Shades of 2012 in Devils’ wild season opener at Philly

Posted on October 10, 2014 by hasan4978

Ryder, Clowe and Greene celebrating a Devils goal in their 6-4 win at Philly (NJ.com)

For the first thirty-five minutes of the Devils’ season opener last night, things couldn’t have gone much better on the scoreboard.  Despite being outshot in every period, the Devils jumped out in front 3-0 before disaster struck in the final 4:16 of the second period with a three-goal barrage from the home team.  Like they did in 2012 though, the Devils managed to overcome blowing a huge lead (then blowing another lead in the third period), before finally pulling away late for a wacky 6-4 win.  Compared to last year when the team started 0-4-3, getting in the win column right off the bat is a huge boost.

In the pregame, most of the attention was on the lineup choices, with 20-year old Damon Severson playing in his first NHL game while former #4 overall Adam Larsson was again a healthy scratch, which the Swede admitted was the most dissapointing one of all and saying he didn’t care about hearing a reason why.  While part of me’s sympathetic to the fact that he was probably assured he’d get steady playing time at last this year, it’s also a bad sign when kids younger than you (Severson, Jon Merrill last year, even Eric Gelinas to an extent) keep passing you in the pecking order.  Damien Brunner was also unhappy over being a healthy scratch, wondering out loud why he wasn’t ever given a chance above the fourth line in preseason.  Although it’d be nice to get his speed in the lineup, he’s clearly not a fit for the system or the style of play here and a trade wouldn’t shock me, if his value isn’t already a big fat zero.

I didn’t see the first part of this game and most of my first-period updates were via Twitter.  Michael Ryder carried over a strong preseason by scoring at 12:05 of the first period on his way to a marvelous three-point game.  While there was talk about Ryder being healthier this year than he was last season (when he was plagued by back issues), a new explanation for his struggles last year recently came to light – skates.  Apparently his skate company (Bauer) stopped making the brand he was wearing a year and a half ago and he went through multiple models trying to find the right fit.  Finally he found some old skates at home and was able to get a custom-made brand that suited him.

“I went to my parents’ house this summer and went in the shed and they had four old pairs from (the model) I used to wear,” he said. “So, I took those back to camp with me just in case I didn’t like that skates and (thought), ‘I’ll just wear those (old ones) because they were the same one. And they made a pair and I got them back they made them like my old ones, so it’s pretty neat that way.

“When you’re skating and you feel good on your feet, that makes a big difference confidence-wise in holding onto the puck and you know you can turn, you know you can protect the puck a lot better and move. It makes a big difference.”

Sometimes it’s amazing how seemingly little things can matter so much.  Whether health or skates were the big reason for Ryder’s struggles last year, it’s vital he keep up his good form.  Ryder also contributed to the Devils’ second goal early in the second period when he left a drop pass for Adam Henrique, who fired a wrister past Steve Mason at 2:10 to double the Devils’ lead.  By now I was listening on the radio, where I heard both this goal and the subsequent one by Mike Cammalleri, whose perfect top-shelf deflection of a Jaromir Jagr shot at 5:33 gave the Devils a three-goal lead and annoyed the boobirds in Philly.  Jagr’s assist also moved him past Steve Yzerman for sixth on the all-time points list.  Although the Devils had a scary penalty kill where Dainus Zubrus had to make a couple of great plays to keep the puck out of the net (by now I was watching on TV), things still looked good until Jordin Tootoo got whistled for a questionable penalty and Claude Giroux took advantage, firing a wrister through a Marek Zidlicky leg screen and past Cory Schneider to get the Flyers on the board.

From that point forward the Devils started to lose their poise.  Merrill got caught along the left boards and was out of position when the puck got to a wide-open Wayne Simmonds in front.  Merrill tried a desperate diving play but Simmonds toe-dragged him and beat Schneider with 57 seconds left in the period.  Being at 3-2 was bad enough, but what happened next was truly an unfortunate series of events starting with Ryane Clowe’s dumb penalty with 4.5 seconds left.  For reasons known only to him, coach Pete DeBoer put out our worst faceoff guy (Stephen Gionta) for a faceoff deep in our zone – I guess Travis Zajac couldn’t take a 4.5 second shift?  Predictably Gionta lost the faceoff to Claude Giroux, horrifyingly the puck went to Vincent Lecavalier, who flipped it to Simmonds in front as time was running out and Simmonds got the best of defenseman Bryce Salvador and tipped it home with .6 seconds remaining, tying the game.

At this point I was already beside myself two periods into the season.  How could this be happening already, and again?!  My half-serious prediction was that we’d get the lead again in the third, lose it again and then die in the shootout.  Two thirds of that prediction did come true, in part due to some Czech wizardry on Patrik Elias’s goal at 4:16 when Marek Zidlicky’s touch drop pass to Martin Havlat was followed by a quick cross-ice pass from Havlat to a wide-open Elias for the tiebreaking score.  Just fifteen seconds later, the game was tied yet again when Salvador oddly took Simmonds out of a three-on-two break, making it a straight two-on-one, which Lecavlier took advantage of by beating Schneider with a wrister.  Finally at 7:13 the Devils got one lead too many for the Flyers when Henrique found a wide open Zubrus, and Zubrus beat Mason with a wrister after an initial pass fake.  Not that I was confident in us holding this lead either at the time, but eventually you have to hold a lead by accident, right?  With just one minute left in the game Cammalleri scored an empty-netter for his second goal of the game, finally sealing the deal once and for all.

While the blown leads are clearly an issue that won’t go away (and as last year’s playoffs proved aren’t entirely exclusive to the Devils either), the top concern from last night’s game has to be the penalty kill, which was just 3/5 and could easily have given up three goals instead of two.  Losing Mark Fayne and Anton Volchenkov is clearly creating some flux among the defensive pairings on the PK early on.  Ryan Carter and Steve Bernier were also in the PK rotation up front last year and new guys like Cammalleri and Jordin Tootoo are being worked in this year.  At least the young defensemen held their own for the most part, with Severson having a ‘fantastic’ game according to coach DeBoer and even getting put on the PK himself late in the third.  From Tom Gulutti’s blog:

“I thought he was fantastic, composed, not overwhelmed, made plays,” DeBoer said. “When the game turned and it became 3-3, I thought he got better, which means something for a young guy.”

Severson, the Devils’ 2012 second-round draft pick, correctly took it as a positive sign that his coach had the confidence in him to use him in important situations in the third period of what had been a crazy game at times.

“It shows that he has confidence in me to kill penalties or be on the ice late in the game or anything like that,” he said. “You know, obviously that was my first game so anytime you get thrown out there in situations where your team is up by a goal and you need to play solid defense, it shows that he has confidence in you to really play strong defense really in your own zone.”

– See more at: http://fireandice.northjersey.com/#sthash.yoiO9wDl.dpuf

Clearly our retooled offense was the brightest spot of the opening game however, with five different players scoring the six goals and each of the top three lines contributing.  Granted, this game was against a Flyers team with severe defensive issues following the loss of Kimmo Timonen indefinitely due to blood clots.  Still, six goals are six goals and can only be a confidence-booster going forward to the Florida part of our four-game road trip to start the season.  Since beating the Panthers in the 2012 playoffs, the Panthers-Lightning trip down south has been a dual house of horrors for us the last two years in the regular season, both times at crucial points in the homestretch.  At least this time we’re doing a Florida trip early, playing the Panthers tomorrow night and a strong Lightning team on Tuesday.  Hopefully the team continues its good start tomorrow and starts to bury the ghosts of sunbelt trips past.

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Rangers Lose Boyle To Fractured Hand

Posted on October 10, 2014 by Derek

The news wasn’t all positive for the Rangers. Following their 3-2 season opening win over the Blues, they learned that new defenseman Dan Boyle suffered a fractured hand after blocking a shot. He’s expected to be out four to six weeks.

Not exactly what you wanted to hear. With Glen Sather doing the bare minimum to replace Raphael Diaz, that means Matt Hunwick goes into the lineup tomorrow with Michael Kostka recalled from Hartford. An injury to the blueline was the one concern going in. Now, the Rangers will get tested. Boyle was signed to replace Anton Stralman and run the power play. He’s out because he sacrificed for the team.

At the very least, it looks like it will be more of a challenge this year. The Rangers didn’t have many setbacks last season. Now down a top center and a top four D, they’ll have to get by. There’s enough experience to do so. But the power play might be an eye sore. I would venture to guess Kevin Klein slides next to Marc Staal leaving a third pair of John Moore and Hunwick/Kostka. Yikes.

In another move, the Rangers gave Matt Lombardi his unconditional release so he can return to Switzerland. Looks like Sather will try to fill the spot by signing a defenseman.

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Game 1: Nash’s Pair Lifts Rangers Past Blues 3-2

Posted on October 10, 2014 by Derek

It couldn’t have been a better start for Rick Nash. His pair of goals including the game decider with 1:50 remaining lifted the Rangers to a season opening 3-2 win on the road over the Blues. After only scoring twice during last year’s run to the Stanley Cup Final, the much ballyhooed scorer made an early statement registering two goals and an assist. He and linemate Chris Kreider combined for five points. Martin St. Louis set up Nash’s winner giving the top line seven points. He also assisted on Kreider’s first.

”I didn’t know I had success against them,” Nash said after finding out he upped his career totals to 23 goals and 43 points in 51 contests against St. Louis. ”It seems like it is one of the toughest places to play. Being in Columbus so long, it was such a tough building to come into and have success. Too bad we don’t play them more.”

It was a better beginning than last year when the Rangers were beaten at Phoenix 4-1. They also were humiliated by San Jose and Anaheim and lost to the Blues 5-3. Without top center Derek Stepan, the newly comprised line of Kreider, St. Louis and Nash had a big night. They were splendid. Especially after Paul Stastny was credited with his first as a Blue helping St. Louis tie the game once more with 9:18 remaining. It appeared to be headed to overtime. Instead, the top trio put together a dominant shift resulting in St. Louis making a behind the back pass for a sweet Nash finish that easily beat Brian Elliott.

The Rangers took advantage of an Alex Pietrangelo clear attempt that took a weird carom off the glass bouncing right to St. Louis, who quickly fed Nash for his second. The Blues didn’t see the puck which allowed New York to capitalize.

”I saw it right away, saw it hit the glass seam and fire back,” Nash said. ”I was yelling at Marty that it stayed in the zone. It was unbelievable. It was a great play by him.”

”I knew exactly where it was,” Elliott said after finishing with 22 saves in defeat. ”You’re in between trying to tell your guys and not tell their guys, so you’re just hoping your guys see it and come back and just be ready for it. (St. Louis) made a pretty slick play to settle it down and get it across crease there for their goal.”

Despite taking too many penalties, the Rangers will take it. They weren’t perfect but found a way to win similar to last Spring. Henrik Lundqvist was sharp making 23 saves including a tough one with the game on the line. He didn’t have to be great but was there when his team needed him.

”It’s not easy to come in here and beat this team,” Lundqvist pointed out. ”They are always good at home. Physical team. Smart team. They made a couple of mistakes in their own end which we took advantage of. They kept coming hard in the third but we responded pretty well.”

The Rangers got off quickly thanks to a yeoman effort from Kreider. Not giving up on the play, he forced a St. Louis turnover inside the blueline and then pushed the puck to Nash, who buried his first from the slot for an early lead 4:01 in. Rookie Anthony Duclair debuted taking 17 shifts (11:12 TOI) while playing with J.T. Miller and former Blue Lee Stempniak, who played a strong game. Only 19, Duclair didn’t look overwhelmed playing aggressively like he had in preseason. But he didn’t register a shot.

For the most part, the Rangers were solid defensively. After outshooting the Blues 16-8 in the first, they were penalized five times in a sloppy second. That included an ill advised Dan Boyle delay of game which handed St. Louis a two-man advantage. However, the three penalty killers did an outstanding job. New captain Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi combined with Dominic Moore to limit the Blues chances. Moore dominated in the faceoff circle winning 12 of 16 draws. Derick Brassard also saw some penalty kill duty with Stepan out and excelled.

Due to the penalty fest, the Blueshirts didn’t have much puck possession. They hardly generated anything. But still led 1-0 after two thanks to Lundqvist and strong team defense. As usual, they sacrificed blocking 18 shots with forwards coming back fast.

The third period was more wide open. Off some strong work in front from captain David Backes, Jaden Schwartz put home a rebound to tie the game at 1:32. With St. Louis pushing for more, St. Louis made a good defensive play getting the puck to Nash, who sent Kreider in on a breakaway. Almost identical to the one he had versus Jonathan Quick in Game 5, this time he finished going short side. I knew he wasn’t missing. The goal put the Rangers back ahead with 13:30 left. Ironically, it followed a bizarre scrap between Mats Zuccarello and T.J. Oshie. Incensed at Zuccarello post whistle, Oshie got the better of him. Even though he barely landed, it just goes to show that Zuccarello won’t back down from anyone. Gotta love it.

The Rangers blew a chance on a power play which kept the Blues alive. The man-advantage didn’t get going taking the collar in three opportunities. Unable to cash in, it nearly bit them when Vladimir Tarashenko had his wrist shot deflect off Stastny for the equalizer with 9:18 left. The fourth line got victimized with Dom Moore unable to get back. Tarashenko made a nice move around Dan Girardi to get the shot and Stastny had good fortune with Dad Peter watching in the stands.

A Zuccarello tripping minor forced them to kill a crucial penalty. In Game 1 without former PK ace Brian Boyle and defensive defenseman Anton Stralman, who debuted with Boyle in the Lightning’s win Thursday night, they didn’t miss a beat going 5-for-5. Marc Staal did some solid work using his reach to break up a play.

Even though St. Louis struggled on draws going 4-for-11, he made the big play finding Nash for the winner. His first game in the middle was a success finishing with two assists. While I don’t think it’s a good idea long-term, you can’t argue with the end result. The Rangers needed their top line to come through because Brassard and Zuccarello were invisible. Carl Hagelin at least showed defensively. It’ll be interesting to see how long Alain Vigneault keeps him on that line. Might he try Duclair with Brassard and Zuccarello? It seems like a natural fit. We’ll have to wait and see.

J.T. Miller was okay offensively but stunk it up losing all eight faceoffs. He can’t do that nightly or Vigneault will change it up. Tanner Glass’ debut was decent. He led the team with six hits and saw a shade under two minutes shorthanded. As long as he provides energy and doesn’t take any silly penalties, we’re good. I would like to see Ryan Malone Saturday at Columbus. With Jesper Fast banged up, he might debut.

NY PUCK 3 STARS:

3rd Star-Jaden Schwartz, Blues (1st of season, assist-future star)

2nd Star-Chris Kreider, NYR (1st of season, assist-Beast Mode)

1st Star-Rick Nash, NYR (2-1-3-Nashty start)

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NHL Preview: Season Predictions

Posted on October 8, 2014 by Derek

A new year is upon us and for that, every pucker is eternally grateful. With four games tonight including entertaining rivalries Montreal/Toronto and San Jose and Los Angeles renewing acquaintances for the Kings banner raiser, it should be hectic. Philadelphia visits Boston and Calgary hosts Vancouver. Technically, four rivalry games which is not a bad way to start.

Rather than go into detail on who improved and vice versa, I’ll just get to each division.

EAST

Metropolitan

*1.Rangers

*2.Penguins

*3.Blue Jackets

*4.Devils

*5.Islanders

6.Capitals

7.Flyers

8.Hurricanes

Atlantic

*1.Lightning

*2.Bruins

*3.Canadiens

4.Red Wings

5.Maple Leafs

6.Panthers

7.Sabres

8.Senators

WEST

Central

*1.Blues

*2.Blackhawks

*3.Wild

*4.Stars

*5.Avalanche

6.Predators

7.Jets

Pacific

*1.Kings

*2.Ducks

*3.Sharks

4.Coyotes

5.Flames

6.Oilers

7.Canucks

AWARDS

Hart-Steven Stamkos

Norris-Alex Pietrangelo

Vezina-Henrik Lundqvist

Calder-Johnny Gaudreau

Selke-Anze Kopitar

Art Ross-Sidney Crosby

Rocket Richard-Steven Stamkos

Lady Byng-Ryan O’Reilly

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Season Preview: Rangers Look To Take One Giant Leap

Posted on October 8, 2014 by Derek
Comeback King: An excited Henrik Lundqvist celebrates the Rangers 3-1 series comeback. He made 35 saves in their 2-1 Game 7 win elimination of the Pens and stopped 102 of the final 105 shots. Associated Press/Getty Images

Comeback King: An excited Henrik Lundqvist celebrates the Rangers 3-1 series comeback. He made 35 saves in their 2-1 Game 7 win elimination of the Pens and stopped 102 of the final 105 shots.
Associated Press/Getty Images

Officially, it all begins tonight. The dawn of a new season has arrived. For the Rangers, they’ll start tomorrow at perennial West contender St. Louis. Right off the bat, the defending Eastern Conference champs will get tested. Before returning to MSG for Sunday’s home opener against Toronto, they’ll visit Metropolitan contender Columbus. It won’t be easy early without top center Derek Stepan, who will miss the first 10 games after being put on Long Term Injured Reserve.

In a brand new year, that’s expected. This time, the ’14-15 Blueshirts will have a target on their back. That’s what happens when you make a run to the Stanley Cup Final. The franchise’s first appearance in 20 years. Even though it didn’t end with the storybook Hollywood script, they battled valiantly falling to the Kings in a closely fought five games featuring three overtime defeats all at Staples Center including Alec Martinez’ sudden death clincher. The memory is still fresh. Once they drop the puck tomorrow, it no longer matters.

With over half last year’s roster back, the sting should serve as a springboard for one giant leap. Coach Alain Vigneault’s new cast looks to take that final step. Gone are key pieces Brad Richards, Brian Boyle and Anton Stralman. Such is life in the cap era. General manager Glen Sather replaced Stralman with Dan Boyle, who should aid the power play while sliding in on the second pair with Marc Staal. Richards and Boyle won’t be easily replaced with Vigneault emphasizing young pups J.T. Miller and Kevin Hayes. Without Stepan, he has a dilemma. Does he really shift Martin St. Louis to center? If so, how long does that experiment last?

What about 19-year old rookie Anthony Duclair, who wowed everyone during preseason? The 2013 third round pick made the club forcing them to dump a contract by moving Steve Kampfer and Andrew Yogan to Florida for Joey Crabb. How they handle Duke will be crucial to his development. If after nine games he isn’t ready for prime time, they can send him back to Quebec (QMJHL). However, he’d have to really struggle to change the organization’s mind. They feel he’s ready. His offensive skills are first class. He’ll start on a line with Miller and veteran Lee Stempniak, who was signed to help offset the loss of Benoit Pouliot. A strong support player, he should fit in along with camp surprise Ryan Malone, who made the team beating out Chris Mueller and Matt Lombardi.

FORWARDS: Up front, a strong core remains intact with holdovers Derick Brassard, Carl Hagelin, Chris Kreider, Dominic Moore, Rick Nash, St. Louis, Stepan and Mats Zuccarello leading a talented group of forwards that can transition to offense quickly. Jesper Fast and Miller should have bigger roles. Fast made the club for a second straight year and will look to stay on Broadway permanently. The bulk of the scoring will be left to Kreider, Nash, St. Louis and Zuccarello. All extremely fast skaters capable of finishing and setting up. Hagelin also could finally blossom into a 20-goalscorer. With Stepan out, the pressure’s on Brassard to produce more consistently. He must for them to have any success. Rookies Duclair and Hayes along with vets Tanner Glass, Malone and Stempniak round it out. It’ll be interesting to see how Vigneault manages Duclair and Hayes with the latter still needing to improve his skating.

DEFENSE: New captain Ryan McDonagh anchors a strong blueline that brings five of six regulars back. That includes partner Dan Girardi, who was named one of four alternates alongside Staal, St. Louis and Stepan. Girardi does the nuts and bolts. Despite a poor showing against LA, he shouldn’t be taken for granted. He’s irreplaceable. As noted earlier, Boyle replaces Stralman, who was a strong defensive defenseman as opposed to an offensive rover. The Blueshirts might lose defensively but gain offensively especially on the power play. Boyle is experienced enough to handle key minutes and should fit in with Staal, who needs a bounce back in a contract year. The third tandem of John Moore and Klein could be the key. Moore has untapped potential possessing great skating ability and a lethal shot. Is this the year he breaks out? Klein is your classic stay at home type who shouldn’t stand out. Veteran Matt Hunwick beat out Michael Kostka for seventh D. He’s no great shakes. Maybe by 2015, we see Dylan McIlrath or Conor Allen.

GOALIES: Henrik Lundqvist is as good as it gets. A Vezina winner who carried his team last Spring, King Henrik would love nothing more than leading the franchise to their first Cup since 1994. He came close only losing out to Jonathan Quick, who had a stronger cast. Hank should be even better than last year. He recovered from a poor first half turning in a heroic performance. The key again will be giving him enough rest. That way he stays fresh. Cam Talbot should supply that as Vigneault trusts him. He gave up a couple of bad goals in preseason. So, he’ll want to clean it up. Not many teams boast a better 1-2.

COACHING: Alain Vigneault preached patience after a sluggish start last year. He was proven right. Even after Sather risked trading Ryan Callahan for St. Louis, the team came together rallying around the death of St. Louis’ Mom to make a great run. Vigneault has new assistant Darryl Williams, who worked with him in Vancouver. Added to Scott Arniel, Ulf Samuelsson and Benoit Allaire, Vigneault has a strong staff. Vigneault isn’t a great in-game coach as the Cup Final proved when Darryl Sutter out-coached him. But he is excellent at handling different personalities. Something that got John Tortorella canned in consecutive years. There’s a lot to like about Vigneault. Last year, he took over an experienced team. Some of that leadership is gone. It’ll be interesting to see how he does with such great expectations.

ANALYSIS: Even minus Stepan at the start, the Rangers are stacked. Offensively, they should be good. Defensively, they might take a step back. But strong goaltending more than makes up for it. The division is interesting with the Devils and Islanders improving while the Pens got worse. The Blue Jackets are coming but have injuries. The Caps are banking on Barry Trotz to get the ship righted. The Hurricanes could be in for a long year. There’s no reason this roster shouldn’t challenge for the Metro. They’re plenty good enough.

Prediction: 1st Metropolitan Division

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Devils’ young defense, one-man ‘taxi squad’ head roster moves

Posted on October 8, 2014 by hasan4978

Perhaps’ the biggest surprise with the Devils roster on the eve of the season is who did not get sent down as opposed to who did.  On Monday, the Devils waived forwards Cam Janssen, Steve Bernier and defenseman Peter Harrold – the latter two on one-way deals – all but signaling that 20-year Damon Severson made the team in his first year as a pro.  With the departure of Ryan Carter to Minnesota, the Devils moved quickly to sign sparkplug-type Jordin Tootoo.  Circumstances around Carter’s departure seem sketchy, with Carter admitting he turned down a summer contract offer before other subsequent roster moves forced him to pay for insurance just to attend camp.  Finally, the writing seemed on the wall with the Devils’ interest in Tootoo so Carter moved on.  Still without room on the roster for Scott Gomez, he agreed to stay with the team for a while assuming something else opens on the roster (either an injury or a trade).

Although the Devils publicly vacilated on whether Harrold would get assigned to Albany finally he did, just before yesterday’s 5 PM roster deadline though GM Lou Lamoriello added ‘nothing is in cement’ – alluding to the fact there could still be changes before tomorrow’s opener in Philly.  Still, it seems obvious Severson is in the team’s immediate plans on defense as a 20-year old.  My feelings on this are mixed.  Sure it’s great that Severson’s so far advanced that he’s shoehorned his way into the lineup this year but with vets Andy Greene, Bryce Salvador and Marek Zidlicky all but certain to play when healthy it creates a situation where the younger defensemen will (in theory) be rotating in and out of the lineup.  Though Jon Merrill seems safe, clearly fourth-year pro Adam Larsson and second-year pro Eric Gelinas are not.  This had to be the season we needed to see whether Larsson and Gelinas could stick on the team with Severson and other guys like Seth Hegelson and last year’s #1 Steve Santini on the way.

Larsson is my cautionary tale for people getting too excited over Severson in fact.  The former #4 overall pick made the team as an 18-year old in 2011-12, impressed everyone through the first half of the season then fatigue and injury slowed him in the second half and arguably he’s never been the same since then, especially after being a healthy scratch for several straight games to open the 2013 season.  I’m just worried we’re doing the same thing to Severson, rushing him before he’s ready the way we did Larsson and forward Jacob Josefson, both of whom now appear to be on the outside looking in still at a relatively young age.  It was one thing to rush Larsson when our defense was so unsettled in 2011-12, but rushing Severson when we have a solid group and Harrold as a capable #7 is something else.  They’d better be right about Severson being fully ready, especially if it’s going to send Larsson or Gelinas out of town.  In practice yesterday Larsson was skating on the fourth defensive pairing, which can’t thrill the young Swede who’s been jerked in and out of the lineup the last two seasons and has confidence issues.  Of course Gelinas will probably sit some as well, given the fact he was in the doghouse and being played at forward late last year because they wanted his power play point shot in the lineup but couldn’t deal with his defensive snafus.  In theory Severson should get some rest time but with this management’s history I could see him playing 20+ minutes a game for the first 25 games then falling off, while Larsson/Gelinas alternate being in the doghouse.

Up front I suppose the biggest surprise was Tootoo getting a contract and making the team over Carter and Gomez.  My first indication that Tootoo was going to make the team and probably be a starter was when they gave him a fifth preseason game on Saturday and said they wanted to get another look at him because they ‘didn’t know him as well as Gomez’ (after Gomez only played three preseason games).  Clearly he fits the Pete version of a grinder fourth line more than Brunner or even Gomez for that matter.  You do wonder what the pecking order is up front…assuming the unhappy Brunner is eventually dealt will Boucher be the first callup with an injury in the top nine or will Gomez be signed by that point?  Will Matteau be the callup if they need a bottom line replacement or will Jacob Josefson – remember me, Lou? – actually get a chance?  Since Josefson’s on a two-year deal it’s kind of surprising he’s already on the outside looking in but then again it’s not like you can count on the fragile Swede to stay healthy even if he did get a real shot.

There were no surprises in goal after Saturday’s move (just after my blog) to demote Keith Kinkaid made Scott Clemmensen the backup – if on paper given the lack of backup games the first month of the season barring a Cory Schnieder injury.  Still it’ll be interesting to see how Cory transitions into being a 65+ game guy and whether if Kinkaid’s playing well down in Albany does he then get a shot when the schedule tightens up in November or will Clemmensen get a few games to ‘win’ the backup job?

At this point I’m just about ready for the season.  I may or may not do a season preview proper before tomorrow night’s opener against the Flyers, depending on how I feel later after getting home late since I didn’t get much sleep last night.  This season I might just do more of a week-by-week recap as opposed to every single game – particularly during busy weeks – although I will do game recaps for ‘special’ nights (Thursday, the home opener).

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Islanders moves improve roster

Posted on October 7, 2014 by Derek

Over the weekend, the Islanders made a pair of trades that improved their roster. Entering the season, the biggest question was their defense. With Calvin de Haan starting on injured reserve, general manager Garth Snow addressed a need by taking advantage of unique cap situations in Boston and Chicago.

The first move saw him acquire proven vet Johnny Boychuk from the Bruins for three draft picks. The 30-year old blueliner is coming off his best season setting career bests in assists (18), points (23) and plus/minus (31) while playing his usual physical style (158 hits and 151 blocked shots). In the final year of a contract that pays him $3.5 million, Boychuk became a victim of numbers in Boston once they re-signed Torey Krug and Reilly Smith. A character player who can add stability and necessary experience, he should be a good fit. He’ll relieve some pressure from shutdown D Travis Hamonic.

In a brilliant second deal, Snow pried away Nick Leddy from the Blackhawks along with goalie Kent Simpson for D prospect Ville Pokka, T.J. Brennan and the rights to goalie Anders Nilsson. Still just 23, the smooth skating Leddy is coming off a solid ’13-14 in which he tallied seven goals and 24 assists for 31 points with a plus-10 rating and four power play goals. Twice, he’s gone over 30 points and should give the Isles an offensive boost. With Lubomir Visnovsky expected to run the power play, Leddy gives coach Jack Capuano another option. Like Boychuk, he’s in the last year of a deal and will earn $3.4 million this season. However, he’ll turn restricted next summer unlike Boychuk, who’ll become a UFA.

By boosting their back end, the Isles have improved their chances in a tough Metropolitan Division. It also allows the organization to be patient with former number one pick Griffin Reinhart and Kevin Czuczman. Once de Haan returns, a D corps of Hamonic, Visnovsky, Boychuk, Leddy, Brian Strait and Thomas Hickey is more formidable. In what’s the final season at Nassau Coliseum, Snow has finally given Capuano a roster capable of competing for the postseason. With Jaroslav in goal and John Tavares leading the charge, they should be much improved.

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Preseason Fantasy Hockey shenanigans

Posted on October 6, 2014 by hasan4978

I’m sure I’ll have plenty to say on the Devils’ roster moves tomorrow.  Right now I feel like reserving my comments until the final roster comes out at 5 PM tomorrow even though significant things have already happened (Peter Harrold and Steve Bernier being waived, Ryan Carter signing in Minnesota).  Instead of talking about that before the whole picture’s completed, I’m going to go off the beaten path while we still have time before the regular season.  While NHL GM’s finish shaping their real teams before the season, fans all over North America are shaping their fantasy teams.  Derek I’m sure has had fun with his KHL draft and the other fantasy leagues he’s in.  This year I’m only in one – the NJDevs league with twelve other Devil fans and the one and only fellow BONY Sabres blogger Brian.

Generally, it’s been a twenty-team league but due to inactivity problems it was scaled back to a fourteen-team league this year.  To compensate we decided to make it even more NHL-realistic by having 23-man rosters with four starting LW’s, four starting C’s, four starting RW’s, six starting D and one starting goalie (every individual position having an 82-game limit, so LW/C/RW actually has a 328-game limit for example).  We have ten offensive categories (including faceoff wins, hits and blocks but not including PIM’s) and four goalie categories (W, GAA, save pct, SHO) in a roto format.

In the prior three seasons I’ve finished second to the same team twice and out of the running three years ago thanks to an autodraft snafu while Sanborn’s had a couple of competitive seasons in the past as well.  Of course competitive being a relative term because the only thing we compete for is bragging rights, a Yahoo trophy and the ability to pick our draft spot the next season.  Our 14-team, 23-man roster draft was held on Sunday night and a good time was had by all in our two and a half hours.  I wound up with the #5 pick which in the snake format means my second rounder wasn’t till #24 and had my sights set on one of the big three goalies or Crosby/Stamkos with the top five pick.  Of course I would have had kittens if the only goalie of my big three that was left was Lundqvist.  Fortunately Corey Perry went #1 for some odd reason, then the next three picks were Crosby/Rask/Stamkos so I drafted Cup winner Johnathan Quick with the #5.  I’ll just post my roster and various comments below:

C – Kopitar, M. Koivu, Zajac, Nielsen

LW – Zetterberg, Marleau, Eriksson, MacArthur

RW – Franzen, Wheeler, Grabovski, Gallagher

D – Weber, Hedman, Seabrook, Visnovsky, Girardi, Reilly

G – Quick, M. Jones (technically he’s a bench guy too since you can only play one goalie a night)

Bench – Brassard (C), Smith-Pelly (RW), DeKeyser (D)

At center I didn’t want to load up with too many center-only eligible players too early though I couldn’t resist Kopitar in the early third round.  My next center-only guy (many of my wings are also eligible there) was one of ‘my guys’ Mikko Koivu in round 10 who I usually get on my team cause he’s a solid all-around – and perpetually underrated – player.  I couldn’t resist Zajac in round 15…a bargain compared to where most other Devils were being drafted, and thought Frans Nielsen in round 18 and Brassard in round 21 were fine value

On left wing I have two solid pros in Marleau and Zett (rounds 4-5) and am banking on a bounceback from Eriksson (round 11).  MacArthur was kind of a mistake since I had Tarasenko in my queue but accidentally drafted MacArthur in round 12.  Might not be the worst thing in the world though, especially since MacArthur will help out a little in the hits category and had a pretty good year for Ottawa last season.

At right wing I actually drafted Wheeler first in the seventh round again partly due to hits and all-around play (though in hindsight I might not have paid enough attention to hits given a lot of other teams have at least a couple of forwards that are monsters in that category).  I kind of like Franzen in the eighth better though.  I don’t really trust Grabovski but in the 14th round, why not?  Especially with the added faceoff boost.  Gallagher could wind up being a pretty good bargain in the 16th.  I was sweating out drafting Smith-Pelly in round 22 and wished I’d drafted him above Brassard until he finally fell back to me again.

Defensively my choice for top defenseman in round two was between Weber and Subban.  I picked Weber, Subban went the pick after me.  I went D again in round 6 with Hedman, a pretty good get with pick #80.  In the 9th I drafted Seabrook and the 13th I probably reached for Visnovsky a bit.  Girardi I took in the 17th for the hits/blocks combo and workable numbers otherwise, Reilly and DeKeyser were my 19th/20th round upside picks.  Of course since I only need 82 goalie games I backed up Quick with his backup Jones and hope to get in most of the Kings’ 82 games as possible.

I’ll also post the ‘Dishonor for Conor’ roster below too (if you even have to ask who this is you don’t read this blog or my first paragraph):

C – Backes, Hodgson, Bozak, Monohan

LW – Benn, Ladd, Silfverberg, Ennis

RW – Simmonds, Pominville, Brouwer, Ryder

D – Pietrangelo, McDonaugh, Giordano, Phaneuf, S. Jones, Brodin

G – Bishop, S. Mason

Bench – Jenner (IR), Kulemin, Orpik

Clown getting Mason as his second goalie in round 11 could be a steal, and neccesary insurance in case second-rounder Bishop dissapoints.  His defense looks fairly strong and overall he loaded up on high-upside guys late like Silfverberg, Jones, Brodin, Monohan and Jenner.  Benn, Backes, Simmonds and Ladd were a solid start up front within the first eight rounds, all wing-eligible players.  He took care of his top four on defense in the first nine rounds too with Pietrangelo, McDonaugh, Giordano and Phaneuf all going within rounds 3-9.

It’ll be interesting to see how things turn out for us and eleven other teams as we all try to dethrone three-time champ Sworn Defenders.  If you want to look at everyone’s rosters and predict who’s the best team I’ll try to post the link to the full draft results:

http://hockey.fantasysports.yahoo.com/hockey/5625/draftresults?drafttab=team

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Devils’ camp of competition goes down to the wire

Posted on October 4, 2014 by hasan4978

iPhone photos 168

It’s a bit unusual for a team to have as many as 32 players remaining in camp on the day of the final preseason game, but that is still where the New Jersey Devils find themselves, barely three days before the NHL deadline to cut rosters down to 23 by 5 PM Tuesday.  While perhaps some of that was neccessitated due to minor knocks that kept Andy Greene, Bryce Salvador and Scott Gomez out of Thursday’s preseason game against the Islanders – all are expected to play tonight, though there’s no official lineup yet – the fact is there are still plenty of bubble guys and unsigned guys around to keep up the suspense.  In fact, the Devils’ defense on Thursday night consisted of five defensemen 25-years old and under, and Peter Harrold (fellow vet Marek Zidlicky got the night off as the Devils took another look at rookies Damon Severson and Seth Hegelson).  When asked whether he was working with unsigned forward Ryan Carter as if he’s a part of the team, coach Pete DeBoer answered simply:

“The guys we have right now, we’re working with everybody as if they’re on this team,” DeBoer said. “That’s where the competition is at. The reason we’re still at this number is because everybody that’s still here has played well enough that they look like they can help us to start the season and that’s where the tough decisions have to be made.

“There’s not one guy left here that we don’t feel could potentially help us. It’s great that we have that kind of depth.”

If you want to be cynical perhaps some of the competition is due to the fact few players have stood out.  However, bubble guys like Damien Brunner (who I expected to be shipped out by now) and unsigned Gomez have been among the better players in camp.  Forward is still where the picture is the cloudiest with no fewer than 20 guys remaining in camp – with a likely max of 14 to be left by Tuesday afternoon.  Gomez and Jordin Tootoo are still in camp on tryout deals and Carter’s still hanging around…though in his latest comments admitted he wasn’t optomistic about getting a contract.  Sparkplug Cam Janssen’s still around because he’s a good locker room presence (as well as jockeying with Tootoo for an energy presence), but he’ll likely be waived and go to Albany after tonight’s game.  Youngsters Reid Boucher and Stefan Matteau are also still around as well but will probably be the victim of a numbers game to start.  As DeBoer has said throughout camp though, the Opening Night roster isn’t the whole story.  Without explicitly saying it, clearly there’ll be chances for players like Boucher and Matteau throughout the season even if they’re not on the team as of Tuesday.

On defense, I wasn’t overly impressed with Severson the one game I saw him on TV at MSG but clearly he has the tools to be an NHL player in the near future.  Even as far back as last year, former color guy Chico Resch was signing his praises.  And Hegelson is clearly slotting up as the physical/stay-at home D callup in case of injury to a guy like say, Salvador – who’s certainly no lock at age 38 to make it through 82 games unscathed.  I do still expect both to go down and the Devils to go with the ‘expected’ seven-man defense to start the season but obviously they’ve seperated themselves from everyone else not in the NHL and will probably be here at different points this season as well, where they’ll get their chance.  Last year Jon Merrill was a AHL guy not expected to be on the big-league roster as anything but a short-term callup and he wound up being one of the most trusted defensemen on the Devils by the end of the season.

Within these forward and defense battles are also battles within the roster jockeying for playing time as well.  Just making the 23 won’t tell the whole story as we know two forwards and one defenseman will be healthy scratches every night.  And there’s also still a question mark as to who the backup goalie will be.  If you were going strictly on the preseason games Keith Kinkaid’s outplayed vet Scott Clemmensen – not by much though.  And Clemmensen has far more experience at handling the backup role at the NHL level than Kinkaid, though clearly by now Kinkaid has done enough at the AHL level to earn a promotion.  Both guys are still around and obviously that’s going to be a last-minute decision as well.  Clemmensen or Kinkaid might even play part of the game tonight, although I can’t really fathom how thirty minutes in a preseason game is going to uncloud the picture more than camp plus the game and a half each has played to this point.

Along with the on-ice roster suspense, tonight we also finally get to see the new-look Devils broadcast for our one home preseason telecast on MSG+, with Ken Daneyko taking over Chico’s old role full-time as the color guy and stunningly John MacLean taking over Daneyko’s old role as the sideline reporter/studio host.  Stunningly not just because MacLean was last seen around here as an infamous head coach flameout in 2010, but because the MacLean I saw that year really had little in terms of media presence.  Perhaps in a more relaxing job with former teammate Daneyko around, maybe you’ll see a different side of Johnny Mac though.  If nothing else clearly Lou Lamoriello’s loyal to his former players.  Plus it would be nice if Johnny Mac was remembered by the younger generation as something other than the 2010 Titanic-like disaster (clearly the older one’s memories of him as a player trump those of him as a coach).

UPDATE: Well, part of the mystery’s been solved, the Devils sent Kinkaid, Boucher, Matteau and Hegelson down to Albany whittling the roster down to 28.  None of them had to clear waivers and Kinkaid being sent down means Clemmensen wins the backup job.  For whatever that means looking at the first month of the season, there’s no obvious game Clemmensen has to play in until November (only one back-to-back and there’s two days off before and after it).

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Duclair Makes Case For Staying With Rangers

Posted on October 2, 2014 by Derek

Broadway Duke? Rangers prospect Anthony Duclair has made a bid to make the club. nydailynews.com

Broadway Duke? Rangers prospect Anthony Duclair has made a bid to make the club.
nydailynews.com

A week away from the start of the season, the Rangers have some tough decisions to make. Top prospect Anthony Duclair has given them something to think about. The 19-year old 2013 third round pick (80th overall) has impressed scoring a goal in each of the three preseason games he’s participated in. A skilled player who possesses great speed and finishing ability, Duclair’s coming off a big year where he tallied 50 goals and 99 points in 59 contests for the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. A concussion cut his season short which meant no postseason. Generously listed at 5-11, 184 pounds, he hasn’t filled out yet. However, given his strong showing he’s made a case for staying.

The interesting dilemma for Rangers coach Alain Vigneault and general manager Glen Sather is that Duclair signed an entry level contract in January. With strong competition coming from Jesper Fast, Ryan Haggerty and Lee Stempniak, it won’t be an easy decision. The club will start the season without top center Derek Stepan. Former first round pick J.T. Miller has all but secured a spot while Chris Mueller has also opened some eyes. In other words, there’s no guarantee Duclair will play enough to warrant keeping him.

Don’t forget the Rangers are already at the 50-man contract limit. If they decide to give Duclair a look, they’d have to make a move. There’s also been some debate as to whether Duclair’s ELC would slide if he plays nine or fewer games. Under the current CBA, it states that a player can play in a maximum nine before the club decides whether to send them back to juniors or retain them. Is it worth burning a year off Duclair’s rookie contract? That largely depends upon what the organization decides over the next week. There are still 21 forwards in camp including Duclair, Fast, Haggerty, Stempniak, Mueller, Tanner Glass, Kevin Hayes, Matt Lombardi, Ryan Malone, Marek Hrivik and Oscar Lindberg. Injuries to Lombardi and Malone could factor in.

At this point, the locks are Chris Kreider, Derick Brassard, Martin St. Louis, Rick Nash, Carl Hagelin, Dominic Moore and Mats Zuccarello. Given that Stempniak and Glass are signed, I’d expect them to be on the roster. Unless Miller blows it, he should be centering one of the top three lines. That makes 10 leaving a glut to compete for the remaining three or four spots depending how many players the Rangers decide to keep due to the salary cap.

There are ten defensemen left including Matt Hunwick, Steve Kampfer, Michael Kostka and prospect Dylan McIlrath, who are competing for seventh D. Of the four, Hunwick is probably the safest bet. Neither Kampfer nor Kostka have distinguished themselves. McIlrath is a more interesting case because he’s a 22-year old former first round pick. Honestly, it’s probably best for his development to start at Hartford. You don’t want him wasting away in the press box while our top six of Ryan McDonagh, Dan Girardi, Marc Staal, Dan Boyle, John Moore and Kevin Klein are set barring injury.

The two goalies are Henrik Lundqvist and Cam Talbot. Cedrick Desjardins is still in camp but is injured and eventually will get reassigned.

What would I do with Duclair? If he is eligible to play nine games, why not give him a taste? Obviously, there are concerns about his size. You don’t want him to get crushed. This is our most exciting offensive prospect since the late Alexei Cherepanov. When the season starts, he won’t be facing AHLers. You want to put him in a good situation. I wonder how much ice-time he’ll see. I’d love to see him make the roster because offensively, the Rangers should be challenged without Stepan. It’s not like Nash has blown anyone away. Kreider and Hagelin haven’t scored 20. St. Louis should be the leading scorer and Zuccarello must prove last year wasn’t a fluke.

Assuming Malone is ready for next Thursday’s opener at St. Louis, that’s 11 forwards with a couple up for grabs. I really believe Fast and Haggerty deserve to make it. Each has performed well enough. They’re both older and more mature. Mueller would give Vigneault another center which is important. Hayes has great size and offensive instincts but his skating needs some work. He’d be better off with the Wolf Pack. I haven’t seen enough of Lindberg to fully assess him. Unless he blows them away in the final two exhibition games this weekend, he’s not making it. Hrivik brings some nice size but likely will get sent down.

When it comes down to it, it’s hard to see some of our kids getting squeezed. Unless the Rangers do something uncharacteristic like waiving Glass or Stempniak, only one or two prospects should make it. From a development standpoint, there’s nothing wrong with that. But I also hate seeing vets take away spots from younger players with more talent. Whatever they decide on Duclair, the organization must be fruitful. Do what’s best for his development.

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