Opportunistic Rangers defeat pesky Caps 5-2

Posted on November 3, 2015 by Derek

Some nights aren’t always how you draw it up. For the Rangers, it wasn’t a Picasso by any stretch. But they were opportunistic getting the job done in a 5-2 win at MSG over the Caps. It marked the first of five regular season meetings between the two old Patrick Division rivals.

The third line starred in this one. Rookie Oscar Lindberg and Kevin Hayes each had a goal and assist. Viktor Stalberg notched a helper in his return from a concussion. Derick Brassard also added a goal and assist while setting up Kevin Klein for a key one that made it 3-1 in a unpredictable second period. Jarret Stoll also scored his first as a Blueshirt.

Henrik Lundqvist was brilliant turning aside a strong Caps attack in improving to 6-2-2. Unlike younger counterpart Braden Holtby, who had an uneven performance in the second round rematch, the elder statesman made big stops when the Caps applied the pressure. They out-shot the Rangers 14-2 in a lopsided second yet were outscored 2-1 with the opportunistic Garden hosts scoring on both shots. Lundqvist finished 31 saves.

From the start, it was fast and furious. Alex Ovechkin laid a big hit on Marc Staal forcing a turnover and getting a backhand wrap on Lundqvist who smothered it. That was the kind of timely stops the Swedish King made. Staal hit back in the first when he got away with spearing Ovechkin prior to Lindberg scoring the game’s first goal.

Hayes made a strong move to the net forcing Holtby into a difficult save. The rebound came right to Lindberg who beat Evgeny Kuznetsov for his sixth at 7:59. In a entertaining period that featured a combined 17 shots along with some edginess and physicality, the rivals renewed acquaintances. Ovechkin fumed at the refs following the non-call and made sure to jaw at Staal after he tied the game with a sweet finish off a 2-on-1 feed from Nate Schmidt.

Prior to Ovechkin’s sixth, Dan Girardi nearly made it 2-0. The defensive defenseman made a great move into the slot and had Holtby beat but his shot clanged off the far post. It immediately led to an easy Caps transition with Schmidt threading the needle to Ovechkin who shouted at Staal.

Staal had a interesting night. A big defensive play set up the Rangers’ second goal 2:01 later. His clear allowed Lindberg to spring Hayes for a 2-on-1. Hayes looked pass but shot past a fooled Holtby for his third at with 2:14 remaining.

The second was more lopsided. The Caps came with tons of pressure. Using a strong cycle similar to Game 6, they were relentless. But committed huge mistakes. The first came from an over aggressive Ovechkin who overstayed a shift. He got trapped inside the Rangers blueline after trying to keep a puck in. Instead, Brassard came the other way on a 3-on-1 and made a perfect drop for Klein who whistled his third upstairs for a 3-1 lead.

Brassard wasn’t done. On a Holtby turnover behind his net, his centering feed for an open Rick Nash banked in off Marcus Johansson’s stick. Mats Zuccarello made the play feeding Brassard who had Nash wide open in front. Somewhat mysteriously, Zuccarello wasn’t credited with an assist. He deserves to be.

The rest of the second was total domination by the Caps. They kept the Rangers pinned in for long stretches. One such instance saw them trap the fourth line and the third pair of Keith Yandle and Dylan McIlrath for almost 90 seconds. J.T. Miller made two great defensive plays blocking shots which led to icings. Alain Vigneault was forced to use his timeout. Derek Stepan won a big defensive draw after changing and made a huge clear.

As Lundqvist continued to make saves, the play was alarming. The Caps kept coming. Eventually, their relentless attack led to Karl Alzner setting up a wide open Johansson for a nice deflection that beat Lundqvist cutting it to 4-2 with 1:07 left. Justin Williams added a secondary helper.

But it was as close as they came. The Caps continued to come in the third but Lundqvist held his ground. Eventually, another Caps mistake wound up in the back of their net with Klein and Yandle transitioning to Stoll who wired a slap shot from way out past a confused Holtby with 9:07 remaining. That put it away.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Derick Brassard, NYR (goal, assist, +2 in 14:17-Brass is back)

2nd Star-Henrik Lundqvist, NYR (31 saves incl. 13/14 in huge 2nd-amazingly consistent)

1st Star-Hayes/Lindberg, NYR (2 goals, 2 assists, +4 rating-dominant)

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Battle Of Metro’s Best: Caps and Rangers minus the anxiety

Posted on November 3, 2015 by Derek
Derek Stepan takes the winning shot to beat a sprawling Braden Holtby scoring at 11:24 of overtime to send the Rangers to the Conference Finals where they'll meet the Lightning. Game 1 is Saturday. AP Photo by Frank Franklin II/Getty Images

Derek Stepan takes the winning shot to beat a sprawling Braden Holtby scoring at 11:24 of overtime to send the Rangers to the Conference Finals on May 13, 2015.
AP Photo by Frank Franklin II/Getty Images

When the Caps visit the Rangers at MSG tonight, it’ll be a much different scene from the last time they met on May 13. On that night, the stakes were higher with a trip to the Eastern Conference Final up for grabs. Like they had on May 8 in Game 5 stunning the Caps with Chris Kreider’s late goal in regulation and Ryan McDonagh’s overtime winner, the Blueshirts completed a comeback climbing out of a 3-1 deficit to win the second round series on Derek Stepan’s OT winner.

Fast forward five and a half months to November 3 for the first of five big match-ups between old Patrick Division rivals. Indeed, the Metro’s best square off minus the anxiety of last postseason. It’ll be a different feel when the first place Caps who come in at 8-2-0 visit the Blueshirts who are 7-2-2. It’s a chance to renew a “real rivalry” minus the hype from NBC about Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby, who have met exactly once in the playoffs. A second round series the Crosby Pens won en route to a Stanley Cup in ’09.

Ovechkin and Henrik Lundqvist have faced each other five times in the postseason. In the first two meetings, it was Ovechkin and the Caps who had the advantage. The last three have gone to Lundqvist and the Rangers. Their experience and mental strength were the difference. Especially with less than two minutes left in their season in Game 5 when Stepan calmly set up Kreider for the game-tying goal. The rest is history.

None of it matters anymore. It’s a new season with both teams intent on one ultimate goal. Win the Stanley Cup. For the Rangers, that meant saying goodbye to emotional leader Martin St. Louis (retirement) and bidding adieu to popular Swede Carl Hagelin (traded to Anaheim). That’s the price of winning in a salary cap era that forces tough organizational decisions.

Thus far, new acquisition Viktor Stalberg has been a solid addition. He returns from a concussion tonight. Jarret Stoll has added another dependable face-off specialist who kills penalties. Rookie Oscar Lindberg has been a godsend with five goals and two helpers.

Perhaps the biggest addition is the return of a healthy Mats Zuccarello. The mighty mite’s play has been astonishing. Coming back from a brain contusion and hairline fracture in his skull, the pint sized Norwegian hasn’t missed a beat pacing the Rangers in scoring with seven goals and nine points. There’s no doubt his absence last May hurt. It’s too hard to conclude what might’ve been.

With Chris Kreider and Rick Nash struggling to finish in the early going, they have needed Zuccarello’s offense. Ditto Lindberg who has been a consistent performer on the third line. Derek Stepan (3-2-5) and Derick Brassard (3-5-8) are off to slow starts. Now that Alain Vigneault has reassembled the lines that had success last Spring, it should improve. In a 3-1 win over the Leafs on All Hallow’s Eve, the reunited trio of Brassard, Nash and Zuccarello combined for nine points resulting in Zucc’s first hat trick. Stepan is back with Kreider and Fast.

Defensively, they have been improving after a sluggish start. Dan Girardi struggled so mightily at the beginning that Vigneault shifted him to the third pair with Keith Yandle. Since, his play has gotten steadier. With Ovechkin back in town, not surprisingly Girardi finds himself reunited with McDonagh in an all too familiar match-up. That should be interesting.

Kevin Klein did a splendid job with McDonagh continuing to reward the coaching staff with solid play. He’ll slide down to the second pair and work with Marc Staal, whose overall game has picked up. As for Yandle, it’ll be rookie Dylan McIlrath who finally gets a second look.

“Dan Boyle, I mean, I have tremendous amount of respect for a guy who’s had that career,” Vigneault told Larry Brooks of the New York Post. “He hasn’t played bad, but he hasn’t played as well as we think, and he thinks he can play, he’s been given a good opportunity, so now it’s time to see Dylan.

“This is a big team and I think this could be a good game for Dylan.”

With Boyle sitting, Klein will play on the second power play unit with Yandle. Lindberg will get a look on that unit over J.T. Miller, who was shifted down to the fourth line with Stoll and Dominic Moore. Stalberg will get a look on the third line with Lindberg and Kevin Hayes.

While the Rangers make a couple of switches, the Caps have been rolling along thanks to the play of Evgeny Kuznetsov. The second-year Russian is off to a great start pacing Washington in scoring with 13 points (5-8-13). Instead of Nicklas Backstrom centering Ovechkin, it’s Kuznetsov who coach Barry Trotz has stuck with. Ovechkin has five goals and 12 points.

Both T.J. Oshie (4-4-8) and Justin Williams (2-6-8) have been as advertised. Oshie is on the top line while Williams works with Backstrom and Marcus Johansson. Jay Beagle centers a third line of Andre Burakovsky and Jason Chimera. Brooks Laich, Chandler Stephenson and Tom Wilson comprise the fourth line.

The defense isn’t much different except for Mike Green’s departure. Brooks Orpik and John Carlson are the top pair. Carlson is off to a good start with 10 points (2-8-10). Karl Alzner and Matt Niskanen are the second pair. Dmitry Orlov and Nate Schmidt are the third pair. It’s a solid blueline.

Braden Holtby revisits the scene of a heartbreaking conclusion. So far, so good for him. He enters 6-2-0 with a 1.90 goals-against-average and a .924 save percentage. Accomplished counterpart Lundqvist has been terrific with a 5-2-2 mark, 1.87 GAA and .943 save percentage.

Whenever these teams meet, it’s always fun. Get ready because there are four more in the regular season. The Rangers host the first three and then the Caps the final two.

2015-16 Caps vs Rangers Season Series

11/3 Caps vs Rangers

12/20 Caps vs Rangers

1/9 Caps vs Rangers

1/17 Rangers vs Caps

3/4 Rangers vs Caps

Posted in NYRangers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sabres win second straight behind Linus Ullmark

Posted on November 2, 2015 by Derek

The Sabres are showing improvement. After a slow start, they’ve won three of four. Buffalo posted their second straight win Sunday night when they came back to defeat the Islanders 2-1 at Barclays Center.

Linus Ullmark won his second consecutive start finishing with 30 saves. In wins over the Flyers and Islanders, he’s allowed two goals on 58 shots. The Islanders were without captain John Tavares for a second game in a row due to illness. They lost to the Devils in a shootout on Halloween.

Islanders defenseman Calvin de Haan is congratulated by Cal Clutterbuck after scoring against the Sabres. The Isles lost 2-1. AP Photo by Kathy Kmonicek/Getty Images

Islanders defenseman Calvin de Haan is congratulated by Cal Clutterbuck after scoring against the Sabres. The Isles lost 2-1.
AP Photo by Kathy Kmonicek/Getty Images

The Isles out-shot the Sabres 23-12 through the first two periods. Defenseman Calvin de Haan staked them to a 1-0 lead when his turnaround shot got through a maze of traffic in front of Ullmark at 13:42 of the second. A relentless attack forced Ullmark into some difficult stops. Eventually, de Haan recovered a loose puck from Cal Clutterbuck and fired home his first. It was the only offense the Brooklyn hosts got.

Showing composure, the Sabres dug out of a one-goal hole scoring twice in the third to post a good road win. Even if Barclays Center isn’t drawing the way management envisioned due to ridiculous costs and obstructed views, it was still impressive for a rebuilding team.

”You go out and win a game in the third period,” Sabres coach Dan Bylsma said. ”You don’t see that often on the road in the National Hockey League.”

The goals came from Matt Moulson and Sam Reinhart. Playing a better period, the Sabres scored twice on 10 shots while Ullmark turned aside all seven Islander shots. Moulson was able to knot the game when he converted at the doorstep from Zemgus Girgensons at 6:20. Brian Gionta intercepted a pass and sent Girgensons in on a 2-on-1. His pass across was stopped by Moulson’s skate. The ex-Islander then got his stick on the puck and stuffed it past New York backup Thomas Greiss.

Reinhart notched the winner when he converted off a nice feed from David Legwand. After a strong defensive play from Jamie McGinn, Legwand came in 2-on-1 and dished across for a cutting Reinhart who sent a wrist shot top shelf with 6:16 remaining.

”It’s amazing what a couple of big saves can do,” Reinhart said in regards to Ullmark after scoring his second of the season for the game-winner. ”It can turn two losses into two wins just like that. He’s been great.”

The result could’ve been different for the Islanders. Leading 1-0 early in the third, Kyle Okposo had a long slap shot ring off the crossbar. Had that gone in, perhaps it’s a better result.

”Frustrating,” Okposo lamented after the Isles fell to 6-3-3. ”We want to perform.”

”Some of the young guys were just very disappointing,” Isles coach Jack Capuano said. ”They have to step their game up.

”Some guys were just too casual. Sunday game, casual. And you’re not going to win many games like that.”

The Eichel Report: Rookie Jack Eichel finished with four shot attempts and a minus-one rating in 19 shifts (16:07). In 12 games, he has four goals. All scored on home ice including the first one in a 3-1 win over the Flyers on All Hallow’s Eve. He could easily have more production with a dominant performance in a recent 4-3 loss to the Penguins in which he totaled eight shots and 11 shot attempts. It’s a matter of time.

Posted in NY Islanders | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

2015 Mets were the 2014 Rangers

Posted on November 2, 2015 by Derek

Watching the way it ended up, I couldn’t help but feel this way. The parallels were haunting. The Mets were the Rangers. Seeing the excruciating ways in which the 2015 Mets lost to the Royals in the World Series was all too familiar.

It was an identical script for the 2014 Rangers who lost in an identical amount of games. Five to the Kings for the Stanley Cup. Let’s count the ways.

The Mets led in every game. The Rangers led in four of five. Both teams blew leads losing in epic fashion. The Amazin’s lost twice in extra innings. The Rangers lost three times in overtime. Both dropped excruciating Game 1’s in extras. Each also lost Game 5 in sudden death.

Basically, it was unheralded Christian Colon playing the role of Alec Martinez crushing New York hearts. The only difference is baseball can be unforgiving. The Mets bullpen imploded giving up five runs. In hockey, it’s equally as painful with OT winners destroying your soul.

The Mets had the best starters in the series. The Rangers had the best goalie. In each case, they lost to better teams. Both the Royals and Kings were relentless. Don’t forget LA beat the Blackhawks in sudden death too in enemy territory. KC rallied from a huge deficit to stun Houston. They also beat the Jays in similar fashion.

Championship teams have that killer instinct. In each case, the Royals and Kings wouldn’t be denied. It came at the expense of beloved New York franchises that are going through droughts. The Rangers are up to 21 years while the Mets are now 29 years and counting.

If you didn’t hurt for Daniel Murphy, Terry Collins and Matt Harvey, then you should stop being a fan. Sports can be cruel. To all the diehard Mets fans including resident Devil blogger Hasan, congrats on an Amazin’ season. Be proud. Hopefully, they’ll learn from it and bring a third World Championship back to Queens.

The last parallel was Henrik Lundqvist, who supported buddy Harvey. Harvey is a frequent visitor at MSG to support his Rangers. Lundqvist repaid the favor going to Citi Field to lend support to his friend. Maybe they’re really Queens instead of Kings. Or more appropriately, the Kings of Queens. Poor Kevin James.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Devils trick Isles and treat fans with shootout win

Posted on October 31, 2015 by hasan4978

On a Halloween afternoon matinee in front of a disurbingly sparse crowd that mostly contained Devil season ticket holders, their kids and a smattering of Islander fans, the Devils stole a shootout win over the Isles, giving coach John Hynes and his team their sixth win in seven games.  While coach Hynes refuses to use the word rebuilding, he also doesn’t want to name a specific goal, only saying he wants to maximize the potential from this team, whatever it may lead to.  So far, he has – arguably exceeding expectations with a 6-4-1 record through eleven games and points in eight of their last nine.  Of course, the schedule gets tougher in November and the Devils took advantage of an Isles team missing top gun John Tavares (illness).

Nevertheless a win is a win, especially against a rival.  Particularly after the Islanders and Rangers bullied the Devils last year, with New Jersey failing to record a single win in eight tries combined against both NY teams.  This season the Devils have already gone two for two in the Metro Cup, with a win over each team.  Of course, this afternoon’s game was hardly the best the Devils have played during this stretch – especially given they failed to record a single shot on goal for about a 25-minute stretch until the final moments of regulation.  Not to mention Cory Schneider gave up a horrendous shorthanded goal to Frans Nielsen shortside during a second period where the Devils blew a 2-0 lead with some bad special teams play.

Still, the Devils hung on somehow – and to their credit the defense kept the shots down themselves and didn’t crack 5-on-5.  Even the Isles’ vaunted speed was mostly a non-factor, except on special teams perhaps where the Devils’ power play was dreadful all game long.  Both the PK and PP conceded a goal during the second period.  Fortunately a strong first several minutes of the game had given the Devils the lead, with some unlikely offense coming from defenseman John Moore and waiver pickup Bobby Farnham.  I literally had not heard of Farnham until a week ago when we claimed him off waivers from Pittsburgh, and with his scouting report being that of an agitator with little talent I wasn’t exactly expecting much and he didn’t even play in his first two games.

With Jiri Tlusty ill, Farnham got in the lineup and made the most of his opportunity, first feeding Moore cross-crease for a goal after getting to a rebound from his own shot less than three minutes in.  To his credit Moore also made a nice play, kicking it to his stick before firing it in.  It was rather Zidlickyian in its execution, ironic both because he’s wearing the number defenseman Marek Zidlicky had for the last few years, and because Zidlicky was in the building playing for the Islanders (though in an unfamiliar #28).  Even more astonishingly, Farnham pounced on a rebound from a Stephen Gionta shot and showed skill I didn’t think he had, firing a one-timer past Jaroslav Halak top corner at 14:36 of the first period.

Despite a dominant early start, the Devils looked like they were running on empty after about the first seven or eight minutes of the first period and spent the right of the night holding the fort down.  Rather than criticize his own team, coach Hynes made sure to credit the Islanders after the game for their play though radio voice Sherry Ross was possibly more accurate in her assessment, saying neither team played very well.  Which was true in the respect that the Isles really should have blown us out of the water in the final fifty minutes but despite the special teams breakdowns, the Devils managed to take the game into OT and then into the dreaded shootout.  If you were taking bets I’d have put the odds on a Devil shootout win at about .0001 percent, although I didn’t quite realize Tavares wasn’t actually in the game as I wasn’t checking Twitter all that often while sitting with my friends two rows below my normal seats.

Granted, even without Tavares the Isles have more than enough shootout specialists to put the fear of god in you, starting with Nielsen who predictably put the Isles on the board.  I didn’t want Hynes to defer to taking the last shot for fear that Nielsen would score and we’d be chasing the shootout from that point on.  For a while we were, after Adam Henrique’s clunker of a miss but then Schneider managed to stop Kyle Okposo and Cal Clutterbuck (on a shot Tavares no doubt would have been taking had he been healthy), giving us a chance and Jacob Josefson did manage to tie the shootout.  Lee Stempniak nearly won another one, but his attempt rang off the post.  With the skills competition now in sudden death, Josh Bailey found the iron as well, giving us another chance to win it with Mike Cammalleri, who skated wide then deked Halak in close and found a hole to win it, and afterward the Devils gave a stick salute to the crowd.  I’m not sure if this is an everyday thing yet since I didn’t see the Arizona game but it’s not exactly uncommon in hockey, still a nice gesture though.  Especially since only the diehards were there apparently with an announced attendance of just over 11,000.

To spend a moment on one of my least favorite topics (mostly cause it gets beaten to death), apparently – since I don’t pay much attention to single-game prices, particularly when they change frequently now – the Devils way overpriced this game, probably expecting a sellout with a weekend matinee game against a rival.  However the overpricing backfired badly as people found other less expensive plans to make on a holiday, and belated discounts came out too late to make a difference.  I get trying to squeeze every nickel but there comes a point where you’re being penny-wise and pound foolish.  Business econ majors will argue that the team would rather have 12,000 fans at higher prices than 15,000 at lower prices cause it makes more money but that’s a completely macro way of looking at it…and quite possibly not even true considering most of those are season ticket holders not paying the single game prices.  You have to market and grow your product, social media and a better 3D show before the game are nice add ons but not going to get anyone to pay the single-game prices to attend.  Assuming that attendance figure is accurate and you have around 9-10,000 season and partial ticket holders then walkup sales were completely nonexistent, which is really shocking considering Isle games on the weekend are usually an excellent draw.

I can’t even blame baseball tonight since the Met game doesn’t even start for another couple hours although I’m not sure many Met fans going to Citi Field would have wanted to do a doubleheader and attend the Devils game.  If I was willing to pay the $700-800 on the secondary market for a 500-level seat I’d have considered it but at those prices I’d only have gone in the event of a clincher (though prices would no doubt skyrocket even beyond those levels by then).  Still, getting back to the Devils people complain about there not being enough matinee games for kids to attend and this was a rare one – and on a nice afternoon – so you’d figure more people would have found their way into the building somehow.  Although I can’t blame people for not believing in the team just yet either, and clearly perception of what the team is will drive ticket sales to a large degree.  For now we have the luxury of not really having to worry about attendance and how much money the owners are making since the team still has a long lease and a lucrative TV contract but there will come the day where the team’s going to need a more consistent base of attendance before Nashville ’95 type rumors start popping up.  It would be nice if ownership didn’t price this generation out of the building.

At least for the moment I’m glad the team didn’t stink today since my fear was that when I started watching again they’d immediately go in the tank.  During this streak the Ottawa game was the only one I saw most of until tonight, with other plans and baseball getting in the way.  Things don’t get any easier with a return matchup against the Isles in Brooklyn on Tuesday (likely with Tavares back) followed by a homestand with the Blackhawks, Canucks, Blues and Penguins.  We’ll find out just how for real this team is soon enough.

Posted in Devils, NY Islanders | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Zuccarello’s 1st career hat trick in Rangers win over Maple Leafs

Posted on October 31, 2015 by Derek

Mats Zuccarello recorded his first career hat trick highlighting last night’s 3-1 Rangers win over the Maple Leafs. Reunited with Rick Nash and Derick Brassard, Zuccarello scored once in the second period and twice in the third as the Blueshirts improved to 7-2-2 on the season.

I missed the game but caught highlights. Zuccarello’s first two goals came off pretty set ups from Brassard, who tallied three assists in the victory. Entering Friday, the Rangers center had only two assists in the first 10 games. Coach Alain Vigneault put back together the top line and it paid dividends. Nash also had three assists as the dynamic trio combined for nine points.

On Zuccarello’s first tally, Dan Boyle kept a puck in chipping it down to Nash who started a tic-tac-toe scoring play with Brassard who dished across for a Zuccarello tap in. With the Rangers ahead 1-0, Nash chipped a puck out of the zone leading to a 2-on-1 rush with Brassard threading the needle with a perfect backhand saucer feed for a sweet Zuccarello finish.

The Leafs cut the deficit in half with less than two minutes left in regulation. With goalie Jonathan Bernier pulled for an extra attacker, a Dion Phaneuf one-timer was redirected in front by Joffrey Lupul with 1:51 remaining. Morgan Rielly drew a helper.

At the start of the third, the Leafs had an apparent tying goal wiped out due to “incidental contact.” Only 18 seconds in, ex-Ranger Matt Hunwick fired a shot from a sharp angle that trickled past Henrik Lundqvist who protested. Lupul was in front screening when his skate accidentally made contact with Lundqvist. He barely touched him. But it was enough to cost Toronto. Coach Mike Babcock lost the challenge.

Following Lupul’s goal that cut it to 2-1, Zuccarello completed the hat trick thanks to an unselfish Brassard who passed for Zuccarello who scored into an empty net resulting in plenty of hats on the Garden ice on All Hallow’s Eve. It was a nice reward for a hard working player who always brings it.

To think that Zuccarello is leading the Blueshirts in scoring with seven goals and nine points is a credit to the kind of character he has. It was at the conclusion of the first round that he sustained a serious injury taking a Ryan McDonagh shot off his helmet causing a hairline fracture in his skull and brain contusion. It’s astonishing that the pint sized Norwegian with the huge heart has been able to come back and be the same player. Behind Lundqvist, he’s easily a fan favorite. I am speechless.

If you told me that this team would be 7-2-2 with Nash and Chris Kreider only scoring a combined two goals with only one going into the net, I would’ve called you crazy. The Rangers are finding ways to win despite not playing their best hockey. Kreider and Derek Stepan each have five points. Nash has six. McDonagh has one assist. Until Friday, Brassard was a huge disappointment.

Not many players have played up to par. However, Lundqvist has been brilliant winning five of nine starts with a 1.87 goals-against-average and .943 save percentage. Backup Antti Raanta has replaced Cam Talbot by going 2-0-0 allowing just one goal in two starts. So they’re getting the goaltending.

The play of Swedish rookie Oscar Lindberg has been pivotal. His five goals have been huge. The third line has been the team’s most consistent. The fourth line isn’t scoring with just one goal from Dominic Moore and two helpers from Jarret Stoll. Viktor Stalberg (concussion) missed his second consecutive game. Emerson Etem played again.

The defense hasn’t been great. Vigneault has mixed up his pairings replacing Dan Girardi with the steady Kevin Klein on the top pair with McDonagh. Klein continues to perform well with two goals and a team best plus-eight rating. Girardi now works with Keith Yandle, who leads all Ranger defensemen with six points (1-5-6). Marc Staal and Boyle comprise the third pair. While both have improved their play, they remain susceptible in their end.

I disagree with Vigneault on Dylan McIlrath. He did enough in camp and preseason to get more than one game. I get that the third-year coach wants to establish consistency with the team’s vets on the back end. However, he should also give Boyle nights off when the schedule picks up. Ditto Girardi, who isn’t the same player.

There’s no point in having McIlrath on the roster if he isn’t gonna play. The Rangers next game isn’t till Tuesday against the Caps. If McIlrath doesn’t get in soon, they should send him down to Hartford on a conditioning assignment and recall Raphael Diaz. Keeping McIlrath fresh is important.

The schedule picks up with a back-to-back at Colorado and Arizona 11/6-7. Maybe that’s an opportunity for McIlrath to get back in and rest a vet. Over an 82-game schedule, Vigneault must manage his older defensemen. He should take into consideration how much hockey his core has played over the last two years. That’s a point of emphasis.

There isn’t much else to add. The Rangers are in first place. The Caps are also off to a good start at 7-2-0. They should pose an early test on Tuesday. The Islanders are 6-2-2 and play a classic home-and-home this weekend with the surprising Devils (5-4-1). That gets underway this afternoon. Either myself or Hasan will have a recap later. The Pens are 6-4-0 despite not getting much from Sidney Crosby or Phil Kessel.

The Metro Division will be good all season. It should be fun to follow. To those out celebrating, Happy Halloween! Be safe out there. Trick-or-treat! 😉

Posted in NYRangers | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Video Review: Gudas hit that injured Stalberg was clean

Posted on October 27, 2015 by Derek

On Saturday, Rangers forward Viktor Stalberg left the game after sustaining a “head injury” due to the vicious hit above by Flyers defenseman Radko Gudas. Not surprisingly, he missed Sunday’s game against the Flames. Emerson Etem replaced him in the lineup.

Initially, I was up in arms over the hit. There was no penalty called on the play. The league also didn’t discipline Gudas. I decided to take another look.

On the play in question, a prone Stalberg releases the puck and is leveled by a Gudas right shoulder making chest contact first. It’s important to note that Stalberg was caught leaning which left him exposed. Honestly, the hit looked worse than it was due to the severity of the injury. Unfortunately, it’s probably a concussion.

After reviewing it closely, Gudas just steps up on Stalberg and delivers a good clean hit. As much as we try to label him because he plays for the Flyers, there was nothing wrong with it. In the old days, Scott Stevens did that to many players including a unsuspecting Ron Francis below:

Sometimes, we overreact to these hits. In both instances, each player was caught with their head down. Both hits were shoulder to chest. Case closed.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

At 6-2-2, Rangers have room for improvement

Posted on October 27, 2015 by Derek
Dan Girardi battles Michael Frolik during the Rangers 4-1 win over the Flames. AP Photo/Bryan R. Smith/Getty Images

Dan Girardi battles Michael Frolik during the Rangers 4-1 win over the Flames.
AP Photo/Bryan R. Smith/Getty Images

Through the first 10 games, the Rangers are 6-2-2. Following Sunday’s 4-1 home win over the struggling Flames, they have a few days off to prepare for another NHL doormat the Maple Leafs this Friday.

With the Islanders winning again over those Flames 4-0, they’re 6-2-1. Meanwhile, the Caps have lost only once in their first seven boasting a 6-1-0 mark. Not surprisingly, the Metropolitan Division looks to be ultra competitive. While the Pens are still trying to figure it out, the Devils and Flyers are off to good starts. New Jersey having won four in a row under new coach John Hynes thanks to the scoring of Adam Henrique, Mike Cammalleri and Lee Stempniak. Philadelphia’s winning despite no goals from Jake Voracek.

For the Blueshirts, they’re right where they want to be. Despite under performances from Rick Nash (1-2-3), Chris Kreider (1-4-5), Derick Brassard (3-2-5) and Ryan McDonagh (assist), they are in first place with 14 points. Even without consistency from their top players, they have found ways to win. A big time positive for a experienced team who knows how crucial a good start is.

It’s been the play of rookie Oscar Lindberg that’s sparked them. In Sunday’s win, he scored his team-leading fifth. The 23-year old forward has surpassed expectations by carrying over a strong preseason with steady and heady play on the third line. Second-year forward Kevin Hayes has moved back to anchor the line with Lindberg and solid complement J.T. Miller. Hayes has points in three straight and Miller paces all Blueshirt forwards with five helpers.

While third-year coach Alain Vigneault searches for the right combination to get Nash going, he has a dependable third line. He’s mixed up the top two lines keeping Nash and Mats Zuccarello with Derek Stepan while sliding Brassard between Kreider and Jesper Fast. Fast is playing a similar role to the one he played last postseason as a checking forward on a top line. Kreider has shown signs scoring a highlight reel goal in Thursday’s 4-1 win over the Coyotes. He needs to be better than one goal in the first 10. But so does Nash.

Stepan is Vigneault’s most trusted forward. A smart play-making two-way pivot who is an ace penalty killer with Nash forming a lethal shorthanded combo, the 25-year old is noticeable during most shifts. But I’m not sure he shouldn’t be reunited with sidekick Kreider. Maybe Vigneault will come back to it. Nash and Brassard were a great combo last year along with the always willing Zuccarello.

As for the fourth line, it’s Dominic Moore and Jarrett Stoll with Emerson Etem for now. Etem played his second game getting one great scoring chance and recording an assist with three hits. He’s in with Viktor Stalberg injured due to a dirty hit from Flyers defenseman Radko Gudas. Of course, his cheap head shot went unpunished. Typical for the NHL that still is lost when it comes to consistency on discipline.

With Dan Girardi struggling so far, Vigneault settled on Kevin Klein to play top pair with McDonagh. Klein has rewarded him with solid defensive play. He also scored his second goal Sunday. It seems whatever role he’s suited for. Girardi now works with Keith Yandle, who has gotten off quickly pacing all Rangers defensemen in points (6). That included a power play goal versus his former team. Yandle has been as advertised contributing offensively. Girardi had his best game scoring his first while recording three hits and four blocked shots.

”Our record is really good,” Girardi told reporters Sunday night after passing Mark Messier for 10th on the all-time Ranger list for games appeared in with his 769th. ”But at the same time, we know in here that maybe one or two games we played a 60-minute game really hard. I think you need to find a way to get that 60-minute game.”

Vigneault has kept Marc Staal with Dan Boyle. Both remain problematic in their end with sloppy turnovers resulting in goals against. Surprisingly, Staal has contributed more offense with four points (1-3-4) over his last four. Boyle has two assists with both coming on the power play. The 39-year old vet is basically an offensive player who must be utilized that way.

Speaking of the power play, even when it scores in three consecutive games there’s no consistency. They’re 4-for-25 overall ranking 21st. They don’t draw many to begin with which limits success rate. They’re 3-for-15 at home and 1-for-10 on the road. McDonagh and Boyle play the point on the second unit. McDonagh has looked lost while Boyle at times gets victimized. Yandle runs the first unit with Brassard, who has two power play goals. While Rangers assistant coach Scott Arniel prefers to use Kreider to screen the goalie in front, I fail to comprehend why Nash isn’t used as a shooter.

The biggest reason for their early success is the goalies. Henrik Lundqvist has never looked better. Moving quicker and reacting with his usual cat like reflexes, the 33-year old Swedish King looks primed for a big year. In eight starts, he’s 4-2-2 with a 1.97 goals-against-average and .941 save percentage. Already he’s made several highlight reel saves that will be replayed throughout the season. The only thing he hasn’t done is win the 3-on-3 derby or the shootout with a stinging loss to the Flyers. He’s covered up a lot of mistakes.

I’ll echo the same for new backup Antti Raanta. He’s 2-for-2 in starts having allowed only one goal on 45 shots. The Rangers played well in front of him in a 4-0 shutout of the Sharks. Raanta made 22 saves. His second start came the other night turning aside 22 of 23 Calgary shots. In each showing, Raanta made a few sparklers. Not a bad start to his Rangers career after coming over from Chicago.

Overall, there’s not much to complain about. It could be worse. Right? Look no further than the Ducks who were blanked again in a 1-0 Western Conference Final rematch at the Blackhawks in overtime. Bruce Boudreau could be the second coaching casualty. When you’re best players aren’t performing, others must step up. Thankfully, the Blueshirts have gotten it from their third line and the usual money in net from Hank.

Posted in NYRangers | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Devils’ winning streak up to four after 4-3 win in Buffalo

Posted on October 25, 2015 by hasan4978

I wasn’t sure we’d see a four-game winning streak all season from this year’s Devils, and certainly not in October when they were still going to be adjusting to everything being new from the system to the coaching staff to personnel changes.  Particularly after the team’s 0-3-1 start seemed to confirm all the prophecies of doom surrounding this team.  And really who could blame anyone for thinking this team was going to be bad?  Last year they were far worse than their record, and still had severe offensive deficiencies on paper coming into this season with stalwart Patrik Elias still on IR with no schedule for return.  Everyone from experts to opposition fans to the team’s own fanbase (look at the attendance numbers the first few games, after all) thought this was going to be a lottery team.

Everyone that is, except the team itself.

Not even a week after the aformentioned 0-3-1 start the Devils won their fourth in a row at Buffalo last night, coming from behind twice in a 4-3 win.  After winning two OT games and one in the shootout, last night was also the team’s first regulation win of the season.  People wondered where the goals were going to come from with Elias still on IR and Jaromir Jagr, Scott Gomez and Steve Bernier no longer here.  FA scrapheap signings Lee Stempniak and Jiri Tlusty were among their replacements, along with KHL import Sergey Kalinin.  So far the goals have mostly come from the first line, specifically the combo of Adam Henrique and Mike Cammalleri – both among the league leaders in scoring with Henrique having six goals and Cammalleri eleven points.  One or both factored in on every goal last night, with Henrique scoring twice, including a sweet SH goal that turned out to be the game-winner (see above).   Fellow linemate Stempniak’s also been a huge factor early with his two regulation goals both tying games late along with a shootout winner against the Sens on Thursday.

One thing I have said all along is that while people were focusing on the team’s shortcomings up front, they also glossed over an emerging blueline which for the most part has done very well early in spite of the absence of Jon Merrill who missed a couple games with the flu and has since become a victim of coach John Hynes ‘sticking with a winning lineup’, in spite of fellow youngster Eric Gelinas’s struggles.  However, new captain Andy Greene and d-partner Adam Larsson has provided stability with the top pairing, proving it wasn’t just the system that led to their emergence in the second half of last year.  Our other defensemen haven’t contributed much offensively but have mostly been fine defensively.  David Schlemko’s tiebreaking goal late in the second period last night was his first point of the season but he’s won a spot in the everyday lineup despite being a bargain-basement signing just before camp.

Of course behind them in goal, Cory Schneider’s been his usual reliable self, starting the season with a 4-1-1 record and so far his splits are right in line with what he did over the full season last year (2.26 GAA and .925 save percentage last year, 2.28 GAA and .922 save percentage this year).  Consistency in net’s so key for building around a young defense and this team has it despite the section of a fanbase that whines about how the Devils need to trade Cory, trade Greene, trade Cammalleri and dump Travis Zajac – who’s also surprisingly awakened offensively during this stretch – in favor of a flat-out tank, with the rationale being ‘well we’re not contenders anyway, just get assets and rebulid the system!’ The tankers have mostly crawled back under their rock this week, though they’ll surely pop up again with the next sustained losing streak.

What all the trade everything that isn’t bolted down people overlook or gloss over is that you DO still need vet leadership around if you’re going to build and integrate youth.  You need Cory to help give a young D confidence, you need Greene to help shelter kids like Merrill and Severson from having to take top-pairing responsibilities and continue to help Larsson grow as a top-pairing guy, you need a guy like Cammalleri up front to be a bridge until they can get kids or younger options in the top six, and this team can’t afford to auction a 30-goal caliber player with three years left on his deal after this at a reasonable price.  Zajac was among the most polarizing of the holdover Devils given his dreadful (27 points) performance last year.  So far he has a couple goals and four points in seven games.  Not great but with a new system if you ever could unlock the offensive potential that once existed in Travis that would be huge for this team going forward.  And you don’t trade a guy for ten cents on the dollar anyway, especially with a NTC limiting any ‘market’ that might have still existed for Zajac this offseason.  Plus let’s be honest it’s not like the center depth is all that great around him, past Henrique.  Jacob Josefson only has three assists through eight games and hasn’t done much at all 5-on-5.

Perhaps the only downer during this recent streak is that a lot of the kids haven’t been a part of it.  Up front, Josefson has been strictly a special teams and shootout specialist.  Reid Boucher was demoted to get more playing time in Albany, while Stefan Matteau has been a healthy scratch at times and only played six minutes last night.  Defensively I already touched on Merrill before (and there’s no way he’s not one of the six best defensemen on this roster), though if it wasn’t him sitting it’d probably be Gelinas.  Or Damon Severson when he was benched for a game.  Unlike some who just wanted to throw out all the vets and play all the kids and newcomers, I never thought that was the way to go since many of the organizations that get in a cycle of losing have too many kids and too few vets to show them how to play, but still I’ll feel better when Merrill’s back in the lineup – though I can’t really complain if we win ten in a row without him either, even if I’m not a big fan of the ‘play a winning lineup’ default switch.  After all the best lineup today may not be the best lineup tomorrow, just look at the most successful NFL franchise (ick) as proof of that up in New England.

Still, while others complain we should be developing more this season I’m just going to enjoy a season that so far isn’t the total black hole it appeared to be early, and enjoy the fact there’s actually a little hope at least short-term.  I’ve been through this rant before but it would be nice to have something sportswise besides the NFL to watch for the next few months when the Mets’ surprising postseason run comes to an end in a couple weeks.  Of course I’m not nieve enough to think this recent winning streak is proof we’re going to have a good season, just last year we started the season with wins in our first three games (one of the few rare winning streaks we had the last couple years).  And eventually this team’s going to have to get consistent production from more than one line to be able to sustain this run.  That said, I just want to keep up hope as long as possible and not have six months of watching meaningless games.

Posted in Devils | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Stempniak’s late heroics give Devils third straight win

Posted on October 23, 2015 by Derek
Lee Stempniak celebrates his game-tying goal with 32 seconds left in regulation. He also won the game in a shootout giving the Devils a 5-4 win over the Senators. AP Photo by Fred Chartrand/The Canadian Press

Lee Stempniak celebrates his game-tying goal with 32 seconds left in regulation. He also won the game in a shootout giving the Devils a 5-4 win over the Senators.
AP Photo by Fred Chartrand/The Canadian Press

At season’s start, not much was expected of the Devils. They dropped their first four games going 0-3-1 without a blink of the eye. In a rebuilding year with fans sights set on Auston Matthews, the Devils have improved dramatically under rookie coach John Hynes.

Make it three in a row for Jersey’s team. They stunned the Senators 5-4 in a shootout to get back to 3-3-1. Lee Stempniak played the hero scoring with 32 seconds left in regulation and notching the shootout winner in Round 4 to give them a third straight win. The veteran forward who made the team out of camp on a tryout steered in a Damon Severson rebound past Ottawa goalie Andrew Hammond at 19:28.

”We’re a team that’s got to fight for every inch and there’s not very high expectations for us, but in the room we believe we’re capable of a lot more than what people expect from us,” Stempniak said after beating Hammond with a beautiful backhand deke top shelf. ”I think that our mentality is just to go out and play until the final buzzer and that came through tonight.”

The Devils rallied back from a 4-2 third period deficit. In a game they once led 2-1 on goals from Travis Zajac and Jordin Tootoo, they allowed three consecutive goals to the Senators on goals from Zach Smith, Mike Hoffman and Chris Neil. Playing in his 900th career game, Neil recorded a Gordie Howe hat trick also dropping the gloves with Tootoo while setting up a goal.

But New Jersey never quit. With under six minutes left in regulation, Adam Henrique got to a Mike Cammalleri rebound and beat Hammond from a bad angle to cut the deficit to one. His team-leading fourth was also set up by Stempniak, who recorded a goal and helper along with the shootout winner following a controlled 3-on-3 derby.

Aside from playing hard for Hynes, these Devils have had early success in the new overtime format. In back-to-back wins over the Rangers and Coyotes, they got winners off the sticks of Stempniak and budding top defenseman Adam Larsson. Larsson was easily the best skater in the 3-on-3 derby making good defensive reads and creating scoring chances. He and partner Andy Greene stood out.

Unlike other teams, the Devils look like they practiced the wild and wacky new OT. Even though they lack the skill of some other teams, their players have performed well so far. Cory Schneider also has helped making big saves. He finished with 35 and turned aside three of four Ottawa shooters.

In the skill competition, Bobby Ryan gave the Sens a 1-0 lead in the first round. Jacob Josefson evened it with a nice finish top shelf after Round 2. After Schneider denied Mike Zibanejad, Cammalleri had a chance to win it but was turned aside by Hammond. Cammalleri had three assists in the hockey portion.

Following a key Schneider stop on Mark Stone, that set the stage for Stempniak who made a great move faking shot before tucking a backhand inside the crossbar for the game-winner.

The Devils have to be pleased with the early results. Especially after how it started. While other talented teams such as the Ducks and Jackets struggle to win with the weight of expectations, the Devils have already found their team identity. Even from the other side of the Hudson rivalry, it’s easy to admire.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Adam Henrique, Devils (4th of season, assist, +1 in 23:00)

2nd Star-Chris Neil, Senators (goal, assist, fight for Gordie Howe hat trick in 900th game)

1st Star-Lee Stempniak, Devils (game-tying goal at 19:28 3rd, assist, shootout winner)

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments