Disgraceful In Detroit

Posted on December 6, 2014 by Derek
Darren Helm gets congrats from Brendan Smith after scoring the game-winner in Detroit's 3-2 win over the Rangers. AP Photo by Paul Sancya/Getty Images

Darren Helm gets congrats from Brendan Smith after scoring the game-winner in Detroit’s 3-2 win over the Rangers.
AP Photo by Paul Sancya/Getty Images

There have been too many nights where you’re left scratching your head. That was indeed the case in the latest puzzling loss. This time, the Rangers blew a two-goal lead in a gut punching 3-2 loss to the Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena. The defeat was already their eighth in which they’ve blown a lead. A mind numbing statistic for an experienced team coming off last Spring. That is just a distant memory. They’re not that team. Not even close.

The AV squad is ironically a show on MSG. This AV squad finds new ways to lose hockey games. Between the chaos in Toronto early on, the Oiler debacle and tonight’s disgrace, they could easily have 8-10 more points. Instead, the Rangers are a mediocre 11-10-4 with 26 points. Now tied with the Capitals, who defeated the Devils 4-1. Tied for third in a Metropolitan Division dominated by the Islanders and Penguins, they trail by 12 after 25 games played. That is quite a hole they’ve dug. Not only does the division look out of reach but the playoffs aren’t guaranteed. The way they’re playing, they don’t deserve to make it.

At least it’s only December. There’s plenty of season left. Enough time for Alain Vigneault and the coaching staff to get things turned around. Games like tonight have become the norm. A disturbing trend has formed. More often than not, this team can’t put together a 60-minute effort. They also can’t string together consistent stretches. They have only one three-game win streak which came between 10/16-21 over the Canes, Sharks and Devils. By now, they should’ve put together a couple. It reflects poorly on what can best be summed up as an inconsistent roster.

Even a healthy Ryan McDonagh hasn’t helped. So far, the new captain looks eerily similar to Brian Leetch. He still is without a goal and his misplay off a rare faceoff win with 13 seconds left killed away the final seconds. Whether the shoulder is still bugging him or it’s the weight of the ‘C,’ he hasn’t been the same player. Simply put, McDonagh is our best skater. As he goes, so do the Blueshirts. He must rediscover his form.

The only defenseman who’s pulling his own weight is Kevin Klein. Amazingly, he scored his fifth of the season putting the Rangers ahead 1-0. As a team, our D has eight goals. Seven have come from Klein (5) and Dan Boyle (2). Dan Girardi has the other. That’s it. They’re not contributing enough offensively in Vigneault’s system. Klein is also the leading scorer on the D with nine points. McDonagh has six (all assists) and Girardi six (1-5-6). Marc Staal has four assists and John Moore has three helpers. Boyle has two goals. Thirty total points ranks near the bottom. The blueline must start pitching in.

It would help if the power play wasn’t so anemic. How else can you explain that nonsense we saw in the third? Only this team could manage to blow consecutive 5-on-3’s. After falling behind on a goal from a guy I’ve never heard of, the Rangers were handed chance after chance by the Red Wings. A bench minor followed by a high-sticking double minor on Kyle Quincey and a Jonathan Ericsson hi-stick minor which an incensed Detroit coach Mike Babcock blew his top over. It didn’t matter. The only quality chances came off the stick of Marty St. Louis from an angle where he continues to draw iron. He hit the crossbar. That was it.

The rest of the power plays were abominable. The Rangers went 0-for-7. They lost faceoffs consistently and got outworked by a more determined opponent who fed off the crowd. How many times can you see an attacking Ranger try the same ridiculous pass get intercepted and cleared down ice? It was appalling. Vigneault even used his timeout to set up the first two-man advantage. Like clockwork, they lost the draw and had to retreat.

It never should’ve come down to that. Cam Talbot was good early. Continuing to come up with key stops including a huge one on Pavel Datsyuk, he gave his team a lift. They responded by getting the first two on Jimmy Howard. Following Klein’s goal, Derick Brassard sent Rick Nash in on a breakaway for a sweet finish. It was his team-leading 17th that had the Rangers up 2-0 after one.

The Red Wings started coming in the second. Even with Talbot turning them away, they never stopped. Eventually, it was a lazy backcheck by Chris Kreider that allowed Riley Sheahan to beat Talbot. Only 61 seconds later, Luke Glendening got to a Joakim Andersson rebound for a tap in. On the play, Drew Miller went around Matt Hunwick and took the puck to the net. Klein was too late after going to the bench for a new stick. Hayes didn’t pick up Glendening. The play was indicative of how disorganized this team is defensively. They never protect leads. The coverage is atrocious.

The Rangers failed on six straight power plays. The first coming in the final minute of the second on a Brendan Smith holding the stick minor. No matter. They never got the puck to Nash, who had only one other shot aside from his goal. All they did was overpass. I don’t even know why Vigneault insisted on using Kreider (3:33 PP). He’s lost. Between his defensive shortcomings and the inability to finish, he deserves a seat in the press box. I would scratch him Monday and reinsert Anthony Duclair. If Tanner Glass returns, oh joy.

A Brassard turnover allowed the Red Wings to come the other way for the game-winner. Danny DeKeyser sent Tomas Tatar on a two-on-one. He passed for Darren Helm, who beat Talbot to make it 3-2 with 12:20 left. That was it. Despite daring the Rangers to beat them with a penalty fest, it didn’t matter. Somehow, they managed only seven total shots for the third despite all the power plays.

Vigneault pulled Talbot for an extra attacker. They got two shots. One came from McDonagh on a bad angle just to force a Howard save. The other from Mats Zuccarello, who managed a shot from his knees. A Zuccian effort. All for naught. The McDonagh fumble summed up the night.

Now, they return home on my birthday to face the Pens Monday. Afterwards, they hit the road for four including a three-game Northwestern Canadian swing at Vancouver 12/13, Edmonton 12/14 and Calgary 12/16. The trip concludes at Carolina 12/20.

Notes: As expected, the Rangers struggled against the league’s second ranked faceoff team losing 33 of 56 (41 percent). Brassard went 9-and-8 while Derek Stepan lost 13-of-20. Dominic Moore was 4-for-10 and Hayes went 2-for-5. Sheahan led the Wings going 7-and-3 with Glendening 8-and-6, Datsyuk 7-and-6 and Zetterberg 7-and-5. … The win was Mike Babcock’s 500th. It came in his 895th game. Only former Detroit coach Scotty Bowman reached 500 faster doing it in 825.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-J.T. Miller, NYR (2 SOG, 3 hits including a big one- very active in 11 shifts-8:17)

2nd Star-Cam Talbot, NYR (31 saves incl. 23/25 1st 2 periods-blameless)

1st Star-Jimmy Howard, Wings (27 saves incl. some big ones with his team down 2-0)

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Rangers at Red Wings

Posted on December 6, 2014 by Derek

After four days off, the Rangers finally return to the ice tonight at The Joe where they’ll take on the Red Wings. It’s the second meeting of three this season. The Rangers took the first meeting 4-3 in overtime at MSG on Nov. 5. That was an exciting game that saw the Original 6’s exchange leads. Lee Stempniak had the apparent winner until a late Tomas Tatar power play goal with 7.7 seconds left forced extras. Derick Brassard rescued the Blueshirts with a PPG at 1:50 from Dan Girardi and Marty St. Louis.

Almost exactly a month later, the Rangers need a win following another disappointment against the Lightning. They fell apart in a 6-3 home loss Monday. Defensive breakdowns, sloppy penalties and poor goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist allowed Tampa to rally back for four unanswered to win the season series convincingly 3-0. In a two-week span, they outscored the Rangers 15-7. A disappointed Lundqvist indicated that “he’s had it” and met with his defensemen during a team practice this week. He won’t be in goal against the Red Wings.

Instead, Alain Vigneault will go with Cam Talbot. The popular backup has recovered from a slow start posting shutouts in his last two starts over the Flyers. He stopped 57 of 57 in the two victories. Clearly, Vigneault is hoping Talbot can provide a spark. Considering that it’s December and Lundqvist has been up and down like the team in front of him, it is eerily similar to last year. The only difference is Hank doesn’t have to worry about his contract and has gotten most of the starts. A 2.70 GAA and .905 save percentage isn’t King-like. Neither is his 9-7-3 record which loosely translated would be under .500 in the old days.

Dan Boyle returns after missing two games with the flu. He’ll replace John Moore, who finds himself the odd man out due to Matt Hunwick, who’s outplayed him. That won’t matter unless Ryan McDonagh raises his level. The same goes for Marc Staal, who too often has gotten beaten. Dan Girardi has been only okay. Unless the top three pick it up, this team will continue to tread water.

Chris Kreider’s struggles and Mats Zuccarello’s lack of production haven’t helped. Both must perform more consistently. Aside from each only having four goals, they’ve taken bad penalties. It can’t always be on Rick Nash, Martin St. Louis, Brassard and Derek Stepan to create offense. They need stronger support. That includes Carl Hagelin (5-5-10) whose effort is never in question. I just wish he had more production. He does play on the third line with Kevin Hayes and Lee Stempniak. They’ll stay intact with Anthony Duclair a healthy scratch. That means J.T. Miller gets another start on the fourth line.

Projected Lines

Nash-Brassard-Zuccarello

Kreider-Stepan-St. Louis

Hagelin-Hayes-Stempniak

Miller-Moore-Fast

McDonagh-Girardi

Staal-Boyle

Hunwick-Klein

Talbot

As for the Red Wings, they’re in better shape. They’ve won four of five and have only lost six times in regulation. With 35 points, they’re right behind Montreal and Tampa. Pavel Datsyuk has been on a pretty good role with six goals and two assists over the last five. He’s amazing to watch and so far has 17 points in 14 games. He’s finishing more. Obviously, our D must pay close attention to him. Ditto the forwards who must do a better job coming back. Keep an eye on Stephen Weiss, who since returning has been on fire with nine points (4-5-9) in his last six.

Henrik Zetterberg leads Detroit with 19 assists and 24 points. The Red Wing captain is more playmaker these days. He has a goal and six helpers over the last six. Watch out for Tomas Tatar (1-3-4 in last 3) and Gustav Nyquist (12 goals). Both are extremely dangerous and capable of finishing. The Rangers must put a body on Johan Franzen in front. Justin Abdelkader has increased his offense with seven markers and 15 points. He’s pesky and finishes checks.

Niklas Kronwall does most of the scoring from the blueline pacing them in goals (4), assists (12), points (16) and power play assists (8). Danny DeKeyser (1-9-10) is in his second year and is coming along. Jakub Kindl is more of a stay at home type. Kyle Quincey, Jonathan Erickson and Brendan Smith round it out a unit that can be attacked. If the Rangers are on their game and dictate puck possession, they can wreak havoc. We’ll see how they do against one of the league’s best faceoff teams. Detroit is second overall coming in at 54.1 percent compared to the Rangers, who rank 28th at 46.7 percent. They need Brassard and Stepan to have big nights along with Dominic Moore. Detroit has a pair of aces in Datsyuk and Zetterberg. Darren Helm also is pretty underrated going 126-and-83.

Jimmy Howard has been much better this season. He’s 11-5-4 with a 2.23 GAA and .916 save percentage. Jonas Gustavsson got the start against the Rangers last month. Howard should get the nod this time with the Red Wings traveling to Carolina tomorrow.

A word to the wise. Don’t take penalties. If the Rangers want to win, they can’t put Detroit on the power play. They’re up to sixth best at 23.1 percent with their many weapons. The Rangers continue to struggle ranking 19th on the penalty kill (80.0 percent). No question it’s not the same unit without Anton Stralman and Brian Boyle. It’s a work in progress with Vigneault starting to give shorthanded time to Hayes and Jesper Fast. The power play is up to 17.3 percent and has shown signs of life. We’ll see how the special teams go.

The Rangers return home Monday for my birthday against the Penguins. Pittsburgh already won today 3-2 over Ottawa.

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Blues comeback over Isles gives Brodeur win number 689

Posted on December 6, 2014 by Derek
Marty The Blue: An unfamiliar sight as Martin Brodeur is congratulated by his new Blues teammates following his win in relief for number 689. AP Photo by Kathy Kmonicek/Getty Images

Marty The Blue: An unfamiliar sight as Martin Brodeur is congratulated by his new Blues teammates following his win in relief for number 689.
AP Photo by Kathy Kmonicek/Getty Images

Martin Brodeur picked up his first win as a Blue in relief. With his new team trailing the Islanders 3-0 after one period, Brodeur relieved Jake Allen (3 GA on 12 shots). St. Louis coach Ken Hitchcock’s move paid off as his team rallied for a 6-4 comeback win over the Islanders. Two nights after losing in his Blues debut, Brodeur made 14 saves to win his NHL record 689th.

“Not what I expected, that’s for sure,” Brodeur told the media afterwards. His first 688 victories came as a Devil where he won three Stanley Cups and four Vezinas. After losing his first start allowing four goals on 24 shots in a 5-4 loss to the Predators, he didn’t have to do much turning aside 14 of 15 shots. The one goal he allowed was to John Tavares on a power play off a point blank chance which he almost stopped.

Going for a 14th win in their last 16, it started very well for the Islanders who chased Allen after one on goals from Frans Nielsen (PPG), Ryan Strome (6th) and Michael Grabner (1st). On a day they honored 1980 Stanley Cup hero Bob Nystrom, they couldn’t maintain their momentum. The Isles were without three of their top four defensemen. Johnny Boychuk, Travis Hamonic and Lubomir Visnovsky are all on IR. They recalled Griffin Reinhart and dressed Brian Strait and Matt Donovan again.

A three-goal lead has often been referred to as dreaded because sometimes the leading team falls asleep. That’s exactly what happened during the second. The goalie change sparked the Blues. They responded by getting the next three goals. The first two came less than two minutes apart from Paul Stastny (PPG) and Patrik Berglund. A Calvin de Haan holding minor led directly to Kevin Shattenkirk firing his 3rd through a David Backes screen past Jaroslav Halak. Facing his former team, he struggled allowing six goals on 40 shots to have his 11-game win streak snapped.

The officiating was spotty throughout. That included a soft trip on Stastny late in the second that allowed Tavares to put the Isles back in front. Kyle Okposo took advantage of a bad St. Louis change. Taking a cross ice pass from Nielsen, he passed for Tavares in front. With Brodeur down, the Islander captain got just enough of the puck to nudge it by him allowing his team to take a one-goal lead to the locker room.

However, the Blues responded with a big third outscoring the Isles 3-0 and outshot them 14-7.  Aided by a weak hooking call on Strome, T.J. Oshie took a Shattenkirk pass and beat Halak from the left point. With the game still tied, they took advantage of a defensive breakdown which allowed Stastny to get his second of the game putting the Blues ahead for good. Vladimir Tarasenko erased any doubt when he finished off a great passing play for his 17th from Jori Lehtera and Jaden Schwartz.

Notes: The Isles thought they scored earlier in the period with the game tied 4-4. Tavares seemed to think so. But a video review confirmed that the puck never crossed the goal line. It was all Blues after that. … St. Louis defenseman Carl Gunnarson left the game in the second after taking a tough Anders Lee hit against the glass. From my vantage point, it looked okay. I felt it was more shoulder than elbow. Neither ref Tim Peel or Kelly Sutherland called anything. … Blues F Alex Steen was a scratch following warm ups.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Martin Brodeur, Blues (14 saves in relief for career win 689)

2nd Star-Kevin Shattenkirk, Blues (PPG, 2 assists, 8 SOG, 6 blocks in 35 shifts-28:01)

1st Star-Paul Stastny, Blues (2 goals incl. GWG, 3 SOG in 13:41)

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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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