Pens fire Johnston

Posted on December 12, 2015 by Derek

Earlier this afternoon, the ax finally fell on Pens coach Mike Johnston. After losing to the Kings in a shootout 3-2 at home Friday night, Pittsburgh GM Jim Rutherford finally decided a change was needed.

“I felt it was time for a coaching change because our team has underachieved,” Rutherford told reporters. “Our expectations are much higher with this group of players.

The Pens have been inconsistent so far. Even with the big off-season addition of Phil Kessel, they find themselves with a 15-10-3 record for 33 points. In a strong Metro Division, they are fifth behind the Caps, Rangers, Islanders and surprising Devils who made a wise move hiring former Wilkes-Barre/Scranton coach John Hynes away from the Pens organization.

Johnston lasted a season plus. He finishes 58-37-15 with a first round exit against the Rangers. A five-game series defeat that saw Evgeni Malkin blanked while Sidney Crosby finished with four points (2-2-4). There had been issues with a concerned Malkin indicating after a bad 4-0 loss to the Devils on Nov. 14 that there was something wrong. Since, he’s performed much better tallying 14 points (9-5-14) in the last 11 games. His game-tying goal with 1:10 left in regulation on Friday wasn’t enough to save Johnston’s job.

Replacing Johnston is a familiar name to Ranger fans. Former Rangers assistant coach Mike Sullivan will take over. The assistant who served under John Tortorella was in charge of the Baby Pens. They were 18-5-0 under him. Now, he’ll get a chance to run the Penguins. Rich Tocchet stays as an assistant and veteran coach Jacques Martin remains.

It should be interesting to see how the Pens respond to a more demanding coach. Sullivan last was a head coach for the Bruins lasting two seasons between ’03-04 and ’05-06. He made the playoffs in his rookie year and missed post-lockout. His record is 70-56-15-23. It’s been a decade since he ran a team. What has he learned?

The bigger question is can the Pens improve offensively under Sullivan. Even with Kessel, they have struggled offensively. Even with Malkin, Crosby and Kessel, they rank 27th in goals-per-game averaging a measly 2.36. Just as mystifying, they are tied for 27th in power play with Carolina at 15.6 percent. They average over 30 shots/game but also allow 31.8 which puts them 28th.

Defensively, the Pens have struggled. Kris Letang has been miserable with a minus-14 rating. Olli Maatta just returned and has scored twice. He should help a unit that’s not well put together. The departures of Brooks Orpik, Matt Niskanen and Paul Martin have hurt the blueline. Rutherford has done a bad job. He’s been unable to find suitable replacements. Ian Cole has struggled since re-signing. Rob Scuderi is near the end. They’ve had to rely on Brian Dumoulin and Ben Lovejoy, who cost them younger skater Simon Despres. Top prospect Derrick Pouliot didn’t make the big club out of camp. There’s still hope for the 21-year old to come up and figure it out.

If not for the play of Marc-Andre Fleury (13 Wins 2.21 GAA .927 Save Pct.), they’d be in much worse shape. They’ve gotten superb goaltending from Fleury and backup Jeff Zatkoff. Without their play, they’d be further behind in the playoff picture.

For the Pens, it comes down to their best players performing up to a higher level. Malkin leads them with 26 points. Crosby has been disappointing with 19. Kessel also has underachieved with only nine goals. They’re very top heavy. Patric Hornqvist has only five goals. The same amount as youngster Beau Bennett. Chris Kunitz is near the end with four.

They lost favorite Pascal Dupuis to retirement due to blood clots. A tough break for sure. He sounded like a wonderful teammate. Such a shame.

The Pens don’t play again until Monday when they face the first place Caps. That should be an interesting test. They beat them once already. They then have the Bruins for a classic home-and-home. The Rangers don’t see them until next calendar year.

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Devils rally to clip Wings in OT

Posted on December 12, 2015 by hasan4978

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Even though last night was Star Wars night at the Rock, I refuse to follow in lockstep and make the headline some play on that.  Granted I’m one of the few people that’s not a Star Wars fan myself though I had to laugh when the clip of How I Met Your Mother came on the screen at one point with Marshall screaming at Ted about how the only people who haven’t seen Star Wars movies were the ones who acted in them.  And while they certainly did a nice job with the videos and 3D stuff on the ice before, during and after the game (including a sneaky good credits sequence post-game that even I mostly missed cause me and my friends left after the postgame interview with star of the game Kyle Palmeri), last night’s game itself outshone the promo and was certainly memorable in its own right.

Once again this Devils team lived up to it’s Relentless tag (thanks to Derek, I almost typed resilient, though that’d apply too) in a 3-2 OT win over a Detroit team that – as usual – has been one of the league’s best so far this year.  Although the Devils had a standard of success for a long time, Detroit’s certainly the model franchise in the NHL today.  They don’t need top picks to rebuild, they just scout and find guys no matter where they draft.  Because of that, the Wings’ simple but recognizable uniform and because of 1995, there’s still a little mystique for me when Detroit comes to the Rock.  It also adds to the anticipation level that they rarely came to the CAA/Rock for years when they were a West team until the last few seasons and even now their visits are limited to 1-2 a season.

In fact one of the Devils’ few signature wins in the last handful of seasons came against Detroit two years ago when Stephen Gionta scored the game-winner with just over thirty seconds left in a 4-3 win that some thought could have been Martin Brodeur’s last game as a Devil if he was moved at the deadline, which of course didn’t happen.  Due to circumstances beyond my control I couldn’t attend that particular game.  Little did I know last night would give me another chance to be at a game, and an ending like that against Detroit.  Certainly going into the game there wasn’t much reason for optomism given the level the Wings have been playing at combined with the absence of the Devils’ two top centers with Travis Zajac and Adam Henrique both missing last night’s game after Henrique got hurt on Tuesday in Toronto.  Living up to their franchise coda the Devils have been notoriously secretive on even a timeline for a return much less the actual injuries for both.

One thing that couldn’t be denied, with both centers being out it created an opportunity for guys like Joe Blandisi, a former sixth-round pick of the Avs and UFA signing last winter who played in his first NHL game last night – and unbeknownst to the 21-year old his teammates let him skate the first lap of warmups solo before joining him.  Unlike rookies in the previous few seasons, Blandisi wasn’t completely a forgotten man once the game started getting 14:37 of icetime and even a couple minutes of power play time, putting up three shots and having good/bad moments like any rookie would.  As it turned out though the real beneficiary of the opportunities provided by Henrique and Zajac’s absence was Sergey Kalinin, who’s had an up and down season, at times struggling not only to make an impact but to gain the coaches’ acceptance.  Last night may have been his best game as a Devil though, scoring a key goal in the third period and playing the physical, impage game the staff’s been looking for from the KHL import.  For an added bonus Kalinin was one of the few Devils to be >50% in the faceoff circle though the Devils predictably struggled in the dot – and on the PK for that matter – without Zajac.

In fact the only two games the Devils have given up more than one power play goal this season are games Zajac hasn’t played over the last couple weeks as he continues to deal with a mystery injury that landed him on IR a couple days ago (though technically he’s eligible to come off tomorrow most expect his absence to be longer than fellow pivot Henrique’s).  Last night was one of those games as the Devils gave up two power play goals in the second period alone, the first within seconds of the initial faceoff being lost on a deflection by Gustav Nyquist at 8:51, the second on a pretty move by Tomas Tatar just inside the blueline near the end of another power play at 16:08 of the middle period.  Even with Detroit playing its fourth game in six nights and the Devils playing well, I did not see a comeback coming last night.  I remarked bitterly more than once if they’d given this kind of effort against Toronto at the start of the game on Tuesday they lost in a shootout at the AAC, they would have won easily.  Or at least not been outshot 20-8 early in the game, whatever it was and that was before Henrique got hurt.  Clearly the Devils continued their habit of playing up and down to their competition this week.

Even playing up to the competition doesn’t exactly guarantee a win of course, and two goals down in the third against a resurgent Jimmy Howard in the Detroit net looked like a tall order.  Sometimes all it takes is one bomb to change the game though, in this case Damon Severson’s rocket found its way past Howard at 2:40 of the third period, cutting the deficit in half and giving Severson (somewhat surprisingly) his first goal of the season.  With the staff keeping Eric Gelinas on a leash for the time being, they need a rocket like Severson’s to create some offense from the blueline, although John Moore did his best MoORR impression late in the first period – or as a Detroit commentator with a long memory said it was more Niedermayeresque circa Game 2 in 1995 – nearly going coast to coast and firing a shot that just about beat Howard…but glanced off the knob of the goaltender’s stick denying Moore a highlight reel goal.

There would be no denying the Devils on a power play later in the third period though, when Kalinin’s well-timed tip beat Howard at 14:40 gave the Devils a tying goal the fans would have to celebrate on three different occasions.  Why three?  After the goal the officials checked the play presumably to see if there was a high stick which worried me a little bit too but allowed the goal, then Detroit challenged the play claiming interference on the basis of Kalinin’s stick ostensibly glancing off Howard’s stick.  For several minutes – hours it seemed! – the refs looked over the play, finally upholding the call on the ice.  I have no problem with getting obvious mistakes right but that challenge looked like Detroit just trying to get away with a technicality, or getting a long timeout for a tired team.

Still more dramatic moments were in store, with Howard and Cory Schneider both making brilliant saves to get their teams in OT and keep the game going in OT, including one tantalizingly close play in front of the net when Schneider had to stretch out to prevent the ever-dangerous Pavel Datsyuk from winning it during the 3-on-3.  Finally, a great combination would end the game with just forty seconds left before the dreaded skills competition when Lee Stempniak literaly alley-ooped a puck to Kyle Palmeri and hit him in stride on a play that looked like something out of the second Mighty Ducks movie.  Palmeri got a step on Tatar and beat Howard off an attempted pokecheck on the breakaway, once again doing a hero turn with his thirteenth goal of the season.  In fact in a stunning but humorous note, Palmeri’s goal and point totals are both higher than anyone on his former team (the Ducks) right now.  More importantly it was a big team win considering the opponent and circumstance.

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Rangers fall apart in Oilers loss

Posted on December 12, 2015 by Derek
Rangers Oilers Hockey

Former Edmonton Oilers coach Glen Sather is honored with a banner raising prior to the NHL hockey game between the Edmonton Oilers and the New York Rangers in Edmonton, Alberta, Friday, Dec. 11, 2015 (John Ulan/The Canadian Press via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT

On a memorable night for Glen Sather, it was anything but for the Rangers. Ugly would be one way to summarize a 7-5 loss to the Oilers in Edmonton. Another adjective would be putrid. Disgraceful.

This was like those games in the Dark Ages between ’97-98 thru ’03-04. It was a total mess. There’s no point in doing a full recap because it would take too long. So let’s cut to the chase.

The story was the horrible play from “top pair” Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi. They went a combined minus-seven and were victimized on several Oilers goals. It was a truly awful display from a shutdown tandem that got exploited by one of the league’s fastest teams. I didn’t get why Alain Vigneault kept force feeding the match-up in his 1,000th career game. It blew up in his face literally.

There was a Chris Kreider sighting. On a night he still took two penalties including a phantom one that led to the first of three Lauri Korpikoski goals. Yes. He scored his first and only career hat trick against the team that selected him as part of the Brian Leetch deal. At least Kreider showed flashes of greatness when he broke in and scored a highlight reel goal at the start of the second period. Playing with Mats Zuccarello and Kevin Hayes, he had a more active game tallying a goal and assist.

It was also the game where Vigneault kept changing his lines. At one point, he had Rick Nash with Jarret Stoll and Kevin Hayes. But eventually settled on Stoll back with Dominic Moore and Tanner Glass. Derick Brassard played mostly with Nash and J.T. Miller. Oscar Lindberg with Emerson Etem and Jesper Fast. The lines looked good enough to keep them together for Calgary tonight.

Dylan McIlrath recorded his first NHL point. He made a smart pinch and threw a low wrist shot towards the net that Kreider deflected off Anders Nilsson right to Zuccarello for his team-leading 12th goal. It was another example of McIlrath showing he is capable of making good reads in the offensive zone. Along with partner Keith Yandle, he had another strong night. They are the one D pair who shouldn’t be touched.

Nash had a incomplete game. Despite finally getting off the snide tying the contest at 5-all with 1:46 left in regulation, he was guilty on three Edmonton goals. Ironically, McDonagh and Girardi were caught out of position behind the net on two with Girardi out for all three. Nash failed to take the man in front. The forwards did too much puck watching. On Darnell Nurse’s goal that made it 5-3, Miller watched him score instead of picking him up.

It really was an ugly display of how not to hockey. On goals from Kreider and Brassard in a better second, the Rangers recovered from a poor first to draw even at 3-3. But inexplicably, with Kreider just out of the penalty box for a selfish retaliation roughing minor Nash fell down with McDonagh and Girardi again behind the net allowing Taylor Hall to beat Henrik Lundqvist 18 seconds into the third. Nurse chased him from Hall and budding sophomore Leon Draisaitl 2:22 later.

Following the goalie change with Antti Raanta replacing Lundqvist (5 GA on 33 shots), the Blueshirts responded by carrying the play. They got the next seven shots. A Nash rocket went off the goalpost allowing Brassard to pot his second of the game. With Teddy Purcell off for a silly roughing retaliation on McDonagh with under two minutes left, Nash got to a Dan Boyle rebound and beat Nilsson for his 11th at 18:15. Brassard did a great job winning the draw back to McDonagh who set up Boyle for the shot.

But on the next shift, Vigneault opted to go with McDonagh and Boyle. He had two-thirds of the fourth line with Stoll, Moore and Fast against the Oilers top line. The conservative strategy backfired. McDonagh made an awful pinch in the neutral zone and then Stoll whiffed on a pass causing a 2-on-1 Oilers break-in. Draisaitl dished across for Hall, whose backhand beat Raanta with 12 seconds later for the stunning game-winner.

Korpikoski completed his hat trick when his turnaround shot from inside his own blueline found twine.

There’s not much left to say. It’s hard to believe how bad McDonagh and Girardi were. But this was always gonna be a bad match-up. It’s the responsibility of Vigneault and top assistant Ulf Samuelsson to adjust the defense pairings. They failed miserably.

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Inconsistency from key players along with stubborn coach hurting Rangers

Posted on December 11, 2015 by Derek
Chris Kreider

Chris Kreider’s struggles this season have been well documented. He and other key young Rangers must perform better under coach Alain Vigneault if they want to achieve their goal.  AP Photo by Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press MANDATORY CREDIT

For all intent and purposes, tonight is Game 30 of a 82-game schedule for the Rangers who are visiting Edmonton on the night Glen Sather is honored for past achievements with the Oilers. While it’s all about the former Edmonton architect who built a dynasty around Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier, Alain Vigneault is also coaching his 1,000th NHL game.

Since taking over for John Tortorella, Vigneault has had great success guiding the team to its first Stanley Cup appearance since ’94, winning a President’s Trophy and coming within a period of consecutive Finals. The more laid back 54-year old has a excellent resume twice reaching the Stanley Cup Final. Once with Vancouver and once with New York. Both were heart breaking losses. The Canucks falling in seven losing Game 7 at home to the Bruins in ugly fashion. The Rangers losing in five to Los Angeles who were overtime Kings.

In Year 3 of a five-year contract that pays him $10 million total, Vigneault has the Blueshirts in solid position. Following a hot start where Henrik Lundqvist carried them to a 14-3-1 mark, they’ve fallen back down to 18-8-3 with their 39 points placing them second in the Metro Division behind the Capitals. Despite losing six of eight (2-5-1) entering Friday’s match at Edmonton, they remain one of the league’s best with their 39 points fourth most trailing first overall Dallas (44), Eastern leader Montreal (41) and Washington (40). The Islanders, Kings and Red Wings all have 37.

For the Rangers, there’s cause for concern. Since Derek Stepan went down to broken ribs, the offense has stagnated. He sustained the injury on a Matt Beleskey hit at Boston which drew the ire of tough rookie defenseman Dylan McIlrath who responded by pounding the Bruins forward. They’re 2-3-1 since Stepan’s injury. In the two wins over Carolina and Ottawa, they scored four times in each. The win over the Sens was more impressive due to the team playing one of its best overall games. When they were consistently winning, it was in spite of getting badly outplayed.

There were too many instances where opponents were out-possessing them at even strength creating lopsided shots and chances against. Puck management has been an issue. Vets Dan Girardi and Marc Staal have struggled with consistency. However, they aren’t alone. Even Ryan McDonagh and Keith Yandle have turned pucks over. Dan Boyle has been hit or miss although he deserves credit for improvement since returning to the lineup. The club is without Kevin Klein (abdominal strain) who’s been their best defenseman since last season. He has seen time with McDonagh, Staal and Yandle. McIlrath has impressed since being paired with Yandle. They rarely give up much and are significant pluses in shot differential. What does that mean for McIlrath once Klein comes back?

While most of the focus has been on the play of the blueline, there’s another potential issue plaguing the team. The play of Chris Kreider has been puzzling. In his third full season under Vigneault, the 24-year old power forward hasn’t played like one. A player with size, strength and game breaking speed, Kreider has struggled mightily. In 29 games thus far, he has a disappointing four goals and eight assists totaling a dozen points. He has just one goal and one helper over the last 11 contests.

It isn’t a question of commitment. As has been reiterated by those who cover him, he has one of the highest work ethics. A gym rat, Kreider is one of the most physically gifted forwards in the league. With him recently admitting that he’s been “terrible,” the problem is more mental. A great skater who’s a puck possession magnet, he gets chances nightly. But as his 6.7 shooting percentage attests, he hasn’t been finishing. He has four goals on 60 shots with many other attempts missing its target. Normally, he’s around 11 percent.

In his rookie year of ’13-14, Kreider scored 17 goals on 136 shots (12.5 percent). He had 21 on 180 (11.7) last season. There’s reason to believe he’ll start burying a few and snap out of it. It’s more about consistency. There have been too many shifts where number 20 hasn’t been noticeable. He shows flashes with his speed creating opportunities. But the hands haven’t been there.

More notably, the edge has been lacking. A player who developed a reputation for making goalies’ lives miserable hasn’t played with the same purpose. He still finishes checks with his 61 hits fourth best on the club. Somewhat curiously, J.T. Miller who isn’t handled the same by Vigneault has a identical stat line (4-8-12) with a higher shooting percentage (9.8) and four more hits (65). A more active player who is mistake prone, Miller averages 12:58 per game compared with Kreider’s 15:59. Mystifying is that Miller ranks 17th on the team in ice-time behind checking forwards Dominic Moore (14:34), Jesper Fast (14:15) and face-off ace Jarret Stoll (13:47). Only rookie Oscar Lindberg (12:49), Vigneault pet Emerson Etem (11:33), Viktor Stalberg (11:28) and Tanner Glass (9:35) receive less. Kevin Hayes averages 13:58.

If you’re wondering why the offense has struggled lately, look no further than leading scorer Mats Zuccarello. The pint sized Norwegian with the giant sized heart still leads the team in goals (11) and points (22). But coinciding with Vigneault breaking up the top line, he is without a point in four straight. Zuccarello has four points (2-2-4) over the last 10. After scoring six goals in four straight, Rick Nash is without one in six. Top center Derick Brassard has performed admirably with five points in the last five including a two-goal game in a 4-1 win over Ottawa. His improvement on face-offs (54.0 percent) has been notable. With him, Stoll and Moore winning draws consistently along with Lindberg, who’s over 50 percent in Year 1, a team weakness has become a strength.

While they win more draws than they lose especially with Stepan out, the offense is too reliant on the top line. That’s why Vigneault broke it up. He’s tried Kreider with Lindberg and Nash. Lindberg has been impressive ranking second on the team in goals (10) and fourth in points (17). That’s despite getting less ice-time. He’s shown a willingness to go to high traffic areas and mix it up. What if they had him for last postseason?  He sure would’ve been a huge improvement over Glass on the fourth line. It makes you wonder what the organization thought process is sometimes.

It’s now mid-December and Vigneault has yet to figure out what his second line should be. Last season, it was mostly Martin St. Louis with Stepan and Kreider. A unit that was reliable until St. Louis slumped badly with Miller replacing him. Obviously, having Stepan out doesn’t help. It’s forced Vigneault to juggle the lines. How he still hasn’t defined a role for Etem at this point is inexcusable. A 23-year old former Anaheim first round pick in 2010 who they traded Carl Hagelin for. In ’14-15, St. Louis and Hagelin combined for 38 goals and 87 points. It’s hard to replace that type of production along with the leadership and intangibles they provided.

Kreider isn’t the only key forward struggling. In Year 2, Hayes has been up and down. His 15 points are fifth on the club. The 23-year old ‘tweener possesses great skating and puck possession skills. More play maker than finisher, Hayes prefers to be unselfish setting up teammates. Between 10/22 and 11/14, he went 4-5-9 in 10 games while centering the third line. Since, he has only a goal and two helpers over the last 12. A talented player with size, the Rangers need better production from Hayes. Until they get more out of the Boston College duo of Kreider and Hayes, the offense will continue to fizzle.

There needs to be better balance. Whether it’s due to Vigneault emphasizing offense off the rush with the stretch pass or just young players who haven’t hit their stride, something must change. In the loss at Vancouver, they were better overall controlling play while generating more shots and chances. But the lack of finish hurt with the power play unable to get anything.

With Moore centering the third line and Stoll the fourth, it limits offense 5-on-5. Neither is productive enough to warrant the ice-time they’re getting. Granted, each is a key part of the penalty kill. But they’re still getting too many shifts at the expense of younger talent. I can’t think of one good reason Lindberg doesn’t play more. Ditto Miller who even with his brain farts is one of their most effective fore-checkers. You have to let the kids grow.

As for Etem, 10 games isn’t enough of a gauge. Stalberg and Glass are role players who don’t have to play every night. Vigneault needs to find a place for Etem and just let him sink or swim. He’s got more skill than the defensive minded players he trusts. It’s time to find out about him.

Until the coach is willing to make necessary adjustments with the roster that can benefit the team over the long haul, it’s hard to see much improvement with the offense.

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McIlrath proving he belongs

Posted on December 10, 2015 by Derek
Dylan McIlrath, Matt Beleskey

New York Rangers’ Dylan McIlrath (6) and Boston Bruins’ Matt Beleskey (39) fight during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Boston, Friday, Nov. 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Since he’s become a regular in the Rangers lineup, Dylan McIlrath has played well. Paired mostly with Keith Yandle, the 23-year old rookie is finally showing why he was taken in the first round.

It’s taken some time for McIlrath due to injuries which slowed his development. But after working for the past two years with former ’94 Cup hero Jeff Beukeboom in Hartford, it’s apparent that the big physical defenseman has staying power.

While it’s true he’s gotten his chance with Kevin Klein out, McIlrath has made the most of his opportunity. If you put stock in the whole Corsi based off war-on-ice.com, McIlrath and Yandle have become the Rangers most reliable tandem at 5-on-5. They rarely are on the negative side of the ledger. In tonight’s 2-1 loss at Vancouver, McIlrath was a plus-21 in shot differential while Yandle was plus-16. That’s a combined plus-37. 

In fact, McIlrath had several chances to score his first goal. He has a rocket and hasn’t been hesitant to unleash it. It just hasn’t found its target yet. In 22 shifts, he had two missed attempts with two blocked shots in 13:50 of ice-time. Most of his time came at even-strength logging 12:30 with another 1:20 shorthanded. Vigneault leaned heavily on his top three of McDonagh, Girardi and Marc Staal on the penalty kill.

It is interesting to note that assistant coach Ulf Samuelsson rotated Boyle with Yandle for some shifts searching for more offense. McIlrath got a couple of shifts with Staal. Due in large part to the penalties in the final period, his ice-time was cut down. Vigneault went largely with McDonagh (23:15, 3 shots, 5 attempts) and Yandle (2 shots, 8 attempts, 21:18).

In a game like Wednesday’s, it’s understandable why McIlrath didn’t get many shifts when trailing. However, he has proven capable of keeping pucks in and taking his big shot. If he can find the net with regularity, that could be to the Rangers’ benefit.

The question for the coaching staff is what happens when Klein returns. Can they justify sitting McIlrath when he’s been one of their most effective blueliners? It might be time for a radical concept. One which includes McIlrath as part of the solution. If that means giving Girardi or Staal a night off, that can only aid the team next Spring. Keeping the older vets fresh will be a big key.

Whatever Rangers brass decide should be worth watching.

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Despicable: Rangers lose ugly to Canucks

Posted on December 10, 2015 by Derek

It’s rare that a game really annoys me. This one did. In what can best be summarized as a boring clunker, the Rangers fell to the Canucks 2-1 in the first of a three-game Western Canadian swing.

Despite plenty of “puck possession,” they found a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Honestly, it was pathetic. A truly despicable performance from a punch less team that can’t score. Oh. There were chances. Wasted power plays. Near misses. Sloppy play. Not enough edge for the Blueshirts to win in Alain Vigneault’s 999th NHL game coaching against a former team.

The Rangers were by far the better team in the first period outskating, outplaying and outshooting the Canucks 15-7. But they couldn’t get one past Ryan Miller, who turned back the clock to his Buffalo Olympic days. If you can’t score more than one against a washed up goalie who hadn’t been good coming in, you got issues.

Unmistakably, this team cannot score consistently without Derek Stepan. Vigneault has shuffled the deck moving Oscar Lindberg up to center a mismatched top line with Rick Nash and the all but invisible Chris Kreider. Oh. Kreider was out for all 20 of his shifts. He just wasn’t that noticeable. A familiar theme that’s become the norm for a gifted player who is stuck on four goals in 29 games. He is not doing much of anything.

This is supposed to be the year for Kreider. Instead, he’s lost completely. He’s not the same player who once was Vigneault’s “net presence” who mixed it up with goalies by playing on the edge. Sadly, the struggling 24-year old has become tame. From game to game, there’s no consistency from a player who has the tools to be great. Listed at 6-3, 226 pounds, the former Boston College standout who has performed well in the postseason isn’t flourishing in Year 3 under Vigneault. He’s stagnated and even regressed. With 12 points, 61 hits and 60 shots, he’s become puzzling.

It’s hard to just pin it on Kreider. But he really should be doing a lot more at this point of his career. He’s already admitted to being “terrible.” A player with his rare combination of size, skill and speed should be able to make a difference. Even without his center Stepan who is still on the shelf. At some point, he must figure it out.

Kevin Hayes is only in his second season. He too has under performed. There’s no doubting his skating ability and puck possession. He is a tremendous stickhandler who can create offensively for teammates. It’s just that he has a tendency to be too unselfish. Hayes had what looked like a open net for an easy put back which would’ve tied the score in the third. Somehow, he missed. Following tonight, he’s without a goal over the last eight with only an assist. For the season, Hayes is 6-9-15. A respectable output but it sure could be better.

Right now, if you can shutdown Nash, leading scorer Mats Zuccarello and Derick Brassard, you have a pretty good chance of beating the Rangers. Playing with Hayes for a second straight game on the second line, they looked out of sync. Zuccarello had one of his worst games. Brassard wasn’t much better. And Hayes missed a point blank chance.

It might be time for Vigneault to put his top line back together. At least you know they’ll be a threat most shifts. Even on a night they had 33 shots, there were only a handful of players who had strong games. J.T. Miller was the most effective with two shots and five attempts while on the third line with Dominic Moore and Jesper Fast. Miller was one of the few Blueshirts to get the jersey dirty nearly tipping one home on a power play. One of their most effective fore checkers, he deserves more ice-time. If it comes at the expense of Kreider, so be it.

Even Tanner Glass was more visible during his 11 shifts. He delivered two hits injuring a Canuck and also drew a penalty. It’s astonishing that Glass can give Vigneault more in limited ice-time than healthy scratch Emerson Etem. Will he ever get out of jail?

For two periods, nothing much happened. The teams played a sleepless second combining for 15 shots. Things heated up in the third. Following a Moore hooking minor, penalty killer Jarret Stoll was nabbed for a delay of game for staying on top of the puck. He never closed his hand on it. But that didn’t stop refs Ian Walsh and Graham Skilliter from rewarding the Canucks with a two-man advantage.

With Vigneault going nuts over the call, Daniel and Henrik Sedin combined to set up Alex Edler for a blast off the cross bar and in for the game’s first goal at 3:19 of the third. This resulted in Vigneault sarcastically applauding the refs who didn’t take too kindly giving him an unsportsmanlike conduct. An Alex Burrows interference minor helped the Rangers escape further damage.

The period became odder. With the Rangers narrowly missing tying the game, Vancouver defenseman Chris Tanev was nabbed for covering the puck in the crease resulting in a penalty shot. Vigneault went with Dan Boyle, who made it a great decision by out-waiting Miller tucking in a forehand inside the post tying the score with 11:06 left.

But just when it seemed they had the momentum, the Rangers couldn’t deal with prosperity. Instead, what followed was a complete disgrace. A dreadful shift from “top pair” Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi with Vigneault’s “top line” resulted in more Sedin magic. After Henrik passed to Edler at the point, the defenseman made a great shot pass for a neat deflection from Daniel past Henrik Lundqvist giving- allowing the Canucks to reclaim the lead 30 seconds later.

Quite honestly, it was just awful play from all five Rangers skaters. They got pinned in and there was zero communication. Lindberg rotated to the middle instead of going to Daniel who had no trouble getting his stick on Edler’s pass for his 13th of the season. I have no clue what McDonagh and Girardi were doing. Just brutal. Equally as baffling was Vigneault challenging for goalie interference. It wasn’t even close.

The sad aspect is the Canucks gave the Blueshirts chances to tie it. They just weren’t willing to take it. Even with that clown Burrows taking a delay of game minor, the power play was back to Defcon 3. If you had inserted Matthew Broderick’s David character from War Games, maybe they would’ve shown a pulse. But all night, the power play was a abomination. Whether it was Keith Yandle lazily throwing a puck away causing a shorthanded chance or McDonagh doing the same thing, it was ugly.

Most sad was they hardly put up any resistance after Lundqvist was pulled. Instead, you had Burrows outhustling McDonagh and Girardi playing keep away with appreciative Vancouver fans cheering. Of course, Kreider was out there watching. It was embarrassing. When Kreider finally did carry the puck over with his speed, he was unable to create a shot. That describes his season.

It’s not so much that they played poorly. But out of all the games I’ve watched so far, this was by far the most frustrating. Exhausting.

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Rangers’ Lindberg part of deep rookie class

Posted on December 7, 2015 by Derek
Oscar

Rangers rookie center Oscar Lindberg is part of a great rookie class that features Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel and Artemi Panarin. Getty Images

This year’s rookie class is one of the deepest in recent memory. Highlighted by top two 2015 draft picks Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel, the NHL is loaded with tremendous young talent. While McDavid recovers from a broken clavicle and Eichel learns on the job, other first-year players have made the ’15-16 class one to behold.

Among the notables are Hawks’ Russian ace Artemi Panarin. While the 24-year old has an edge having played against men in the KHL, he’s also benefited from teaming with league-leading scorer Patrick Kane on the best line in hockey. Alongside fellow Russian Artem Anisimov, the supremely skilled Panarin leads all rookies in points (27) and assists (18). A remarkable play maker, Panarin can undress defenders. He’ll be tough to catch in the rookie scoring race.

Another strong Calder candidate is Coyotes’ centerman Max Domi. Selected 12th overall in 2013, one of Canada’s best players who helped lead them to gold at last year’s Under-20 World Junior Championships has fit in seamlessly on the surprising Coyotes. Playing alongside Canadian line mate Anthony Duclair, the 20-year old Domi has posted 10 goals and 13 helpers for 23 points ranking second in rookie scoring. The son of former NHL enforcer Tie Domi is an integral part of Arizona’s rebuild.

Duclair has performed well in his first full year in the Desert. He was a big part of the Keith Yandle trade with the former ‘Yotes offensive defenseman coming over to Manhattan. The 20-year old former Rangers’ 2013 third round pick (80th overall) is proving he has a bright future with the Coyotes. A bit more streaky than Domi, Duclair is fifth in rookie scoring with eight goals and seven helpers for 15 points. If he becomes consistent, look out.

One of the best young players is Red Wings rookie Dylan Larkin. As usual, Detroit’s scouting did a great job landing the gifted 19-year old Waterford Michigan native with the 15th selection of the 2014 Draft. They didn’t have to look far. After a big freshman year at the University of Michigan in which he totaled 47 points, Larkin went 3-2-5 in six AHL playoff games for Grand Rapids. A tremendous scorer, he paces all rookies in goals (11) and is a remarkable plus-19. With 21 points while playing a top six role, he’s not going anywhere.

When training camp broke, Rangers rookie Oscar Lindberg impressed the coaching staff with a strong preseason. After making the team, the 24-year old Swede got off to a hot start scoring four goals in the first three games including a huge one in a come from behind win at Columbus. Until recently, he had centered the third line. But with Derek Stepan out, Rangers coach Alain Vigneault has moved him up to the top line centering Rick Nash and Chris Kreider.

In Lindberg, the Rangers have an active center who has a nose for the net. He’s tied for second among rookies in goals (10) with his 17 points placing fourth. Lindberg has also done a solid job on face-offs winning 48.5 percent. On a team that’s struggled on draws, it’s nice to have a young player who can be an asset. Even better, Lindberg has shown poise and maturity making a 2011 off-season deal with the Coyotes for Ethan Werek look like one of their best. He’s already a key part of a contending team.

This year is supposed to be about McDavid and Eichel. The top two selections have shown flashes of greatness which is why both are considered franchise players. In 13 games with the Oilers, McDavid was just starting to figure it out. An explosive scorer with ridiculous skating ability, he already put together a seven-game point streak in which he totaled 11 points (4-7-11). He has 12 points thus far. Unfortunately, he broke his clavicle in an accidental collision against the Flyers. Already having missed a month, he’s still uncertain when he’ll return. But the good news is he’s ahead of schedule.

While McDavid continues to recover, the Sabres are finding out about the gifted Eichel. Following a freshman season at Boston University where he won the Hobey Baker with 71 points (26-45-71) playing in Hockey-East, the 19-year old from North Chelmsford, Massachusetts went second overall to Buffalo. A dynamic skater with tremendous possession skills, he can control the puck for long stretches. Eichel has already demonstrated some of his unique talent scoring a highlight reel goal on home ice. Sixth in rookie scoring with 14 points including nine goals, he leads all freshmen in shots (90). It’s only a matter of time before he takes off.

What makes this year’s rookie class so great is it’s not limited to just five or six players. Blues defenseman Colton Parayko has been a treasure. A third round pick taken 86th overall in 2012, the 22-year old paces all rookie blueliners in goals (5), assists (8) and points (13) while logging over 19 minutes-per-night on a strong contender. No small feat under St. Louis coach Ken Hitchcock. He’s also plus-11 with five power play points and three game-winners.

Other notable rookie defensemen are the Bruins’ Colin Miller and Flyers’ Shayne Gostisbehere. Miller, 23, came over from the Kings as part of the Milan Lucic deal. He’s done a nice job registering two goals and eight assists for 10 points and a plus-five rating. Since being recalled from Lehigh, the 22-year old Gostisbehere has shown offensive potential. Boasting a strong shot, he’s scored four goals in 11 games including two overtime winners. He already has eight points on a struggling offensive team.

Keep an eye on Winnipeg’s Nikolaj Ehlers and Buffalo’s Sam Reinhart. Ehlers is only 19. He was the Jets’ first pick in 2014. Taken ninth overall, he represented Canada at last year’s WJC. In 28 games with Winnipeg, he has five goals and seven assists for 12 points. Ehlers possesses great skill and his speed fits with the Jets fast paced style. As for Reinhart, don’t forget the Sabres grabbed him second overall in 2014. After a slow start, he’s been quietly lighting the lamp with three of his seven goals coming over the last four contests. The forgotten youngster could combine with Eichel for a lethal 1-2 punch.

Sam Bennett went fourth overall to the Flames in 2014. He had a nice debut scoring three goals and an assist in last year’s postseason with Calgary. On a team that’s been a bit underwhelming, the 19-year old Bennett has 13 points (5-8-13) in 25 games. He’s yet to find his groove. But the center should be heard from.

The rebuilding Hurricanes are keeping freshman Noah Hanifin. They’re working him in gradually. The 18-year old was selected number five overall in 2015. He’s scored once and has four helpers in 24 games. Big things are expected for the Boston native who is still getting over 21 shifts and 17-plus minutes on a lottery bound club.

Carolina isn’t gonna win many games. At 10-13-4, they should be in the mix for the Auston Matthews lottery. The talented 18-year old American who’s the consensus 2016 first overall pick is playing professional hockey in Switzerland for Zurich. In 19 games, he’s tallied 11 goals and 10 assists for 21 points. The Canes, Maple Leafs, Oilers, Sabres, Avalanche, Flames and Blue Jackets all could be in contention.

As for first-year netminders, Montreal’s Mike Condon leads in wins (9) with a 2.22 goals-against-average and .913 save percentage. He’ll continue to be the starter until Carey Price is ready. Keep an eye on Anaheim’s John Gibson. The former Team USA WJC hero has been splendid since being recalled. He has posted four wins and two shutouts in six starts. But Ducks starter Frederik Andersen is just about ready to return. I still believe Gibson has higher upside.

Ex-Islander Anders Nilsson has been a bright spot for the Oilers. Since overtaking former Ranger Cam Talbot for the starting job, he’s posted impressive numbers including a .922 save percentage and 2.49 GAA on a defensively challenged roster. Somewhat curiously, Nilsson got into 19 games for the Isles in ’13-14 but is still considered a rookie.

Also keep an eye on Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck. The 2012 fifth round pick is considered the Jets future number one. With starter Ondrej Pavelec out, Hellebuyck has outperformed Michael Hutchinson winning all three of his starts allowing three goals on 83 shots. I grabbed him in my fantasy league and it’s already paid dividends. Good thing another team was so anxious to reclaim Hutchinson.

As you can see, this is a great rookie class. It’ll become more interesting once McDavid returns. Can he catch Panarin? Christmas is 18 days away. Hockey fans will also be pleased for the return of the World Junior Championship. A prospect haven.

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Rangers get back to D in 4-1 win over Senators

Posted on December 6, 2015 by Derek
Keith Yandle, Alex Chiasson

Keith Yandle is pumped after setting up Ryan McDonagh for a power play goal in a 4-1 Rangers home win over the Senators. AP Photo by Seth Wenig/Getty Images

It’s been a while since the Rangers played a complete game. They had struggled overall entering play with one win over the last six. Outside of a ugly 4-3 win over the lowly Canes, they haven’t been scoring. They followed up a well played shootout loss to the Islanders with a listless performance in a 2-1 home defeat to the Avalanche.

For once, it felt like old familiar times. A different Rangers team earned a 4-1 home win over the Senators at Madison Square Garden. A better overall effort which had to please coach Alain Vigneault. Derick Brassard scored twice and Ryan McDonagh matched a career high with three points including a power play goal and two assists. The Blueshirts were a perfect two-for-two on the power play. Henrik Lundqvist made 23 saves including some big ones in a busy second for his 14th victory.

The best aspect of the win was the Blueshirts shutting down a good offensive team. They protected a one-goal lead after two periods by holding the Sens to three shots in the third. Ottawa played the night before rallying from two down to beat the Islanders 3-2 in overtime at home. Perhaps they got tired after a strong push in the second where they fired 13 shots on Lundqvist. They beat him once with Marc Methot getting a lucky bounce when his point shot went off Marc Staal past Lundqvist cutting the deficit to 2-1.

Lundqvist was at his finest during and after a Chris Kreider interference minor. He stoned dangerous second-year Senator Mark Stone from in tight. On a wild sequence with the team pinned in, Dylan McIlrath made a diving block of a shot. But an on rushing Dave Dziurynzki got to the loose puck firing a pea which a diving Lundqvist reached out and grabbed for a miraculous glove save. That one was a highlight reel which allowed his teammates to escape the period with a one-goal lead.

Limiting their opponent in the neutral zone with the kind of team defense we haven’t seen, the Rangers stood up at their blueline forcing turnovers. After forcing a turnover, McDonagh handed for partner Dan Girardi who passed back to the Rangers captain. He then sent a seeing eye rolling pass that got through to Brassard who broke in on Craig Anderson and went to a slap shot for his second of the game. His ninth from McDonagh and Girardi gave the Rangers some key insurance with 9:52 left.

Unable to get through an impenetrable Blueshirts defense, the Sens continued to force plays which resulted in turnovers. It was a smart period by the Garden hosts who made life easier on themselves outshooting the Sens 11-3 with Anderson in net. The 12th shot was taken by Jesper Fast, who put in the empty netter with 1:31 left. A nice reward for a hard working grinder who Vigneault trusts late in games.

This was a important win. Just to get some confidence with a big three-game Western Canadian trip coming with stops in Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary between 12/9-12/12. It allowed them to move back into first place in the Metro Division one ahead of the Caps. They’ve played three more games (28). But to get a win the right way should help.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Dominic Moore, NYR (3 shots, dominant on face-offs going 12-and-1, +1 in 24 shifts-16:41)

2nd Star-Derick Brassard, NYR (2 goals incl. PPG and insurance marker, 5 SOG, 7 attempts, +1 in 22 shifts-16:30)

1st Star-Ryan McDonagh, NYR (matched career high with 3 points incl. PPG, 2 assists, strong overall, 3 blocks, +2 in 25 shifts-21:04)

Notes: Kreider was more active. Playing on a line with Oscar Lindberg and Rick Nash, he had three shots and eight attempts missing the net on a couple of point blank chances. He had five hits in 23 shifts (16:06). The new line combined for nine shots, 20 attempts and a plus-15 shot differential. … Brassard played with Mats Zuccarello and Kevin Hayes. … Emerson Etem was a scratch with Tanner Glass playing a third straight. He took 16 shifts (8:47) recording three hits with a minus-one on the fourth line.

Key stats: Blocked shots NYR-24 (Girardi 5 Boyle 4) OTT-10 (Karlsson 3)

Faceoffs: NYR 35-and-20 (Moore 12-and-1 Lindberg 12-and-6)

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#Relentless Devils fun to watch under Hynes

Posted on December 5, 2015 by Derek
Cory Schneider, Andy Greene

Cory Schneider and Andy Greene can’t do anything about Matt Read’s shot which was the overtime winner in a tough 4-3 loss to the Flyers. But that’s not the story so far for the relentless Devils. AP Photo by Julio Cortez/Getty Images

The team motto is #Relentless. That’s what the ’15-16 New Jersey Devils are under rookie NHL coach John Hynes. No matter what the score is, a team that was counted out from the beginning continues to battle and claw.

Under the leadership of Hynes, these Devils never stop hustling. They’re a resilient bunch who have proven themselves. Entering the season, I had my doubts. Of course, from the looking glass as a outsider I took one look at the roster and saw what everyone did. Little in terms of offensive talent and a young rebuilding defense with question marks.

Aside from Cory Schneider in net, I figured they would be in the race for Auston Matthews. After four games, it looked like that would be the case. The Devils went 0-3-1 scoring one goal in three of the four. Then came an early visit to MSG for the Hudson rival Rangers. Facing a bitter rival, the Devils were scrappier clawing back from a one-goal deficit on goals from Adam Henrique and Lee Stempniak to win 2-1 in overtime.

That the winner came off the stick of Stempniak who made the team after a pro tryout symbolized what Hynes is selling. If you work hard enough, you’ll earn ice-time. Stempniak was an after thought most of last season for the Rangers before they dealt him to Winnipeg at last trade deadline. Coach Alain Vigneault didn’t have much use for a veteran who’s always been a solid secondary scorer.

It was fitting that Stempniak jump started the Devils season. They won four in a row with Stempniak also having a hand in Adam Larsson’s overtime winner. The topper was a comeback win at Ottawa. Trailing by two late in the third, Henrique cut the deficit in half. With the goalie pulled, there was Stempniak steering in the tying goal at 19:28. He would also win the contest in a shootout.

Stempniak’s surprising success continued in Friday night’s 4-3 overtime defeat to the nemesis Flyers at home. Even though they lost, the Devils again rallied late from a one-goal deficit with Stempniak setting up leading scorer Mike Cammalleri with a minute left for a tying power play goal. On a team that doesn’t have a plethora of scoring, Stempniak ranks third on the club with 20 points (5-15-20). To put that in perspective, he totaled 18 points in 53 contests with the Rangers last year. He improved to 10 in 18 games with the Jets helping them make the playoffs.

Astonishingly, the Devils have scored six goals after Hynes has pulled the goalie this season. He’s had the magic wand. Tonight, it was a six-on-four that got them a point. New Jersey is 13-10-3 with 29 points in 26 games. That’s good for fifth in a crowded Metropolitan Division. Two clear of the Flyers who got the extra point on Matt Read’s winner in three-on-three. The Devils are only one behind the Pens for fourth. With a shootout win in Brooklyn, the Islanders have 34 points. The Caps and Rangers are tied for first in points (37) but Washington’s played three fewer games.

Here’s the thing. After a hot start mostly due to the play of Henrik Lundqvist, the Rangers have come back down. The Caps are the best team in the division. The Pens have come on thanks to Evgeni Malkin, who has rediscovered his MVP form. The Islanders are right there in their new home at Barclays. Then you have the Devils hanging around.

Jersey’s team is in the mix due to key performers stepping up. Hynes told his guys he expected more from them. That’s resulted in Cammalleri responding with a club best 28 points (10-18-28) including a goal and helper at The Prudential Center tonight. Henrique has also found his form pumping home 12 goals with eight helpers. Stempniak has been a godsend meshing well in a primary role. Not bad for a 32-year old out of West Seneca, New York written off.

New Devils general manager Ray Shero also made some other good moves that have worked so far. He acquired Kyle Palmieri from the Ducks and signed another ex-Ranger John Moore. So far so good for the 24-year old Palmieri who notched his 10th of the season on the power play. On Anaheim, he was buried behind Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and overpriced Ryan Kesler. Palmieri’s career high in goals is 14. A mark he hit last season in 57 contests. Considering their offensive struggles, think the Ducks miss him?

As for Moore, he once was part of the Rangers’ future on the blueline but never got consistent playing time under Vigneault. We’re sensing a theme here. Eventually, Moore was part of a package that included Anthony Duclair and picks to the Coyotes for Keith Yandle. After the Coyotes declined his option, he became a free agent. He’s become a trusted regular on the back end under Hynes. Astonishingly, Moore’s still just 25 and leads all Devils defensemen in scoring with eight points (2-6-8). He was the overtime hero in a 3-2 win over the Canadiens allowing the Devils to take three of four points against the league’s best.

Another player who has found himself is Travis Zajac. No one disputes that the solid two-way center who is superb on the dotted line is overpaid. He has five years remaining earning a healthy $6.5 million average salary the next four with a cap hit of $5.75 million. Zajac is signed thru 2020. A contract former Devils GM Lou Lamoriello signed him to. He was never gonna live up to it due to not being the most offensively talented.

Zajac battled injuries last year turning in his worst season. In 74 games, he tallied 25 points (11-14-25). Most Devil fans wanted him gone. With Lamoriello taking over the Maple Leafs under Team President Brendan Shanahan, rumors floated that Zajac could be dealt to Toronto. Of course, they were unsubstantiated.

It’s been to the Devils’ benefit. Zajac has turned in some of his best work starting out with six goals and nine helpers. He’s combined with Henrique to form a dangerous penalty killing duo who have totaled three shorthanded goals. As usual, Zajac is taking care of business winning 53.9 percent of face-offs. He’s always been a solid overall center. Under Hynes, he has more of a role also matching his ’14-15 total in power play goals with four. He missed tonight’s game due to an “upper body” injury sustained in a 5-1 road win at Carolina. Hopefully, he won’t be miss significant time.

The Devils can ill afford it. After Zajac, no other Devils forward has over five points. Jacob Josefson finally scored one in the win over the Canes. He’s been utilized in a penalty killing role. Hynes has gotten the most out of Bobby Farnham. A waiver pick up, the fourth liner has provided surprising offense with three goals while supplying energy.

Though he was a healthy scratch, Sergey Kalinin contributed early on. The first-year NHLer is still learning. The Devils have also gotten a positive contribution from David Schlemko. With two markers, he returned to action pairing with Jon Merrill. Schlemko has been steadier than Eric Gelinas, who sat out.

Without captain Andy Greene and Schneider, it wouldn’t be possible. Obviously, Schneider’s important is critical to the team’s success. He entered play with 11 wins in 20 starts with a 2.03 goals-against-average, .927 save percentage and a shutout. If he continues to perform, Schneider might finally get some recognition as one of the game’s best goalies.

Greene is in his first year as team captain. He’ll never blow you away offensively. But he’s a steady defensive defenseman who plays his position well. He and Larsson have formed a solid top tandem. Larsson has finally developed into a shutdown D. It took a while. Credit goes to former Cup hero Scott Stevens who now works on NHL Network. Someone who knows a thing or two about great defense.

In order for the Devils to succeed, they’ll need more from Stefan Matteau and Damon Severson. Matteau scored his first in the loss. Severson has seven assists so far in his second year. Eventually, Reid Boucher should get another chance. He’s been scoring in the AHL with Albany notching nine goals in 15 games.

It could be the swan song for Patrik Elias. The proud franchise scoring leader has a goal and three assists since returning. A borderline Hall Of Famer who’s totaled 407 goals and 614 assists for a club record 1,021 points, Elias is coming to the end with the only team he’s known. It should be interesting to see how it finishes for the two-time Stanley Cup winner.

Whatever happens, it’s already been a surprising season in Newark. The credit goes to Hynes and his players who have bought in. It’s the familiar story of the gritty underdog. When the Devils are on the schedule now no one takes it lightly.

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Devils’ maddening inconsistency continues

Posted on December 4, 2015 by hasan4978

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If you go by the old adage of assessing your team in twenty-game blocks, just after twenty games one overriding characteristic of the 2015-16 Devils has already come to the forefront – their ability to play up and inability to avoid playing down to opponents.  For every win (in this case two) over Chicago, Montreal and the Rangers you have two losses to Columbus, losses in Calgary and Edmonton and the disgraceful performances this week against the Avs and Flyers.  In many ways it’s more annoying than beating the teams you’re supposed to beat and just being overwhelmed talentwise by the better teams of the league.  You get teased thinking this Devil team is ready to take a step into being a contender then WHAM! reality smacks you in the face.

Not only do the Devils play down to their competition but lately they have been horrendous at the Rock, winning just five of thirteen home games this year (and three of them in OT/SO games).  With me in the building their record’s even worse with just two wins in the eight games I’ve been to so far, including the sleepwalk against the Avs on Tuesday and another too little, too late performance against the Flyers tonight.  Yes, they got a point in a 4-3 OT loss.  Sure, they got three points in the back to back if you want to look at the glass half full although their 5-1 win at Carolina was the exception this season, not the norm.  Still when you’re playing Colorado, Carolina and the Flyers – three non-playoff teams – coming off an emotional three points out of four home-and-home with the Canadiens I’m sorry, three points out of six just isn’t going to cut it.  You can’t count on always rising to the occasion and beating the better teams, if you’re going to grow as a team and have a shot at playing meaningful games in March you have to beat teams that are on or below your level.

I thought Tuesday’s game against the Avs was bad but tonight trumped that tenfold.  It’s one thing to be outcompeted by some podunk out of conference team that hasn’t been a rival in a decade and a half, it’s another to just be invisible and let yourself get pummeled by the rival Flyers for forty minutes on your home ice.  Even worse, players who are supposed to be leaders and above this like Andy Greene and Patrik Elias looked like they didn’t want to be bothered with the game.  Greene in particular had the worst game I’ve seen from him since he was a fringe guy under Brent Sutter seven years ago, with a pair of bad penalties, multiple horrendous turnovers, and for the coup de grace misplaying the two-on-one in OT that eventually ended the game.  I love Patty, but when you reach for a puck one-handed and let it get by you well I gotta get on you too.  Kyle Palmeri’s second-period penalty was so egregious he earned himself a benching for the rest of the period (and then came back a house a fire and scored on his first shift in the third).  Honestly the only players in the first two periods I felt were competing were the fringe forwards, guys like Stefan Matteau and Tyler Kennedy.

There’s no excuse really for this team’s continued failure to get up for teams behind them in the standings, this team just flat out isn’t good enough to win games by rote like say, the 2000-01 Devils did (and even they paid for turning it on and off in the end).  Nor are they good enough to overcome coaching mistakes like John Hynes putting out the fourth line with our top defensive pairing to open the game.  Predictably the fourth line was pinned in their own end for like the first eighty seconds of the game and you essentially wasted a Greene-Adam Larsson shift in the process.  In fact that shift set the tone early and the Flyers were camped in our own end for the first 3-4 minutes of the game.  Miraculously not only did they fail to score but Flyers goalie Michael Neuvirth gave us a gift when Matteau’s side-net floater somehow got past Neuvirth and gave the Devils an undeserved lead.  I knew that wouldn’t last with the Devils playing the way they were and the PK failed both times that Greene was in the box, with John Moore being a poor stand-in – though it was Larsson who probably misplayed goal #1 more.  Admittedly, I’m off the Moore bandwagon now after his horrendous game tonight, this staff continues to treat him as the #3 defenseman when the shot totals with him on the ice suggest he should be more the #5 or #6 defenseman, depending on whether Eric Gelinas is in the lineup or not.

Despite their horrendous play in the first forty minutes, the Devils still found themselves in the game down 2-1 with a power play to begin the third period.  Predictably the power play threw up bricks, especially predictable considering the forwards on the ice for the first shift of the power play were Matteau, Jordin Tootoo and Jacob Josefson (who had yet another frustrating game where offense immediately went to die).  I’m sorry, putting that line on the ice for a power play down 2-1 in the third period – Zajac or no Zajac – is inexcusable.  It gave me visions of Jacques Lemaire saying screw it and using Colin White on the power play late in the Devils’ ill-fated 2010 first round series with the Flyers.  Yet in spite of that powerless failure, the Devils found themselves back in the game moments later when Palmeri tied the game with a one-timer off a rebound.  For several minutes the Devils finally showed the passion they should have been exhibiting for the entire night and the crowd responded too.  The building was alive again.

And then bang, the Flyers took the lead back and not only deflated the building but seemingly deflated the Devils too, as New Jersey managed just one shot – ONE! – in the final fifteen minutes of the game.  That one shot however was a doozy, coming after Josefson finally did something good and drew a late penalty to give the Devils one more chance on the power play.  After some anxious moments they finally managed to gain control in the Flyer zone long enough to get Cory Schneider off the ice, and Mike Cammalleri’s loose puck rebound finally found the back of the net to tie the game with exactly one minute left in regulation.  Even that goal however didn’t exactly improve the Devils’ play in the OT as the unfazed Flyers continued to skate over and around the Devils.  Somewhat contreversially, Matt Read elbowed Palmeri late in the OT leading to a two-on-one which Greene misplayed and whoever the other forward was (Elias?) was ridiculously slow getting back into the play, leaving Schneider helpless to stop Read’s goal, even if he got a huge chunk of it.

As if the game itself was annoying enough, hearing the players acknowledge en masse that their effort in the first forty minutes wasn’t good enough further infuriated me.  After all the talk earlier this week about how the Devils needed to respond in these type of games they continue to fail to do so.  I mean I guess it’s better than the alternative of not acknowledging there’s any problem at all, like Hynes did to a degree when he essentially took the players off the hook and praised their effort.  Still, even if you recognize there’s a problem if you do nothing to correct it then that’s just as bad as not seeing there’s a problem in the first place.  Doing so against a rival team is doubly bad.  At home is just icing on the cake.  This Devil team is starting to remind me of the Mets the previous few seasons when they would put up inspired efforts on the road, come home and then fall into a malaise.  Or the football Giants, who generally play up and down to their competition.  If this team wants to make anything of this season, they need to get over both hangups and fast.

 

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