes starter Thatcher Demko, who’s still on long-term injured reserve. There’s a good chance they’ll make the playoffs. If they do, I wouldn’t want to face them.

Road Warriors

The Rangers improved to 7-1-0 on the road. They’ve outscored opponents 35-13. That’s included the penalty kill going 91.7 percent (22-for-24). Although they didn’t connect on the man-advantage, they’re 6-for-18 (33.3 percent) on the road.

They’ll visit Calgary on Thursday night. Thankfully, the start time is 9 EST. That’s manageable. The Flames remain a league surprise with a 10-6-3 record. They’re tied with the Kings for second in the Northwest Division.

Rookie Dustin Wolf has played well in net. He’s 7-2-1 with a 2.36 GAA and .925 save percentage. If the 23-year-old from Gilroy, California continues to play well, he should find himself in the Calder conversation. Especially with the Flames not scoring a whole lot. Defenseman Rasmus Anderson leads them with 12 points. Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri each have 10. Blake Coleman, Mikael Backlund, and Andrei Kuzmenko all have nine.

Keep an eye on Matt Coronato. The 22-year-old from Greenlawn, New York has five goals and two assists in 14 contests. A 2021 first round pick, he has a good release. The potential is there for him to become a 30-goal scorer.

The Flames are coming off a 2-1 shootout win over the Islanders. Kuzmenko and Justin Kirkland scored in the skill competition. Wolf made 28 saves and stopped Kyle Palmieri and Bo Horvat.

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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.

https://twitter.com/NYRangers/status/1858359568973312442

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.

https://twitter.com/DaveyUpper/status/1857233022287798297

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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