Rangers howl past Coyotes 4-1 in Yandle’s return

Posted on November 8, 2015 by Derek
Fast Gets One: Jesper Fast celebrates his 2nd goal of season with Dan Girardi in Rangers 4-1 win at Coyotes. AP Photo by Ross D. Franklin/Getty Images

Fast Gets One: Jesper Fast celebrates his 2nd goal of season with Dan Girardi in Rangers 4-1 win at Coyotes.
AP Photo by Ross D. Franklin/Getty Images

It was a successful return for Keith Yandle. Facing his former team, he had an assist and got a nice video tribute during a stoppage in the first period. Most importantly, the Rangers took care of business howling past the Coyotes 4-1 at Gila River Arena (seriously???).

Four different Blueshirts scored. Jesper Fast, J.T. Miller, Chris Kreider (yes!!!!!) and Kevin Hayes all tallied in the Rangers’ fifth straight win allowing them to sweep a back-to-back. Antti Raanta was splendid making 39 saves. In fact, he was 4.6 seconds away from a shutout before Coyotes captain Shane Doan steered home a rebound of a Kyle Chipchura shot off a rush. One that frustrated Ryan McDonagh, who wanted the shutout for Raanta.

When it was over, a smiling Raanta laughed it off as teammates congratulated him. In three starts, the new Rangers backup goalie has allowed two goals on 85 shots. He’s now 3-for-3 all coming against Western Conference opponents. He shutout San Jose on Oct. 19 and yielded one goal in a win over Calgary on Oct. 25. It continues to be a match made in heaven for Raanta and the Blueshirts. He’s more than replaced Cam Talbot, who has moved on in Edmonton as the starter on a rebuilding team.

Unless you’re a slanted Corsi blogger emphasizing puck possession and Fenwick charts to bash easy target Dan Girardi, there’s not much to complain about. The Rangers are off to a great start winning 10 of their first 14 games. At 10-2-2 with 22 points, they continue to lead the Metro Division. They’re two points up on the Caps who of course got a last second Nicklas Backstrom goal against the hapless Leafs before Alex Ovechkin won the game in a shootout. The same rival they took care of 5-2 earlier this week.

It was nice to see someone other than Oscar Lindberg score. Fast isn’t gonna finish much. He’s a checking forward who plays on the fourth line. He got rewarded going to the net. On a Girardi point shot which of course won’t be mentioned in other blogs, Fast neatly redirected the puck past Mike Smith for the only goal in the first.

After a good start, the Rangers were hemmed in a lot by the speedier Coyotes who didn’t play the night before. Arizona had some close calls but also bad luck. Anthony Duclair prevented a sure tying goal when he accidentally got in the way of a shot headed in. It was nice to see our former prospect helping us. The Yotes also hit two goalposts with each shot going off the far post. Raanta’s best friend.

It wasn’t Smith’s night. He allowed a wacky goal to Miller just 2:07 into the second. Dan Boyle threw a pass in front that Kreider touched followed by Miller who barely got a stick on it. The puck then took a funny bounce going through a startled Smith at such a slow speed it was like a knuckle ball. Or as most of us puckers would refer, a knuckle puck from the classic Mighty Ducks movies. The bizarre goal was Miller’s second.

Then Kreider finally got some luck for a change. Snake bit so far with only one goal despite plenty of chances, he took a Derek Stepan outlet and fired a routine wrist shot from the circle that eluded Smith five-hole. That made it 3-0 and ended Smith’s night. He allowed three goals on 17 shots. Anders Lindback replaced him. He fared better permitting just a Hayes power play goal while turning aside 12 of 13.

The problem for the Coyotes is they were already down four. A bit too hard to do against this Rangers team. Once they have a lead after two periods, they are about as lock down as it gets. Seth Rothman tweeted out a stat yesterday about them only losing one game when leading after two periods. They are up to 158-1-9 in their last 168 games since Feb. 6, 2010. Inside Hockey’s Rothman had more on the club’s recent success in the second part of back-to-backs.

As for the third, it was mostly uneventful. The only interesting part was Martin Hanzal having a goal reversed. Originally, he was credited with batting a puck out of mid-air that would’ve made it 4-1 with still over half the period left. However, conclusive replays on MSG showed that Hanzal’s stick was over crossbar height when it connected. After a few minutes, Toronto reversed the refs decision. A good call. And one time we actually agreed with them. Miracles do happen.

If only they could’ve gotten a shutout for Raanta. He so deserved it even making a save from the seat of his pants. But a late Lindberg penalty led to a Coyotes rush and Doan power play tally at 19:55. Unfortunate. But still it’s another two points.

The Blueshirts have accomplished what Alain Vigneault wanted. A quick start. That’s crucial in a good division. Building a cushion is nice. Rack up as many ROW’s and points as you can now. The Canes visit MSG Tuesday. A Staal reunion as Sam Rosen mentioned. They actually came back to beat the Senators with Jordan Staal scoring with less than four seconds left in the 3-on-3 derby.

In all honesty, that should be two points. But they still have to play it. Figure Henrik Lundqvist to be back in. The Blues visit Manhattan Thursday. Then it’s at the Leafs on Friday the 13th. Raanta should be back for that one. All in all, a lot to be happy about if you’re a true Blueshirt.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Kevin Hayes, NYR (PPG-4th of season, 5 SOG-2-2-4 in last 3, 7 pts in last 7)

2nd Star-Chris Kreider, NYR (2nd of season, assist-maybe he’ll get hot)

1st Star-Antti Raanta, NYR (39 saves, 2 GA on 85 shots in 3 wins)

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Devils stun champs with early barrage

Posted on November 7, 2015 by hasan4978

Not-so-coincidentally before last night, the Devils’ last win over the Chicago Blackhawks was during the 2011-12 season, which was also the last season the Devils made the playoffs.  Few expected that to change last night despite an uneven start for the champs and improved play by coach John Hynes’s Devils.  Admittedly I was as cynical as anyone that the Devils could keep up their late October play once the schedule got tougher, since I was expecting a loss I was sort of glad a friend wanted to buy my tickets off me last night (even if it was to take one of her friends who was a Hawks fan).  Still suffering from sports hangover after a brutal last Sunday with my Mets and Jets I wasn’t even sure I was going to watch the game last night.

Thankfully I did turn it on, though I was barely paying attention at first when strange things began to happen, starting with a great individual effort from Lee Stempniak stealing the puck from Hawks defenseman Nicklas Hjalmarsson and beating goaltender Corey Crawford down low 3:48 into the game (highlight above) for the first of what would be a series of early Devils goals.  Most of the highlights of the first period came in the final two and a half minutes of the period though.  Kyle Palmeri scored his fourth goal as a Devil at 17:48 when he fired a one-timer into the net off a Travis Zajac faceoff win.  Moments later, sensing an off night for his team Hawks captain Johnathan Toews got into a scrap with Adam Henrique.  Though Toews won the fight on points, it was the Devils who landed the next blow that counted – on the scorebard.  Just twenty-six seconds after Palmeri scored and moments after the fight, the Devils got their third tally of the period when Zajac followed up a rebound from his own shot beating Crawford for his sixth(!) goal of the season with assists from Stempniak and Damon Severson.  After a 27-point campaign last year, Zajac seems determined to up his game although his first-period goal was the first he’d scored at even strength this season, with four coming on the power play and one shorthanded.

Even the obligatory first intermission goalie change from Crawford to Scott Darling didn’t change the momentum last night, as Mike Cammalleri scored the Devils’ fourth goal at 7:28 of the second period after a pretty feed from Severson.  Palmeri also got an assist, completing a balanced night where four Devils had multiple points and he could well have had another goal later in the period when Sergey Kalinin drove to the net, was stopped on his initial shot but Palmeri put in the rebound – except that the refs waved off the goal due to incidential contact after Kalinin was pushed into Darling by defenseman Trevor Daley.  Of course the refs didn’t reverse their own judgement call when Hynes used his first challenge of the season, losing his timeout when he lost the challenge but it was certainly a worthwhile gamble since 5-0 would really have ended the game as a contest, not to mention you’re sort of banking you won’t need a timeout at 4-0 anyway.

All night in the back of my mind I was waiting for the inevitable Hawks run but it never really came even though Patrick Kane got the champs on the board at 18:42 of the second and immediately the Hawks started buzzing, earning a power play that mostly carried over to the third.  Fortunately some yeoman defensive work from the Devils in the third sealed the win, not only killing two conventional power plays but also having to deal with a full six and a half minutes of the Hawks playing 6-on-5 after coach Joel Quenneville pulled Darling for an extra skater three goals down.  Though the Hawks prevented us from getting more than one serious chance at the empty net, and it seemed like maintained possession in our zone constantly during those final minutes they were only able to cash in once, when Tanner Kero scored off a rebound at 18:34.  You could look at those final minutes one of two ways, either having only one offensive-zone shot at the empty net in six and a half minutes (which was blocked off by a defenseman) was bad or the fact they were mostly able to limit the dangerous chances during such a long period against a championship team was good.  After outshooting the Hawks 21-15 in the first two periods the Devils got outshot 14-5 in the third period, little surprise given the nearly ten minutes with a man advantage the Hawks had, but the Devils showed resolve and never really allowed drama to creep into the final moments.

Even off-ice news was good last night as the team announced its first sellout of the year.  I guess a Friday night game against the champs is a pretty good draw.  Of course the most important thing for Devil fans isn’t neccesarily who they’re playing (though last night was certainly a positive in so many ways) but seeing the team continue to play well and actually being somewhat enjoyable to watch again, and it’s fun for the players as well:

“I think the coaching staff has created an atmosphere around here that, whether we win or lose, it’s all about coming to the rink to get better and enjoy the game,” Zajac said. “I think that’s been positive to have them create that kind of atmosphere. The players, coaches, everyone, wants to be around to have fun and work hard doing it.”

Although I’m sure coach Hynes was pleased at the win as well, he wasn’t losing sight of the big picture:

“It’s a good win and we liked the way we played, but we weren’t perfect,” Devils coach John Hynes said. “The two points are really important and the fact we won a hockey game is really important. We beat a very good team, but we have another game on Sunday too. It’s good to enjoy it and we want to take the good things that happened [Friday] and build on those, but we have to find a way to be better going into Sunday’s game (at home against the Vancouver Canucks).”

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Stepan and Lindberg score 21 seconds apart in Rangers 2-1 win over Avalanche

Posted on November 7, 2015 by Derek
Oscar Lindberg gets congrats at the bench from Derick Brassard after scoring his seventh of the season highlighting a 2-1 Rangers win over the Avalanche. AP Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

Oscar Lindberg gets congrats at the bench from Derick Brassard after scoring his seventh of the season highlighting a 2-1 Rangers win over the Avalanche.
AP Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

In the first of a back-to-back on the road, the Rangers came away with a 2-1 win over the Avalanche at Pepsi Center Friday night. Derek Stepan and Oscar Lindberg scored 21 seconds apart in the second period to give them their fourth consecutive win.

After 13 games, the Blueshirts are 9-2-2 with their 20 points tops in the Metropolitan Division. They are in first place despite only two combined goals from Chris Kreider and Rick Nash, who sat out with a bad back. His status is day-to-day. We’ll find out later if he’ll return for the Coyotes. It probably makes sense to heed on the side of caution and let him rest up for the Hurricanes back home on Tuesday.

Henrik Lundqvist stopped all 14 Avalanche shots in a busy third. He continues to be the story. In 11 starts, Lundqvist is 7-2-2 with a 1.80 goals-against-average and .945 save percentage. He finished with 29 saves. Facing a dangerous opponent that plays a wide open style, the Swedish King was up to the challenge denying talented Nathan MacKinnon (game high six shots) several times. The Avs’ third-year center beat Lundqvist on the power play for the only goal in the first period.

The Rangers were guilty of a few ill timed penalties. But after giving up one to MacKinnon on Colorado’s first try, they tightened up killing off the last four. That included undisciplined minors from J.T. Miller, Chris Kreider, Oscar Lindberg and Kevin Klein. While it wasn’t perfect, they played well. With Nash out, Alain Vigneault tried Emerson Etem on the top line with Derick Brassard and Mats Zuccarello. Let’s just say he’s still learning and leave it at that.

For a second straight game, Vigneault started rookie defenseman Dylan McIlrath in place of struggling veteran Dan Boyle. The former 2010 first round pick rewarded him with a strong defensive effort. In 18 effective shifts, he registered four hits with one shots while being used late on the second half of a key penalty kill with Klein off for delay of game. McIlrath made a few good plays in his end taking Avs forwards off the puck with his big body. That included shoving Jarome Iginla to the ice which led to a Colorado penalty.

As the 23-year old Winnipeg native continues to evolve, he could become a important player during a busy season. With Vigneault emphasizing that he wants to give Boyle nights off when the schedule picks up, McIlrath can provide a physical presence the blueline has been lacking since Mike Sauer’s career was ended by Dion Phaneuf. He also should take a look later at keeping vets Dan Girardi and Marc Staal fresh. The 82-game slate can be taxing. Especially when you consider how much they have played the past two years.

Most notably, Stepan snapped a six-game goal drought with his fourth for a power play goal at 12:42 of the second that tied the contest. Off a favorable carom of a Ryan McDonagh wide shot, Mats Zuccarello fed Stepan for a one-time blast that beat Colorado backup Reto Berra. Up till that point, Berra had played extremely well. On the very next shift, he let in a soft goal to Lindberg only 21 seconds later.

Off a sustained forecheck, Lindberg retrieved a puck from McDonagh down low and fired from below the goal line catching Berra leaning. It was a heady play by a smart player who is on a hot streak. The goal tied Lindberg with Zuccarello for the team lead with seven goals. His seven put him in a tie for first with three other players including Alex Ovechkin for most even strength goals (7).

”I didn’t expect to score this many goals,” Lindberg said. ”I’m not trying to think about it too much. I’m just trying to play.”

Call it a lucky seven for the first-year Swedish rookie who is very much an early Calder candidate. It’s too bad that Connor McDavid broke his clavicle. He’s gonna miss significant time. McDavid was off to a sizzling start with 12 points (5-7-12) in his first 13 games. He was tied with Artemi Panarin for first in rookie scoring. Max Domi is third with 11 points. Then Lindberg and Dylan Larkin each have 10. It’s a deep rookie class that also features ex-Ranger Anthony Duclair, Colton Parayko, Sam Bennett and Sabres center Jack Eichel.

”Sometimes when a player feels it, sees it, I always like that bad-angle shot,” Vigneault said. ”I always think it’s a good idea.”

They could’ve made it a little easier on themselves. But that’s not the Ranger way. They had strong shifts with puck possession generating chances. That included another power play in the third. Despite good looks, they were unable to take advantage. Instead, they defended well and let Lundqvist do the rest.

”When we get the lead, we know what to do,” a philosophical Lundqvist said after also thwarting old nemesis Blake Comeau. ”At times, think we sit back a little too much. At the same time, when we’re under pressure, it’s not like we’re panicking, we still know what we need to do.”

The 33-year old netminder needs eight more saves to break the franchise mark held by Mike Richter. His 29 saves gave him 19,397 for his career counting regular season and postseason. Richter holds the record with 19,404. Ironically, it was also Lundqvist’s 742nd appearance which also tied Richter for the most in franchise history.

”It’s surreal at times, because you grew up watching these guys,” Lundqvist said. ”But it’s been a lot of fun to be part of this franchise. Been lucky to be part of it for so long.”

They’re lucky to have him. World class.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Nathan MacKinnon, COL (PPG-6th of season, 6 SOG, 7 attempts in 24 shifts-22:51)

2nd Star-Oscar Lindberg, NYR (GWG-7th of season, +1 in 16 shifts-11:44)

1st Star-Henrik Lundqvist, NYR (29 saves incl. all 14 in busy 3rd)

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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)

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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! 😉

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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.

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