Second straight defeat mars home opener

Posted on October 19, 2014 by hasan4978

Devils’ pregame show looked better than last night’s game

It must be said the bloom is a bit off the rose now for the Devils.  After an impressive three straight wins on the road, the Devils are now back in the pack with two consecutive losses following a blowout in Washington and last night’s 3-2 home opener defeat at the hands of the Sharks.  While it’s not panic time yet, clearly it’s get worried about the special teams time.  Both in the fact we’re taking so many penalties and the fact we’re not killing enough of them off.  And some big names need to start playing better, beginning with the goaltender Cory Schnieder – who had two bad games on the trip and gave up a killer soft goal last night to Patrick Marleau in the third period.  Not that Cory’s the only guy who’s struggling, really the only big-name guy that hasn’t struggled the last few games is Mike Cammalleri, who may wind up being our most successful FA signing in quite some time.

Still, our struggles start with the PK woes.  New Jersey’s been shorthanded an astonishing 26 times in its first five games, and allowed six PP goals among them, for a woeful 76.4 percent.  After having a league-leading PK the last two full seasons, it’s struggled out of the gate.  While ‘conventional wisdom’ (re: coach Pete DeBoer) says part of that is integrating new guys into the penalty kill, the fact is it isn’t so much the new guys that are killing us as it is the holdovers getting more PK time than they should.  Like Bryce Salvador, who the organization has a collective mancrush on but let’s face it, he’s 38 years old and a statue on the ice.  He was supposed to be a PK specialist but has been on the ice for more than half our total goals against (9 of 17) so far and the Sharks’ quick, effective passing on their PP left him standing still on both the first two goals.

To be fair, Salvador getting over six minutes of shorthanded time a game is in part a function of the changing defense.  Without Mark Fayne and Anton Volchenkov around, second-year defenseman Jon Merrill and rookie Damon Severson are the #3 and #4 options defensively on the PK behind Sal and Andy Greene.  While neither’s fallen in over their head yet at some point they’re either going to have to get more minutes (which isn’t ideal in Severson’s case yet) or we’re going to have to finally free Adam Larsson from jail.  Maybe that chance’ll come Tuesday since Eric Gelinas has his second straight poor game, not hitting the net with shots, turning the puck over and making a dumb decision late in the third to give a penalty shot where he really had zero chance of getting the puck and not tripping Tommy Wingels.  Fortunately Schnieder saved Wingels’ penalty shot.  Whatever changes we’re negotiating on D, the forwards are mostly the same on the PK other than Cammalleri taking over the departed Ryan Carter’s slot on the three forward lines.

Elsewhere, our own PP hasn’t been great yet going just 3-18 so far with two of them coming in the Florida scrimmage.  Offensively after scoring eleven goals its first two games, the Devils have gotten two in each of the last three games.  Not particularly terrible but two’s not going to be enough to win a majority of your games either.  Especially when you wait till down 3-0 in the third period before coming to life last night.  Plus some other people besides Cammalleri are going to have to pick it up eventually.  We are only five games in but other than Cammalleri, Adam Henrique’s the only other forward with multiple goals so far and he has two.  For all the hulabaloo about our increased mobility and offensive potential on the blueline, only Severson has scored among our defensemen through the first five games (granted, he alone has three goals – though two were in the blowout at Washington).  While last night was the first time we weren’t outshot, we still gave up 30+ shots and are maintaining an Oiler-like average of 32 shots a game against in the first five.  And in goal, if Schnieder’s play isn’t concerning yet it surely is eyebrow-raising.  In his first season after signing a long-term deal to be Martin Brodeur’s replacement the spotlight’s obviously going to be on Cory more now.  Defensive issues aside, he just has to be better than a 2.97 GAA and a .908 save percentage before the vultures start to have a feast.

If the on-ice product has been uneven to this point, so was the off-ice product last night.  Let me start with the positive, asthetically I liked most of the changes.  All the new food choices made me pine for the fact we’re not going to have a fresh roll of Chico Eats this year.  I didn’t actually sample the food choices though, as I haven’t received my $200 food and beverage card yet (neither has anyone else) due to an unspecified delay.  Plus by the time I got inside the lines were just so crowded anyway, so I might as well wait for another day.  Even Championship Plaza had some good food choices in the various trucks outside though. The renovated and expanded team stores seemed to have more of a choice and variety between locations though I didn’t really have time to go through the main store last night.  Upstairs actually saw a fair amount of renovation including a mini-bar area outside of 225 and just off the main escalator upstairs.  Our much-balleyhooed pregame show debut looked good enough, especially the opening effects of the ice and fire: http://video.devils.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=647349&lang=en

Now for the negative/pet peeves, and part of that is related to the opening show.  The Devils made such a big deal on social media about being in your seat by 6:45 (normally the end of the pregame skate) for the debut of the new 3D presentation.  To the point where they even mailed postcards to all sth’s encouraging us to be in our seats by 6:45.  So while I was downstairs with friends just before 6:30 I decided to go upstairs so I’d be able to walk around the upper concourse at least once before getting to my seat.  When 6:45 came all we saw were Zambonis circling the ice, and there was nothing on the jumbotron either.  In other words your normal 6:45-7 break between the pregame skate and the game.  Apparently 6:45 in Devil-land really means 7 PM, which is a Tom Coughlin approach to time.  Although I liked the pregame show I was annoyed that I wasted fifteen minutes sitting at my seat for nothing.  It seemed like half the crowd was still stuck in concession lines or outside at 6:45 anyway, maybe they didn’t get the memo or knew better than to listen to anything the Devils said.

Another pet peeve took place before the game as well, where the Devils have apparently dispensed with player intros for the opposing teams.  Why?  Because it doesn’t add to the owners’ corporate vision for the atmosphere having us chant ‘sucks’ after every player on the other team gets called out.  I’m shocked they haven’t stopped introducing the refs yet to keep them from getting booed.  For whatever issue I’ve had with their handling of the goal song to me taking away the well-timed and completely harmless ‘sucks’ towards the other team’s starting lineup is a hundred times worse than trying (unsuccessfully) to sanitize the goal song.  Which of course leads to the main issue last night – and something I’m already tired of talking about – the goal song itself.  At the arena, the goal song sounded nothing like the YouTube preview I posted the other day.  And all of the fans chanting Let’s Go Devils for the video?  I kind of thought each fan clip would be shown on a rotation basis throughout the season, instead what we saw on the jumbotron was a Brady-Bunch like picture of like twenty-five little squares with all of the fan chants at once and the combined noise sounded awful.

Especially when the music got jacked up to concert levels on the second goal because again Devil fans cannot resist being defiant and trying to pump ‘you suck’ into every single goal song the team will ever put on the board.  I just don’t know what to say any more.  I’m tired of how petty and selfish Devil fans have become, and I’m tired of doing nothing after a goal besides clapping since I don’t want to join in the YS chant and nobody else wants to join in the goal song.  If you want to keep ruining the in-game atmosphere of a positive act (scoring a goal) for years and years and years eventually you’re going to do more to sanitize the atmosphere than the owners you’re trying to stick it to.  Clearly this impasse is no longer about RRP2 – especially since most of the people crying tradition are the ones who changed tradition by adding YS over the last several years – but more about Devil fans taking a perverse pride in being stubborn, selfish fools.  I was fine with ‘you suck’ in RRP2, especially when we were winning, but that’s over with now.  Ownership has been clear on this issue and instead of respecting their wishes on this one little thing we’re going to continue to drag every goal scored through the mud, as if we’re all Rosa Parks sitting in the front of a bus.  GIVE…IT…UP with this crap already!  RR2 is not coming back, YS is going to be frowned on and if you want the team to keep doing things to counteract your stupidity you’re only going to continue to annoy real fans.

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The Anthony Duclair Dilemma

Posted on October 19, 2014 by Derek
Anthony Duclair will sit out for Sunday's game against San Jose. nydailynews.com/Getty Images by Bruce Bennett

Anthony Duclair will sit out for Sunday’s game against San Jose.
nydailynews.com/Getty Images by Bruce Bennett

For the first time this season, Anthony Duclair will be a healthy scratch when the Rangers host the sizzling Sharks at MSG later today. The 19-year old rookie hasn’t done anything wrong. Thus far, he’s tallied three assists in five games. An exciting player, The Duke has made good things drawing penalties while showing he isn’t intimidated.

Unfortunately, Rangers coach Alain Vigneault has decided to shift Marty St. Louis back to right wing. With Kevin Hayes impressing enough, he’ll center a second line of Chris Kreider and Rick Nash. Derick Brassard will anchor the top line with Mats Zuccarello and St. Louis. The recall of right-handed center Chris Mueller allows Dominic Moore to move up to the third line where he’ll play with Carl Hagelin and Lee Stempniak. Mueller starts with Tanner Glass and Ryan Malone.

Right now, it’s a numbers game. As Vigneault emphasized, he wants Duclair to be in his top nine. At the moment, there’s no room if this experiment goes well. In their 2-1 shootout win over Carolina, the desperate coach played mostly three lines in the third period. Duclair received only one shift after being moved down to the fourth line. Of course, it doesn’t make sense to keep him if he’s not going to play an offensive role. However, with Hagelin off to a poor start, you can make a case for Duclair in the top nine. I’m not suggesting benching Hagelin. I just don’t get the infatuation with Glass, who is a bit player.

The other issue for the organization is the expected return of Derek Stepan. He’s currently on long-term IR and will miss five more games. Once that’s up, he’ll be back for November. Undoubtedly, they can use Stepan, who can aid their power play and provide a smart two-way pivot who can kill penalties effectively. His creativity and workmanlike approach is missing. When he is back, that’s another top nine forward. and most notably, a center who can relieve pressure from Hayes. It’ll create better balance.

At this point, I’m not sure sending Duclair back to Quebec of the QMJHL is best for his development. Why not keep him and give Duke an opportunity? He’s clearly one of the club’s most talented forwards. After Kreider, Nash, St. Louis and Zuccarello, Duclair is right there in terms of skill. I just hope the Rangers don’t mess him up. For now, they can still play him in four more games before deciding what to do.

There’s no rule that says you have to play veterans over kids who are more deserving. If that means Glass becomes a spectator, so be it. He doesn’t have to play every night. He’s an energy guy who kills penalties and provides physicality. Malone also shouldn’t be guaranteed a spot. He’s an experienced player with size who can aid the power play. They can pick their spots. Nothing is etched in stone.

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Rangers Eek Past Canes In Shootout, Send Down Fast and Miller

Posted on October 17, 2014 by Derek
Getting Nashty With It: Rick Nash beats Anton Khudobin in the shootout. AP Photo by Frank Franklin II/Getty Images

Getting Nashty With It: Rick Nash beats Anton Khudobin in the shootout.
AP Photo by Frank Franklin II/Getty Images

At least the losing streak is over. That’s my half-gallows approach to last night’s Rangers ugly 2-1 shootout win over the lowly Hurricanes. After suffering humiliations to Toronto and the Islanders, they found a way to win for the first time on home ice. Albeit a game that many of our fans called “boring,” and “good nap time.”

I was out working but caught the skill competition with my brother at Applebee’s in Tottenville while watching the Jets latest debacle. Rick Nash scored on a wonderful forehand deke faking Anton Khubobin out of his jock strap. Then Henrik Lundqvist stopped a third consecutive Carolina shot by denying Ryan Murphy and pumping his fist in celebration.

”I think we needed to feel we could play a solid, 60-minute game,” said Lundqvist after stopping 29 of 30 shots. ”You need every point you can get. Just because we had a great comeback (from early-season doldrums) last year, it doesn’t mean it’s going to happen this year. We need to … stay in the (playoff) race from the get-go.”

Of course, he’s right. Even if it was dull hockey and the team turned over the puck a lot (20 giveaways), they needed to get two points. Especially with the Islanders remaining the only undefeated team, the Devils taking it on the chin to Washington and the Pens and Jackets remaining strong. If you can’t beat depleted Carolina without both Staal brothers sans Marc, who was re-teamed with Kevin Klein by desperate coach Alain Vigneault, then you have issues. If you give away the puck as much as they did, they still have some work to do before Sunday’s final home game versus San Jose before visits to the Devils and Canadiens next week.

After two periods, the Rangers trailed 1-0 on a Chris Terry neat redirection of a Murphy shot. As I checked Twitter, there was plenty of concern. Even this early, our fans are in panic mode. They see a struggling team that hasn’t gelled. Still without Dan Boyle and Derek Stepan, it’s forced Vigneault to make changes. Despite 19-year old rookie Anthony Duclair drawing two penalties, he only took one shift in the third period on the fourth line. Instead, Vigneault moved Ryan Malone up to a line with Derick Brassard and Mats Zuccarello. The move worked with Brassard scoring on a double deflection of a Dan Girardi point shot to tie the game. Both Zuccarello and Brassard got a piece of it with the latter getting credit for his third goal in three games.

”I was looking to find nine guys that I felt could give us a little spark,” Vigneault said. ”I wanted to see what Malone could do a little bit more there with Brassard and Zucarello. (Chris Kreider) was fighting it a bit, so I was just trying to find nine guys that could give me a little more there.”

”Sometimes you just got to shuffle the deck a little bit,” Vigneault added. ”Took (Martin St. Louis) away from the center position there, tried a few different combinations, sometimes you just got to see what can happen, and see what might click.”

One might ask what Duclair did wrong? Nothing. Even if I disagree with sitting one of our most dangerous forwards, it worked. With Vigneault finally souring on St. Louis at center, it looks like he’ll shift back to right wing which means the team had to make room for another center. Not surprisingly, they sent Jesper Fast and J.T. Miller down to Hartord and recalled Chris Mueller. With the Rangers getting destroyed on faceoffs (44-23), it makes sense. Plus Fast and Miller weren’t playing. Even if I don’t know exactly what the plan is with Fast, he’s better off. Plus Miller needs it after looking lost.

The one other change was Matt Hunwick replacing Michael Kostka on the blueline. He received 14 shifts (10:07 TOI) and was on for Carolina’s goal. What did Vigneault do? Played new captain Ryan McDonagh a ton. He and Girardi saw 34 shifts with Mac Truck logging 30:19 to Danny G’s 27:24. That included plenty of power play duty where the team continued to baffle firing blanks in five chances. They have yet to score on it. Sound familiar?

At this point, they’re 2-3-0 without a single point from McDonagh or a single goal from St. Louis. Carl Hagelin is also without a point and minus-five. Even Kreider has disappointed with only one goal over the first five. Sure. He has three assists but he passes too much. This is a guy with immense talent. It wouldn’t hurt to shoot more. The team must play a lot better. The next three aren’t easy. We’ll get a better answer next week.

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Devils prepare for home opener after finishing a (mostly) successful trip

Posted on October 17, 2014 by hasan4978

Perhaps it’s for the best if I don’t see any highlights (or lowlights as they were) of last night’s 6-2 loss in Washington.  What I heard on the radio was more than enough with Cory Schnieder’s misplay on the fifth goal summing up an overall bad night for him and his team.  Aside from super rookie Damon Severson anyway, who’s continuing to take the league by storm with another two goals last night, upping his total to three on the young season – and playing nearly twenty-two minutes with significant TOI in all situations.  By the way, Adam Larsson has three goals in his entire three-year NHL career.  Just saying.  Severson’s more than just a scorer though, he’s been a solid all around contributor, as evidenced by his increasing PK time over the season’s first week plus.  As much as I want to put the brakes on the hype and remind people that Larsson started out strong in his rookie year too, it’s impossible when you see things like this:

Overheard Scotty Bowman gushing about Damon Severson’s play in press box.

Bowman, by the way was in attendance for Tuesday’s game in Tampa.  There is one significant difference between Larsson then and Severson now (besides the goalscoring), Severson IS two years older after all – age 20 now, while Larsson started at 18.  I have to admit maybe the staff wasn’t so crazy letting him have a job straight out of camp despite only a handful of pro games with Albany last year, for whatever complications might eventually develop with the former #4 overall pick, who clearly hasn’t developed as fast as lesser-heralded picks like Severson and Jon Merrill.  You can’t really argue with a winning lineup, and coach Pete DeBoer hasn’t – not changing the lines or defensive rotation through the first four games.

Between the loss and the gruesome face injury to Martin Havlat last night though (supposedly badly cut along the bridge of his nose when accidentally caught by a ref’s elbow, you really can’t make this stuff up), DeBoer might not have much of a choice but to change the lineup for tomorrow’s home opener.  For the talk about Severson, the defense as a whole has had its rough patches.  After leading the league in fewest shots allowed last season, the Devils have been outshot in every game this year.  Coach DeBoer dodged a tough question about whether vets Bryce Salvador and Marek Zidlicky had a tough night in Tampa by saying matter-of-factly the Lightning players give a lot of defensemen tough nights.  Which is true, but either way the few vets we have need to start playing better, before we do become guilty of giving the kids too much too soon.  If there is going to be a change on defense tomorrow it’ll most likely be Eric Gelinas coming out for Larsson, which will make opposing goaltenders breathe a sigh of relief – but of the three young guns he’s the most defensively challenged and was a -2 last night.

It also needs to be said that the Devils have faced three pretty good offensive teams out of the four games and did well to get three wins in that stretch, with all of them being road games.  However you can’t count on the type of offensive outbursts the Devils had in their first two games every night either.  Our game in Tampa is probably the more likely template to winning games this year – keep the puck out of the net and score timely goals.  The former starts with Schnieder, who had a bit of an uneven road trip playing very well in the two Florida games, not so well in the two division games in Philly and Washington.  After yesterday’s stinker tomorrow is a big game for him, another bad one and the vultures will start to circle over a first-time #1 goaltender trying to replace the great Brodeur.

Up front you can’t complain about the results so far…fifteen goals on the trip and no less than two in any game.  Albeit last night both goals came from Severson and the forwards were shut down.  Perhaps last night was just a end-of-trip lull, certainly seemed that way after the first period from the recaps.  Still there’s a lot to feel good about to this point, the top three lines are all contributing (even without a goal from last year’s team MVP Jaromir Jagr), and big FA signing Mike Cammalleri seems to fit like a glove.  I do kind of want to pump the brakes on the Zach Parise comparisons a little, but both are similar players – smallish guys with a nose around the net and willing to embrace backchecking – and so far Camm has been at least a Parise-lite player here to this point, continuing his high level of play from the end of last season in Calgary.

So now after nearly two weeks, we finally get to see a ‘real’ home game tomorrow.  I didn’t attend any preseason games, though I did see an Aerosmith concert with friends early last month and clearly the building looked like it was still under renovation between a new food vendor that’ll bring in a bunch of new eateries (Legends), the team store expansions and the 3D technology that’s being put in for pregames and eventually in-game stuff.  I did make it out to the arena last weekend for the annual season ticket holder barbeque, which is an informal way to meet the players in a variety of settings, whether it’s getting pictures around the concourse or participating and attending mock press conferences in two different locales.  The barbeque served a double purpose as many of the new arena food options were available for taste-testing.  It was all I could do to avoid taking a bunch of the chicken parm samples.  Many of the players even participated in cooking demonstrations outside the Fire Lounge.

Also set to change (again) is the goal song, and at the barbeque the Devils publicized fan involvement – which can be seen in the ‘Let’s Go Devils!’ fan chants interspersed throughout the goal song posted above, also an individual fan creation.  I can’t say how much I like or dislike the song until I actually see it at the arena but hey, nothing can be as bad as ‘This Is Our House’, right?  At least having fan chants is better than just the canned LGD chant the team used in its second attempt to replace Rock and Roll Part 2 last year, after the Bon Jovi Our House song failed miserably.  Clearly the contreversy over replacing the goal song is not going away judging by the stupid, asinine social media attempts to boo the song again and intersperse ‘You Suck’ into it though at this point fans are just being childish.

As evidenced by a number of outlets fans still have not accepted that RR2 is not coming back, and will not come back under this ownership which is clearly commited to ‘changing the culture’.  People protested, argued and wrote angry letters last year but at some point they have to give up the ghost.  Even Nashville is no longer using the song.  You can agree or disagree with it, and the team’s reasoning why, at some point you just have to accept that a twenty-second song isn’t worth dragging everything through the mud for.  Especially when booing and stupid chants come to mar the team actually scoring, the way it did in last year’s home opener when the team tried to change the goalsong without anyone knowing (at least this year they’ve been more above board about it).  In theory you’re there to watch your team win a hockey game, not attend a concert where you don’t like the playlist.

Goal song nonsense aside, I am looking forward to seeing the new changes at Prudential Center and hopefully the team continues its strong play of the first three games as opposed to the dud last night.

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Game #4: Islanders Humiliate Rangers 6-3

Posted on October 15, 2014 by Derek

If you thought the home opener was bad, you hadn’t seen nothing yet. Facing their blood rival, the Rangers turned in a pitiful performance. With the game tied up, the Islanders scored four straight goals to humiliate the Rangers 6-3 at a lifeless MSG. Considering that this is their biggest rival who improved to 3-0-0 matching the best start in franchise history, it was mind numbing.

My first game was the worst one I can remember since pre-lockout. Those were during the dark days. In dropping their third straight, the Blueshirts have allowed 17 goals including a dozen over the last two both on Garden ice. For a second consecutive game, Henrik Lundqvist allowed six goals. Only this time, he wasn’t chased serving up half a dozen on 27 shots- making it the first time in his career he’s had back-to-back games of letting in five or more.

It isn’t a goalie problem. The Rangers’ issue is much bigger. Since Dan Boyle went down, the team defense has suffered. Boyle’s loss has exposed their defensive depth. Glen Sather’s replacements Matt Hunwick and Michael Kostka are a huge downgrade from Raphael Diaz. After giving Hunwick the last two, Alain Vigneault dressed Kostka. He was hideous. Blatant turnovers led directly to consecutive Islander goals including John Tavares’ pivotal marker late in the second that swung the momentum.

Marc Staal was no better. Playing his worst game so far, he was shaky throughout. Twice, he was forced into mistakes with one pass handcuffing Kostka which resulted in Kyle Okposo burying his first only 48 seconds into the third giving the Islanders the lead for good. It wasn’t long before it turned into a comedy with Staal liable on Brock Nelson’s put away from Ryan Strome. It’s not just the D. The forwards are doing a lousy job in front. On one goal, Marty St. Louis and Anthony Duclair watched. You expect that from a 19-year old but not a vet twice his age.

Mikhail Grabovski had the good fortune of centering one off Kevin Klein which deflected past a helpless Lundqvist. His goal followed up Nelson’s 30 seconds later pretty much erasing any thoughts of a comeback. Here’s a question for Vigneault. He never uses timeouts. After Nelson made it 4-2 for three consecutive Islander goals, why not take one? There was still enough time to regroup. It’s not his style. He should’ve used one against Toronto. Instead, more lazy play led to Grabovski’s second even if it wasn’t Klein’s fault. He hasn’t done much right getting moved back to third pair with John Moore. Vigneault made a poor choice selecting Kostka to play with Staal. Isn’t it any wonder he wears Michael Del Zotto’s old number 4?

The game wasn’t all bad. Rick Nash continued his torrid start tallying twice. Unfortunately, I didn’t see the second as I had started to head for the exits with three minutes left. At least Duclair got an assist. Nash’s first of the night was just a smart play. Rather than holding onto the puck and going around the net, he fooled Jaroslav Halak with a backhand catching him off the post. It’s all working for Nash, who’s been brilliant scoring a league best six in just four games.

New captain Ryan McDonagh had a bad call go against him that halted momentum. He was nabbed for one of those preposterous “interference” minors following a clean takeout. It was a split second late and a good play. Apparently, good defense isn’t rewarded anymore in this pansy league. Instead, the blind mice gift wrapped a power play to the Islanders which they took full advantage of. Johnny Boychuk continued his unbelievable start with his right slapper sneaking past Lundqvist with traffic in front. It’s amazing how much the ex-Bruin is impacting his new team. Garth Snow should send a postcard to Boston.

Halak struggled early. He was responsible for Nash’s goal. His misread on a Ranger shoot in led to the Islanders icing the puck. On a faceoff win, Derick Brassard finished off a brilliant Chris Kreider backhand feed for his second in two games. Lee Stempniak started it by working the puck to Kreider behind the net, who quickly dished for an open Brassard the sweet finish. At the very least, it looks like Brassard has woken up. No coincidence it’s due to the hard work of Kreider and Stempniak, who continues to pile up points. He’s got four so far. Gotta give credit to Sather there. At least that signing looks good.

Following Brassard’s goal, the Rangers were playing an excellent second period. They were really dictating play. Generating quality chances, they forced Halak into some tough saves. That included a clean breakaway for rookie Kevin Hayes. But his beautiful forehand deke was denied by a sliding Halak. That was the biggest save of the game. Had Hayes converted, it’s 3-1 and who knows what happens. Halak saw a lot of rubber stopping 20 of 21 shots. That caliber of goalkeeping is why Snow got him.

The turning point came when Kostka felt forecheck pressure and coughed up the puck to Nikolai Kulemin, who quickly centered for an easy Tavares finish that made it 2-2 with 4:57 left. That was a huge goal. Even though Ryan McDonagh said afterwards he didn’t sense any panic during intermission, one team came out ready for the third. It was as poor a period as I can remember the Rangers playing. They were dreadful leaving the middle of the ice exposed. Similar to the second against the Maple Leafs, it didn’t take long for the Islanders to pounce.

Following goals from Okposo, Nelson and Grabovski in less than a five-minute span, fans started leaving. The ones who did are probably the bandwagon types who latched on following our run. I don’t want them around. They’re not real fans. Though some of the banter I heard in the third was absurd. One person started ripping Ryan Malone, who was one of our better forwards. He was active on the fourth line and effective on the power play. This is what you get sometimes from fans who’ve had a little too much to drink. Where the heck have Carl Hagelin and Mats Zuccarello been? The scoresheet says they each received over 15 minutes. Neither did much.

As if the game wasn’t over already, Nick Leddy’s slapper from Tavares increased the Islander margin to four with 9:01 remaining. More people left. We hung around. I have seen bad hockey before. I just didn’t feel like leaving. While my family left with about five minutes to go, I stayed till about three and then said my goodbyes to our section.

Right now, the Rangers are a mess. They’re not playing as a team. Until they clean it up defensively, it’s going to be a struggle. With what little Hunwick and Kostka have given them, it’s worrisome. Sure. It’s early. This team seems to always start slowly. But already the Islanders and Devils are 3-0-0 and the Pens are out quickly. The Caps had an inspired comeback before falling in a shootout to San Jose. Columbus is no pushover. You don’t want this to snowball. They can’t dig too big a hole.

For now, they’ll continue to play without Boyle and Derek Stepan. Suddenly, the departures of Tampa duo Anton Stralman and Brian Boyle are being felt. Both have fit in with their new team. They’ve moved on. Like McDonagh said in the post game, it’s up to them to figure it out together. Their next game is tomorrow against Carolina, who lost to Buffalo in a shootout. Right now, no game is easy. We’ll see how they respond.

NY Puck 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Rick Nash, NYR (2 more goals hiking his total to 6-Nashty)

2nd Star-John Tavares, NYI (2nd of season, assist)

1st Star-Jaroslav Halak, NYI (40 saves incl. 20/21 in big 2nd)

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Game Preview: Islanders versus Rangers

Posted on October 14, 2014 by Derek

The Battle Of New York renews later tonight when the Islanders pay a visit to MSG against the Rangers. Thus far, it’s Long Island part of the rivalry that’s off to a good start. The Islanders swept a home and home from the Hurricanes posting 5-3 and 4-3 victories. Already, eight different players have goals with sophomore Brock Nelson out quickly with a team-leading three to go with three assists. Playing on the top line with John Tavares and Kyle Okposo, Nelson has benefited.

The Islanders have gotten impressive play from ex-Bruin Johnny Boychuk. The gritty defenseman already is paying dividends with a goal and four helpers. So far, so good for Isles’ general manager Garth Snow, who stole Boychuk from the Bruins in salary dump. New acquisitions Mikhail Grabovski and Cory Conacher each have a goal. Josh Bailey also has tallied. A streaky forward, he’s still a key player capable of contributing. The Islanders are still without Michael Grabner and defensemen Lubomir Visnovsky and Calvin de Haan. New goalie Jaroslav Halak makes his second start. Backup Chad Johnson gave him Saturday off.

While things are looking good for their blood rival, that hasn’t been the case for the Rangers. Losers of two straight, they look to rebound from a nightmarish 6-3 humiliation to Toronto in a forgettable home opener. That followed a disjointed effort at Columbus. Since Dan Boyle went down, the defense has struggled mightily giving up far too many quality chances and turning over pucks. Top tandem Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi are each without points and both minus-three. Typically, convenient Stanley Cup scapegoat Girardi has received ridiculous criticism. Apparently, our fans have very short memories. Granted, Danny G struggled against the Kings. But was far from alone.

Outside of the newly formed top line of new Dad Rick Nash, Marty St. Louis and hotshot rookie Anthony Duclair, there haven’t been many standouts. Nash is off to a great start scoring in each game pacing the Blueshirts with four goals and an assist. St. Louis has three assists since shifting to center with Derek Stepan out. He is also 18-and-18 on faceoffs. Not too shabby for a veteran right wing. With Mats Zuccarello returning to the lineup, coach Alain Vigneault has opted to keep Duclair with St. Louis and Nash. Given his whirlwind talent, I agree completely. After all, I suggested it.

Interestingly, Vigneault will play Zuccarello on the third line with freshman Kevin Hayes and Carl Hagelin. Rather than reuniting him with Derick Brassard, who’ll be flanked by the suggested Chris Kreider and steady vet Lee Stempniak, it looks like Vigneault is searching for balance. I’d love to see what a line of Kreider, Brassard and Zuccarello can do. But that’ll have to wait. With J.T. Miller off to a poor start, he sits tonight. Ryan Malone replaces him on the fourth line and will play with Dominic Moore and Tanner Glass. The Rangers can definitely use his size and grit. Malone had a good camp. Now, he finally gets his chance. With Zuccarello back in, Jesper Fast also sits.

There’s no doubt the defense has struggled. Kevin Klein hasn’t distinguished himself since being moved up with Marc Staal, who’s been their best blueliner so far. Vigneault made one other change dressing Mike Kostka in place of Matt Hunwick. Kostka partners with John Moore, who needs to pick it up.

Whenever these rivals get together, it’s always fun. With the Islanders improved and off to their best start since ’07-08, it should make for an intriguing match-up. They boast improved scoring and defensive depth. Keep an eye on Frans Nielsen and Ryan Strome. Twenty-year old Griffin Reinhart also is worth watching. Of course, most eyes will be on Tavares, who already has five points (1-4-5). He always seems to play well against the Rangers. It should be a good test for McDonagh and Girardi, who need a big game. With Boyle out, there’s even more pressure.

After being chased Sunday, Henrik Lundqvist gets his third start. He’s allowed eight goals on 49 shots with most of the damage the other night. You know he’ll be ready to go. Former BONY blogger Steve Lepore noted that this could be one of the top 20 games of the season. He also couldn’t understand why NBCSN chose Buffalo at Carolina for their game over Islanders/Rangers. Obviously, our game would draw more interest. Instead, MSG has coverage from both ends.

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Rebuilding Sabres Struggling Mightily: Fall To Ducks 5-1

Posted on October 13, 2014 by Derek

Entering the season, Buffalo fans knew it was going to be a challenge for their hockey team. With the Sabres committed to rebuilding, that could mean a very long year in Western New York. So far, that looks to be the case. After falling at home to the Ducks 5-1 in a special Columbus Day matinee at First Niagara Center, they dropped to 0-3-0. In three games, they’ve been outscored 14-4. Even worse, opponents have outshot Buffalo by a combined 131-57. A statistic resident Sabre blogger Brian Sanborn is tracking.

On a dreary holiday, I figured what better way to spend some time off than to finally check out the Sabres. Losers of two straight, they were only trailing 1-0 nearly halfway through on a Corey Perry power play goal. Anaheim rookie William Karlsson increased the deficit to two when he finished off his first of two from Hampus Lindholm and Jakob Silfververg. Moments later, Josh Gorges delivered a big hit on Patrick Maroon, who exited with an apparent left knee injury. Eventually, Tim Jackman sought retribution by fighting Mike Weber.

So in control were the Ducks that the Sabres rarely had the puck. In fact, puck possession for the second period was roughly 80 percent Anaheim to only 20 percent Buffalo. A damning Corsi statistic that MSG’s Sabres telecast referenced during intermission. It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to figure that out. It was all Anaheim. Seemingly every shift Perry took, he was dangerous. He broke in with only Buffalo goalie Michal Neuvirth stopping him. Peppered in his first start, Neuvirth made several big saves including a highlight reel glove stop to keep his team afloat. If not for him, the score could’ve been much worse. He finished with 39 saves.

An early problem for Buffalo is their third periods. They’ve already been outscored 9-1. In fact, in the first two losses to Columbus and Chicago, they were tied entering the third before getting blitzed. The Jackets put up two to post a 3-1 win while the Blackhawks scored four unanswered to pull away 6-2. For a third consecutive game, the Sabres faced a quality opponent who wore them out. They self destructed. In an 18-second span, Matt Beleskey and Karlsson scored early in the third to make it 4-0.

At least, Tyler Ennis notched his second by finishing off a Matt Moulson feed at the goalmouth to beat Frederik Andersen. Ennis was one of the few bright spots. He has two goals so far and made positive things happen. More than you can say for Cody Hodgson, who narrowly missed with a backhand earlier with plenty of real estate. Top pick Sam Reinhart took 14 shifts getting a shade over 11 minutes. The young center lost all 11 faceoffs. He was far from alone. As a team Buffalo lost 45 of 66 draws. No wonder they had so little puck possession. You wonder if this kind of environment is good for Reinhart’s development.

With 8:35 remaining, Ryan Kesler split the D and was taken down from behind. The end result was a penalty shot which he successfully converted by going five-hole on a helpless Neuvirth for the final margin. With Kesler coming over from Vancouver, the Ducks are loaded. They should challenge in the West and could win the Cup.

For the Sabres, they’re at the opposite end of the spectrum. Even with vet additions Gorges, new captain Brian Gionta and Moulson, it promises to be an uphill battle. This season is more about younger players getting their feet wet. Brian isn’t so certain Ted Nolan is the right fit for the roster. Then again, who is? Ironically, Buffalo was rewarded the 2016 NHL Draft. It’ll be their first time hosting since 1998. With one eye towards 2015 where a top 2 pick could land either Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel, the Sabres will try to improve next time out. Next up is Carolina tomorrow in Raleigh. Might that be the first win? One can only hope.

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Game #3: Maple Leafs Humiliate Rangers 6-3 In Ugly Home Opener

Posted on October 12, 2014 by Derek
Leafs Invasion: The Leafs celebrate Tyler Bozak's goal as J.T. Miller can't look. AP Photo Courtesy Getty Images by Kathy Kmonicek

Leafs Invasion: The Leafs celebrate Tyler Bozak’s goal as J.T. Miller can’t look.
AP Photo Courtesy Getty Images by Kathy Kmonicek

Over 82 games, there will be days like this. Hopefully, the Rangers are getting theirs out of the way and fast. A day after a disjointed loss in Columbus, they suffered a 6-3 humiliation at the hands of the Maple Leafs in an ugly home opener.

A game my Dad, Justin and Mike attended was one of the worst at MSG in quite a while invoking memories of Atlanta during the Dark Ages. At least, PA announcer Joe Tolleson introduced Derek Stepan and late scratch Mats Zuccarello during a nice opening ceremony that saw the team gather in a circle at center ice. There also was the rousing ovation for the 27th captain in franchise history Ryan McDonagh and the usual loud reception for Henrik Lundqvist. That turned out to be the highlight.

Fresh off a second consecutive ugly defeat to start the season, the Leafs recovered from a sluggish start to storm our team, which looks out of sorts. There’s no question injuries to Stepan, Zuccarello and especially Dan Boyle are already showing. Defensively, they were abominable. So many blown coverages and even a poor showing by Lundqvist eventually got him a seat on the bench. He was chased after allowing six goals on 24 shots. Like with Cam Talbot Saturday, it’s hard to pin it on him. He wasn’t sharp permitting a couple he normally stops including Cody Franson’s power play goal that opened things up.

If you’re gonna lose, you may as well get blown out. The Rangers stunk and paid dearly stunning everyone. I guess I shouldn’t have jinxed it. I thought for sure they’d win. That’s why they play the games. For whatever reason, they weren’t ready. Even after a good start that saw them generate pressure, a lazy penalty by Dominic Moore resulted in Franson finishing off a beautiful passing play started by Phil Kessel with Tyler Bozak threading the needle which the Toronto defenseman easily finished 17 seconds into the power play.

The Leafs controlled most of the first period thanks to sloppy play from the Rangers. They turned over the puck a lot and by night’s end, were credited with 16 giveaways to the Leafs’ 2. With his wife in labor, Rick Nash scored for a third straight game. Following a successful penalty kill of a Marc Staal minor, Staal made a nice outlet for Martin St. Louis, who centered for a sweet Nash finish at the goalmouth tying it at 17:22. Once the game was out of reach, Nash left to be with his wife.

Even though they were tied, I never had a good feeling. A Matt Hunwick undisciplined hi-sticking minor quickly resulted in Kessel ripping his first past Lundqvist at 5:19 of the second. Franson and Dion Phaneuf perfectly set it up. It was another blown assignment that left one of the game’s best finishers wide open. It got even worse. James van Riemsdyk increased Toronto’s lead to 3-1 when the Rangers’ top tandem of McDonagh and Dan Girardi went towards Leo Komarov behind the net allowing him to pass for a wide open Van Riemsdyk.

Anthony Duclair tried his best drawing the Rangers’ first power play. His skating forced Stephane Robidas to hook him. But the power play was just as atrocious allowing a Nazem Kadri shorthanded goal. J.T. Miller forced a pass to the middle that allowed the Leafs to go the opposite direction. McDonagh compounded it by losing a battle at his own blueline resulting in Kadri going in alone on Lundqvist. He used a nice deke to open up Lundqvist’s legs for a crushing shorty.

Trailing by three, the Rangers got one back after video review confirmed that Lee Stempniak was in the process of shooting when a Leaf pushed the goal off its moorings. It was the second consecutive game Stempniak scored. When he is your best player behind Nash, that’s not a good sign. There were too many passengers.

Following some more pressure, Bozak scored a back breaker 59 seconds later when he used Girardi as a screen and had a stoppable shot go through Lundqvist. At that point, Talbot put his gear on. But before he got in, former Devil David Clarkson rebounded home his first only 48 seconds later making it 6-2. Finally Lundqvist came out probably wondering what happened.

This definitely isn’t the same roster that went to the Stanley Cup Final. Not having Stepan is hurting them. He plays all three zones and can be relied on for power play and penalty kill. Even with St. Louis off to a good start centering the top line, the Rangers’ lack of center depth is exposed. Rookie Kevin Hayes debuted and looked alright. He almost had a goal but James Reimer denied him. Before an injury forced him out, Reimer was good stopping 24 of 26 shots. He made timely saves.

By the third, there really wasn’t much left to see. I didn’t watch much opting to check out the latest ESPN 30 For 30 on Boston College Point Shaving. With the Giants just as abysmal, it was a much more entertaining alternative. While I was away, Derick Brassard got off the snide tallying his first from Chris Kreider and Stempniak against Toronto reliever Jonathan Bernier. Brassard played with Kreider and Stempniak on a new line.

Alain Vigneault kept Duclair with St. Louis and Nash. Hayes played for Zuccarello, who sat out due to a banged up shoulder sustained Saturday. Hopefully, it’s not serious. After Nash departed, Hayes saw some time on the top line. Miller played mostly with Hayes and Carl Hagelin. They went a combined minus-7. J.T. had another poor showing and is really making bad decisions. He might need to sit out for the Islanders on Tuesday. This isn’t the start he needed.

On a brighter note, Jesper Fast looked better. He was more noticeable and did some good things. I don’t know what the infatuation is with Tanner Glass. He did register a big time hit on Clarkson that should’ve been penalized because it came from behind. That hit resulted in a dangerous Leafs chance. Fortunately, Lundqvist stopped it. Glass is a physical player who continues to get penalty kill time playing over two minutes tonight. But he doesn’t have to play every day. Can they please try Ryan Malone Tuesday? This is Vigneault and I have no clue what he’ll decide.

It would be easy to sound the alarms. The Rangers have dropped two straight in awful fashion. Losing to the Jackets is one thing. Getting embarrassed at home by the Leafs is another. However, when you have injuries it hurts. Glen Sather replaced Raphael Diaz with Hunwick and Mike Kostka. That money could’ve been better spent. I’d rather see things break down early. It’s going to be a challenge. Kevin Klein was an adventure again. At least Staal looked good for a second straight night. He has been active in both ends. The Islanders visit next. How will they respond?

NY Puck 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Lee Stempniak, NYR (2nd of season, assist-consistent effort)

2nd Star-Cody Franson, Leafs (PPG, assist in 25 shifts-17:07)

1st Star-Phil Kessel, Leafs (1st of season, 2 assists-backed up his goal guarantee)

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Devils Game #2: A rare laugher in Florida

Posted on October 12, 2014 by hasan4978

Martin Havlat, Mike Cammalleri and Patrik Elias celebrate a goal, while rookie Damon Severson attempts to look nonchalant (TSN.ca)

Despite the Devils’ Opening Night win on Thursday I was prepared for more angst last night.  After all, our trips to Sunrise the last couple years have both led to soul-crushing defeats.  Even in 2012 when we beat the Panthers in the playoffs we played six nip-and-tuck games down there between the regular season and postseason.  Much to my relief however, last night was a extremely rare ‘get ahead and stay ahead’ game as the Devils rode five goals in the first twenty-three minutes to an easy 5-1 win in front of a dissapointing crowd of just over 11,000 for the Panthers’ home opener.  Once again it was a balanced scoring attack as five different players scored, with eleven different Devils putting up at least a point.  While he didn’t need to do much early, Cory Schnieder came up with plenty of strong saves to keep the Panthers at bay and finally get a win over former teammate Roberto Luongo (after three straight losses to Luuu last year).

Other than the fact the Devils took an unseemly amoung of penalties – eight (including five by the fourth line alone), there wasn’t much on the negative side to take out of this game.  Special teams were much better than they were in Philly with the Devils scoring twice on the power play in the first period and killing off seven of those eight penalties, despite many of them occuring in rapid-fire succession between the end of the second period and start of the third.  Cory was certainly better in Florida than he was Thursday night in getting his second win…amazingly he didn’t get his second win last year until just before Thanksgiving, in his tenth game.  Of course part of the reason for that was the team only scored 12 goals in his first 10 games last year, while they’ve already scored 11 in his two starts this year.  You really can’t make this stuff up.

Once again, the young defense was impressive, justifying Pete DeBoer’s decisions on the blueline to this point.  Rookie sensation Damon Severson put up his first NHL points with a goal off a seeing-eye wrister late in the first period, an assist and a +2 last night in nearly nineteen minutes, playing 3:29 on the PP and 3:48 shorthanded.  Jon Merrill logged 20+ minutes of icetime for the second straight game (22:11 last night) with an assist and a +1.  And of course Eric Gelinas was a key cog for the offense getting assists on the first two goals of the night, ironically both off wrist shots and not his patented bomb from the point.  Also, the vets pulled their weight last night as well with Andy Greene and Bryce Salvador logging over twenty minutes of shorthanded time between them last night with the late penalty-fest.

Up front, again the top three lines were all involved with Martin Havlat scoring his first as a Devil off a tip from a Gelinas wrister at 8:46 of the first, Mike Cammalleri getting a piece of Marek Zidlicky’s point bomb on the power play for his third goal of the year at 13:13 and Ryane Clowe scoring off a rebound at 2:59 of the second for the Devils’ fifth goal.  Even fourth-liner Tuomo Ruutu tipped home the first goal of the game at 2:23 off another Gelinas wrister – but the fourth line wound up being a net negative between Ruutu’s two penalties, recent signee Jordin Tootoo’s two penalties and Stephen Gionta adding one for good measure.  It really was inexcusable and the only thing that kept me from staying relaxed in the final two periods of this game when the Devils got out to a lead that even they probably would not blow.  Still you couldn’t ask much more from last night’s game.  I’ll take any game where you can score five in twenty-three minutes and chase Roberto Luongo from the net…why Luongo even came out to start the second was puzzling after already being 0-4 down, but after the quick early fifth goal in the second he was finally given the mercy pull for Al Montoya.

Our only potential issue at the moment – which I don’t even want to address at 2-0 with the team looking impressive – is the Adam Larsson thing, which continues to simmer beneath the surface with HNIC talking head Damien Cox saying the Larsson camp wasn’t happy about his benching but weren’t demanding a trade – yet.  While I’ve been critical of the organization’s handling of Larsson at times I really don’t want to hear this nonsense when the team’s looked as impressive as it has through the first two games.  At some point it just comes off as selfish.  I hope somewhere Larsson was listening to or heard about what Ken Daneyko said on the broadcast last night, about how he was in and out of the lineup his first few years as well and had similar angst.  All that happened was Daneyko wound up being the longest-tenured Devil in history.  Quite honestly these other guys are proving the staff right at the moment, that they all deserve to play.  Larsson will get his chance one way or another down the road (whether it’s here or somewhere else), he just needs to stop making waves while things are otherwise going well for the team.

While the 2-0 start is nice, as coach DeBoer was quick to point out we started off great two years ago as well and then flamed out after that, so a good start isn’t the be-all and end-all, although it certainly beats the alternative (last year’s 0-4-3).  And the competition level only goes up from here with our next game in Tampa against a legit contender.   It would be nice to get a three-game winning streak however, since we had one all of last year and none the last two-thirds of the lockout season.  I don’t expect any changes on D or in net two days from now, but maybe one of the fourth liners will sit after the penalty-fest last night and someone else will get a chance up front.

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Game 2: Blue Jackets 5 Rangers 2

Posted on October 11, 2014 by Derek
Mats Zuccarello battles James Wisniewski during Rangers' 5-2 loss to Jackets. AP Photo/Jay LaPrete Getty Images

Mats Zuccarello battles James Wisniewski during Rangers’ 5-2 loss to Jackets.
AP Photo/Jay LaPrete Getty Images

The Rangers were defeated by the Blue Jackets 5-2 at Nationwide Arena. It was every bit as bad as the score indicated. There were only a couple of bright spots. The first being rookie Anthony Duclair, who recorded his first two NHL points- setting up both New York goals. The Duke looks like he’ll stay after assisting on Lee Stempniak and Rick Nash markers. Unfazed, the 19-year old 2013 third round pick also nearly had his first goal when he abused James Wisniewski only to have his shot go off the crossbar.

It was a turning point because had it gone in, that would’ve tied the game. Instead, the Blue Jackets responded minutes later when Cam Atkinson scored putting them up 3-1. Victimized on the play was Kevin Klein, who had a dreadful night. In his first game on the second pair with Marc Staal, he was responsible for two goals against. That included Nick Foligno beating him twice to put Columbus up 2-0 after the first period. A period largely controlled by the more physical hosts who ran roughshod.

Revved up by a sold out arena, the Jackets dominated the Rangers early with tremendous forecheck pressure and puck possession. Eventually, it led to ex-Blueshirt Artem Anisimov rifling home his second in two games past backup Cam Talbot. He came off the bench and no one picked him up. Ex-Flyer pest Scott Hartnell set him up. Hartnell was his usual self mixing it up with Stempniak with a late hit on a delayed Columbus penalty. It easily could’ve been a full two-man advantage but the Rangers got the short end of the stick the entire game. Columbus Day is Monday. Maybe the stripes were in a giving mood.

Not many Blueshirts played well in the first. Stempniak was an exception. He also stood out in the win at St. Louis. It seemed like every time he was on the ice, good things happened. He was later rewarded when off some strong work by Marc Staal and Duclair, Stempniak beat Sergei Bobrovsky top shelf to get the Rangers within 2-1. Afterwards, they had their most sustained pressure coming close to drawing even. Bobrovsky was strong making 24 saves including a highlight reel stone job on Martin St. Louis, who Rick Nash fed on the doorstep only to see the former Vezina winner stack the pads. At the time, they trailed 3-1.

Mats Zuccarello had a rough time. He finished minus-four and struggled mightily along with linemate Derick Brassard. Neither has looked right without departed Oiler Benoit Pouliot. They really haven’t done much so far. Outside of Zuccarello’s surprising scrap with T.J. Oshie, he hasn’t been himself. The Jackets targeted him. Every time they had a chance, they hit him. Even though Jack Skille didn’t mean to run into him. It looked worse than thought with Skille coming high. But he clearly didn’t see him with a minute left in the second. That was enough for Chris Kreider, who finally stepped in for his fallen teammate and drew an instigator, major and misconduct earning 17 penalty minutes.

This could’ve been avoided if Glen Sather had an actual enforcer. Instead, there’s Alain Vigneault Christmas ornament Tanner Glass, who did much of nothing including getting a bizarre roughing minor for sneezing on Dalton Prout following a run-in at the bench. Glass supplied good penalty killing in the first game but was useless tonight. Why he and Jesper Fast played with Dominic Moore is beyond me. Against a physical division rival who didn’t seem to miss three of their toughest forwards (Dubinsky, Horton, Jenner), it was baffling. But that’s Vigneault, who likes to stick with the same lineup after wins. This is a different roster with bigs Ryan Malone and Kevin Hayes more than capable. He’s already hinted a decision on Hayes, which could mean Hartford before he even debuts.

In net, Talbot did his best despite lack of support. In their first game without top four defenseman Dan Boyle, the Rangers struggled mightily. Klein was a Del Zaster hurting Staal, who got victimized on Marko Dano’s goal that made it 4-1 with under seven minutes left. With Zuccarello and Glass standing around watching, Dano spun off Staal and steered in a Prout rebound adding insult to injury. Staal finished with an assist and was minus-two. On for three goals against, he was more the victim of some really poor defensive play. The forwards did a lousy job and Klein I already mentioned.

The third pair of John Moore and Matt Hunwick was an adventure. Hunwick especially looked challenged dealing with the Jackets’ speed. It’s not easy going against the likes of Ryan Johansen, Atkinson and Foligno. It doesn’t help knowing Mike Kostka (Kostco) is the extra. I’d much rather see Dylan McIlrath but doubt the organization wants to rush him. The Wolf Pack season just started. One way or the other, Sather must do something.

With the game seemingly out of reach, great persistence by Duclair resulted in Nash scoring against his former team. Booed all night, he took a great feed by Duke and buried home his third in two games. I really like what I’ve seen from Nash, who looks more confident and is looking to shoot. They need him. I also was impressed with the chemistry he and Duclair had with Martin St. Louis. It’s obvious that Brassard and Zuccarello could use a big body. My suggestion is keep Duke on the top line for tomorrow and start Kreider with Brassard and Zuccarello. The third line should be Carl Hagelin with J.T. Miller and Stempniak. Hagelin btw had a quiet game going minus-two. Miller had a couple of chances but could’ve made better decisions with the puck.

Trailing by two late, Vigneault pulled Talbot with three minutes left. I don’t mind it as long as he sticks offensive guys out. They were down two. So what the heck was Klein doing out there? If anything, put John Moore out. Ryan McDonagh had one noticeable play going end to for a shorthanded attempt. Outside of that, it was a night to forget for him and Dan Girardi. They went a combined minus-three.

There’s not much else left to say. Tomorrow they finally return to MSG for the home opener versus the Maple Leafs. Toronto is already 0-2 and look dreadful. They gotta win that one before the Islanders visit Tuesday. Onto the next one.

New York Puck 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Fedor Tyutin, CBJ (finished +5 in 18:44-strong game for Tyuts)

2nd Star-Anthony Duclair, NYR (2 assists for 1st 2 points, +2-Duke is legit).

1st Star-Cam Atkinson, CBJ (2 goals, 5 SOG for the mighty mite)

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