Video Of Day: Senators Honor Daniel Alfredsson On Retirement

Posted on December 5, 2014 by Derek

Last night in Ottawa was an emotional night. Prior to taking on the Islanders, the Senators honored former captain Daniel Alfredsson during a touching retirement ceremony. The popular franchise leading scorer was welcomed home with open arms. Following a press conference earlier in the day, he donned his trademark number 11 and took warm ups with his former teammates including fellow Swede and friend Erik Karlsson.

Alfredsson was drafted by the Senators in the sixth round 133th overall in 1994. Despite selecting number one picks Alexei Yashin, Alexander Daigle and Radek Bonk, it was the gem they grabbed late who became the symbol of some strong Ottawa teams that battled Toronto in the playoffs and made one Stanley Cup trip in 2007. A proud man known to all of Ottawa as Alfie was the one constant. “Alf-ie, “Alf-ie!” chants rained down Thursday during a great video tribute followed by some kind words from their hero.

A six-time All-Star who won the Calder Trophy in ’95-96, Alfredsson is the Sens’ all-time leader in games played (1,178), goals (426), assists (682) and points (1,108). He spent 17 seasons with Ottawa before playing his final season in Detroit. Alfie helped Sweden win Olympic gold in Torino scoring five goals and five assists as an alternate captain. In the 2007 playoffs, an Alfredsson-led Sens won the East advancing to the Stanley Cup Final where they fell in five games to the Ducks. In 20 games, he led the club with 14 goals and tied for the team lead in points (22) with linemates Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley. Only one Senator remains from that team in Chris Phillips. The former ’96 first overall pick has spent his entire career in Ottawa.

Even though those teams never won a Cup, they were very good. The Sabres upset them in 2006 on a Jason Pominville shorthanded goal that eliminated Ottawa in the second round. The Sens returned the favor a year later defeating Buffalo in five games on a beauty from Alfredsson in sudden death. He gave his fans some great moments they won’t ever forget.

Alfredsson finishes his career with 444 goals, 713 assists and 1,157 points in 1,246 games. Among Swedish born players, he ranks second in scoring trailing only Mats Sundin (1,349). He’s 51st on the all-time scoring list. Is he destined for the Hockey Hall Of Fame? He has some credentials winning Olympic gold and silver along with becoming the first European captain to lead a team to the Stanley Cup Final. Nicklas Lidstrom and Zdeno Chara are the only players to captain teams to the Cup. He won the King Clancy Trophy in 2012 and the Mark Messier Leadership Award in 2013.

Alfredsson had a lot of consistent years putting up 70 points-or-more in 10 seasons. His career best came in ’05-06 when he notched 43 goals, 60 assists and 103 points. He had two 40-goal seasons and four of 30-plus. Alfie was also a playmaker tallying 50 assists-or-better in five seasons. His career postseason numbers are respectable totaling 51 goals, 50 assists and 101 points in 124 games. No major awards. Similar to Sundin, who was inducted in 2012. The difference is Mats had 564 goals and 1,349 points in 1,346 games making him a point-per-game performer who scored 500. Alfredsson might be a tough sell. But there’s no doubt he’s one of the best European players. Only time will tell if he makes it.

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Devils waive Brunner

Posted on December 5, 2014 by hasan4978

Has Damien Brunner played his last game as a Devil? (photo from NJ.com)

In a move only mildly surprising based on the timing of it, the Devils waived forward Damien Brunner earlier today.  Despite the fact multiple forwards are still out of the lineup, the organization clearly deems Brunner and his $2.5 million salary expendable and a divorce seems inevitable based on games like last night where coach Pete DeBoer screamed at Brunner after another patented screwup and then benched him the rest of the night.  Talking about the move, GM Lou Lamoriello admitted there was also an ulterior motive to waiving Brunner when he did:

“I think consistency has been something with our team in different areas and you have to be consistent to have success and that’s what we have to strive for. Unfortunately, you have to make decisions to go forward and people have to get the message that this is what’s going to happen….There are different players at different times that become inconsistent. There’s a line. When you reach that line, then your talk doesn’t do it. So, now, there has to be decisions.”

Clearly Brunner was one of those players, putting up only thirty-two points in 77 games as Devil, a dissapointing output for a guy who most felt would upgrade the offense after getting 26 points as a rookie in the shortened season with Detroit and having a solid playoffs.  However, there was little interest in Brunner as a free agent and apparently even less interest in trading for him since all indications are he was on the block before this decision today.  Lou didn’t even discount the possibility that Brunner might be back in the lineup tomorrow night if he cleared waivers though, which is a tactic we used with Brian Rolston a few years ago.  Waiving Rolston wound up producing his best hockey as a Devil after he went unclaimed.

As far as the present-day Devils, Brunner’s hardly the only guy to be put on notice.  In Pittsburgh Michael Ryder was a healthy scratch and not happy about it, as evidenced in this Tom Gulutti blog post.  Before he was injured, centerman Travis Zajac was demoted to the third line and in recent games Danius Zubrus has seen time on the fourth line.  Not to mention the surprise demotion of Peter Harrold the other day.  If Lou’s not holding the coach accountable it seems certain he and the head coach are finally starting to hold the players accountable for diminishing returns the last three seasons and more immediately a five-game winless streak before last night’s 5-3 victory in Toronto.  Which quite honestly I’m fine with.  Although I’m not too thrilled with the head coach either, it’s at least good that finally there’s a little rocking the boat going on and that status quo is finally no longer acceptable.

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Devils win is another example of NHL parity

Posted on December 5, 2014 by hasan4978

Mike Cammalleri being chased by Dion Phaneuf in the Devils’ 5-3 win at the Air Canada Centre (NJ.com)

Part of me’s annoyed I couldn’t see most of tonight’s unlikely Devils 5-3 win at Toronto, but in a way it was probably fitting that I was MIA cause the Devils themselves are becoming a real-life MASH unit.  Although defenseman Jon Merrill came off of IR and returned to the lineup tonight, the Devils were without forwards Jaromir Jagr (‘flu’), Patrik Elias (groin) and Martin Havlat (who knows) and defenseman Adam Larsson  (flu) to go along with having Travis Zajac (again, who knows), Ryane Clowe (concussion) and Bryce Salvador (another who knows) already on IR.  Havlat also had to be placed on short-term IR just to clear a spot for Merrill.  From all accounts this new-look Devils team actually played better than in most of its previous games this season.  Perhaps that says something with having more speed in the lineup?  God knows one of our biggest problems the last couple of years has been having a lineup of slugs.

Ironically one of our newest (and oldest) Devils in Scott Gomez seems to be making a good impression thus far.  Not that I’d know since I was too disinterested to watch much of Tuesday’s game and unavailable to watch tonight’s game.  I’ll get a better look at him Saturday when I can’t avoid watching since I’ll be attending the game with a few friends.  I’m alternating being astonished and yet not surprised, since Gomez was so bad his last few years I wasn’t sure he really could help.  Yet we saw this script play out with Petr Sykora in 2012, at times there’s just something in the air when guys ‘come home’ again.  Plus even at his age Gomez can skate and of course hasn’t lost his offensive creativity, which this team could desperately use.  Right about now I’m cursing the fact we gave Damien Brunner two years last fall cause if he wasn’t on the team Gomez probably would have been here from day one if not in the lineup.

I’ll admit when I’m dead wrong about something but sadly I was dead right about Brunner, when other fans were going gaga over signing him I pointed out that Ken Holland (the Wings’ esteemed GM) doesn’t make personnel mistakes and he didn’t deem Brunner important enough to re-sign despite a decent enough rookie season coming from overseas in 2013.  So was the rest of the league apparently since Brunner was still sitting without a contract in September before we gave him a tryout.  Granted beggars can’t be choosers and at times Brunner’s shown flashes of why people wanted him but that’s followed with too many moments like tonight where he didn’t get a puck deep in the zone, was chewed out on the bench by coach Pete DeBoer and apparently benched.  To the coach’s credit at least in the last couple games he’s tried to hold some vets accountable, healthy scratching Michael Ryder for the Devils’ 1-0 loss in Pittsburgh.  Ryder has been mostly ineffective – again – this season, after showing flashes during the preseason and early of the player he used to be.  Sadly that wasn’t the player we signed, or at least not the one that’s been on the ice for us through his season plus.

Maybe the coach is finally feeling a little heat for the first time, granted there’s been speculation about his job really since the start of last season but with the team’s recent five-game winless streak the talk has ramped up again.  In a mild surprise the Devils demoted Peter Harrold after he’d been playing big minutes in big situations the previous four games (though after averaging 20+ minutes his first two games he was reduced to just over 15 in his last two), ensuring – for the time being – the Devils have five young defensemen up with the big club – Merrill, Larsson, rookie sensation Severson, Eric Gelinas and Seth Hegelson.  After the last few games where the first pairing of Severson-Andy Greene got 25+ minutes and the back pairing – usually Larsson and Hegelson/Gelinas – got around 12-13 minutes, the icetime was more evenly distributed tonight.  Granted some of that was a function of the score but the game was never really a total runaway until Steve Bernier and Adam Henrique scored midway through the third to baloon the Devils’ lead to 5-2.  The fact Harrold was demoted so quickly after Pete was going back into old habits of playing him more than he should suggests there might be a disconnect between the front office (Lou) and the staff.

Our fresh-faced defense was terrific for a night, although the high shot totals – thirty-two shots against Cory Schneider tonight which is about the norm these days – continue to be a concern.  Still the young guys are providing some needed spark with Gelinas contributing a goal and an assist, and Merrill getting two assists in his first game back off IR.  Hegelson led the team in hits with an astonishing ten in nearly twenty minutes.  Ironically Severson might have had the least effective game of the four who played.  Clearly the young D helped our popgun offense as well, considering we scored five goals which we haven’t done since the first two games of the season.  Not that I’m expecting Steve Bernier and Steven Gionta to score every night unless we found a time machine and got the 2012-versions back.  Gionta was actually questionable for the game himself with a leg injury suffered in the carnage of the Pittsburgh game Monday night where Jagr, Elias and Gionta all had to leave early and the Devils were left with just nine healthy forwards at the finish.  While Jagr and Elias didn’t play (Jagr missing his first game as a Devil in two seasons), Gionta did.

It’ll be interesting to see what lineup decisions get made on Saturday assuming Jagr (and Larsson) does actually have the flu and this isn’t another one of Lou’s euphenisms for a concussion.  The only reason I’d take the flu story at face value is because Jagr’s lack of missed time factored into the two-game suspension Robert Bortuzzo got for the head shot that put Jagr out of the rest of the Penguins game on Tuesday.  There’s really no reason for Lou to keep a concussion secret from the league if he was going to angle for a bigger suspension.  Plus with Larsson being out that lends credence to it being the flu although the next contreversy will be what defenseman sits on Saturday if Larsson’s back, since one of the young guys has to sit assuming all five stay.  It might BE Larsson himself, despite his PK work the last few weeks he still hasn’t seemed to shake DeBoer’s pigeonholing him into the Anton Volchenkov role of being solely a PK specialist or a general lack of trust.

Oh well, at least we can finally breathe a sigh of relief over a win.  Although the Devil ‘fans’ who can’t wait for us to lose in game #25 just to improve draft position in a lottery annoy me to no end.  After all the crowing we do as a fanbase about how the Penguins tanked to get Mario Lemieux way back when it’s a bit disconcerting that we’re willing to go down that road, especially this early in the season.  ‘But they’re not a contender anyway!’ people cry…well we heard the same thing about 2012 and to a degree 2003 as well.  Not that I’m expecting this Devil team to contend.  It’s more likely they’ll need to build their own hospital wing at the rate it’s going. but it’s not like it’s totally unreasonable to hope for a playoff run if they get in.  Especially since they’ll have to play very well TO get in.  If you assume something to the degree of 92 points is the last playoff spot – that’s been around the cutoff line almost every season since the lockout – the Devils would have to get 66 points in their last 56 games, which equals ten games over .500.

Again, I’m not saying I believe it’ll happen but IF it does, then why wouldn’t you give the Devils a chance to be competitive in the playoffs if they played at that level for that long?  They aren’t going to make the playoffs with a 7-9 record like the random winner of the NFL’s NFC South very well could.  With all the parity in the league in recent years, why not hope for a run at the very least until the team’s realistically out of it.  If you’re 2-10 or 3-9 and mathematically eliminated from the playoffs like a couple of New York NFL teams we know that’s one thing.  Cashing out now after 2/3 of the season remains is another.  The 2012 Kings and last year’s Rangers were pretty mediocre for long stretches and both went on sustained runs, the Kings winning a Cup while the Rangers went to the Finals.  Look at what’s already going on in the league this year with expected cellar dwellers like Calgary, Winnipeg and Florida doing better than expected while playoff teams like the Sharks, Flyers and Colorado have been dissapointments.

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The Final Chapter: Brodeur can write final script with Blues

Posted on December 4, 2014 by Derek
Martin Brodeur will make his Blues debut tonight against the Predators. blues.nhl.com Getty Images

Martin Brodeur will make his Blues debut tonight against the Predators.
blues.nhl.com Getty Images

Imagine your favorite player in a different jersey. Tonight, that’s something Devil fans will experience. In between watching their team take on the Maple Leafs, their curiosity will peak when Martin Brodeur makes his Blues debut against the Predators. As a rival fan blogger, it’s weird to see Brodeur #30 on a Blues note. It’ll take some getting used to.

At least he isn’t playing on a rival in the same conference. The Devils don’t see St. Louis the rest of the season. The teams already met twice last month. So, there won’t be a scenario of Brodeur versus Cory Schneider unless the teams play for the Stanley Cup. At this point, that’s very unlikely with the Devils struggling to win consistently. They’re winless in five and coach Pete DeBoer is on the hot seat. Not exactly the way it was supposed to play out following Brodeur’s sendoff last April.

While the Devils try to figure it out, Brodeur’s turned the page. The 42-year old future Hall of Famer will man the net for St. Louis. It came about due to Blues starter Brian Elliott being out indefinitely with a knee injury. With heir apparent Jake Allen left, it created an opportunity for Brodeur. Following a successful tryout, he signed. Now, the all-time leader in wins (688), shutouts (124) and appearances (1,259) will have the chance to go out on his own terms. It comes at the expense of spending his entire career with the only team he’s known.

“I’ve been waiting for a great opportunity, and it came from the Blues,” Brodeur said in an interview that appeared on the Blues website. “I just want to have fun. I’ve got nothing to prove to myself. I just want to go out and enjoy the season and enjoy the winning like I was able to do in New Jersey for a lot of years.”

“I’m living this dream and when you are living a dream and you really enjoy what you do, it’s hard to let go sometimes.”

A three-time Stanley Cup winner, Brodeur wants to add to his legacy. With 700 wins within reach and the potential to win another Cup on one of the West’s best teams, it looks like a good fit. Despite a lot of success, the Blues have never won a championship. In fact, they haven’t returned to the Stanley Cup Final since appearing their first three seasons during expansion (1968-70) losing twice to the Canadiens and once to the Bruins. Last Spring, they blew a 2-0 lead to the Blackhawks getting eliminated in six in a disappointing first round. Adding a veteran who knows what it takes to win can’t hurt.

“He’s here to see if he wants to keep playing hockey and he wants to finish it on his terms, on his note,” St. Louis coach Ken Hitchcock said. Ironically he was the losing coach in 2000 when Brodeur backstopped the Devils to a second Cup over the Stars.

“His legacy (with New Jersey) is not going to be affected by this. He’s going to finish it on his terms hopefully and whatever is written, it’s going to be written about how many Cups, how many wins, how many shutouts (he has)…he’s got numbers nobody is going to touch, and good on him, because he’s earned and deserved every bit of it.”

Regardless of who you root for, it’ll be hard not to want to see Brodeur do well. Given his decline the last couple of seasons which saw him criticized for playing too much last year, it’s a chance to write a final chapter. Easily one of the top five all-time greatest goalies, he’ll have the final word. It’ll be intriguing to see how Hitchcock handles the situation. One which is worth watching for the sheer excitement.

I can’t speak for anyone else. But I’ll catch as many Blues games Brodeur starts just to see how he does. The entertainment value will be through the roof. It still will be odd to see him in another jersey. It would be like Derek Jeter finishing his Yankee career on another roster. Something you can’t picture. The closest comparison I can come up with is Michael Jordan playing for the Wizards. He’ll always be a Bull with those six NBA titles. GOAT. Peyton Manning is concluding his career with the Broncos after a memorable career with the Colts.

In sports, these things happen. Like Brodeur said, it’s not easy to let go. Not everyone is Mariano Rivera or Jeter. We’ve seen Andy Pettite come out of retirement. With Marty, he feels he has something left to give. He’s allowed to go out on his own terms. Whatever happens, it’ll be fun to watch.

 

 

 

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Islanders recall Griffin Reinhart, Boychuk and Visnovsky on IR

Posted on December 4, 2014 by Derek

Even as they continue to win games, the Islanders still have to overcome injuries. Veteran defensemen Johnny Boychuk and Lubomir Visnovsky were placed on the injured reserve. Each have missed recent games with injuries. Boychuk is retroactive to Nov. 27 while Visnovsky is retroactive to Nov. 28.

With each out, the club recalled 20-year old prospect Griffin Reinhart. A former first round pick who played in three games at the start of the season due to injuries, he’s tallied two goals and six assists for eight points with Bridgeport. Travis Hamonic is day-to-day. In their 3-2 overtime win over the Senators, Thomas Hickey scored the winner and had an assist. The Isles visit Ottawa tonight for the back end of a home-and-home.

The injury bug has seen the club also bring up Matt Donovan. A forgotten player, the 24-year old filled in admirably the last two games. With Reinhart joining the blueline, it’ll be interesting to see if they can continue their sturdy play in front of Jaroslav Halak.

Meanwhile, forward Michael Grabner was finally activated. After missing the first 25 games due to recovering from sports hernia surgery, the speedy penalty killer should provide a jolt. A streaky scorer, Grabner gets his share of breakaways due to his defensive acumen. That will bolster the Isles’ depth.

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Sabres forward Girgensons leads All-Star voting

Posted on December 4, 2014 by Derek
Sabres forward Zemgus Girgensons not only leads in All-Star voting but has been a bright light in the team's rebuild. Getty Images

Sabres forward Zemgus Girgensons not only leads in All-Star voting but has been a bright light in the team’s rebuild.
Getty Images

Every year, fans get to vote on the NHL All-Star Game. There always are surprises. This year is no exception. After two weeks of voting, there is a surprise leader in Sabres’ forward Zemgus Girgensons.

The 20-year old Latvian is in his second year. He’s been one of Buffalo’s standouts during a resurgence that’s seen them win five of their last six. With two goals and an assist in his last three- all Sabre wins- he’s upped his season totals to 8-6-14. His eight markers lead the team and his 14 points rank second behind Tyler Ennis (16).

A center who was selected 14th overall in the first round of 2012, Girgensons is developing into a good player. He still needs work on faceoffs (41.4 percent) but is very noticeable. In a rebuilding year, it’s important for the Sabres to oversee improvement from their young players. With Jhonas Enroth continuing to win in net, things are looking up. Maybe they won’t be as bad as previously thought.

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NHL Gets It Right: Suspends Bortuzzo two games

Posted on December 4, 2014 by Derek

Following Tuesday’s game, the NHL held a telephone hearing with Penguins defenseman Robert Bortuzzo for his unpenalized hit on Jaromir Jagr. Apparently, Bortuzzo was on a seek and destroy mission stemming from him and Jagr going at it earlier. The physical Bortuzzo landed a borderline high hit on Jagr after he had released the puck injuring the Devils forward.

Following the hearing, the league suspended Bortuzzo two games. As I noted in a previous post, the hit came late after Jagr passed the puck to Scott Gomez. Something that is referenced in the video above. This is interference. Considering that Jagr didn’t have the puck and was defenseless, Bortuzzo had enough time to avoid such a dangerous hit. Instead, he made shoulder to shoulder contact also catching Jagr’s chin causing him to miss the rest of the game.

Jagr isn’t expected to miss any time. However, it didn’t stop the NHL from making the appropriate ruling. Bortuzzo had no prior history but will miss the next two games and forfeit $6,451.62 to the Emergency Player’s Fund.

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Video Of Day: Jagr injured by late Bortuzzo hit

Posted on December 3, 2014 by Derek

During last night’s game at Pittsburgh, Devils forward Jaromir Jagr was injured by Pens defenseman Robert Bortuzzo. Bortuzzo delivered a borderline hit on Jagr catching him late. It went unpenalized.

The controversial play occurred in the second period. After playing the puck behind the net, an unsuspecting Jagr was caught high by a Bortuzzo shoulder check that contacted the shoulder and chin. He was down for a couple of minutes before skating off on his own after the trainer visited him. He didn’t return.

Following a tough 1-0 defeat in which his shorthanded team gave a solid effort, Devils coach Pete DeBoer didn’t mince words.

”Totally unnecessary,” he fumed. ”You know, if one of our guys had done that to Crosby there’d be World War Four.”

His commentary is eerily similar to John Tortorella, who trashed the Pens a couple of years ago for a cheap hit former Pen Brooks Orpik delivered on Derek Stepan.

”I thought the puck was there,” responded Bortuzzo. ”I kept my shoulder down, felt like I hit him in the chest. It’s unfortunate he went out of the game, but like I said, just playing hard.”

While I’m sure there was no intent, the hit was late and injured Jagr. The Devils next game is Thursday at Toronto. If he can’t go, that would be a big blow. The 42-year old future Hall Of Famer played in all 82 games last year pacing the Devils in scoring with 67 points. He leads them in assists (11) and points (15) thus far. With an injury sidelining Travis Zajac, recently signed Scott Gomez returned to his first team and logged over 22 minutes centering Jagr and Patrik Elias. Elias also left the game with an injury.

The Devils don’t see the Pens again until the end of the month. Pittsburgh visits Newark on December 29. That one will be circled.

”I’m not going to forget what number (Bortuzzo) is,” Jordin Tootoo said. ”It’s a long season, so at the same time, we have to worry about our guys in the locker room here and get back on the winning ways.”

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Another Meltdown: Rangers lose again to Lightning

Posted on December 1, 2014 by Derek

One of my followers tweeted that the Lightning were our kryptonite. They’re right. At this point, I don’t want to see the Rangers play them again until next Spring. That’s assuming they get there. I’m not ready to jump off the bridge as many fans did following a 6-3 loss to Tampa. It’s become trendy to bash Henrik Lundqvist when he comes up small. He’s now allowed 14 goals in 9 periods to the Lightning. They had no trouble winning despite Steven Stamkos and Ryan Callahan getting nothing.

Bottom line. The Rangers melted down. For a second straight game, they were competitive. Dumb mistakes cost them. They beat themselves. Not to discredit Tampa. They are very good. Right now, they’re a better and more complete team. Despite getting outplayed during the first half and outshot 22-9, they were resilient scoring four unanswered to silence MSG.

It was a microcosm of the first two months. Undisciplined play plagued them. Those still upset over the penalty called on Marty St. Louis, get over it. He reached in with his stick and took a bad offensive zone minor which led directly to mega monster Brett Connolly beating Lundqvist for the second time. One of two he should’ve had. Faulting him is mindless. He wasn’t good enough. Ben Bishop again outplayed him improving to 8-0-0 against the Rangers. He yielded three for a second consecutive week but made key stops when his team needed it. Bishop made 32 saves compared to Lundqvist’s 15. Five goals allowed on 20 shots. Ugly stat line.

This isn’t about the goalie. It’s more to do with how this team plays. They are careless. From the mind numbing penalties Mats Zuccarello and Chris Kreider take to the lack of consistency in the defensive zone 5-on-5. The attention to detail is atrocious against fast skilled and scrappy opponents. The execution is off. We even saw it twice against the Maple Leafs. Cam Talbot was in for the disaster at Air Canada Centre. For whatever reason, they are inconsistent. From the forwards not coming back to the D making mistakes, this is what you get.

The turning point came when they successfully killed a Tampa 5-on-3. Kevin Hayes and Ryan McDonagh took penalties 40 seconds apart. But the Rangers did an outstanding job. The trio of Marc Staal, Dan Girardi and Dominic Moore got into passing lanes and allowed only one shot. Lundqvist then made a big stop on a Stamkos laser. However, Moore’s laziness cost them. Instead of icing the puck with the team back at even strength, he waited too long. Then McDonagh failed to clear the zone. Eventually, Tyler Johnson fed an open Matt Carle for the tying goal short side. It was clearly one Lundqvist had to have. He just couldn’t bail them out.

After that goal, I looked at my Dad and told him ‘Not again.’ Simply put, I knew what was coming. In a lopsided second period that saw the Rangers get two on Bishop and outshoot the Bolts 12-5, it was only tied. The Lightning were brutal up to that point but they made the most of their opportunities. You had to figure they’d play one good period. They made our flat team pay dearly.

Twice, Rangers took bad penalties. The first was Zuccarello. The second was St. Louis. Even if you disagreed, what about the phantom call on Stamkos in the first? Only difference is our team didn’t score despite some good looks. Overall, they were 1-for-3 with St. Louis finishing off his 10th from McDonagh and Stepan that put them ahead 3-2. Unfortunately, Carle’s goal and St. Louis’ slashing minor turned the game. Then Connolly, who earlier abused Marc Staal- had no problem beating Lundqvist from way out. The former first round pick doubled his season total from 2 to 4.

Kevin Klein’s turnover on the next shift resulted in Johnson taking a perfect Nikita Kucherov feed and roofing one to increase the Bolts’ lead to 5-3. That was it. There was no comeback because this team isn’t resilient. They had some looks but at the end of the day, Bishop did his job. That isn’t a criticism on Lundqvist, who knows he must be better. It’s more an indictment on how the team played. They are reckless. What you get is inconsistency.

Even in a game where Derick Brassard was splendid making an unbelievable fake before threading the needle for Jesper Fast’s goal (second straight), it wasn’t enough. The third line of Hayes, Hagelin and Lee Stempniak were their best. They dominated even strength shifts and combined on the Rangers’ second goal. A tremendous defensive play by Stempniak in the neutral zone allowed Hagelin to use his blinding speed and go around the net before setting up Hayes for a sweet finish. The way they played, keep them together.

The fourth line was caught for two goals against. By that, I mean Moore and Miller. Fast wasn’t on for either. One came during a line change and the other following that awful turnover by Moore which allowed Carle to tie it. It’s hard to get on Miller because he hardly played. They got victimized on Johnson’s first. Boy is he good. His first was pure luck with a Victor Hedman shot deflecting off Ondrej Palat’s stick right to him for the finish. The Rangers had no answer for Johnson. His speed and skill killed them.

Through 24 games, the Rangers are 11-9-4 sitting third in the Metropolitan Division. Their failure to play smart hockey has them where they are. A cut below the best teams. The losses of Anton Stralman and Brian Boyle are felt. You don’t easily replace their defensive acumen. Even Benoit Pouliot was a diligent backchecker despite his penchant for bad penalties. At this point, the team is incomplete. Even with McDonagh, it made no difference. Too many players forgot to play in their end. Four of the Bolts’ 6 goals came at even strength. One look at the plus/minuses is enough to puke.

It doesn’t get any easier. They visit the Red Wings Saturday. That’s plenty of time for the coaching staff to have some hard practices and make adjustments. If they fail to, it could get ugly.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Victor Hedman, Bolts (3 assists, +3 in 26 shifts-24:42-outplayed McDonagh)

2nd Star-Brett Connolly, Bolts (2 goals incl. game-winner, 1 penalty drawn, +1 in 12:27)

1st Star-Tyler Johnson, Bolts (2 goals, assist, 8 shot attempts, +4 in 16:45)

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Can Rangers Finally Strike Lightning

Posted on December 1, 2014 by Derek

For the third time in two weeks, the Rangers see the Lightning. So far, they’re 0-for-2 versus the Tampa Blueshirts. Of course, I’m referring to the trio of Ryan Callahan, Brian Boyle and Anton Stralman. All have fit in seamlessly on a first place team led by top scorer Steven Stamkos. There’s a lot to like about the Bolts who bring a 16-6-2 record into MSG. They boast strong supporting cast featuring Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat, Nikita Kucherov, Valtteri Filppula, Alex Killorn, Victor Hedman, Jason Harrison and Ben Bishop. Rookie Jonathan Drouin has been in and out of the lineup.

Talent wise, the Rangers can’t match the Lightning. However, they got a pair of aces in Rick Nash and Marty St. Louis along with crown prince Henrik Lundqvist and Ryan McDonagh. Derek Stepan has been money since returning forming a solid 1-2 center tandem with Derick Brassard. They come in winners of two straight and four of their last five with the only loss to Tampa 4-3 on Nov. 26. Three of those victories were shutouts. It helps that they played the Flyers three times. They’re hideous. You have to beat who’s on your schedule. A 5-0 win over Montreal on 11/23 was probably their best effort.

There is one change to the lineup. With Chris Kreider returning following the death of his grandfather, Anthony Duclair is a healthy scratch. That means J.T. Miller stays in following a good showing. He’ll remain on the fourth line with Dominic Moore and Jesper Fast. Hagelin goes back to the third line with Kevin Hayes and Lee Stempniak, who scored the empty netter in a 5-2 win over the Flyers Saturday. On the blueline, Dan Boyle will miss a second consecutive game due to “flu-like symptoms.” That means John Moore stays in and will pair up with McDonagh. Hopefully, that’s all it is for Boyle especially with Tanner Glass suffering from the mumps. It’s an odd time indeed.

Lundqvist gets a second straight start. He took the loss last time against Tampa allowing four goals on 25 shots. He’s given up nine goals on 59 shots against the Lightning so far. Four came off the stick of Callahan, who hasn’t been knocked down once by our defensemen. Hopefully, that changes now that McDonagh is back. Meanwhile, Bishop is a perfect 7-0-0 with a 1.26 goals-against-average in his career versus the Rangers. But they did get three on him last time. Maybe they’re finally due.

Here are the Rangers projected lines:

Nash-Brassard-Zuccarello

Kreider-Stepan-St. Louis

Hagelin-Hayes-Stempniak

Miller-D. Moore-Fast

J. Moore-McDonagh

Staal-Girardi

Hunwick-Klein

Lundqvist

Talbot

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