Battle Of Hudson

It’s a busy Turkey Eve in the NHL. There are 13 games tonight with 26 teams in action. That includes all four Battle Of New York teams. The Sabres play host to the Canadiens while the Devils are at The Rock for the Hurricanes in a home and home that concludes Friday in Raleigh. The Islanders look to snap a three-game losing skid when they host the Jets at Nassau Coliseum. Those three games all go off at 7 EST.

Meanwhile, the Rangers continue their five-game road trip with a visit at the Panthers in Sunrise. They’re looking to avoid a two-game losing streak following a disappointing effort that resulted in a 5-0 shutout defeat at the Lightning. It was so uninspiring that Alain Vigneault went out of his way to critique a listless performance referencing how they watched Martin St. Louis. The former Hart winner put on a show scoring twice and setting up another after being honored for playing in his 1,000th game. When the soft spoken coach calls it “a St. Louis love fest,” that’s not a ringing endorsement. Neither are the team’s offensive struggles. They’ve been shutout five times and been held to two goals or less in 15 of their 24 games. A point not lost on Vigneault.

“(Monday night’s 5-0 loss to the Lightning) was our 24th game, and in 15 of  those games we’ve scored two goals or less,” Vigneault told Daily News reporter Pat Leonard following yesterday’s practice. “That’s a pretty good chunk if you want a segment that tells  you what you have. There’s a chunk there that tells us we’re not scoring a lot.  Maybe we’ve got to play even tighter to the vest than we are and go into games  with that mentality of (trying to win) 2-1.”

At basically the quarter mark, the offensive-minded coach is already hinting at playing a more defensive style similar to former coach John Tortorella. That’s disturbing. When he was here, he tried a higher tempo but rebuffed after seeing mixed results where the D was getting caught. Similar results have the Blueshirts a mediocre 12-12-0 sitting in third place of the Metro a point ahead of the Devils. Brad Richards also came away frustrated following Monday’s loss, referencing missed scoring chances.

Taylor Pyatt returns to the lineup tonight. Hopefully, it’s for Benoit Pouliot or we have a problem. Like many Ranger bloggers, I’ve complained about Vigneault’s faith in Pyatt. But one thing you can’t question is his effort. Something you can’t say for Pouliot, who looks like another Glen Sather mistake. At least it’s only for a year. With Pyatt healthy, the Rangers finally sent down J.T. Miller. He was a healthy scratch four straight games and had just a goal and assist since his recall. Dwindling ice-time and not playing wasn’t helping his development.

“You always wonder where a guy can fit in,” Vigneault said. “Can he fit in your  top-six or top-nine or your bottom-six? And with J.T., I haven’t figured out yet  what exactly he is. Is he a top-six forward? Is he a top-nine or is he a third-  or fourth-line player? He’s a young player who has a tremendous amount of  upside. How that is going to unfold and how that is going to develop, we’re not  quite sure. I am sure about one thing, though: You can’t develop if you don’t play.”

I fail to understand why they didn’t make this move before last weekend so he could play for Hartford. As it turned out, they would’ve been better off keeping Brandon Mashinter up. With this organization, you never know what the thought process is. The Wolf Pack have been struggling mightily and definitely could’ve used Miller recently when they were getting shutout four times.

In any event, it doesn’t impact what happens with the big club. It’s up to some of the established players to start producing. Ryan Callahan has slumped with one assist and an uncharacteristic minus-four rating over his last five. He’s also taken a couple of undisciplined penalties where he wasn’t moving his feet. It caused Vigneault to drop him off the Richards line. He finished the other night with Derick Brassard. Probably the most mystifying player on the roster. With just nine points (4-5-9), it’s not the production they’re expecting. With Rick Nash healthy and the lineup deeper, he must pick it up.

Carl Hagelin has also predictably slowed down. He’s not a point-per-game type. Chris Kreider has played well but must find the back of the net more regularly. Three goals in 17 games isn’t enough. Mats Zuccarello has two. Goal scoring is an issue. In order for them to turn it around offensively, they all must do a better job finishing. Brian Boyle isn’t a goal scorer. He has one goal so far. Even he can chip in more.

Good offense can start from the blueline. Outside of Ryan McDonagh, no one else has produced. The clock is ticking on Mike Del Zotto. John Moore has shown flashes but is tied with Del Zotto and Dan Girardi with four points. The combination of Marc Staal and Anton Stralman are being used as a shutdown pair. Unfortunately, Staal’s play has suffered. He was beaten badly by St. Louis. With just two goals and a helper, that isn’t enough production to merit his inconsistency. Stralman has been steady defensively. But two assists isn’t enough. In the past, he’s shown an ability to contribute.

Overall, this roster isn’t as talented as the one Vigneault had in Vancouver. There are no Sedins, Kesler or offensive type defensemen such as Jason Garrison that can aid the offense. Maybe he didn’t know what he was getting into. For years, the Rangers have lacked a true offensive D who can control the power play and carry the puck. Del Zotto is their most talented but remains an enigma. Will they give up on him? It’s hard to say. What kind of value does a struggling young defenseman have? I’d rather see Vigneault give him added responsibility and see if he responds. When Staal went down the last two seasons, Del Zotto elevated his level.

As far as Henrik Lundqvist, there’s nothing to discuss. He had a dreadful night. Move on. I probably would’ve started Cam Talbot tonight and saved Hank for Boston. I’m guessing Vigneault didn’t want the media asking more silly questions. So, he’s going back to Lundqvist and expecting a money performance. There’s no goalie controversy. In fact, it’s a big plus to have two good goalies. Especially in an Olympic year.

The real dilemma is what Vigneault can do with the roster. He must get more out of our core. There’s no reason they can’t score more with everyone healthy. Contrary to popular belief, there’s enough depth to have three capable scoring lines. Tortorella accomplished it with Brassard. AV wanted the challenge. We’ll see if he can get it turned around.

A Louis Louis Louis: Martin St. Louis celebrates one of two goals on a memorable night.
The Canadian Press

Truth be told, Martin St. Louis is one of my favorite players. The undrafted free agent has gone onto a storybook career since signing with the Lightning in 2000. Recently, he became the 286th NHLer to reach 1,000 career games and was honored last night with a silver stick and other fun stuff. Prior to a game the former Hart winner put his stamp on with two goals and an assist in the Bolts’ 5-0 rout of the Rangers, he was honored during pregame with even ’04 Conn Smythe winner Brad Richards joining his former teammate for a special presentation that also included injured star Steven Stamkos walking out on the ice.

Maybe that should’ve been indicative of what was to come. Being that I worked the night shift, I guess you could say “I chose wisely,” to quote Indiana Jones. Sometimes, these games happen when you’re on the road. At least the Rangers won the first two before falling on their faces. It just wasn’t their night. One of the game’s class acts celebrated his big night by putting on a show in front of the home crowd. Even minus Stamkos, there was St. Louis- the lone Cup holdover lighting up our team. That included Henrik Lundqvist, who was pulled after allowing four goals in two period. He allowed two goals in 58 seconds with rookie Nikita Kucherov beating him on his first shift. St. Louis followed by going high glove.

“It’s pretty emotional,” St. Louis said. “The whole presentation. See my kids, my wife, my parents. When they started the (tribute) video, I couldn’t watch. I kind of lost it.

“It was a special night, and to be able to win the game and contribute. I’ll remember tonight for sure.”

From the sound of it, the Rangers were never in it. Though they did get one chance when they had a 5-on-3 for over a minute. But Ben Bishop was strong making 37 saves to pitch the shutout. How bad was it? They even let Nate Thompson push a puck forward and come in shorthanded forcing Lundqvist to make a save.

“We turned the puck over a couple of times in the neutral zone and they made us pay,” Alain Vigneault said while critiquing his team’s play for basically watching St. Louis dominate. “We were unable to make them pay, especially in the first period when we had quality chances.”

By that point, they trailed by three following a highlight reel St. Louis breakaway goal in which he fired a laser top shelf for career goal number 350. His combination of wheels, hands and hockey sense are amazing. At age 38, the future Hall Of Famer has shown no signs of slowing down.

“Guys like that rise to the occasion, and sure enough, he goes out there and scores two goals after that ceremony.” Bishop added after improving to 4-0 in his career against the Rangers posting his second shutout. His best stop came on Anton Stralman late in the first, reaching up with his outstretched glove to rob him. For all the talk about Vigneault’s offensive system, our team’s now been shutout five times. Three were uncompetitive.

Adding insult to injury, Teddy Purcell scored the first of a pair when he also went upstairs on Lundqvist. Prior to the goal, there was a lot of commotion on Twitter. Apparently, Brad Richards was hauled down at the point which led to the breakaway goal. I caught the highlights. They got hosed. But Lundqvist still should’ve stopped it. When he’s really off, the whole top of the net is exposed. It was one of those games. He allowed four goals on 22 shots before Cam Talbot relieved him for the third.

With the game all but over, the only remaining question was whether St. Louis would get the hat trick. Purcell came in on an odd-man rush and tried to pass it across to St. Louis. But the puck caromed off Mike Del Zotto right back to Purcell, who beat Talbot for his second of the game with 1:01 remaining- ending his shutout streak at over 165 minutes. It summed up a lost night.

The blowout defeat halted their six-game road win streak, leaving them one shy of a franchise best in 1935 and 1978. Here’s the deal. Win tomorrow at Florida and that’s 3-1 headed into the Black Friday showdown in Beantown. We’ll see how they respond.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Teddy Purcell, TB (2 goals-6, 7, assist, +3 in 14:20)

2nd Star-Ben Bishop, TB (37-save shutout)

1st Star-Martin St. Louis, TB (2 goals-9, 10, assist, 4 SOG, +3 in 18:52)

Cam Talbot gets a piece of Gabriel Bourque’s shot en route to a 17-save shutout over the Predators. He improved to 5-1-0 with 2 shutouts all on the road.
AP Photo/Mike Strasinger

Once again, Cam Talbot delivered. With his Dad watching along with other teammates’ fathers, he stopped 17 shots en route to his second straight shutout. In just his sixth NHL start, the 26-year old rookie won for the fifth time backstopping the Rangers past the Predators 2-0.

He didn’t have to be special. But Talbot proved steady when needed coming up with timely saves. That included a couple of late goalposts from dangerous Nashville defenseman Shea Weber. It allowed him to extend his shutout streak to 146 minutes, 28 seconds.

”It’s nice to be back down south, I’ve always loved it down here,” a pleased Talbot said after a sort of homecoming. During his collegiate career, he played for the University Of Alabama-Huntsville which is 100 miles south of Nashville. ”It was fun to get the start down here.”

Most importantly, his teammates played well in front of him. They limited the Preds’ chances and took away the neutral zone. Against a stingy opponent who makes its living capitalizing on mistakes, the Rangers were able to sneak two past Czech rookie Marek Mazanec. He entered having won his previous three starts. Following a scoreless first period, Dan Girardi sent a shot towards Mazanec that partner Ryan McDonagh redirected past the Nashville goalie for his fifth at 13:13 of the second.

”G had a lot of time. I knew he was going to get a puck going to the net,” McDonagh said. ”We’ve talked about getting deflections and dirty goals, and I just happened to be in the right spot there. It was a great shot.”

Seeing McDonagh drive the net for the neat deflection was refreshing. He’s still only in his fourth year but already is within two goals of a career best seven achieved in ’11-12. His five markers and 12 points pace our D. He also was stellar defensively logging the most minutes (25:58) of our skaters with Girardi right behind (25:53). Speaking of Danny G, it’s nice to see him show confidence offensively. It’s been few and far between for a player who benefited most under John Tortorella’s defensive scheme. He has assists in two straight and is coming around. Vital for any Rangers success.

The Preds didn’t create many opportunities. But took seven shots in the middle stanza. Talbot stayed sharp. A good characteristic for a young NHL goalie. Sometimes when you don’t see much action, you lose focus. That clearly wasn’t the case here as his positioning was solid and looked poised throughout. There also was a scrap between Derek Dorsett and Kevin Klein. Dorsett didn’t like Klein’s hit that knocked Brian Boyle off balance into the glass. He took up for him and got clocked by Klein. It was still admirable for a guy gaining in popularity. That kind of stuff is good for team camaraderie.

Former Ranger Matt Cullen had the best chance I can think of. He fanned on a point blank chance in front and then Weber hit the post. It summed up a frustrating night for Nashville. With the Rangers clinging to a one-goal lead, Derek Stepan forced a turnover leading to him erasing a seven-game drought with his fifth at 7:45 of the third. Similar to the 3-2 win over Dallas, his defensive awareness led to a goal. Only instead of a teammate finishing like Chris Kreider, he took a Mats Zuccarello feed and beat a still recovering Mazanec for a crucial insurance tally. It was the kind of play you expect from Stepan. A smart two-way pivot who still must improve on face-offs. He lost nine of 12.

All that was left was whether Talbot would get the shutout. He turned aside all five Predator shots in the third and had some luck thanks to a couple of posts on top heavy Weber shots. Sometimes, you need the bounces. He got them. The most important aspect of this win was it was a solid overall performance. Their second consecutive win on a five-game road trip improved the Rangers to 8-6-0 away from MSG. Amazingly, they’ve won six in a row on the road. Dating back to Talbot’s first win- a 3-2 triumph at Detroit on Oct. 26- the Rangers have outscored opponents 16-8.

Interestingly enough, Talbot has started every game away from MSG and is 5-1-0 with a 1.32 GAA, .949 save percentage and two shutouts. You wonder if it’s by design. In any event, it’s certainly working out well so far. With three more games including two in three nights in Tampa and Florida, he’s sure to get at least one start. Figure Alain Vigneault to save Henrik Lundqvist for a Black Friday visit in Boston.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Shea Weber, Nsh (3 SOG, 4 missed, 2 goalposts, -1 in 27:49-certainly had his chances)

2nd Star-Mats Zuccarello, NYR (2 assists, 3 SOG, +2 in 17:30-Zucc is a smart player)

1st Star-Ryan McDonagh, NYR (5th of season, game-winner, +1 in 25:58-one of his best efforts)

Nashty: Rick Nash beats Kari Lehtonen on a breakaway in the first period.
Jerome Miron/USA Today Sports

After two periods, they were fortunate to be tied. The Rangers knew that. In the first period, Henrik Lundqvist made 23 saves. A career high for one period according to Elias Sports Bureau. They needed heroic goaltending to stay with a dangerous offensive opponent. In total, Lundqvist finished with 41 saves. He also set up Rick Nash’s first goal of the season with a brilliant outlet. Not known for his stickhandling, even that part of his game was sharp.

It might not have mattered if Chris Kreider and John Moore didn’t score 37 seconds apart to break a 1-1 tie early in the third. Offense had been hard to come by lately. In their last four games, the Rangers totaled only four. In a second intermission interview with John Giannone, Ryan McDonagh noted that they’d gotten into penalty trouble. They handed Dallas a ton of opportunities including Stephane Robidas’ power play goal which took a funny hop off McDonagh past a helpless Lundqvist. Despite playing a better period going even in shots (13-13), they needed a strong third to win a big game.

Kreider got the goal party started when he took a Derek Stepan feed in the neutral zone and wired a wrister past Kari Lehtonen. It erased a nine-game drought and had to feel good for a player who’s been doing everything. Dan Girardi added a helper off a Dallas turnover. With the excitement of Kreider’s goal still felt, Derick Brassard sent Moore flying into the Dallas zone. Like Kreider, he blasted one top shelf for his second to suddenly make it 3-1. Carl Hagelin started the play and earned an assist.

It proved to be huge because Alex Chiasson cut it to one when he took a Cody Eakin feed and beat Lundqvist with a twisted wrister. On the Stars’ second goal, Mike Del Zotto and Brassard got caught leading to an odd-man rush. It was Del Zotto’s first game after being a healthy scratch three straight. Joe Micheletti went out of his way to rip him. I guess he’s Alain Vigneault’s ear piece. Brassard made a mistake too. Come on.

Following Chiasson’s goal, Nash got a breakaway from the Dallas blueline leading to a penalty shot. He made a great move to the backhand but an athletic Lehtonen was able to make a fantastic leg save keeping it 3-2 with 11:21 left. It allowed the Stars to come at Lundqvist in waves. Jamie Benn had the best chance. The Stars’ captain entered the zone and toe dragged around three sliding Rangers and got a pretty good shot on Lundqvist, who squeezed his pads together to avert disaster. It was the biggest save of the game and allowed the team to get a much needed win against a good team.

Our D had plenty of breakdowns. But Hank stood tall earning his first Broadway Hat. He gave credit to the Stars for coming hard. But in the end, he made the difference. This was the type of game the Rangers desperately had to have from their goalie. He delivered a clutch performance allowing them to start the five-game road trip on the right foot. They next visit Nashville Saturday before headed to Tampa and Florida next week. Then conclude at Boston on Black Friday.

The win allowed them to get back to .500 (11-11-0) with 22 points. Currently, they’re third in the Metro. A point up on the Devils, who are playing the Kings now. With another win, the Flyers are suddenly up to fifth in the division with 20 points. The Canes lost and also have 20. The Blue Jackets and Islanders each have 19. It’s tightened up considerably. Every game matters.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-John Moore, NYR (2nd goal of season-points in his last 2 games)

2nd Star-Chris Kreider, NYR (3rd goal of season ended 9-game drought-much needed)

1st Star-Henrik Lundqvist, NYR (41 saves incl. career best 23 saves in 1st period)

Tuukka Time: Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask was in the zone stopping 43 shots lifting them past the Rangers 2-1.
AP Photo/Kathy Willens

There are moments when a goalie steals the show. Tuukka Rask was the story. His 43 saves upstaged the return of Rick Nash– allowing the Bruins to skate away with a 2-1 win over the Rangers at Madison Square Garden. It was the caliber goaltending we’ve grown accustomed to from Henrik Lundqvist. He was good making 20 saves. However, Rask carried a tired Boston club to victory sending disappointed fans home.

In many aspects, it was a mirror image of last Spring. Even with the Bruins on their heels throughout, their goalie was superior while the Ranger offense sputtered. More and more, it’s become the norm even with a new coach. Make it three consecutive games they failed to score more than a goal. Since Alain Vigneault benched Mike Del Zotto, they’ve lost two of three and scored only twice. Another brilliant move was dressing Benoit Pouliot over J.T. Miller. Did he even play? Par for the course when it comes to this organization.

At least Nash was flying. He looked great taking 23 shifts (17:55) and registering five shots. He definitely didn’t show much rust skating well and getting dangerous scoring chances. He wasn’t alone. Chris Kreider was all over the ice getting four shots on Rask. That included a penalty shot on an early power play 6:16 into the contest. Unfortunately, he was stifled by Rask. That was how the entire game went. The Rangers played a strong first outshooting the Bruins 16-6. But had nothing to show for it.

The second was eerily similar. They continued to pepper Rask from every direction. It didn’t matter. In particular, he kept robbing Kreider. The agonizing thing about the game was his brilliance allowed the Bruins to steal two points. They took it thanks to a couple of miscues. The first was a turnover at the Boston blueline, leading to a three on two. With two of our players hustling back, they gave Shawn Thornton the angle against Lundqvist. It’s what you’re taught to do. Unfortunately, Thornton roofed one past Hank’s glove for the game’s first goal. I got into a debate with another Rangers follower on Twitter. He claimed it was a “perfect shot.” Perhaps. But it’s Shawn Thornton. It was one Hank should’ve had.

Some of our fans believe that the power play has improved. It definitely gets more looks but that doesn’t necessarily make it better. Given another chance following a David Krejci goalie interference, that great power play allowed a shorthanded goal to another playoff ghost. Ryan McDonagh lost control of the puck at the point allowing Greg Campbell to chip it to Daniel Paille for a mini-break. He had no trouble beating Lundqvist on a backhand deke. It was a back breaker. Sure. Derick Brassard responded immediately with a great wrist shot 1:01 later cutting the deficit in half. I called him and John Moore out. They responded. Maybe I should do that more.

The problem was that Paille shorthanded goal doomed them. Rask was red hot and had some luck thanks to a couple of goal posts. When a goalie’s hot and the team fails to score consistently, it puts even more pressure on Lundqvist to be perfect. He wasn’t. So, they dropped another crucial game in the standings and didn’t even earn one of those NHL specials because this team can’t force overtime against anyone. But Vigneault’s coaching. So, what’s the issue? I guess he really had to have Justin Falk in for 16 shifts (10:18) over a more skilled defenseman in Del Zotto. Nothing against Falk, who gave them energy with four hits and four blocked shots.

This is about a coach who doesn’t get it. Sitting our most gifted offensive D hurts more than helps. He continues to overuse McDonagh on the power play. I love McDonagh but he’s not a power play quarterback. I have no idea what Vigneault’s doing. He says he wants to create more offense from the blueline. Del Zotto is the only guy on the roster who’s had a 10-goal 41-point year. That was in ’11-12 under John Tortorella when the team advanced to the Conference Final. Are they ready to give up on him? My guess is as good as yours.

The most frustrating aspect of tonight was that the team competed hard. They gave max effort. They also didn’t back down from the Bruins’ goon tactics. Dan Girardi went back at Milan Lucic after getting plowed. Brian Boyle leveled Zdeno Chara following a hit. Mats Zuccarello went back at Chara, who was busy swinging his stick against our midget. Classy. Brad Marchand only received two minutes for cross checking Zuccarello. He knew exactly what he was doing. But because Zuccarello’s tough, he got two and the league will not discipline him. Sometimes, I can’t stand how poorly it’s run.

There was a lot to like despite the loss. How about Derek Dorsett beating Campbell? Boyle jawing with Thornton before a faceoff. Zuccarello not backing down because he’s got guts. That’s a big positive. They have to stick together. With a five-game road trip starting in Dallas Thursday, their character will get tested. When they finally return home for Tortorella’s Canucks at the end of the month, we’re going to find out a lot about them. What kind of team do they want to be?

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Rick Nash, NYR (5 SOG, 6 missed attempts-looked sharp)

2nd Star-Chris Kreider, NYR (4 SOG, missed penalty shot-all over ice)

1st Star-Tuukka Rask, BOS (43 saves with many spectacular)