What Megna’s recall could mean for Etem

Posted on January 4, 2016 by Derek

The Rangers have recalled forward Jayson Megna from Hartford. In 34 games for the Wolf Pack in the AHL, the 25-year old Megna is second in team scoring with seven goals and 11 assists for 18 points. That isn’t great production but he did look decent during preseason before being sent down with Brian Gibbons.

Well, it looks like Alain Vigneault plans to dress Megna for tomorrow’s game against the Stars. Assuming Chris Kreider can’t go, then Megna will likely play over Emerson Etem. <gulp> What this says about the coach and organization I’d rather not get into. After just 19 games, are they actually giving up on Etem? Under Vigneault, Etem has hardly been given a chance with talent. He’s mostly been buried on the fourth line.

In part, that’s due to the emergence of Oscar Lindberg. For a while, Lindberg was one of their best performers. But the 24-year old Swede has slumped like the rest of the team. At one point, a third line of Lindberg, Kevin Hayes and J.T. Miller or even Viktor Stalberg was effective. They actually got the puck in and cycled driving possession.

I have no clue what the plan is anymore. Vigneault continues to baffle with his lines. Honestly, whatever line Miller is on usually gets a boost. He’s been the one young player who’s shown growth. More active during shifts and more responsible, Miller has eight goals and 11 assists with his 19 points ranking fifth in team scoring. That’s ahead of Kreider and Hayes who were being counted on for offense.

When it comes to the roster, you can’t just look at scapegoats Dan Girardi and Marc Staal. You have to look at the whole picture. That includes Henrik Lundqvist, whose goals-against-average has slipped to 2.51 with a .920 save percentage. Let’s face it. He hasn’t made the big saves during this brutal stretch. Unless he raises his level, the Rangers could actually miss the playoffs. I can’t even believe I just typed that. They have come back to the pack and we’re not even at the All-Star break.

The bottom line is every veteran must step up. That means more consistency out of captain Ryan McDonagh, who hasn’t been the same player. Is it the injuries to the foot and shoulder? It doesn’t matter. It’s insane to play Girardi nightly when he has swelling in his knee. But the schedule is spread out this week. That means he can play tomorrow and then rest up for the weekend.

Speaking of insanity, can anyone explain why Girardi received a team high 22:15 of ice-time in the 3-0 loss to Florida? If you have a player who’s not 100 percent to begin with and has had his issues, why would he get that amount of time? This isn’t a criticism of the player who wasn’t at fault on Saturday. It’s on the coaching staff.

Game management hasn’t been a strength. It was also a factor in last year’s Game 7 disappointment in the Eastern Conference Final on home ice. Not much is going right for the Rangers these days. Will it change against the league’s top offense featuring Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin? Don’t answer that.

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Kreider likely out for tomorrow

Posted on January 4, 2016 by Derek
Chris Kreider PPG

Chris Kreider could be out for tomorrow against Dallas. AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

The Rangers get back to work tomorrow night when they play host to the league-leading Stars at Madison Square Garden. Following a disappointing 3-0 shutout loss at Florida, they return home for three in a row. All come against good teams with winning records. The Caps visit Saturday and the Bruins next Monday.

With the team struggling mightily, they got some more bad news. It looks like Chris Kreider won’t be able to go tomorrow. He sustained a cut hand against the Panthers after Brandon Pirri went after him for his cross check from behind on Willie Mitchell.

Coach Alain Vigneault said Kreider is day-to-day. The organization is considering making a recall from Hartford. If they do, that means Emerson Etem is back in the doghouse following his awful game over the weekend. In 19 games, he has only three assists. How underwhelming can a former first round pick be after coming over from Anaheim for Carl Hagelin?

With Kevin Hayes returning to the lineup, the Rangers would still be a skater short if Etem sits out. During the morning practice, Etem skated with Derek Stepan and Rick Nash. To be blunt, I’ve had enough of Vigneault’s experiment with Nash and Stepan. They have no chemistry. He should just put Nash back with Derick Brassard and Mats Zuccarello.

As for Hayes, let’s see if he gets it. After two straight games off, will the second-year forward respond? He remains stuck on six goals with 11 helpers in 37 contests. Sadly, Kreider is just a point better at 6-12-18 in all 39.

While most of the attention has been on the defense, the Blueshirts need much better performances from their younger forwards. That includes Stepan, who has only one assist since returning. In 29 games, he’s 6-7-13. That isn’t what they’re paying him $6.5 million for. He still makes smart defensive plays and is a strong penalty killer. But he must perform like the other top center. Brassard can’t do it alone.

They need two lines to be successful. If they had two lines that were going, it would make it a lot easier. Until they find some consistency including the coach who’s mixed and matched, it’ll continue to be a struggle.

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WJC2016: USA falls to Russia 2-1 in semis

Posted on January 4, 2016 by Derek
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Russia’s Andrei Svetlakov celebrates a goal during the second period which beat American goalie Alex Nedeljkovic at the World Junior Championship in Finland. Russia defeated USA 2-1 to advance to the gold medal game tomorrow versus host Finland. Photo by Andre Ringuette courtesy HHOF/IIHF Images

There won’t be gold for Auston Matthews and Team USA in Finland. Instead, they’ll play for the bronze tomorrow against Sweden after falling to Russia in the semifinals 2-1 at the Under 20 World Junior Championship.

Russia advances to the championship game to play host Finland tomorrow. It’s the third consecutive year Russia has defeated USA in the elimination round. In fact, USA hasn’t beaten them at the WJC since 2007.

Surprise Russia starter Ilya Samsonov made 26 saves. Yegor Korshkov had a goal and assist including the game-winner in a strong second period for the Russians. They outscored the Americans 2-0 after trailing on an early goal from Christian Dvorak.

The story of the first was the superb netminding from Alex Nedeljkovic. The Hurricanes prospect made 14 saves in the opening period. Splendid throughout the tournament, he was awfully tough to beat. But on a night where he finished with 31 saves, his team wasn’t able to generate enough offense.

In the first, USA used their speed to get on the board first. Columbus prospect Sonny Milano skated around the Russia defense and centered in front for Dvorak who finished it off at 9:03 with Zach Werenski getting the secondary assist.

Despite some good chances to increase the lead, they couldn’t. 2016 Draft Eligible Matthew Tkachuk hit the post late in the period following a successful full two-minute penalty kill of a Russian 5-on-3. The three penalty killers along with Nedeljkovic did a solid job with Werenski off for slashing and another USA player serving the other two minutes for a bench minor.

If there was a sore spot for American coach Ron Wilson’s team, it was their lack of discipline. They took three penalties in the first and were shorthanded four times. Even though Russia didn’t score on any of the four power plays, they were able to gain momentum.

Sure enough, they were more the aggressor throughout the second and put USA on its heels. Eventually, it resulted in the tying and winning goals 2:48 apart. With 4:52 left in the period, Pavel Kraskovski was able to get to a Korshkov centering feed and beat Nedeljkovic for the equalizer.

Korshkov then converted off a USA turnover in their end. The gifted forward skated around an out of position Werenski and stuffed one past Nedeljkovic unassisted with 2:04 remaining. It was a superb individual effort from Korshkov but never should’ve happened. Werenski got beat badly and Nedeljkovic gave up a rare bad goal.

Unfortunately, that was enough to doom the Americans. Despite Russia handing them consecutive power plays less than four minutes apart spanning the second and third period, they were unable to take advantage. Following a Russian too many men on ice, they came close a couple of times. But Samsonov thwarted them.

Russia was able to limit Auston Matthews to two shots. He entered with seven goals needing one more to tie Jeremy Roenick’s USA record in 1989. But his line with Tkachuk and captain Colin White were shutout. They only had a few good shifts combining for seven shots.

Credit goes out to Russia who played a very stingy defensive third period. Even on the wider Olympic surface used at Hartwell Arena, they did a great job in the neutral zone taking away time and space. They also kept most of USA’s chances to the outside.

Wilson pulled Nedeljkovic with 1:59 left for an extra attacker. But even with a 6-on-5, they didn’t really get the looks needed to beat Samsonov. There was one close call but they missed wide. Russia defended well and earned the win.

Afterwards, USA’s three top players were selected as voted by the coaches. Not surprisingly, Matthews, Nedeljkovic and Werenski were tabbed.

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Russian Hockey Part II

Posted on January 4, 2016 by Derek

In my study of Russian Hockey, I’ll take a look at the impact Russian players have had on the NHL. This post will be about the best individual seasons. Let’s break it down further:

In league history, there have been five Hart Trophies for Most Valuable Player handed out to Russians. Washington Capital Alexander Ovechkin tops the list with three Harts (’07-08-’08-09, ’12-13). Current Pittsurgh Penguin Evgeni Malkin took the award in 2012. Recently inducted Hockey Hall of Famer Sergei Fedorov won it in ’93-94.

Fedorov became the first Russian born player to win the Hart during ’93-94. At age 24, he finished second in scoring with 120 points (56-64-120) in 82 contests for the Detroit Red Wings helping lead them to a division title. As noted in the previous post, Fedorov led the league with 39 even-strength goals and finished second in plus/minus (48). He also scored four shorthanded goals and was not surprisingly the Selke winner for top defensive forward. His big year was also recognized by his peers who elected him the Lester B. Pearson Award as MVP by the players.

Ovechkin won the first of three in ’07-08. At just 22, he lit it up with a league-leading 65 goals and 112 points taking home the Art Ross and Rocket Richard. How lethal was he? Ovechkin led in even strength goals (43) and power play goals (22) and game winners (11)  while pacing the league in shots (446). That dominant a season allowed him to win the Pearson. The Caps topped the old Southeast Division with 94 points returning to the postseason.

For an encore, Ovechkin repeated with a league best 56 markers, 56 assists and 110 points. He led the league with 36 goals coming at even strength. He still put up big numbers in power play (19) and game-winners (10) while recording a incredible league-leading 526 shots. His second postseason was also strong with 11 goals, 10 helpers for 21 points in 14 games. Unfortunately, the Caps fell to the rival Pens in a entertaining seven-game second round series. It remains the only one that matched up Ovechkin with Sidney Crosby. That could change in ’15-16.

Before Ovechkin won his third MVP, fellow Russian Malkin took home his first in ’11-12. Having already established himself with a Conn Smythe at age 22 when he followed up a career best 113 points (35-78-113) with a playoff-leading 36 points (14-22-36) in leading the Pens to a third Stanley Cup in ’08-09, the incredibly talented Malkin came back from injury to produce his first ever 50-goal season with 59 assists and a league-leading 109 points in 75 contests. Of his 50 goals, 37 were even strength and 22 were power play. For his effort, he also took home the Ted Lindsay Award which replaced the Pearson.

After a couple of down seasons, Ovechkin returned to form during the shortened season of 2013. He took home his third Hart tying Bobby Clarke, Mario Lemieux, Howie Morenz and Bobby Orr for the third most all-time. He can catch Eddie Shore (4) and possibly Gordie Howe (6). All-time leader Wayne Gretzky (9) looks unreachable. A strong finish allowed him to win the Rocket Richard with 32 goals. He tied for third in scoring with Crosby tallying 56 points (32-24-56) while playing in all 48 games. Ovechkin led the league in power play goals (16) and shots (220). For the third time in his career, he led the Caps to the second round but the Rangers eliminated them in a hard fought seven games. Unfortunately, that’s been a recurring theme for the emotional Washington leader. His team blew series leads of 3-2 in 2013 and 3-1 in 2015 to the Rangers losing in gut wrenching fashion last Spring in Round 2. On a better team that leads the East by a nice margin, Ovechkin has a chance to rewrite the script.

Throughout history, Russian players have led the NHL in scoring three times. Ovechkin was the first in ’07-08 with 112 points, Malkin followed suit with 110 in ’08-09. He won his second league scoring title in ’11-12 with 113.

The Rocket Richard count is at eight. Ovechkin is responsible for five. Ilya Kovalchuk has one and Pavel Bure won the award twice in ’99-00 and ’00-01 but also led the league in ’93-94. The award recognizing former Canadien legend Maurice Richard started in ’98-99 with Teemu Selanne fittingly winning it with 47.

While all three are deserving, the forgotten Russian who isn’t recognized is Alexander Mogilny. In ’92-93, Mogilny scored 76 goals to tie Selanne for the league lead. Playing in obscurity for the Buffalo Sabres, the electrifying Mogilny was a highlight reel while teaming with centerman Pat LaFontaine. His 76 goals in 77 games is one of the few marks that’s gotten lost. That’s basically a goal-per-game clip for a entire season. His 76 remain the most ever scored in a single season by a Russian born player. Mogilny also set the single season mark for most points by a Russian in ’92-93 with 127 (76-51-127).

Mogilny is an interesting case for the Hockey Hall of Fame. He doesn’t have the star power of Fedorov or Bure. But he did total 473 goals and 559 assists for 1,032 points in 990 career NHL games. Injuries limited his production. Had he been healthier, 500 goals would’ve been a lock along with 1,000 games. His final season was ’05-06 with the Devils when he totaled 12 goals and 13 assists for 25 points in 34 contests. The bitter conclusion to an otherwise brilliant career has made him overlooked. He ranks second behind Fedorov in most points (1,032) as a Russian star. He was over a point-per-game and won a Stanley Cup with the Devils in 2000. Will he be recognized?

Somewhat curiously, Kovalchuk has 816 points in 816 games. When he returned home to star in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) for St. Petersburg SKA, Kovalchuk was at 417 goals with 399 assists. He last played in the NHL in ’12-13 totaling 11 goals and 31 points in 37 games. He’s still only 32. If he ever returned, 500 goals would be a lock as would 1,000 points. It remains to be seen.

Interestingly, Russia has never produced a Norris winner for top defenseman. They’ve had some excellent ones including former Rangers’ Cup hero Sergei Zubov and former Cap/Pen Sergei Gonchar. Both had superb careers that should be recognized. Gonchar played in 1,301 games for six teams (Caps, Bruins, Pens, Sens, Stars, Habs) totaling 220 goals and 591 assists for 811 points. The 811 are the most ever by a Russian defenseman in the NHL. Gonchar won a Cup with the Pens. He retired last year with Montreal posting a goal and 12 helpers in 45 contests.

Zubov is a two-time Cup winner (’94 Rangers, ’99 Stars) who tallied 152 goals, 619 assists and 771 points in 1,068 games. His last NHL season was ’08-09. Zubov played one season in the KHL with St. Petersburg SKA totaling 42 points (10-32-42) before retiring. He went out the right way. 

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Streaking Devils take down the Stars in OT

Posted on January 2, 2016 by hasan4978

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Just a week ago it looked like the season was hanging in the balance for the Devils after a string of up and down efforts with up and down results to match.  However I’m sure coach John Hynes is a happier man tonight after one of the team’s most complete performances of the season, where they not only beat the Stars 3-2 in OT but played well throughout against a fine team.  Of course that isn’t unusual this season where the Devils have usually stepped up to the challenge of facing good teams, but the win tonight gave them a three-game winning streak with two of them at home – both welcome developments to be sure after it’d been weeks since the Devils had even a two-game winning streak and weren’t winning as frequently at home.

All in all it’s been a good week to be a Devils fan starting with the open practice and autograph session the team held on Sunday afternoon at the Rock.  The event itself was well done with about a dozen tables of two players each spread throughout the arena to cut down on lines although with approximately a thousand people there and about an hour wait between the end of practice and when the players got to their tables, the lines still got packed.  I wasn’t going to stay for the autographs being I had a big Jet game to watch but going out of the seating area I wound up next to the Cory Schneider line and it hadn’t filled up yet so I figured I’d at least stay for that.  I wound up getting him, Keith Kinkaid, Jon Merrill and Sergey Kalinin to sign the poster and still left around 1:30, every other line had filled by then anyway so my attention was back on the football at that point.

Of course on the ice things improved as well even though Tuesday’s game against Carolina the Devils were more fortunate to win than anything else, being they were outplayed badly as the game wore on and all three goals they scored went off a body part.  The next night they shut out Ottawa in a Cory showcase game with 36 saves.  Tonight’s game however was a complete effort, their remodeled d-pairings held up against a high-powered offense for most of the night while their offense chipped in just enough to win, despite the surprise absence of leading scorer Mike Cammalleri with an upper-body injury.

At least the Devils still had Kyle Palmeri in the lineup, and among others he played maybe his best game as a Devil, not only scoring the team’s first goal on a wraparound early in the second period but taking the body throughout with some physical play.  He was credited with three hits in twenty-one minutes but it seemed like more.  Centerman Travis Zajac was also singled out for effective work shadowing Dallas’s dangerous scorers in the postgame both by coach Hynes, and by his teammates who gave him the hardhat of the game.  Another Devil who’s impressed lately – really since he’s got here – is sparkplug Bobby Farnham.  Initially thought to only be a fourth-line energy guy, Farnham scored his fifth goal of the season which is quite impressive considering he’s only played nineteen games so far.  And every one of the goals has been more of a goalscorers’ goal as opposed to the lucky random goals fourth-liners typically get.  Even his bank shot off a defenseman against the Canes on Tuesday took some thought.  Tonight he had a nice shot from inside the faceoff circle after good work from Stephen Gionta and Jordin Tootoo on the boards.  Sure he’s not going to keep up a 26% shooting percentage but hey if you’re going to put guys like Tootoo, Jacob Josefson (relegated back to being a healthy scratch this week) and AHL’er Mike Sislo on the PP why not give Wild Thing a shot?  Maybe this guy could follow a David Clarkson path and develop some late-blooming offense?

Palmeri and Farnham scoring in a five-minute span of the second period gave the Devils a 2-0 lead but even with Schneider and the team playing well I wasn’t totally confident we’d be able to hold a lead against that offense.  Sure enough in the third period Dallas’s skill began to show when John Klingberg abused David Schlemko out of his skates and whipped a pass off the stick of Adam Larsson to Patrick Sharp in front for an in-close score to cut the lead to 2-1 at 10:54.  Less then four minutes later the Stars tied the game with the immortal Colton Sceviour beating Schneider through traffic (some of which was apparently caused by Schlemko, who got benched pretty much thereafter).  Fortunately the Devils were able to get the game to OT after Schneider stoned an unidentifed Star with a wicked glove save late in the game.  In OT, Jamie Benn’s early penalty gave the Devils a 4-on-3 chance, and for the second time this season in OT John Moore delivered with a bomb from the point to win the game.  Overall, the Devils are 6-1 in games decided in OT this season, yet another incentive to avoid the shootout.  And don’t look now, but not only do the Devils have a wild card spot but they’re actually gaining ground fast on the other local teams for one of the automatic three playoff berths in the Metro.

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Panthers claw listless Rangers

Posted on January 2, 2016 by Derek

The more things change… the more they stay the same. That is the story for the ’15-16 Rangers who can’t seem to find any consistency 38 games into what’s turning into a worrisome season. Especially with the Pens heating up and the Devils continuing to win.

Facing the Panthers to start the new calendar year, they couldn’t build on their last effort in Tampa. Instead, it was another frustrating night. Make no mistake. The better team won. The hungrier one too. The Panthers cashed in on Ranger mistakes for a 3-0 shutout win moving back into first in the Atlantic Division. It was their franchise record eighth consecutive win.

It didn’t start out that way. For most of the first period, they were fine. Limiting the faster Panthers offensively, the Rangers looked to be in good shape until the final shift. An unforced turnover from Emerson Etem led directly to Logan Shaw finishing off his fourth from Corban Knight with 24.6 seconds left. It was part of a horrible night for Etem, who also was responsible for the second goal.

Despite firing 15 shots on Roberto Luongo in the second, they couldn’t get one past the future Hall of Famer. Unlike the first meeting at BB&T Center when he was culpable on a few in a 5-4 overtime loss back on 11/21, Luongo was sharp throughout. He made some key stops when the Rangers had pressure. In particular, his cat-like glove did some nice work to deny Derek Stepan, Keith Yandle and Rick Nash.

The end result was Luongo’s 71st career shutout. The most among active goalies. Henrik Lundqvist is second with 57. He stopped all 40 Ranger shots for his 418th career victory.

Jaromir Jagr gave his former team a couple of power play chances with undisciplined penalties. But they weren’t willing to oblige. Luongo made some timely saves the Blueshirts weren’t willing to pay the price in front. Notably Chris Kreider, who has stopped screening goalies. On one such sequence, he watched Yandle wind up and gave Luongo a clear path for a routine glove save. That wasn’t his only hiccup.

Despite only getting six shots in the second, the Cats increased their lead to two. Vincent Trocheck deflected home a Alex Petrovic shot from the right point past a frustrated Lundqvist at 4:41. On the play, a scrambling Etem was lost in coverage and didn’t get back to take Brian Campbell, who dished across for an open Petrovic shot that took a favorable bounce for the home team.

It was Etem again who took a mindless hooking minor with 16 seconds left. Given another look on the third line, he was brutal. A turnover that led to the game-winner. A blown assignment on the second. Then a foolish penalty after a strong shift where he was noticeable on the forecheck. So here we are folks. In his 19th game as a Blueshirt, Etem took 10 shifts and was minus-two in 6:38. Kevin Hayes will be back no doubt for the first overall Stars on Tuesday.

The end came when Brandon Pirri was left all alone by Ryan McDonagh to beat Lundqvist on the power play with Etem in the box. His power play goal made it 3-0 a little past the halfway point.

It didn’t matter that there was still a period and a half left. The game was over. The Rangers predictably didn’t score. Once again, if you can shutdown Derick Brassard, Mats Zuccarello and Nash, who was with Stepan and Jesper Fast a second straight game, you basically neutralize the offense.

As if it wasn’t already ugly enough, Kreider pulled one of his foolish cheap shots shoving Florida defenseman Willie Mitchell from behind into the boards which earned him two for cross-checking and two for roughing with Pirri coming to Mitchell’s aid. It wasn’t as bad as it looked. However, it’s the kind of dirty play the NHL is trying to eliminate. Maybe this is the one that earns Kreider some discipline.

What’s so puzzling about him is he won’t use his physical tools to screen goalies or score garbage goals. But he’ll show frustration and deliver a cheap hit that could’ve injured a respected veteran. It was just a dumb play by a confused player.

To their credit, the Rangers didn’t give up. They kept trying to score on Luongo. But came away empty handed.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Tanner Glass, NYR (one of few players to battle, fought Thornton to lengthy draw after clean check on Kulikov)

2nd Star-Brandon Pirri, FLA (power play goal-8th, stood up for Mitchell)

1st Star-Roberto Luongo, FLA (39 saves for 71st career shutout)

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Video of Day: Draisaitl’s wizardry sets up Hall goal

Posted on January 2, 2016 by Derek

Part of what makes hockey special is the remarkable vision some players have. In the second Video of Day installment, Oilers center Leon Draisaitl with already a Play of The Year candidate. On a rush, he has enough wizardry to make a no look feed for a trailing Taylor Hall for a highlight reel goal.

Even better, it came with a defender on him and was of the backhand variety from behind the net. Simply amazing. Draisaitl sure has made the most of his second chance which poetically came when top pick Connor McDavid went down with a broken clavicle. At the time, Draisaitl was upset for being sent down. All he’s done is produce on the top line with Hall and Teddy Purcell. He now has nine goals and 23 assists in 30 games. And Hall is having a monster season with 16 goals and 25 helpers.

Wait till McDavid returns. The fun is just beginning.

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Hayes Scratched Again

Posted on January 2, 2016 by Derek

If Alain Vigneault didn’t make his point before, he certainly has now. After having Kevin Hayes sit out a Rangers 5-2 win over the Lightning to end 2015, he’s decided to make Hayes a healthy scratch again for the Panthers tonight.

It’s unsurprising that Vigneault decided to stick with the same lineup that played the Rangers’ most complete game in a while. Usually, it’s been how he operates. If the team wins, he’ll go back to it and see if it can again. Facing one of the league’s most improved teams, he sending a message to Hayes and the team. He wants a more consistent effort from everyone. New York Post beat writer Brett Cyrgalis got a interesting response from Vigneault.

Clearly, Vigneault has finally decided to take a stand. It’s about time. This is what I’ve been asking for. Consistency. Accountability. Hayes has played his way out of the lineup. Considering that Viktor Stalberg and Tanner Glass remain in on the fourth line, that should change. In order to be successful, the Blueshirts need more from Hayes. When he does return, it’ll be interesting to see how he responds.

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Video of Day: Eichel scores on breakaway

Posted on January 2, 2016 by Derek

Our Video of Day is back for the New Year. The first post of 2016 features Sabres rookie center Jack Eichel scoring on a breakaway against the Red Wings during today’s game. He got his second on a break in after Pavel Datsyuk fell down and beat Petr Mrazek with a forehand deke off the goal post and off Mrazek and in.

The best part is listening to a revved up Rick Jeanneret call the goal. Is there a more exciting announcer in sports? Jeanneret is a legend. His enthusiasm is second to none.

Eichel also got the other Buffalo goal in the second period. His two goals came 3:01 apart to help tie the game. The first was a snap shot from the right circle. Buffalo now trails Detroit 3-2 early in the third.

The 19-year old Eichel has been hot of late. He concluded December with nine points (2-7-9) in the last six games. That included a career high four points (2-2-4) in a 6-3 win over the Bruins. With two more goals today, that gives him 11 points in the last 7. He’s now tied with Detroit’s Dylan Larkin for first in goals (13) among rookies.

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Russian Hockey

Posted on January 2, 2016 by Derek
A decade earlier, I discussed a potential book with a great Devil fan Sue. She pitched the idea of digging deeper into Russian hockey roots. Russia’s influence changed the game with the historic ’72 Summit Series the tip of the iceberg. With more time for other hockey ventures, reexaming Russia is worth looking into.

During the lockout, MSG Network has run hockey specials, including some classic exhibitions between the Rangers and Russia during the 1970’s. What we got was a rude awakening to just how skilled the Russians were. They were so advanced, using superior conditioning, skating and playmaking to mount an attack. One we weren’t ready for. It makes Canadian hero Paul Henderson that much more special. And also explains why Bobby Clarke simply followed orders with a two-hander breaking Valeri Kharlamov’s ankle. No way would they have come back.

It’s rare that I’ve seen highlights of Kharlamov. However, either by YouTube curiosity and thanks to MSG, I got to see how breathtaking he was. This was a special talent who would’ve brought fans out of their seats had he been able to play in the NHL. There’s no telling how many goals he would’ve scored. A look into how good the Stastnys were with particularly Peter gives us only a glimpse. And we know how great he was. If you haven’t seen the piece on NHL Network about their defection, watch it.

On NBC Sports Network last year, they aired a great documentary on the Summit Series. It gave us more perspective from both sides as far as what they were thinking and strategy. This is a must for any hockey fan.

In my first discovery, hockey was originally called “banty” in Russia. Played in the 1890’s, they used a ball instead of a puck. Ice hockey was introduced in the 1930’s. From my understanding, their version was much different from Canada with the Russians carrying over banty rules.

It wasn’t until the 1950’s that coach Anatoli Tarasov changed their philosophy, turning the CCCP into a powerful unit. They were successful instantly, winning the world championships in ’54 and finishing first in the Olympics in ’56. It was just the beginning with the Soviets taking nine consecutive world championships and winning eight European. Under Tarasov, they took Olympic gold in ’64, ’68 and ’72. Their dominance gave them the nickname Big Red Machine.

Tarasov also coached CSKA (Central Sports Club of the Army), guiding them to 17 championships. He coached them for 27 years (’47-74). For his contribution, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall Of Fame in 1974 in the builders category. A Kontinental Hockey League division is named after him. The Tarasov Division is one of four in the KHL featuring CSKA Moscow, HC Vityaz, Severstal Cherepovets, HC Sochi, Dynamo Moscow, Topedo Nizhny Novgorod and Lokomotiv Yaroslavl.

STYLE OF PLAY: The Russian style of hockey is all about skating, puck possession and play making. As emerging Caps second-year center Evgeny Kuznetsov references in a post he wrote entitled How We Play Hockey in Russia on the Players Tribune, Russian players are taught from a young age to skate, hold onto the puck and pass.

My father teach me, too. First thing, you never look at puck. Eyes always up. Look left, right, forward. You look down, it’s over. Even now, if I look down at puck in a game, my dad let me know about it. He texts me. If I score three goals but I don’t have an assist, he texts me. Because he teach me to be unselfish. You have to play for your partner. This is very Russian, this principle. I guess because of the Red Machine.

But this works only when all five guys working together perfect. If a guy skates in and shoots from blue line without passing, it’s like he doesn’t have respect. That’s how we play in Russia. When I come to America last year to play in NHL, I learn it’s a little different.

Russian hockey is all about skating and skill. One point Kuznetsov mentioned was that if a player dumped the puck in the KHL, they were often benched. It probably helps better explain why some Russian players aren’t as successful in the NHL. There’s a huge difference in philosophy. On a smaller ice surface with less time and space, sometimes the only good play is to dump the puck in rather than risk a turnover at the blue line.


However, Kuznetsov also illustrates the team oriented style the Caps play. Similar to how the defending champion Blackhawks play, they possess the puck and play off each other. It’s resulted in a Eastern Conference best 28-7-2 record with 58 points in 37 games. It’s also worth noting that that puck possession style has won Chicago three Cups in six years. 
Two of the greatest Russian hockey players who can control a game are Sergei Fedorov and Pavel Datsyuk. Ironically, they’ve starred for the same team in Hockeytown for the Red Wings. They followed in the footsteps of countryman Igor Larionov. Aside from the fact they all played together winning Cups in Detroit, what do they all have in common? All three could skate and make plays with the puck. They could each use their speed to back up the D gaining the blue line while circling around looking for open teammates.
Both Larionov (2008) and Fedorov (2015) were inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Datsyuk should join them when his career is over. A remarkable two-way player who’s won two Cups and three Selke Trophies as the league’s top defensive forward, the supremely skilled Datsyuk combines great skating and play making with tremendous defensive acumen. Throughout his career, he’s only finished a season with a minus rating once. Like Fedorov, he’s a fantastic skater who makes everyone around him better.
To be honest, Fedorov’s ’93-94 Hart season is still one of the more memorable. He had 56 goals and 64 assists totaling 120 points with a plus-48 rating. He finished second behind Wayne Gretzky in scoring, third in goals trailing countryman Pavel Bure (60) and Brett Hull (57). Fedorov was second to Scott Stevens (+52) in plus/minus leading all NHL forwards. He led the league with 39 goals at even strength and tied for second in game-winning goals with 10. 
Until recently, Fedorov held the record for most goals (483) scored by a Russian in the NHL. Alexander Ovechkin passed him this season. Ovechkin currently has 496 and will become the first Russian born player to reach 500. Astonishingly, he’ll do it at only 30. The three-time Hart winner and five-time Rocket Richard winner is writing his own legendary script in Washington.

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