Moore’s go ahead goal gives Rangers win over Lightning

Posted on December 30, 2015 by Derek

Desperate times call for desperate measures. Alain Vigneault got his wish. With Kevin Hayes a healthy scratch, his team showed more urgency earning a 5-2 road win over the Lightning. It snapped a eight-game road losing streak. It was their first win away from MSG since 11/23 at Florida. The final stop on a three-game road trip Jan. 2.

At the very least, they closed 2015 on a more positive note. They finished December with a 4-7-2 record. With the Caps continuing to win (5-2 over Sabres), the Rangers are second in the Metro with 46 points. One better than the idle Islanders and three ahead of the Devils, who prevailed at Ottawa 3-0. Through 38 games, they’re 21-13-4.

A big part of the win was the play of the fourth line. The trio of Dominic Moore, Tanner Glass and Viktor Stalberg were factors. Moore got the winner from Stalberg with 16:44 remaining in the third period. Stalberg added an empty netter from 153 feet out with 1:21 left.

After being called for a “interference penalty” on a great hit on Brian Boyle that led to a controversial power play goal from Anton Stralman at 19:51 of the second, Glass separated Stralman from the puck causing a turnover which allowed Stalberg to feed Moore in front for a sweet finish. It was the hustle of that line which allowed the Blueshirts to beat Ben Bishop for the first time in 10 regular season meetings. He gave up 3 goals on 24 shots.

Moore also was involved on the first goal. On a forecheck, he fed Keith Yandle who passed across for an open Dan Boyle, who continued his great play by burying his fifth at 1:53 of the first. Boyle has been the team’s best defenseman since returning to the lineup. He’s scored all five goals in the last 10 games between 12/9 and 12/30. In fact, nine of his 12 points have come during that stretch. He also helped set up the second goal in the second period.

The only thing they did wrong was take bad penalties. Near the conclusion of the first, Rick Nash went off for hi-sticking. At that point, the Bolts were 0-for-2 on the power play with just one shot total in the first. That changed quickly when Jonathan Marchessault was able to deflect home a Stralman point shot past Henrik Lundqvist to tie the score at 16:35. That made it points in eight of Marchessault’s last nine games. Not bad for a guy who never got a sniff here or Columbus.

It was in the second that the Rangers retook the lead. Taking a Boyle outlet, J.T. Miller out-skated three Lightning players zipping through the neutral zone and around before dropping for a quick Mats Zuccarello one-timer that went high glove on a asleep Bishop. Just a great play by a more confident player who’s blossoming in his third year. A hard working player who is very involved physically, Miller finished the month with seven points (4-3-7) in the last eight contests. In fact, his 13 points (6-7-13) on the road lead all Blueshirts this season.

Unable to get much done at 5-on-5, the Lightning made the Rangers pay again on the power play. It was due to a puzzling call on Glass. With Boyle a couple of feet from the puck, an attacking Glass went to finish his check knocking Boyle into the Rangers bench where he greeted a few of his former teammates. Following a Boyle complaint to refs Tom Chmielewski and Brad Meier, Glass was sent off for interference. The explanation was that Boyle didn’t have the puck when Glass delivered the hit. It still was a garbage call by a hypocritical league that half the time doesn’t punish offenders who do far worse.

Even odder was the Bolts’ tying goal from Stralman. With time winding down in the second, Stralman battled Jesper Fast in front for a loose puck. After taking a few swipes, he connected sending a shot towards Lundqvist who looked to have it covered leading to Chmielewski and Meier blowing the whistle. However, the puck crossed the line causing the Lightning players to protest. Originally, it looked like an intent to blow rule which would prevent the goal. But after a review, they reversed the call. An awful decision by two incompetent officials who somehow missed a good goal. Instead of sticking with their mistake on a controversial rule, they changed it giving the Bolts a goal.

None of it mattered in the third when Moore was able to beat Bishop in front for his fourth on a Stalberg feed following a Glass takeout of Stralman. Moore also beat Victor Hedman on the clutch play to put the Blueshirts ahead for good.

It wasn’t a Picasso. It didn’t need to be. The Rangers played a 1-4 sending one forechecker in while clogging up the neutral zone. A strategy once employed by former coach Tom Renney. It’s ugly hockey for sure. Something that troubled Phil Esposito during a radio interview with MSG’s Dave Maloney during the second intermission. Esposito isn’t a fan of this style and feels players are over coached and that there’s not enough creativity. He also isn’t a fan of parity. All good points.

The play of the game was made from Marc Staal who saved a goal prior to Moore’s winner. He prevented a sure goal by just doing enough to keep the puck out while in mid-air. It was that close. If he doesn’t make that play, who knows if the Rangers win. Defensively, they were a lot better than recently. There weren’t many panic attacks although I cringed when Ryan Callahan caught a pinching Girardi flatfooted and then forced Lundqvist into a difficult stick save.

For the most part, everybody did their job. Lundqvist only had to make 20 saves. Following Stalberg’s odd turnaround empty netter from way out after a Moore faceoff win, Nash added an empty netter giving him 12 goals.

Now, they get New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day off. Hopefully, they’ll start the new calendar year in the same fashion against the improved Panthers.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Tanner Glass, NYR (2 attempts, 4 hits, +3 in 19 shifts-9:53-did take 2 penalties but 1 was a weak call and he was strong overall as was Stalberg)

2nd Star-Dan Boyle, NYR (5th of season, assist, +2 in 25 shifts-19:04-possibly his final game against former team)

1st Star-Dominic Moore, NYR (GWG-4th of season, assist, 10-for-14 on draws, +3 in 20 shifts-11:39)

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Rangers visit Lightning in final game of 2015

Posted on December 30, 2015 by Derek

Later tonight, the Rangers visit the Lightning in the final game of 2015. Having dropped eight straight away from MSG (0-6-2), they will face the team that beat them in a emotionally draining Eastern Conference Final. It still hurts. That said, that team was different. They were more consistent in all phases of the game despite injuries to our top three defensemen.

With the Islanders pulling back ahead for second and the Devils suddenly three points behind with the Flyers creeping up, the time is now for the Blueshirts to start turning things around. The playoffs are no longer a lock. Not with how they’ve played. The lackadaisical coverage, lazy turnovers and undisciplined penalties have caught up. They’re also not getting the big saves from Henrik Lundqvist, who’s been in a funk. If that continues, then the postseason is in jeopardy.

Kevin Hayes has played himself out of the lineup. His response to Alain Vigneault’s criticism is worrisome. If he won’t change, then the second half could be empty. Hopefully, logic will prevail and he’ll respond to the challenge.

With him out, Vigneault has again altered the lines. J.T. Miller moves up to the top line with Derick Brassard and Mats Zuccarello. Rick Nash will start with Derek Stepan and Jesper Fast. Chris Kreider is on the third line with Oscar Lindberg and Emerson Etem. I guess this is Etem’s chance to prove himself. He’s playing with better talent. We’ll see if it works.

That leaves Dominic Moore anchoring Tanner Glass and Viktor Stalberg. A grind line that should supply energy. If Stalberg can stay away from the bad neutral zone turnovers, it should be okay. Glass has continued to bring a lunch pail work ethic. You can tell how much this second chance means to him. If only more skilled under performing players played with that urgency.

More is needed from Kreider who remains puzzling. He did record two assists in the loss to the Predators. During that comeback attempt, his strong work on the forecheck resulted in a Miller goal that cut it to 5-3. Vigneault got that line back out and Kreider nearly deflected a shot past Pekka Rinne forcing him into a difficult save. What I don’t get is why Vigneault changed that line. Kreider works best with Stepan. Miller is playing his best hockey. So much for patience.

Nash has also disappointed with 11 goals. Sure. He scored a gimme the other night on a Rinne giveaway. But 11 goals from their best finisher is not enough production. He just hasn’t performed well. Nash finds himself with Stepan and Fast, who is miscast as a second liner. I get it. He brings energy and scored on a deflection of a Dan Girardi shot. But the idea that he’s in the top six is absurd. That he has the same amount of goals (6) as Kreider and Hayes sums it up.

As for the blueline, it’s not even worth discussing. Girardi went back in and had a decent first game with Ryan McDonagh. How long will the trademark top pair last before Vigneault switches to McDonagh and Kevin Klein? Klein is with Keith Yandle, whose game has slipped. When he’s not contributing offensively, Yandle is mistake prone and can be exploited. That’s why Klein is with him.

Marc Staal has struggled with consistency. Like Girardi, he doesn’t have the foot speed and can be attacked by fast skaters. Facing the Lightning who boast Nikita Kucherov, Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat could be dicey. Jonathan Drouin is expected to return. The Bolts have gotten good play from Jonathan Marchessault. A former Ranger property who lit it up in Hartford, he has seven points over his last seven contests. Does he come out for Drouin or does Jon Cooper scratch someone else?

Given that the Bolts also boast lethal shutdown tandem Victor Hedman and former buddy Anton Stralman, this match-up is troublesome. I neglected to mention Steven Stamkos and Ranger killer Alex Killorn (somewhat appropriate). Plus you know Brian Boyle and Ryan Callahan will be up for this game.

There’s also the matter of Ben Bishop, who’s never lost to the Rangers in nine regular season games. He’s 9-0-0 with a 1.43 goals-against-average, .947 save percentage and two shutouts against them. He also beat Lundqvist last Spring which still stings. Bishop played hurt and still shut our team out in Games 5 and 7.

All these factors along with the Blueshirts’ road woes point to a Lightning victory. Hopefully, the boys will respond well and send 2015 off on a happier note.

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Vigneault criticizes “healthy scratch” Hayes

Posted on December 29, 2015 by Derek
Kevin Hayes

Kevin Hayes will be a healthy scratch for the first time this season when the Rangers visit Tampa Wednesday. Alain Vigneault had some choice words for the struggling second-year forward. AP Photo by David Zalubowski/Getty Images

I’ve been all over Kevin Hayes for a while. It’s no secret that the second-year forward has been a huge disappointment for the Blueshirts. His struggles continued in Monday’s 5-3 road loss at Nashville. He was minus-one and lost seven of eight face-offs.

In December, Hayes has only two assists in 12 games. Aside from the lack of production, he has been one of the culprits defensively. There have been too many instances where he has failed to pick up his man resulting in goals against. An unselfish player, he has also been guilty of bad turnovers due to over passing.

But as we learned today, Rangers coach Alain Vigneault went out of his way to criticize Hayes. Indicating that Hayes would be a “healthy scratch” for the first time this season when they visit the Lightning tomorrow, Vigneault didn’t mince words.

“I think we all have our tipping points, and I think Kevin has had an extra-long leash, especially considering [center Derek Stepan] was out for quite some time,” Vigneault told reporters after a team workout before traveling to Tampa. “But there’s just nothing going on. At the end of the day, we’re at the point now where we have to make some decisions in the best interests of the team.”

Following a promising rookie season that saw him finish with 17 goals and 28 helpers for 45 points in 79 contests, much was expected of Hayes. But the 23-year old former BC alum has not come close with just six goals and 11 helpers in 37 games. He is without a goal in 16 straight. His last one came in a home win over Nashville which was also the last time he registered two points.

“When you go through a season, there are phases when you’re trying to develop, you’re trying to work, as you’re trying to win — winning is obviously the final component to everything,” Vigneault said. “But in those early on there, you’re trying to figure out and find out about people. In Kevin’s case, I think we made it clear our expectations about him and what we felt he could do were very high. Obviously, he hasn’t lived up to that.

“Did we over-estimate his possibilities? I don’t know, time will tell. But I do know that what I’m seeing now, and what we’re seeing now, is not good enough.”

Most notably, Vigneault expressed disappointment in another aspect of Hayes. One that raised eyebrows.

“I think part of work is not just on the ice and off the ice, but it’s in the preparation — preparation that permits you to execute on the ice. When I say that we’ve reached our tipping point, me and management, those are decisions that we discuss. Just felt that this time, this is the right thing for him to do.”

What Vigneault is likely referring to is what Hayes does off the ice between games. That is not what you want to hear from a patient coach who has given Hayes chance after chance to figure it out. It’s well documented that he once misbehaved when he was at Boston College. He’s known as a cocky kid who doesn’t lack for confidence. When asked by the press about the criticism, here was Hayes’ response:

“The reason why I’m here — I’m confident in my abilities. Things aren’t going my way, aren’t going the team’s way, I’m not going to switch. There [are] things I need to switch, get pucks in their end, do things a little bit better, but I’m not going to stray away from what I bring to the table. I’m confident with what I have.”

“My game isn’t nearly where I want it to be. Goals and aspirations coming into a season, and I haven’t even come close to mine. I’m struggling right now, so take it day-by-day, see how it goes.”

It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to see that Hayes’ game has fallen apart. He hasn’t found chemistry with anyone. Vigneault tried him out on the wing with Chris Kreider and Derek Stepan but that was a short lived experiment. After he put Hayes back at center, he showed signs anchoring the third line. By far his best play came on the third line when he totaled nine points (4-5-9) over a 10-game stretch between 10/22 thru 11/14.

Stepan went down 13 days later forcing Vigneault to scramble to find the right combo. He also made an example of rookie Oscar Lindberg sitting him out once due to undisciplined penalties. With Hayes out for tomorrow, that means Emerson Etem returns to the lineup. What Vigneault wants is for Hayes to learn a lesson.

“I think I like players that project that confidence, whether it be that swagger or that cockiness — but you have to be able to go on the ice and perform,” he added. “Right now, we need all our top foot soldiers, all our top guys, to bring their A-game to the table. Kevin is one of our younger players that can help us and can complement what our top soldiers are supposed to do.

“For us to be at this stage right now, it’s obviously because we’re very unhappy with the way he’s played so far.”

It’ll be interesting to see if this changes anything. Hayes won’t play again until January 2 in the new calendar year when the Rangers visit the Panthers. That’s assuming Vigneault reinserts him. Logic dictates he will over Viktor Stalberg. With the team struggling in all aspects, is this the message that turns things around? We’ll have to wait and see.

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Rangers lose again on the road

Posted on December 29, 2015 by Derek

The Predators celebrate a goal against a deflated Henrik Lundqvist. He’s now allowed 18 goals on 134 shots in his last 4 road appearances. AP Photo by Mark Humphrey/Getty Images

In a game I caught the tail end of, the Rangers were defeated by the Predators 5-3 in Music City. It was another game I didn’t need to see. I was busy putting in some extra time at work earning extra incentive. I wish I could say the same for this sinking ship.

The Christmas break apparently didn’t help. Neither did the returns of Dan Girardi and Kevin Klein. Right now, this team can’t win on the road. Since posting a 5-4 overtime win over the Panthers back on Nov. 21, they have dropped their last eight (0-6-2). Even worse, in the last five road losses, they’ve allowed at least five goals in each giving up 27 total.

Most alarming, Henrik Lundqvist has started four of those five games allowing 18 goals on 134 shots. Including tonight where he gave up all five Nashville goals on 35 shots before giving way to backup Antti Raanta who relieved him following James Neal’s second that made it 5-1, Lundqvist has now been pulled three times in his last four road starts. He’s posted a un-King like .866 save percentage. Breaking it down further in a tweet I just posted:

https://twitter.com/NewYorkPuck/status/681709335458803712

Honestly, there’s really not much more to say. If Lundqvist can’t perform better than that, then it could be a while before the Blueshirts’ road issues go away. That being said, they have two more quality opponents coming up. On Wednesday, they visit the Lightning. Then on Saturday January 2, 2016, they’re at the Panthers.

It’s not just on Henrik. The performance by the D or lack there of has been alarming. Having finally caught highlights, he didn’t have much chance on three. The Ryan Ellis power play bomb that followed a Craig Smith tally was stoppable. It snowballed with Neal ending Lundqvist’s night for the Preds’ third goal in 3:41. Making his first appearance since sustaining a concussion at the Wild on Dec. 17, Raanta didn’t face a shot in 5:19 of action before going to the bench for an extra attacker.

Consecutive goals off the sticks of Rick Nash and J.T. Miller made things interesting with still 3:58 left. Despite some close calls, they were unable to cut the deficit to one. Pekka Rinne made at least one big save. He finished with 26 total to pick up the win.

Jesper Fast scored the other goal for the Blueshirts on a nice tip of a Girardi shot from Chris Kreider which actually evened the score at 6:59 of the second stanza. But shoddy defense allowed Mike Ribeiro to feed a wide open Neal for a laser from the slot putting the Preds in front for good at 13:48. Ribeiro had a big night setting up three goals including Smith’s redirect from in front that irked Lundqvist and Ellis’ power play goal from long distance.

Regrettably, Emerson Etem and Dylan McIlrath were the healthy scratches. Viktor Stalberg was back in which is inexcusable. What exactly does he bring that Etem can’t? God forbid Alain Vigneault let the kid play and see if he can become a key contributor. Unbelievable.

As for McIlrath, everyone knew he’d come out with Girardi and Klein back. And with Dan Boyle suddenly reemerging, McIlrath now finds himself the odd man out. One trend on Twitter that amused me was a #FreeMcIlrath one. The writing is on the wall.

Fans are starting to turn on Vigneault and his staff. While a rookie coach makes abrupt lineup changes for an overachieving team across the Hudson, a veteran coach who’s had great success here is unwilling to do what must be needed to get his team’s attention. You can’t make it up.

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Hynes puts Devils on notice

Posted on December 28, 2015 by hasan4978

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For weeks I’ve been harping on the Devils’ up and down effort level and the fact that there has until today been little accountability for it.  After the Devils’ post holiday blues in yet another bad loss on Saturday (this time in Carolina), apparently enough is enough for coach John Hynes, who today changed the top forward lines and defensive pairings around and challenged the team publicly to get better and stop hovering around mediocrity.

 “We need better. We need better from our team and better from some individuals,” Hynes said. “We can’t just show up every day and keep doing what we’re doing. We’re looking to get better as a team, individually, find better combinations and see if we can continue to improve and get better as the season goes on.”

Hynes spread out what had been the first line for most of the season and put them on three seperate lines with Mike Cammalleri now being with Travis Zajac and Kyle Palmeri, with Adam Henrique being dropped to the second line in the middle of wingers Jiri Tlusty and Tyler Kennedy while Lee Stempniak is now on the third line with Sergey Kalinin and Jacob Josefson.  Also, the d-pairings were shifted dramatically with slumping Adam Larsson now on a pairing with David Schlemko while John Moore was bumped up to the top pairing with Andy Greene, albeit now playing the right side.  Younger defensemen Damon Severson, Jon Merrill and Eric Gelinas took turns flanking the third pairing.  In explaining his rationale for the wholesale changes, coach Hynes indicated there was more behind it than merely trying to spark a slumping team:

“We want to get better,” Hynes said. “Right now, we’ve been hovering around mediocrity. We’ve had trouble putting back-to-back games together. We haven’t necessarily liked how well we’ve played collectively whether it’s our shot totals, our total time in the offensive zone, being a difficult team to play against. So, we need better performances from a lot of guys and we’ll switch some things around and give some guys some different opportunities and make it a little bit more meritocracy that if you want to play in certain situations or with certain guys, then you’ve got to earn it.”

To this I say hallefreakinglujah.  As a fan it usually makes me feel more convinced that what I’ve been seeing is fact when the head coach echoes the exact same sentiments publicly.  Yes the Devils are in a place nobody expected them to be around the holidays – one point out of a playoff spot.  However at some point this team needs to stop being satisfied with merely not being among the worst teams in the league and aim for something higher as opposed to just treading water.  To use an example from another sport, my Jets were 5-5 after losing four out of five games, giving another mediocre effort in Houston when coach Todd Bowles reamed the team out and cut a former first-round pick.  And like with the Devils some thought the Jets should be satisfied with just being in the hunt in November after a poor 2014.

Long story short the Jets haven’t lost since and proved they were indeed capable of a higher standard…and yes I’m aware that you can’t crack the whip all the time, otherwise you become a caricature of yourself like John Tortorella has been the last few years.  However when it’s clearly deserved and everyone knows it, that’s when you have the most chance of getting a positive response.  Even the fans can see the effort level has been lacking around the Devils in recent weeks, the boos the Devils got at the Rock in their last pre-holiday home loss to the Ducks shows that and I’m sure would have been booed again if Saturday’s 3-1 loss to Carolina was in New Jersey.  Somewhat fittingly the Devils play Carolina again tomorrow, this time at the Rock.  If this team gives the effort both I and the staff expect of it, it’ll provide a stark contrast to the one it gave on Saturday night.

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USA shutout by Sweden 1-0

Posted on December 28, 2015 by Derek

In the second game of the preliminary round, Team USA was shutout by Sweden 1-0 at the U-20 World Junior Championship in Helsinki, Finland.

Two days after beating Canada 4-2 in the opener, the Americans were unable to beat Swedish goalie Linus Soderstrom. The Islanders 2014 fourth round pick stopped all 46 shots including 39 in the first two periods to lead Sweden to its second straight win. In two starts, Soderstrom has stopped 61 of 64 shots.

The difference was an Alexander Nylander goal in the second period. The younger brother of Leafs prospect William, who missed the game due to an injury, scored at 22:41 of the contest. He took advantage of a USA turnover at the Sweden blueline. Breaking in on American starter Alex Nedeljkovic, he went to the backhand off a nice deke for the game’s only goal from Dmytro Timashov and Gabriel Carlsson.

Team USA was unable to score on eight power plays. They lost 2016 Draft eligible forward Alex DeBrincat to a head injury early in the contest when he fell awkwardly and took a accidental knee from a Swedish player into the boards. The diminutive 5-7, 160 pound forward has 33 goals in 30 games for Erie of the Ontario Hockey League. He’s projected as a first round pick.

Defenseman Zach Werenski led USA with six shots and was named Player of the Game. Soderstrom obviously earned the honor for Sweden with 46 stops.

After giving up a lot of chances the first two periods, his team played better defensively in the third period allowing seven shots. They used their size well and kept the Americans to the outside including projected first overall pick Auston Matthews (4 shots). He scored against Canada as did Werenski and team captain Colin White.

Even though he didn’t as much action, Nedeljkovic stopped 22 of 23 shots. He was good in the third keeping USA within reach despite some sloppy turnovers. The Canes 2014 second round pick has started both games over Rangers’ prospect Brandon Halverson.

With USA pressing for the equalizer late, they lost their discipline taking some bad penalties. First, they were caught for too many men with Nedeljkovic unable to get off with the extra skater already on. Then, Matthew Tkachuk who ran around the prior shift was nabbed for high sticking erasing any hopes to give Sweden a 5-on-3 in the final minute.

Coach Ron Wilson’s team showed frustration. Matthews also knocked down a Swedish player away from the puck prior to the bench minor. But the refs missed it. Following the loss, Wilson told NHL Network he didn’t feel he had to make any changes. Instead, he praised Soderstrom’s performance.

After two games, USA is 1-1-0. They’ll get a day off before facing Switzerland on Wednesday. The preliminary round concludes on New Year’s Eve with the Americans facing Denmark. The Danes got their first ever win at Helsinki Ice Hall defeating the Swiss 2-1 Sunday touching off a post locker room celebration. They have to face Canada at 1 PM today. Good luck.

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Christmas brings in World Junior Championship

Posted on December 25, 2015 by Derek

I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! To Hasan, Pan and the lurking Brian, wishing you and your families all the best on this unusually mild Christmas in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

It is hard to fathom 60 to 70 degree temps in late December. At least for my birthday a couple of weeks ago, it was a bit cooler. Given some of the recent winters we’ve had, we’ll take it. Even if I prefer it to be colder with even a little light snow for a white Christmas. 🙂

All the same, whatever holiday you celebrate appreciate what you have. It’s about family, loved ones and friends. Enjoy this special time filled with sunshine and rhythm and rhyme.

For us puckers, it’s especially nice to have a couple of days off from the daily stresses our teams cause. With the holiday season here, my favorite tournament starts up tomorrow in Helsinki, Finland. Of course, I’m referring to the Under-20 World Junior Hockey Championship. I’ll be quite busy over the next week with work but will try to have some posts up on the premier junior hockey tournament featuring the best 17, 18 and 19-year old prospects.

This year is no different. Headlined by projected top overall pick American Auston Matthews, he’ll try to lead Team USA back to a medal. Joined by Sonny Milano, Zach Werenski, Christian Dvorak and Colin White, Team USA gets going tomorrow with a big challenge against defending champ Canada. Canada features Dylan Strome, Mitch Marner, Brayden Point, Lawson Krouse, Jake Virtanen and Haydn Fleury.

If you’re a Ranger fan, you’ll be tracking American goalie prospect Brandon Halverson. He’s the likely starter for Team USA. If you root for the Devils, then you’ll be following Canadian prospects John Queenville and Mackenzie Blackwood on Team Canada. Queenville is among a talented forward crop while Blackwood is one of three goalies on the roster. Sabres fans can follow defenseman Will Borgen. The 19-year old Buffalo 2015 fourth round pick is part of Team USA.

It’s hard to believe there won’t be the traditional New Year’s Eve game. But the tournament isn’t in North America. So, it looks like I’ll miss it live and catch the replay over John’s in South River, New Jersey joined by Brian who is home for Christmas.

Team USA and Canada are joined by Sweden, Switzerland and Denmark in Group A. As always, each game can be seen on NHL Network. Group B features Belarus, Czech Republic, Finland, Russia and Slovakia. When I get back later, I’ll try to put up more on Sweden and Russia.

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Game Preview: Rangers host Ducks in Hagelin’s return

Posted on December 22, 2015 by Derek
Carl Hagelin

Happier Times: Overtime hero Carl Hagelin celebrates his series clinching goal that eliminated the Penguins in Game 5. He makes his Garden return tonight with the Ducks. AP Photo by Julie Jacobson/Getty Images

In what’s the final game before the holiday break, the Rangers host the Ducks in a battle of slumping teams. Anaheim enters the second of a back-to-back fresh off a 5-2 loss to the Islanders in Brooklyn. Former Blueshirt Carl Hagelin scored. But the Isles chased Frederik Andersen with three straight in the first.

The Ducks are the NHL’s biggest disappointment. Their 12-15-5 record is the worst in the West. Ryan Getzlaf remains stuck on one goal. An empty netter. I would know since I have him in fantasy. How come every time I get this guy, he does nothing? Never mind. He looks a step slow. Maybe he’s playing hurt. Nothing would surprise me.

Corey Perry leads the Ducks in scoring with a dismal 20 points. He also paces them with 10 goals but has only one assist over the last four games and took two penalties yesterday as did Getzlaf. Not what you come to expect from two of the league’s best players.

Something is fishy in Anaheim. They are the worst offense in the NHL averaging less than two goals-per-game. On a new team due to becoming a cap casualty, Hagelin got his third goal Monday. He hasn’t fit in coach Bruce Boudreau’s system. Then again, it’s a team wide epidemic. Ryan Kesler has four goals and Jakob Silfverberg has three. Do they miss Matt Beleskey that much?

If they can go overboard with a video tribute to coach Alain Vigneault for his 1,000th game, the Rangers can at least acknowledge Hagelin during a stoppage. He was a key part of three teams that went to the Final Four including the 2014 roster that lost to the Kings for the Stanley Cup. Hagelin’s greatest goal came last Spring when he closed out the Pens in the first round with a clutch overtime winner.

In a bizarre twist, the trade that sent Hagelin, a second round pick (Julius Nattinen) and sixth rounder (Garrett Metcalf) for Emerson Etem and a second round pick that turned into Ryan Gropp hasn’t worked out for either team. Hagelin has 11 points with a minus-11 rating in 32 games while Etem has three assists in only 16 games due to Vigneault misusing him. He’s on the fourth line tonight.

The Blueshirts couldn’t afford to bump Hagelin’s salary up to $4 million. They had to clear space to re-sign Derek Stepan. It’s unfortunate because the speedy Hagelin was a perfect fit in Vigneault’s system. A splendid skater, he was dangerous in transition and good on the forecheck. Two areas that have been missing from the Rangers along with two-way forwards who remember to back check.

Hagelin now wears number 26 for the Ducks. The reverse of his No. 62 in Blueshirt colors. He’ll get a nice hand from the Garden Faithful who never forget good players. Hopefully, Hagelin gets one and the Rangers win.

While the Ducks have their issues, the Rangers certainly have their own having dropped 11 of 14 to fall into third place a point behind the Isles for second in the Metropolitan. At 19-12-4 with 42 points, they’re still in solid position five points ahead of the Devils and resurgent Flyers. But it’s not a safe lead due to how they’ve played.

Henrik Lundqvist has been ice cold giving up an ungodly 20 goals over his last five appearances. That includes four-or-more in the last three starts and four of his last five. With the defense continuing to struggle minus Kevin Klein and Dan Girardi who both took part in the morning skate, Lundqvist hasn’t been able to bail his team out. He looks mentally drained. With Magnus Hellberg still backing up with Antti Raanta out due to a “head injury,” Lundqvist will get another start before Christmas.

Neither Klein nor Girardi will return. That means another game for the problematic Chris Summers. He’s paired with Dan Boyle, whose offense has been much better. But that’s not a pair you want out against quality competition. That includes the penalty kill where Vigneault remarkably gave them a shift in the brutal 7-3 humiliation to the Caps who not surprisingly took advantage. They were on for three goals against.

As for AV’s latest lines, it’s a bit improved from Sunday’s head scratcher that included Tanner Glass on a third line with Kevin Hayes and Mats Zuccarello. This time, Glass is back on the fourth line with Dominic Moore and Etem, who just can’t break into the top nine despite improved play.

This time, Vigneault decided to take J.T. Miller off the top line. This after he scored his seventh goal. Instead, he’ll move down to the third line with Hayes and Oscar Lindberg. In an even odder move, Vigneault flipped Chris Kreider and Rick Nash. Kreider will play on the first line with Derick Brassard and Mats Zuccarello while Nash gets a turn with Derek Stepan and Jesper Fast.

At this point, AV’s lines are bordering Tom Renney. We all remember the Renney Line Generator towards the end of his run. I have no idea what other possible combos Vigneault has in store. But he’s not allowing anything to jell. It’s so unlike him.

The top two defense pairs remain the same. Marc Staal with Ryan McDonagh while Keith Yandle teams with Dylan McIlrath. I don’t know what McIlrath has to do to be given a look on the top pair with McDonagh. Why not try it? What are they afraid of?

Well, I’m skipping this one for a late shift. So, I will catch the highlights later and have a recap.

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Caps humiliate listless Rangers 7-3

Posted on December 20, 2015 by Derek
Justin Williams, Henrik Lundqvist

Justin Williams converts one of two goals past a helpless Henrik Lundqvist in a Caps’ 7-3 humiliation of the Rangers. AP Photo by Seth Wenig/Getty Images

It was already bad enough. Just call the latest defeat Capital Punishment. After they took a 3-1 lead, a listless Rangers allowed six unanswered goals in a humiliating 7-3 loss at MSG. It was their 10th loss in the last 13.

Facing a familiar division rival they’ve had success against, they couldn’t stop the bleeding. Even after playing their best period in a long time, it wasn’t enough to prevent a total meltdown. Right now, they’re a mess psychologically. At any given moment, they can fall apart. For the eighth time this season, the Rangers gave up consecutive goals in less than a two-minute span.

Unfortunately, they are a fragile team. Even if the leadership led by captain Ryan McDonagh and coach Alain Vigneault don’t agree. Our eyes tell us otherwise. There have been too many collapses. Way too many defensive breakdowns. A whole lot of blown assignments from a normally unflappable team that’s experienced enough to know better.

Nobody would argue that they’ve played a lot of hockey. The Rangers have been very busy this month. They played for the fourth time in the last six days losing for a third straight time. In the three defeats, they’ve been outscored 17-7. Twice, the starting goalie has been pulled including a shell shocked Henrik Lundqvist tonight after giving up five goals on 24 shots. It marked the fourth time over the last five that a Ranger goalie has allowed at least five goals.

Lundqvist has been in for three of those. He has not been himself lately. Watching him answer questions from MSG’s John Giannone in the post game, he looks mentally exhausted. Why wouldn’t he be? The defense has broken down. Granted. They’re still minus Kevin Klein and Dan Girardi, who at least would’ve accounted for a wide open Alex Ovechkin on the game-winning power play tally in a four-goal second period barrage by the Caps.

The good news is they have one more game before the Christmas break. It comes at home Tuesday against the Ducks who visit the Islanders tomorrow at Barclays Center. If the Blueshirts can’t win that one against what should be a tired opponent that’s had their own struggles, so be it. They will get five days off which should allow for a mental break along with some much needed practice time. To end the calendar year, they visit Nashville on Dec. 28 and the Lightning Dec. 30. They conclude a three-game road trip at Florida on January 2, 2016.

Encouraging was that after the first of two goals from Justin Williams, they responded with three consecutive goals to take a 3-1 lead after one period. J.T. Miller, Chris Kreider and Dan Boyle (power play) all scored within a 4:21 span. First, Miller took a Rick Nash feed and skated around the Washington D and beat Braden Holtby with his seventh. One of the few players playing well, he now has five points over the last five.

Over two minutes later, Kreider took a Jesper Fast feed in the slot and undressed John Carlson and Holtby with a sweet forehand deke for his sixth. Marc Staal added a helper.

Then on the power play, Boyle continued his turnaround with a nice one-time blast from McDonagh that beat Holtby to make it 3-1 at with 1:57 left in the period. Boyle now has six points (4-2-6) over his last seven. He’s certainly been a bright spot and is no longer a candidate that should sit when Klein and Girardi return. The trouble is neither is Dylan McIlrath. Vigneault will be faced with a tough decision regarding Girardi and Staal, who was beaten badly on one Caps goal.

One thing about this team. They are very suspect defensively. Even after coming out with a two-goal lead, I didn’t feel very safe. Sure enough, when Derek Stepan failed to bury a wide open opportunity for a three-goal lead early in the second, it came back to bite them.

The Caps completely took over scoring four times on 17 shots. It was ugly. The first goal came on a bad change. Dominic Moore was late getting on which allowed Evgeny Kuznetsov to snap out of a mini-slump when he got to a Dmitry Orlov rebound and send a backhand top shelf past Lundqvist at 5:25. Less than two minutes later, Nicklas Backstrom wisely fired a diagonal pass off the back boards which a faster Oshie beat Staal to going around for a backhand that deflected off McIlrath to tie the score at 7:01.

The Rangers showed a little push back with a strong shift that generated a scoring chance. But they were unable to go ahead. Tanner Glass also had a good shift while on the third line mixing it up with Caps antagonist Tom Wilson. Each went off for matching roughing double minors. That Glass was again one of their most effective players is sad. Even though his line was on for two goals against, neither was his fault.

Hartford call up Chris Summers took a bad penalty. He truly was awful. The direct cause of two goals, he and partner Boyle were on for three goals against including a Washington power play goal. With Summers in the box, it didn’t take long for Backstrom and Marcus Johansson to set up Ovechkin for one of his patented wristers that went high glove. Normally, that’s a shot Lundqvist stops but his confidence is clearly shaken.

With Oscar Lindberg off for his second undisciplined penalty in the final minute of the second, Ovechkin had two more point blank opportunities. It was sad. I guess no Girardi means no Ranger defenseman can front him. In a truly pathetic display, they left Williams all alone in front for an easy finish making it 5-3 with a minute left.

At that point, Vigneault gave Lundqvist the rest of the night off. In came 24-year old rookie Magnus Hellberg. If he didn’t know the true definition of hell, it came early in the third when the Caps greeted him by scoring on their first two shots of the period.

First, Jason Chimera took advantage of a bad pinch by Keith Yandle on a Ranger power play to score shorthanded. He walked in and used a nice forehand deke that emulated a shootout move before going top shelf. Finally, Summers turned over the puck behind his own net allowing Kuznetsov to easily find Johansson for a cookie 2:10 later.

That concluded the scoring. For almost the rest of the third, a visibly shaken Blueshirts looked like they gave up. I know they didn’t. But you could tell that their heads were not into it.

Somehow during this mess on a night where MSG did what else but celebrate Vigneault’s 1,000th career NHL game behind the bench (when do they not over celebrate in this place), the coach never made one line switch. He did try McIlrath with Staal without much success. But not one different line combo on a night when he had Mats Zuccarello with the lost Kevin Hayes who failed miserably on Oshie’s goal leaving him for a gimme. At this point, Hayes should sit. He’s been god awful. One game off might help. He has been the worst forward. It’s time.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Evgeny Kuznetsov, Caps (goal-10th, assist, 11-and-7 on draws, +3 in 21 shifts-18:36)

2nd Star-Nicklas Backstrom, Caps (3 assists, even in 24 shifts-16:53)

1st Star-Justin Williams, Caps (2 goals-9, 10, assist, +2 in 23 shifts-17:15-proven winner)

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Vigneault’s starting lines for Caps ridiculous

Posted on December 20, 2015 by Derek

For tonight’s game against the Eastern Conference-leading Capitals, coach Alain Vigneault has shuffled the deck. When the Rangers take on the Caps at the top of the our at MSG, he’ll go with an odd lineup. At least Viktor Stalberg is the healthy scratch with Oscar Lindberg returning.

NYR Lines courtesy Daily News beat writer Pat Leonard:

Miller-Brassard-Nash

Kreider-Stepan-Fast

Glass-Hayes-Zuccarello :\

Lindberg-Moore-Etem :\

I won’t even comment on why the coach demoted Zuccarello to play with Hayes and Glass. And Etem and Lindberg are on the fourth line? Vigneault is channeling his Tom Renney. I’m beyond baffled.

As for the D, Hartford recall Chris Summers remains in with Dan Girardi and Kevin Klein still out. So, that’s pretty much a win for the Caps in terms of match-ups.

Staal-McDonagh

Yandle-McIlrath

Summers-Boyle

Henrik Lundqvist gets the start.

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