Hart Worthy: Nash deserves Hart inclusion

Posted on February 3, 2015 by Derek
Hart Worthy? Rick Nash's big season has him a likely candidate for league MVP. AP Photo by Kathy Kmonicek/Getty Images

Hart Worthy? Rick Nash’s big season has him a likely candidate for league MVP.
AP Photo by Kathy Kmonicek/Getty Images

It’s been a while since the Rangers had a Hart winner. Jaromir Jagr came close in ’05-06 shattering single season franchise records in goals (54) and points (123). He finished second behind Joe Thornton, who produced 92 points in 58 games after being traded to the Sharks to win the Art Ross with 125 points. It’s one Jagr deserved for carrying a team into the postseason for the first time in nearly a decade.

In their rich history, the Rangers only have one Hart winner in the last 54 years (’04-05 lockout excluded). Stanley Cup winning captain Mark Messier won the award in ’91-92 after leading the club to the NHL’s best record with 35 goals and 107 points. He became the first Ranger to win it since Andy Bathgate in ’58-59. However, the ending was bittersweet with the Penguins eliminating them in six games during the second round. Two years later, Messier led the Rangers to their first Cup in 54 years.

In 2014-15, Rick Nash is trying to become the second Blueshirt to win the award since Bathgate. During Monday’s exciting 6-3 win over the Panthers, he scored twice including a highlight reel shorthanded goal that tied him with Tyler Toffoli for the most shorthanded goals (4) in the league. His empty netter gave him number 31- tying Alexander Ovechkin for the league lead. Nash has played in two less games (48) compared to Ovechkin (50). Tyler Seguin ranks third with 28 in 49. Joe Pavelski and Steven Stamkos each have 27 in 51.

Currently, Nash has 31 goals and 15 assists totaling 46 points in 48. He leads the Rangers in goals (31), points (46), shorthanded goals (4), game-winners (5) shots (179) and is tied with Kevin Klein for the team lead in plus/minus (19). In games Nash scores, the Rangers are 18-6-0. In fact, they’ve won their last nine when Nash lights the lamp. For the season, they’re 22-7-3 when Nash registers a point. When he doesn’t, they’re 7-8-1.

On a team that doesn’t have many double digit scorers, Nash stands out. His 31 goals are 17 more than Martin St. Louis (12). Derick Brassard (12), Chris Kreider (11) and Carl Hagelin (10) are the other players to hit double figures. As a team, the Rangers have scored 143. Nash has accounted for 21.7 percent of their offense. For comparison, Ovechkin has 21.2 of the Caps’ offense. Pavelski comes in third at 19.1 on the Sharks.

In terms of value, the statistics support Nash’s candidacy. He drives the offense and has been equally as valuable defensively. Not only is he an MVP candidate but could draw inclusion for the Selke handed out to the league’s best forward. What works against him is that he isn’t a center. The award usually recognizes two-way play of centers who perform offensively and defensively. Recent examples are Pavel Datsyuk, Patrice Bergeron and Jonathan Toews. Jere Lehtinen is the last wing to win the Selke doing so three times with the Stars.

In order to be considered, Nash must continue to perform at a high level. If he can approach 50 goals and win the Rocket Richard while leading the Rangers to a higher place in the standings, he should get serious consideration. At the moment, there’s plenty of competition from Ryan Getzlaf, Kane, John Tavares, Vladimir Tarasenko, Mark Giordano, Pekka Rinne and Carey Price. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin shouldn’t be discounted and neither should Ovechkin. It’s hard to gauge Jakub Voracek and Claude Giroux unless the Flyers miraculously make the postseason.

I’ve never been a fan of giving the Hart to a goalie. We’ve seen Henrik Lundqvist nominated in 2011-12 due to his sensational Vezina season that included a division title and the East’s best record. In a year where there’s no clear cut favorite, plenty of observers are pushing for Price. His play has been brilliant. So has Rinne prior to an injury that sidelined him. Giordano merits inclusion if the Flames make it. The Norris front runner is having a special season.

Consistency is one factor. Strong finishes are another key. They can often sway voters. Look no further than Thornton after Boston traded him to San Jose. He turned their season around and went past Jagr for the scoring title. Corey Perry took home the award in 2010-11 with a tremendous finish. Ovechkin’s third Hart in ’12-13 was due to a similar torrid stretch.

As we get into the home stretch, that’s where the contenders will separate themselves from the pack. Like a marathon, some won’t be able to keep up. Thus far, Nash has given Ranger fans a lot to smile about. Finally healthy, he’s having a memorable year. A Rocket Richard and Hart would be a nice reward. Like his teammates, he has eyes on the ultimate prize.

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Rangers place Malone on unconditional waivers for ‘retirement’

Posted on February 3, 2015 by Derek
Ryan Malone was placed on waivers by the Rangers today. nydailynews.com/Getty Images

Ryan Malone was placed on waivers by the Rangers today.
nydailynews.com/Getty Images

Earlier this afternoon, Ryan Malone requested the Rangers place him on unconditional waivers so he could retire. The 35-year old veteran left wing was signed by Glen Sather during camp for one-year $700,000. He got into six games before the team designated him for Hartford. Malone is earning $100,000 with the Wolf Pack. In 24 games, he has four goals and six assists with 29 penalty minutes.

A declining forward who once scored at least 20 goals in five seasons, Malone was given another chance by the Rangers following an arrest for DUI and 1.3 grams of cocaine possession. He was bought out by the Lightning.

If this is indeed it, Malone finishes his NHL career with 179 goals and 191 assists for 370 points with 693 PIM in 647 games. He was on the ’07-08 Penguins who lost to the Red Wings totaling six goals and 10 assists with 25 PIM in 20 postseason games. Drafted by Pittsburgh in Round 4 115th overall out of St. Cloud State, he had a solid career eventually landing a seven-year $31.5 million contract with Tampa. He was productive the first four years totaling 81 goals and 97 assists for 178 points. Injuries and personal issues is how it ended. At least he got one final chance to go out on his own terms.

The move frees up cap space for the Rangers. Considering that they appear to be in talks with the Coyotes after GM Don Maloney visited MSG for last night’s game against the Panthers, a move could be on the horizon. Whether it’s to finally address a gaping hole at center by acquiring Antoine Vermette or Martin Hanzal or to actually upgrade sixth defenseman with Keith Yandle and Michael Stone available, that remains to be seen. With the trade deadline less than a month away, Sather should be busy.

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Zuccarello’s big night lifts Rangers over Panthers 6-3

Posted on February 3, 2015 by Derek
Zucc Celebrates: Mats Zuccarello is congratulated by Ryan McDonagh and Chris Kreider after his goal. AP Photo by Bill Kostroun/Getty Images

Zucc Celebrates: Mats Zuccarello is congratulated by Ryan McDonagh and Chris Kreider after his goal.
AP Photo by Bill Kostroun/Getty Images

To put it mildly, it’s been a struggle for Mats Zuccarello. The popular feisty Norwegian hasn’t produced consistently. Perhaps coach Alain Vigneault switching lines could be the boost he needs. Zuccarello broke a 10-game goal drought scoring a key insurance marker while setting up another in the Rangers’ 6-3 win over the Panthers at MSG.

”I can feel pressure from everyone around to score some goals, so obviously I’d like to score some more,” he said after his two-point effort gave the Rangers their second straight win.

For a second game in a row, it wasn’t pretty. A poor start allowed the Panthers to hop in front with Aleksander Barkov scoring 4:09 into the contest. Entering eight points behind the Rangers in the standings, Florida came out desperate. Their speed and forecheck gave our struggling defense fits.

In particular, the slumping tandem of Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi. Neither played well with McDonagh caught out of position frequently and Girardi forced to take two penalties due to poor positioning. It might be time for Vigneault to flip Girardi with Kevin Klein. Especially with Marc Staal delivering another big game. He scored a goal and was solid throughout.

As usual, Rick Nash was at his best scoring his team-leading 30th and 31st goals to tie Alexander Ovechkin for the league lead. The first was a beauty shorthanded. With Girardi off for tripping, Nash forced rookie Aaron Ekblad into a bad turnover at the blueline. He easily intercepted a loose puck and then broke in and beat Roberto Luongo with a nasty forehand deke and tuck tying the score. His fourth shorthanded goal tied him with Tyler Toffoli for the league lead.

Zuccarello drew a hooking minor early in the second. That led directly to him setting up rookie Kevin Hayes for his first NHL career power play goal. After Zuccarello took a McDonagh feed, he dished across for a wide open Hayes who buried his seventh at 2:51. He hasn’t gotten much power play time but Vigneault trusted him and it paid off.

Jesper Fast also had a strong game. The improving rookie made a smart play in the neutral zone and then found an open Staal for a wrist shot that deflected off Sean Bergenheim to make it 3-1 at 9:28. Carl Hagelin drew the other helper.

Before they got comfortable, the Rangers had a mental lapse in the second part of the period. First, Staal lost his coverage on Dave Bolland, who was able to bank in a loose puck off a crossbar from Bergenheim and Jussi Jokinen. The fourth line failed to clear the zone. Dan Boyle also was an adventure during that shift.

Less than three minutes later, the Panthers took advantage of another Girardi penalty. Bolland set up a wide open Brandon Pirri for a sweet finish in the slot. Brad Boyes netted the secondary assist.

Florida really controlled the play. If not for Henrik Lundqvist, they take the lead. Lundqvist was very strong finishing with 33 saves. That included some crucial ones in the third before his teammates picked up the slack.

Boyle got a reprieve when his harmless shot deflected off ex-King Willie Mitchell past Roberto Luongo to put the Rangers ahead for good with 11:50 left in regulation. It was Boyle’s second straight game with a goal. He has to produce because they didn’t sign him for his defense. He and partner John Moore have shifts that are worrisome. Arizona GM Don Maloney was in the building. It’ll be interesting to see if anything happens between him and Glen Sather. The Rangers and Coyotes have been frequent partners. Antoine Vermette and Martin Hanzal could be potential targets.

Even as the Panthers pressed for the equalizer, Lundqvist wouldn’t oblige. In what’s becoming a trademark, he made another ridiculous glove save. That part of his game has improved. He now sets players up. There’s no doubt he’s at the top of his game with the team not as steady in front of him. If they are to go anywhere, that has to change.

Vigneault again switched things up in the third. Zuccarello was the beneficiary of a nice Derick Brassard feed for a Chris Kreider shot that rebounded right to Zuccarello, who finally got off the snide to make it 5-3 with 4:02 remaining. A couple of minutes later, Nash broke away and scored into a vacated net to seal it.

”We are getting to that point in the season where we’ve got to be desperate for points,” the Hart Trophy candidate admitted. ”Playing in the third, we didn’t have as many turnovers as we did in the first two periods.”

”Even though they came back and they tied it up in the second period, when the game was on the line in the third, I thought we played our best period,” Vigneault added while joking that he wished Mitchell would’ve had a puck go off him during last year’s Stanley Cup Final.

The competition picks up with the Bruins visiting MSG Wednesday. That’ll be our first game since my birthday on 12/8. An exciting overtime win over the Pens. Speaking of which, the Rangers closed to within two points of second place with two extra games left. They’re two clear of the Caps for third with two at hand.

NY Puck 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Marc Staal, NYR (goal-3rd, 2 SOG, 2 blocked shots, +1 in 19:17-our best D since contract)

2nd Star-Rick Nash, NYR (2 goals-30th, 31st incl. 4th SHG-breathtaking)

1st Star-Mats Zuccarello, NYR (goal-8th, assist-3 points in last 2)

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Lundqvist Sends Classy Tweet To Brodeur

Posted on February 2, 2015 by Derek

Whichever side of the Hudson rivalry you’re on, Martin Brodeur was a huge part of the intense battles between the Rangers and Devils. His retirement last week ended a brilliant Hall Of Fame career that included three Stanley Cups, four Vezinas and Olympic gold. The former goalie holds the NHL record for most games (1,266), wins (691) and shutouts (125).

From his first full season as a rookie when he went head to head with Mike Richter in a classic seven-game Eastern Conference Final, Brodeur was front and center for the Battle Of Hudson. Many of his victories came against the Rangers. For so long, he never defeated them in the playoffs also losing in the ’97 Eastern Conference Semifinals. After backstopping the Devils to three Cups in less than a decade, he finally got the better of the Rangers in a 2006 first round sweep.

Brodeur went from battling Richter to going up against current Rangers’ all-time franchise wins and shutouts leader Henrik Lundqvist. The pair of number 30’s formed a nice rivalry. After Marty came out on top in ’06, Lundqvist returned the favor in 2008 with the Rangers prevailing in five in another first round. However, it was Brodeur who got the final match-up leading the Devils to a six-game Conference Final upset in 2012. At age 40, he was able to outperform Lundqvist helping New Jersey to its fifth Stanley Cup Final appearance.

Despite all their battles, Lundqvist paid tribute in a classy tweet congratulating Brodeur on a great career earlier today.

It is refreshing to see our goalie pay respect to a legend who played on a nemesis. Brodeur and the Devils broke our hearts in 2012. He didn’t always say the nicest thing about Lundqvist or our team. But that didn’t stop Lundqvist from continuing to exemplify why he’s so great for hockey. He gets it.

Brodeur will be missed. His competitive fire and will to be the best make him one of the best of all-time. Best of luck to him in the future.

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Courageous Lundqvist Leads Rangers To Victory

Posted on February 1, 2015 by Derek
Heroic Henrik: Henrik Lundqvist is tended to by Rangers medical staff as concerned teammates look on. He was fine leading the team to victory over the Hurricanes. AP Photo by Mary Altaffer/Getty Images

Heroic Henrik: Henrik Lundqvist is tended to by Rangers medical staff as concerned teammates look on. He was fine leading the team to victory over the Hurricanes.
AP Photo by Mary Altaffer/Getty Images

A scary moment turned into a huge sigh of relief. Early in the second period, Henrik Lundqvist took a Brad Malone slap shot to the throat and was down in pain for a few minutes. On the play, Ryan McDonagh accidentally lifted Lundqvist’s mask exposing his chin to Malone’s shot. It looked pretty bad. But after trainer Jim Ramsay came out, the franchise goalie caught his breath an was miraculously able to stay in the game leading the Rangers to a much needed 4-1 victory over the Hurricanes.

”I was getting ready for the shot, and I could feel a stick under my chin pull up my helmet, so I lost vision of the puck,” Lundqvist said after delivering 31 saves to snap a two-game losing streak. ”I had a bad feeling about it because I could kind of see the puck coming, but then I lost track of it.

”When I got hit, it was obviously extremely painful and it was hard to breathe for a couple of minutes.”

It is Lundqvist who’s the leader of this team. He doesn’t need a ‘C’ to prove it. Without him, they don’t come back against the Penguins and make the Stanley Cup Final last year. Nicknamed King Henrik, the popular 32-year old Swede again proved why he’s so beloved. When he was down, I didn’t think there was any way he could continue. He looked so groggy that I feared the worst. Fortunately, it wasn’t as bad as it looked. But for those few minutes, you had to be scared for him.

”You’re nervous for him, and your stomach drops a bit,” teammate Marc Staal said after facing brothers Eric and Jordan. ”Anytime a guy is kind of rolling around and kicking his legs, you know it’s not good.”

”It was just unfortunate timing by me,” McDonagh said. ”I’m trying to box a guy out, and my stick kind of gets his mask up.

 ”I was a little nervous, but knowing the guy that he is, I thought for sure he would battle through.”

At that point, the game didn’t matter. It was Lundqvist’s well being. When he was able to gather himself and waved off Cam Talbot, the crowd gave him a thunderous ovation and the familiar chant of “Hen-rik, Hen-rik!” When it comes down to it, nobody wants to win more than him. His desire to be the best reminds me of another goalie who just retired. Lundqvist wants to be the man. In Manhattan, he is.

With his team struggling against an opponent who played the night before, he was again splendid. Even though they led 2-0 after a period on the strength of Rick Nash’s team-leading 29th and a highlight reel Dominic Moore shorthanded goal, the Rangers were badly outplayed by the Hurricanes. It was the Canes who pushed the pace generating quality chances off a strong forecheck. Eric and Jordan Staal continue to have chemistry since being put together. Even on a night Alex Semin actually dressed, their line was dangerous. But Lundqvist was at his best stopping all 15 Canes shots in the first.

Leading by two, the Rangers continued to be guilty of sloppy play. They turned the puck over and left too many gaps. That has been a downward trend during the past two weeks. Against better competition, they can’t get away with it. For a while, the lack of attention to detail has been a concern. Along with the lack of production from key players, it forced coach Alain Vigneault to change his lines. Before he made even more radical ones that turned the tide, he had to watch his goalie on the ice in lots of pain.

”My brother was an expert at that, actually, in practice,” Lundqvist said referring to twin brother Joel. ”He hit me on the throat a lot of times, but not like this where my helmet kind of came off and I lost track of the puck.

”It could have been a lot worse. I feel lucky.”

It wasn’t until that same player Malone scored off a Ryan Murphy pass to cut the lead to 2-1 that the team played better. Following another Carolina push, Vigneault’s new lines started to finally sustain pressure. That included a third line of Boston College tandem Chris Kreider and Kevin Hayes with slumping winger Mats Zuccarello. In particular, Kreider was a standout. Flying throughout, he got and created opportunities. It was one of his best games. While a few teammates haven’t been great lately, Kreider has been very noticeable. He is looking like the power forward the Rangers haven’t had in a long time.

Fittingly, his strong effort was rewarded. It was Kreider who finished off a Hayes set up down low thanks to some yeoman work from Zuccarello, who picked up a secondary assist. Talk about a player who needed a point. It was a dominant shift by the trio. They put constant pressure on the Canes D and finally got a huge insurance goal with 9:44 left in regulation.

That definitely gave them a confidence boost. On the very next shift, Jesper Fast and Carl Hagelin combined to set up Dan Boyle’s fifth making it two goals in 21 seconds. They played with Derick Brassard while Nash was back on a line with Derek Stepan and Martin St. Louis. J.T. Miller, who started on the top line was demoted back to the fourth line following a turnover that led to a Canes chance. He played better with Moore and Tanner Glass. Even though they were out for a goal against, that was more due to Boyle and John Moore not doing the job in front. That third pair remains a sore spot.

Encouraging is that the Rangers outshot the Canes 16-7 in the third. But also keep in mind that Carolina had tired legs. They struggled mightily in the period. With under 30 seconds left, Fast hit a goalpost. Afterwards, happy teammates congratulated the goalie who made it possible. Lundqvist was the hero. There are plenty of adjectives to describe him. I’ll end this post with one. Character.

NY Puck 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Dominic Moore, NYR (SHG-4th of season in 19 shifts-12:22)

2nd Star-Chris Kreider, NYR (11th of season, 4 SOG, 4 takeaways, +1 in 15:12)

1st Star-Henrik Lundqvist, NYR (31 saves for 24th win-inspirational)

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Winning without satisfaction

Posted on February 1, 2015 by hasan4978

If you only looked at the box scores for this Devils team (and I can’t blame you if that’s all you do at this point) and saw the Devils got five of a possible six points coming out of the All-Star break, going 6-2-2 in their last ten games you would think ‘wow, the Devils are playing much better now with the new staff’.  If you did not look at the standings you would be delusional enough to think the Devils even at three games under NHL .500 could still make a run at a playoff spot with a home-heavy schedule down the stretch.  And if winning was truly everything with nothing else mattering then you don’t care that the Devils have only managed a pitiful 28 shots on goal in the last two games combined.  Or that they’ve been outshot 317-203 during this ten-game stretch.

Unfortunately however, reality suggests that the Devils – still thirteen points out of a playoff spot despite this ten-game stretch – don’t have a realistic chance at the playoffs with the top eight in the east clearly distancing itself from the pack, and that this stretch of results is a total illusion considering the Devils are being outshot by over 11 shots a game and have had 20 shots on goal or less in six of the ten games.

Those facts are what make me conflicted over watching this product on the ice during the last couple games (thankfully I did not watch the worst of the three games against the Pens, but did attend the two wins).  This Devil team is the ultimate test of whether winning really is everything.  It’s one thing to win and look bad doing it on occasion when you’re higher up in the standings, it’s another thing to win and look bad repeatedly when winning does very little other than worsen your draft position.  Especially considering this version of the trap the Devils have gone back to is so much of a shell it makes the Jacques Lemaire trap look like a run and gun system.  Then again at least you could count on Lemaire teams to hold shots against down too, this Devil team looks like an expansion team being outshot 45-20 and trying to win on the strength of goaltending and keeping the opponents’ shooting gallery stationed on the peremiter of the ice.

Honestly, it has been the goaltending that has been the main bright spot lately by far.  Whether it’s Cory Schneider giving up three goals with a whopping seventy saves during the games against the Leafs and Penguins, or Keith Kinkaid last night coming within minutes of his first NHL shutout making 26 of 27 saves you can’t say enough about either goaltender on this team.  Cory’s finally putting an end to the stigma that ‘yeah, he’s been good but he’s never been good through 55-60 games in a season’ and quieting the doubters who probably still haven’t come to terms with the fact Martin Brodeur’s no longer here, while Kinkaid’s firmly established himself as an NHL goaltender during the last two months with strong play of his own.  You could say we haven’t had as strong a goaltending tandem since 2012 when Marty and Moose were both playing well but even then it’s not like the goaltending was making 35 saves a night, it was more like 25.

Leaving the goaltending out of it right now, it’s not a pretty picture.  Apart from Adam Larsson who’s developing into a legit top-pairing defenseman, there isn’t much to suggest the coaching change has really helped anyone else.  Defensively the shots against are well-documented, they were high earlier in the year and still high now even with Scott Stevens having a freer hand on defense.  Yes, there was a little more scoring on the West Coast (of course during the two games I did not watch) but during these three home games post-break the team’s combined for a putrid four non-empty net goals combined.  Of course you can’t score if you don’t shoot, or like the famous Wayne Gretzky quote says, ‘100% of the shots you don’t take won’t go in’.  Last night was a new low even for this team in terms of getting shots on net when the team managed just four total shots in the final two periods, and one of THOSE was a Steve Bernier empty-net goal, so really it was three shots against a goaltender in the final forty minutes.

Things got so embarassing last night the Devils were mock cheered for putting just one shot on goal in the second period – with mere seconds to go before intermission.  In fact that mock cheer was one of the most hilarious experiences I’ve ever had live and the only memorable part of the final forty minutes of last night’s game.  Apparently this output embarassed the Devils so much they didn’t even put the shots on goal up on the jumbotron after the second period the way they usually do.  Following a good first period, it seemed as if the Devils were content with a 2-0 lead to (using a boxing term) just lay on the ropes and take punches the rest of the night.

And yeah I feel like a bit of a hypocrite complaining about being ultra-boring with a lead while complaining about Pete DeBoer’s leaky system where blown leads were the norm but are these really the only two options available to us?  Be ultra-boring or blow every lead in sight?  It’s one thing to be boring, it’s another to just hope and pray the goaltending bails you out.  At least when Lemaire teams were boring they wouldn’t permit shots on goal.  Being boring when you only give up five shots in a period is a little different then being boring and getting outshot 22-4 in the final two periods.  So in fact this is actually worse than boring, it’s just begging the goaltenders to bail you out night after night.

I’m not going to get into the draft stuff too much…would it be annoying to have a worse pick at the end of the day because of wins that aren’t really doing a lot for us, yes.  That said, I still can’t bring myself to root against the team for the sake of the draft pick (especially in the games I do attend), but talk to me again after the trade deadline – if we move anyone.  While it seems an impossibility this team can get back in the playoff race, don’t tell Lou Lamoriello, cause even as many points out as the Devils are they’re still acting like every game is Game 7 of a playoff series with their lineup decisions – i.e. playing the useless Mark Fraser and journeyman Peter Harrold over youngsters Eric Gelinas and Seth Hegelson – and their system of death.  So it’s not the fact we’re winning meaningless games that bothers me, it’s the fact we’re not really doing a lot to earn those wins or are getting many positives out of them.

I can deal with winning games and a worse draft pick if you have younger players playing well and any type of system that doesn’t make the prevent defense look like a risk-taking maneuver.  All I want to see from the rest of the season are positives, whether they result in wins or not.

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What Latest Loss Could Mean For Rangers

Posted on January 30, 2015 by Derek
Struggling forward Mats Zuccarello can't beat Carey Price during a Rangers' 1-0 shutout loss to the Canadiens. AP Photo by Mary Altaffer/Getty Images

Struggling forward Mats Zuccarello can’t beat Carey Price during a Rangers’ 1-0 shutout loss to the Canadiens.
AP Photo by Mary Altaffer/Getty Images

Tonight, the Rangers were shutout by the Canadiens 1-0 in a hotly contested game at MSG. It was their second straight loss out of the All-Star break. In six periods, they’ve scored one goal. That it came against two Stanley Cup contenders isn’t a surprise. The Islanders and Canadiens are two of the East’s best. Along with the Lightning and Bruins, they pose the biggest threats to the Rangers.

Offense hasn’t been an issue. However, it could become one due to the lack of secondary scoring. At this point of the season, coach Alain Vigneault hasn’t figured out what his third and fourth lines should be. The juggling of Kevin Hayes, Jesper Fast and J.T. Miller continues. With only Carl Hagelin an established third liner while faceoff ace Dominic Moore is better suited for the fourth line, there in lies the problem. Lee Stempniak and Tanner Glass are role guys who shouldn’t play every night.

What it all means is that the Garden Faithful can’t be too confident about this team’s depth. Gone are Brad Richards, Brian Boyle, Benoit Pouliot, Derek Dorsett and Dan Carcillo. All were key pieces Vigneault could rely on last Spring. Offensively, they were much deeper including at center with Richards supplying offense and Boyle providing a smart defensive forward who could take draws. Pouliot was a perfect fit on the third line with Derick Brassard and Mats Zuccarello. While Brassard has upped his level, Zuccarello has struggled in a top six role. He hasn’t provided enough offense and is costing himself in a contract year.

Most of the scoring has been provided by the top two lines with top sniper Rick Nash and true number one center Derek Stepan leading the way. Martin St. Louis has been a good mentor for Chris Kreider. Kreider is still learning the ropes. In tonight’s match, he challenged P.K. Subban, who ducked him and laughed in his face. Kreider is still developing. As for St. Louis, the production is fine but he’s been streaky. The former Hart winner was snake bit hitting a post and getting robbed by Carey Price in the third with the game still tied. He’s without a goal in seven straight.

As it is, the Blueshirts don’t have many finishers. Even with Nash doing his part, it is scoring by committee. So when St. Louis slumps and Zuccarello is ice cold, that puts too much pressure on Nash. There is still a learning curve for Hayes and Fast, who Vigneault favors over Miller. The former 2011 first round pick shows flashes but still is mistake prone which is why he doesn’t play every game. At some point, Vigneault must decide what makes better sense. Letting Miller learn from his mistakes or playing Stempniak and Glass over him while risking losing the second-year forward.

In the one-goal defeat, Glass provided toughness battling Brandon Prust to a draw. Not surprisingly, the game had edge. It was expected with the Habs wanting to make a point in their final visit to The Garden in the regular season. Max Pacioretty scored the lone goal catching Henrik Lundqvist napping. Price delivered the message by stopping all 24 shots for a shutout. The Habs’ number one goalie who was injured during last year’s Eastern Conference Final is in line for his first Vezina. That could depend on if Pekka Rinne returns for Nashville.

For the Rangers, it’s back to work for the Hurricanes who visit Saturday. With the Panthers and Bruins also on the horizon, it’s up to them to turn the page. They blew opportunities to gain ground in the divisional race. With 58 points in 46 games, they trail third place Washington by one and are four behind second place Pittsburgh. Even with their loss to Boston, the Islanders remain seven up and already have won the season series. What the Rangers want to avoid is a slump which could allow teams behind them to creep up. They’re still six clear of Florida and the suddenly resurgent Flyers trail by nine with four more games played.

In the mean time, they have to figure it out. Vigneault will continue to toss darts and see if he can miraculously fix the depth issue. With the trade deadline March 2, that gives general manager Glen Sather a month to figure out how to improve his team. A lack of a true third line center who can win faceoffs is a glaring hole. Who are the candidates? Antoine Vermette could be a target as a rental. On a bad Coyotes team, he has 31 points and is over 55 percent on draws. Martin Hanzal has the size and skill they lack but is locked up through ’16-17 on a great contract with an average cap hit of $3.1 million. I don’t see them moving him.

There are other areas Sather might want to address. Upgrading on the blueline is a possibility. Neither John Moore nor Matt Hunwick are regulars with each better suited as extras. Size has also come into play against the Islanders and Bruins. The Rangers aren’t big or overly physical. That along with the being thin at center and depth are legit concerns. We won’t get a definitive answer for a while.

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Rangers Not On Par With Islanders

Posted on January 28, 2015 by Derek
Henrik Lundqvist is all alone as the Islanders score in their latest win. AP Photo by Kathy Willens/Getty Images

Henrik Lundqvist is all alone as the Islanders score in their latest win.
AP Photo by Kathy Willens/Getty Images

There was another big game last night between close rivals. The Rangers and Islanders haven’t been good at the same time in decades. In 2014-15, both seem on a collision course for their first playoff series in 21 years.

Coming off a trip to the Stanley Cup Final, the Rangers were expected to contend. Following significant upgrades, the Islanders were expected to improve. Instead, they’re sitting atop the division and conference while their crosstown rivals are behind trying to climb the standings. The teams have met three times. Every game has gone to the Islanders. After sweeping the first two at MSG, they outplayed the Rangers again taking the first of three meetings at Nassau Coliseum by a score of 4-1 Tuesday night. In three games, they’ve outscored the Rangers 13-4.

”A loss is a loss. It’s disappointing,” defeated goalie Henrik Lundqvist acknowledged after making 34 saves. ”They outplayed us. They came out well and did a lot of things well. A game like this, you need something to go your way.”

For the third time, Lundqvist was left to fend for himself. Simply put, the Rangers have not proven they can handle the Islanders aggressive forecheck. For an experienced team that is capable of shutting down opponents, they look exposed against a bigger, stronger rival. Compared to the Islanders, the Rangers are small relying on team speed and skill. Against the Kings, they were unable to deal with their similar size and strength.

The Islanders are four lines deep and finish checks. They play with ferocity. A key part is their fourth line with bangers Cal Clutterbuck and Matt Martin creating chaos. Fittingly, Martin scored a big goal as a result of their line outworking Derek Stepan’s line. They took advantage of a match-up that had Dan Boyle and Matt Hunwick out. One that was inexplicable considering how poor the Rangers were on faceoffs. The Islanders dominated winning 38 of 62 with Casey Cizikas going 13-and-5.

Unlike past years, the Islanders aren’t just John Tavares, who scored a 5-on-3 goal late to pad the Isles’ lead to four. With the emergence of second-year forwards Brock Nelson and Ryan Strome, they didn’t miss Kyle Okposo last night. General manager Garth Snow went out and added depth bringing in Nikolay Kulemin and Mikhail Grabovski, who tallied the first goal last night. Rookie Anders Lee plays on the third line. Josh Bailey and Frans Nielsen are holdovers. How deep are they? Michael Grabner isn’t even a regular.

The Islanders defense is also much improved thanks to key additions Johnny Boychuk and Nick Leddy. Nobody will ever put Boychuk in the Norris category but he’s had a better season than Ryan McDonagh. With two helpers, he upped his point total to 24. A steady two-way defenseman, Boychuk is in the final year of his contract and is earning $3.6 million. He’s in for some payday. He has become the leader of a blueline that features Travis Hamonic and Calvin de Haan. If they want to have staying power, the Isles must re-sign him.

It also helps that Snow acquired Jaroslav Halak significantly upgrading in goal. Halak was 10 seconds away from shutting out the Rangers in two straight. He finished with 40 saves and of course was frustrated that Carl Hagelin beat him with a rare power play goal late.

”Obviously it’s disappointing, but we got a win,” Halak told reporters. ”It’s not like it was a 1-0 game. “Hopefully next time I’ll have more luck next time in the end.”

Goaltending is no longer an issue on Long Island. Though it’ll be interesting to see how Halak performs in the postseason. Since a run to the Conference Finals with Montreal in 2010, he’s only appeared in two playoff games with St. Louis in 2012. The team in front of him helps. The Isles’ forecheck takes pressure off. When they’re attacking, they don’t have to worry about defending. The Rangers had some success the final two periods getting 31 shots on Halak. Most were from the perimeter without traffic. If they want to compete with them, they must get the jersey dirty and make life more difficult on the Islander goalie.

The biggest issue the Rangers face is their lack of identity on the bottom two lines. Alain Vigneault has mixed and matched all season but has yet to find the right combo. Rookie Kevin Hayes shows promise. The former Boston College standout has six goals and 10 assists in 42 games. He doesn’t get power play time. The problem is he can’t win faceoffs which is the club’s Achilles heel. It’s hard to convert a wing to center in their first year out of college. Dominic Moore remains their best faceoff guy and he anchors the fourth line.

The loss of Brian Boyle and Brad Richards have magnified the situation. They also lost key puck possession cog Benoit Pouliot, who’s having a resurgence now that he’s healthy with Edmonton. Along with the subtractions of gritty physical presences Daniel Carcillo and Derek Dorsett, the Rangers are no longer four lines deep. Even with Vigneault rolling all four, he can only count on his top six to perform consistently. Rick Nash has carried them and Stepan has been huge. Derick Brassard has been mostly good but still has bad games like Tuesday where he reminds you that he can’t be the top center.

Mats Zuccarello has been the most disappointing player. Asked to play a more significant role, he has failed to fulfill expectations. The popular Norwegian with the giant heart has only seven goals and 23 points so far. Playing with Nash, his production should be better. There are too many instances where he doesn’t shoot. A very heady player, Zuccarello is unselfish to a fault. Sometimes, the creativity can lead to overkill. His turnover led to the Isles’ first goal. A pass for Brassard that trapped all three forwards. In his walk year, he can’t expect a big increase in salary unless he has a good second half. Keep in mind he, Brassard and Pouliot were the third line last year exposing favorable match-ups.

The Rangers need better play from McDonagh, who’s been inconsistent. Whether it’s the shoulder or whatever, he must play like one of the game’s premier defensemen. The guy we saw last Spring has been missing. Three goals in 34 games for the 27th team captain is putrid. An appropriate term to describe his coverage on two of the Isles’ goals. He and partner Dan Girardi have had average years. They must raise their level. Only Kevin Klein and newly re-signed Marc Staal have been up to par. After a good offensive spurt out, Dan Boyle has struggled mightily. He’s showing signs of age and the pseudo sixth combo of Matt Hunwick and John Moore aren’t good enough.

Not only must Rangers architect Glen Sather get a center but also must upgrade on D. As currently constituted, it’s hard to see this team being able to beat the Islanders in a series. They have also struggled with the Bruins and Lightning. All are deeper. Depth isn’t what it was. That was expected due to the cap. They were going to lose pieces. Unfortunately, Sather’s replacements aren’t fitting in. After a good start, Lee Stempniak has been in and out of the lineup. Tanner Glass is what he is. A three-year mistake who’s destined for Hartford. If they waive him, there’s zero toughness on a vanilla roster. That’s a problem.

It isn’t about the regular season. Rather the postseason. While the Rangers boast plenty of experience, they are a flawed team that can use some upgrades. Unless Slats can plug the holes, it’s going to be a tough climb. Only this time, they have to contend with the Islanders who might just be the best team in town.

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Islanders Outclass Rangers Again

Posted on January 27, 2015 by Derek
Matt Martin puts away a goal in another dominant Islanders' win over the Rangers. AP Photo by Kathy Willens/Getty Images

Matt Martin puts away a goal in another dominant Islanders’ win over the Rangers.
AP Photo by Kathy Willens/Getty Images

Let the record show that statistics don’t always matter. In tonight’s third Battle Of New York installment of five, the Rangers won on shots-on-goal registering 41 to the Islanders’ 38. It didn’t tell the whole story. When push came to shove, the first place Islanders who took over the Conference lead were superior. They again outclassed their crosstown rivals winning by a 4-1 margin in front of a playoff-like atmosphere at Nassau Coliseum.

It was the Islanders who were the aggressors. They used their size and forecheck to take advantage of some awful turnovers to build a two-goal lead. After a good push by the Rangers at the start, the Long Island hosts took over. They forced the action and continued getting dangerous scoring chances on Henrik Lundqvist, who was brilliant in defeat. He had to deal with more traffic than Jaroslav Halak, who continues to play the role of Billy Smith on the best Islander team since they last played for the Cup.

Without Kyle Okposo, the Isles didn’t miss a beat. They outshot the Rangers 17-10 in a frenetic first period that felt like a series preview. The Blueshirts generated chances but were their own worst enemy with sloppy play leading to Islander dominance in the neutral zone. Most alarming, it was their best players who were victims. Top pair Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi struggled mightily. McDonagh was on for two goals against including a ugly sequence that saw the Ranger captain lying on the ice as Mikhail Grabovski put away a wonderful Josh Bailey set up from Johnny Boychuk at 18:05.

The goal was well deserved. The Isles had been controlling play forcing Lundqvist into a string of difficult saves. If not for the former Vezina winner, this would’ve been over early. They easily could’ve had 4 or 5. That’s how careless the Blueshirts were. That included lazy backchecks from forwards and costly turnovers. Derick Brassard and Mats Zuccarello had forgettable nights. Neither distinguished themselves and dragged Rick Nash down. As a unit, they went a combined minus-six. It wasn’t by accident.

Once again, the Islanders fourth line struck. Leading by one, Casey Cizikas and Cal Clutterbuck took advantage of dreadful coverage from mismatched third pair Matt Hunwick and Dan Boyle- combining to set up Matt Martin for an easy finish in front. No one covered him including Jesper Fast, who seems lost. Not sure what Alain Vigneault’s fascination is with this guy who gets third line duty over J.T. Miller, who clearly is more noticeable.

The wheels came off when Ryan Strome came down the right side and centered a pass off a Blueshirt past a helpless Lundqvist increasing the Isles’ lead to 3-0 2:11 later. On the play, McDonagh again was caught kneeling. He had one of his worst games. There have been instances where the first-year captain doesn’t look like himself. There have been too many times where he’s gotten beaten. Afterwards, he seemed pretty down and annoyed. That is one way to sum up a frustrating night. Lundqvist admitted that they haven’t played their best as a group yet against the Islanders.

Trailing by three, the Rangers picked it up. Using their speed, they did a better job controlling play. It resulted in two power plays and 18 shots in the second. But Halak was able to see everything. On an early man-advantage, they were too deliberate moving the puck allowing Islander penalty killers to recover and get in passing and shooting lanes. The best chance came from Derek Stepan, whose unscreened one-timer was eaten up by Halak. That is the difference. The Islanders do whatever it takes to make it difficult on Lundqvist while the Rangers haven’t gotten the jersey dirty enough. Halak was good but he never had to deal with a sea of Blueshirts. Unless that changes, it’s hard to see them beating the Isles in the playoffs.

Even as they continued to test Halak in the third, it didn’t matter. He stopped everything. With under 10 minutes left, Islander fans began chanting “You Can’t Beat Us!”

They’re right. As currently comprised, this soft cast of Rangers can’t beat their team. They’re too small and don’t have enough depth or size to match up. You can add defense with how weak Hunwick or John Moore are. Nothing against either. But they’re not sixth defensemen. It’s up to Glen Sather to plug the holes. How he’ll do it remains to be seen.

Islanders Celebrate: The Islanders celebrate Mikhail Grabovski's goal in the first. AP Photo by Kathy Willens/Getty Images

Islanders Celebrate: The Islanders celebrate Mikhail Grabovski’s goal in the first.
AP Photo by Kathy Willens/Getty Images

Adding insult to injury, John Tavares tricked Lundqvist by looking pass on a power play and then firing one past him for a 4-0 Islanders lead to put a exclamation point on their third straight victory against the Rangers. A brilliant play by one of the best players who has moved into the Hart race. Tavares is up to 22 goals and 46 points on a potential President’s Trophy winner. You better believe he deserves inclusion.

The end of the game saw a bit of edge. Marc Staal didn’t take kindly to a clean hit from Martin. It was a little high. Staal was one of the few Rangers to show up. He was very active on both ends and went back at Martin. Eventually, Tanner Glass stepped in for him leading to matching roughs and misconducts. Exactly what you have Glass in for. He’s not good at much else. Too bad the refs didn’t let them go.

At the very least, the Rangers were finally able to end a long goal drought against Halak. On a power play, Carl Hagelin scored a rare PPG from Fast and Dominic Moore with 10 seconds to spare. Halak banged his goal stick against the cage due to losing the shutout. It was a cheesy way to lose it. Especially in a game he played well in stopping 40 shots while earning the game’s second star.

There’s really not much more to add. Right now, the Islanders are a better team. They’re four lines deep and are bigger and stronger. They know how to play the Rangers and are in their heads. There are two meetings left. One in February and the other in March. Right now, they’re the best team in the Metropolitan Division. They are still three up on the Pens, who won and now seven clear of the Rangers. It won’t get easier for them with the Canadiens visiting MSG Thursday.

NY Puck 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Calvin de Haan, NYI (assist, 4 SOG, 3 hits, 2 blocked shots, +3 in 19:51-developing into shutdown D)

2nd Star-Johnny Boychuk, NYI (2 assists, 4 hits, 6 blocked shots, +2 in 20:58-best defenseman on ice)

1st Star-Matt Martin, NYI (4th of season, 12 PIM, 7 hits, +1 in 19 shifts-15:08-4th liner with real impact)

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Martin Brodeur retires from playing

Posted on January 27, 2015 by hasan4978

Today, the clock officially started on Martin Brodeur’s Hall Of Fame eligibility (and first-ballot induction) in 2018, as the long-time Devil goaltender officially announced his retirement as a player earlier this afternoon, ending a career that can only be described as legendary with 691 wins, 125 shutouts, three Stanley Cups and one distinctive hybrid style of goaltending that probably will never be duplicated.  While Brodeur will remain in St. Louis for the rest of the season and work as an assistant GM to Doug Armstrong, all parties have indicated that Marty will soon be back in the Devils’ organization after this year and work in their front office.

Everyone knew this day was coming eventually, honestly to me emotionally the home finale last year truly felt like the end of an era, even if it wasn’t quite the end of Marty’s career.  Whatever you may think of Marty going to St. Louis for a handful of games after two decades of wearing one uniform, as the man himself said he’ll always be a Devil and for today I’ll leave it at that, cause today should be more about celebrating his career.  In a way, it was fitting to me that the news of the Continental Airlines Arena closing came the same day Marty took a leave of absence from the Blues to ponder his future – with Brian Elliott healthy for them, there was no place for Marty on their roster so today’s announcement seemed inevitable from that day.  Marty and the building he called home where he won his three Stanley Cups in were both intertwined and symbolic of an era of Devils hockey that now seems to be gone for good.

Plain and simple, a list of the Devils’ greatest moments in history will almost all involve Marty somehow.  And vice-versa, a list of Marty’s greatest moments is pretty much a list of the Devils’ greatest moments.  For a franchise that has only been around 33 years, the fact that Marty played twenty of them (well twenty-one if you count his brief spell in ’91-92 as a raw newcomer), and all as a big part of the franchise’s greatest successes ties Marty to the Devils in a way few athletes – even fellow legends – are tied to their teams.  Whether on TV or live I’ve seen many of Marty’s greatest moments.  Even deciding what YouTube I should use for this blog was hard.  Do I go with highlighting a team accomplishment such as winning the 1995 and 2003 Cups at home, or an individual achievement like setting the NHL record for wins, or even the fantastic goal he scored in the playoffs in 1997 against his boyhood team the Montreal Canadiens?  Not to mention the countless number of great saves there are to choose from.

Actually at first I was going to post video from his Devil finale last year, but figured in the end that would be too melancholy so I picked scoring the goal against Montreal with an excited Doc Emrick and Chico Resch on the call.  As great as Marty was as a goaltender, you could compile a list of best saves for anyone and compare anyone’s great saves (one of my personal faves wasn’t available on YouTube, when Marty stopped Jaromir Jagr and Mario Lemieux back-to-back at their peak on a clip that used to be played during Devils highlights on MSG)…but what truly set Marty apart was not only the fact he was a hybrid of the butterfly and stand-up styles of goaltending, but that he could play the puck well enough to where the trapezoid was put in specifically because of his skill.   Mostly his great puckhandling led to breakouts that helped the offense and prevented wear and tear on his defense, but on occasion Marty would score his own goal…though of the three career goals he’s credited with – yet another record he holds – this highlight in 1997 was the only one he actually physically put into the net.

I thought of doing a memories list the way I did with the CAA, but really there are too many to count when it comes to Marty’s career.  I could bother to figure out the number of Brodeur wins I’ve attended but my guesstimate is that I’ve been to at least a hundred of Marty’s 691 career wins and maybe twelve-fifteen shutouts, not counting playoff stats of course.  Perhaps during the next storm or faux storm I’ll figure out the totals (since I keep almost all my ticket stubs).  Obviously some stand out…one of the first games I went to I referenced in my CAA post where Marty shut out the Bruins, then coached by Pat Burns, and of course there was the St. Patrick’s Day game in 2009 where Marty set the NHL record for wins against the eventual Cup champion Blackhawks.  In an interesting coincidence I was sitting in section 120 then, two years before I would become a season ticket holder there.  I’d bought the tickets weeks before it was obvious what the game could mean but did it intentionally cause I just wanted to sit behind Marty’s net, which turned out to be a fortuitous decision having a birds-eye view of him clipping the net out of a historic game.  Come to think of it I could have just posted a photo of that, but my images aren’t as good as AP’s anyway.

Of course there were many playoff memories, particularly for me in 2003 and 2012 since I was at both the Cup clincher in 2003 and the Eastern Conference clincher in 2012.  In many ways both games and runs embody what Marty was all about as a player and competitor.  Marty showed perserverance during the 2003 Finals after a memorable blunder in Game 3 that turned the series and ending the series on the highest of highs with a Game 7 shutout at home.  2012’s run proved his longevity as he went deep in the playoffs as  a 40-year old goalie who’d already played the most games in NHL history, winning two straight OT games against the Panthers in a seven-game thriller followed by wins against the Devils’ two biggest rivals in the Flyers and Rangers.  Eighteen years to the day after going to the Conference Finals as a rookie and coming up just short against the Rangers all things came full circle in Marty’s career with that Game 6.

While you can’t sum up Marty’s career merely with numbers and records, his numbers and records are more impressive than any goaltender who’s ever played the game.  Whether he’s the best that’s ever played is I suppose up for debate but certainly he’s in the conversation, which was beyond anyone’s wildest dreams in 1994 when I started watching hockey consistently.  Through three lockouts, two decades and a ton of coaching changes Marty and GM Lou Lamoriello were the constants throughout it all.  Once dismissed as merely a ‘product of the system’, Marty proved he was a lot more than that later in his career when he won four Vezina trophies, two of them after the departures of HOF defensemen Scott Stevens and Scott Niedermayer.  Not only his talent but his durability also made him a legend, playing nearly 1500 NHL games which is also by far the most by any goaltender.  Certainly Marty can leave with no regrets, having accomplished everything in hockey there was to accomplish between records, Cups and Olympic gold.

Even though this chapter of Marty’s career is now over, his hockey career as a whole surely isn’t, given his interest in wanting to become part of management and the promise of a job waiting for him after the season back in New Jersey.  Time will tell whether he’ll be anywhere near as good in management as he was as a player, few are though Steve Yzerman in Tampa is proving it’s possible.  However it turns out, I’m looking forward to seeing his jersey lifted to the rafters next year and watching his Hall of Fame induction speech.  Having watched Marty his whole career that’s going to resonate with me the way it hasn’t with any other player and probably never will again.  As much as I loved Ken Daneyko he wasn’t a legend and I didn’t see his entire career.  Scott Stevens and Scott Niedermayer were legends but I didn’t see their entire careers either.  Nobody on either of my other sports teams (Mets/Jets) can come close to having both Marty’s stature and longevity.  Maybe that’s what makes it so hard to believe it’s finally over other than the after-the-fact celebrations.

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