Callahan returns for Duck hunting

Posted on November 4, 2013 by Derek

Tonight, when the Rangers take on the Ducks at MSG, a familiar face will be back. Ryan Callahan makes his return after missing eight games with a broken thumb. As usual, the gritty leader is back sooner than expected. You can’t keep him down for long. That’s what makes him one of the best captains in the sport. He has a high level of pain threshold.

Getting Callahan back is great. Since returning home, the team is playing better. They’ve won a season high three straight and four of their last five. It’s no coincidence that their play has improved with Carl Hagelin’s return. A hard nosed player similar to the captain, the feisty Swede has two goals and an assist during the win streak. Alain Vigneault boasted about his speed which is a great asset for the high tempo he wants to play. Even better, Vigneault deserves credit for putting together Chris Kreider with Derek Stepan and Mats Zuccarello. The trio have found chemistry coming off their best game- a 5-1 home win over Carolina. They combined for nine points including Stepan’s second career hat trick to snap out of it.

Meanwhile, Hagelin played with Brad Richards and Benoit Pouliot recording his fourth career two-goal game. Richards and Pouliot each had assists. Richards has been the team’s best forward so far tied with Stepan for the lead in scoring with 10 points (5-5-10). A sharp contrast from last year when he admittedly wasn’t in the best shape and lacked confidence. With Callahan back, Vigneault could slide him on the top line for Pouliot and move Benoit down to the third line. It should be noted that that line also was effective shutting down Eric and Jordan Staal. It was a make shift line of Brian Boyle, Derick Brassard and J.T. Miller. Boyle has become a coach favorite for his versatility and energy. It’s nice to see him get appreciated. He’s always been a solid citizen. Hopefully, he’ll catch a break and get a goal soon.

I wonder what Vigneault will do for Callahan’s first game back. Does he just start him on the third line and keep the top two lines intact? There’s no reason to mess with success. Maybe he’ll mix and match depending on how the game goes. Interestingly enough, he wasn’t pleased with Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau last time out. During a 6-0 blowout in the fourth game of the season on Oct. 10, Boudreau had his top power play unit out late. New York Post’s Larry Brooks had some interesting tweets which could have significance for the Garden rematch.

I remember at the time thinking that was strange. Granted, it was early in the schedule. Maybe Boudreau wanted to give Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Teemu Selanne some work. In his response, he basically suggested that.

He also added that he stuck the fourth line on after 40 seconds. Whatever. It will probable get settled on the ice. The best way to do it is to win. The Ducks have some key guys out including Selanne and Saku Koivu. They haven’t had much success at MSG lately losing three straight including a 2-1 shootout loss two years ago. The Rangers look to get a measure of revenge.

Regarding the lineup, Brooks reported that Miller is a healthy scratch. Supposedly, Vigneault didn’t like his game Saturday. Yet team pet Taylor Pyatt continues to play. Eh. 😛 I don’t get it. Guess that means Callahan either starts third line or flips with Pouliot. The fourth line is probably Pyatt, Derek Dorsett and Brandon Mashinter. I have no problem with that. Especially the energy Dorsett and Mashinter provide. I guess someone will substitute for face-offs. Probably Boyle.

UPDATE: Going off Daily News writer Pat Leonard’s blog , Callahan skated with Richards and Pouliot meaning Hagelin might start on the third line. Guess we’ll have to wait and see.

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Olesz waived as Devils continue to flounder

Posted on November 4, 2013 by hasan4978

A day after New Jersey suffered yet another dispiriting loss, this time by a score of 4-0 to Zach Parise‘s Minnesota Wild, the Devils did the equivalent of shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic by putting ineffective forward Rostislav Olesz on waivers.  Olesz has a one-year $700k deal (which could be as much as $1 million with games-played bonuses) and GM Lou Lamoriello said he wouldn’t neccesarily be asked to go to Albany if he did clear waivers.  Wonderful, so even when we finally make a move we probably won’t really make a move.  Olesz will likely clear waivers and return, a la Brian Rolston a few years back.  I guess it’s fine to see if you can give away a one-way contract, but I doubt anyone’ll take a shot on Olesz who’s been largely invisible with just two assists in ten games so far.  I don’t even remember those to be honest.

Last night’s game wasn’t even worth watching let alone recapping.  After the football Jets’ terrific win in the afternoon and a dinner out, I admit I preferred watching other Sunday programming for the most part instead of the expected beatdown in Minnesota that materalized.  Especially after the Philly game the night before already sapped almost all of my enthusiasm in the team last week.  In the few minutes I did turn on, it seemed as if Chico Resch and Steve Cangelosi couldn’t stop talking about the Wild and their revitalized hockey culture.  I love Chico, I like Steve and I understand because Chico’s from Minnesota he’s intimately tuned into what’s going on there…but sometimes they talk up the opposition so much it makes my ears bleed.  I’m especially not in the mood for it when our team is dying on the vine and is probably going to give up a top ten pick at this rate due to the henious decision by Lou to not give up the #29 pick two years ago when the team could have put the Ilya Kovalchuk contract penalty fully behind them with a relatively low amount of pain.  If Lou wasn’t Lou, that decision alone would probably be a fireable offense, much like Chicago’s contract snafus which forced their hand earlier than it needed to be with the cap drove Dale Tallon out of Chi-town after he won a Cup there.

Unfortunately that’s what this season’s going to be about now, just how high of a pick are we NOT going to get.  After trading our first-rounder last year for Cory Schnieder and not having a high first-rounder this year, it becomes even more imperative to sign him long-term this offseason.  But with the team being as bad as it’s been, why would a competitor like Schnieder rush to re-sign long-term with a team that’s probably going to miss the playoffs three of the last four seasons?  Without him we’d go back to a severe question mark in goal after Martin Brodeur‘s eventual retirement.  Up front the cupboard’s pretty bare other than OHL record-setting goalscorer Reid Boucher (who has three goals and eight points in 11 games at Albany this year).  Stefan Matteau – who we kept the #29 overall two years ago to draft – has been awful in the AHL this year scoring just one point in ten games with a -3, and is also coming off a contreversial exit in the QMJHL last year after actually starting last season in New Jersey due to our horrendous forward depth.

Defensively the picture looks better, though last night’s suspected concussion that Jon Merrill suffered mere minutes into his NHL debut just threw up another dark cloud in an already gloomy sky.  Merrill’s talented but his college career was bumpy due to injury and suspension.  He did show his talent in eleven games down in Albany with two goals and five assists, which are great numbers for a d-man…but clearly he needs to get used to the daily grind of the NHL before he’s ready.  Fellow rookie Eric Gelinas has tapered off after his first two games, but still looks solid and about ready to be an NHL regular.  Former #4 overall pick Adam Larsson has been one of the few bright spots the last couple of weeks, as his play has picked up.

Still, the d-picture is cloudy at the moment with Bryce Salvador, Peter Harrold and Anton Volchenkov all apparently injured.  Once any or all are ready to return, something’s gotta give.  Even Lou can’t keep putting off decision day forever with either real or feigned injuries, although perhaps part of the reason for wanting to move Olesz is to clear a spot so we can carry eight defensemen again, which would be a disaster if everyone had to rotate again like last year.  It’s amazing how we just have to keep spare parts around on a team that’s been awful over the last fifty games.  I just can’t wait to see how dead the building’s going to be for a Sunday night game against Nashville if we get whipped in Philly and Toronto later this week.

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Jon Merrill making debut for Devils

Posted on November 4, 2013 by Derek

What was billed as Zach Parise’s first game against his former team has become secondary for the Devils. As I’m sure Hasan will post later, tonight Jon Merrill makes his NHL debut for the Devs when they take on the Wild. The 2010 second round pick out of Michigan is in his first full pro season. After tallying a goal and seven assists in 12 games last year for Albany, he’s followed up with two goals and five assists in 11 in the AHL.

For the 21-year old who spent parts of three years with the University Of Michigan before turning pro, it’s a chance to fulfill a lifelong dream. Merrill gets the opportunity following an emergency recall with veteran defenseman Anton Volchenkov out due to an upper body injury. He’ll be wearing number 34 and be paired alongside Marek Zidlicky.

The Devils remain minus Travis Zajac and Patrik Elias. They’re also still without captain Bryce Salvador, who’s on the injured reserve with a stress fracture. Eric Gelinas has remained with the club registering a goal and assist in four games. Already for New Jersey, the future is now with two of their D prospects up on a revamped blueline. At least for now, Devil fans will get to see what all the hype’s about with Merrill, who went down after a strong camp.

They’ll take on a good team. The Wild are 7-4-3 with 17 points in the West. Remarkably, that’s not even good enough to rank in the top eight with the Kings eighth just ahead. Most of their success has come at home where they have a great crowd. So far, they’re 5-1-2 at Excel Energy Center. They don’t give up much thanks to a stingy D led by Ryan Suter and goalie tandem Niklas Backstrom and Josh Harding with the latter getting the start against Cory Schneider. As for Parise, he’s tied with Jason Pominville for the team lead with 10 points (6-4-10). It’ll be interesting to see how he performs against his former team.

But the story at least for Hasan and other Devils Army is the debut of Merrill. Will he impress early like Gelinas? Let’s find out.

Posted in Battle News, Devils | 2 Comments

Video Of Day: Derek Stepan’s 2nd career hat trick

Posted on November 3, 2013 by Derek

Today’s Video Of Day features Derek Stepan’s second career hat trick from last night. The Rangers top center finally caught some luck ending a 12-game goal drought in style by recording three goals in the team’s 5-1 win over the Hurricanes at MSG. Let’s take a look back at a memorable night for D-Step.

The first goal came on the power play. Stepan was beneficiary of some strong second effort from linemates Mats Zuccarello and Chris Kreider in front. They freed up the puck for Stepan, who buried it for his first allowing him to finally exhale.

Goal two was by far the prettiest. It was the product of a dominant shift from the trio. A Kreider check allowed him to win the puck along the boards pushing it down for Zuccarello. Zuke made a beautiful no look backhand feed from behind the net to a wide open Stepan for a gimme. The pass by Zuccarello was magnificent and proves why he’s valuable. If you stick him on a good line, his skill makes a difference. Zuke also competes every shift. It’s nice to see him respond to Alain Vigneault’s benching. He, Stepan and Kreider have great chemistry.

Goal three was good fortune for a player who deserved it. Stepan has taken it on the chin following his predictable slow start following a lengthy holdout that cost him the entire preseason. He still led the team in assists (7) before the goal barrage. Kreider moved the puck across to Zuccarello, who fed a cutting Stepan in the slot. He let go of a shot that took a nice hop off Andrej Sekera past Justin Peters for the hat trick. The second of his career and first since a memorable rookie debut on Oct. 9, 2010 against the Sabres. Ironically, Sean Avery set up Stepan with a great backhand feed for that hat in Buffalo. Hard to believe three years later Avery’s retired. He was a good Ranger. A shame. Still love seeing Step’s Mom and sister’s reaction. Awesome!

”Goals on the power play, that’s going to help a power play,” Stepan said last night. ”We’ve certainly simplified things. Our power-play goal was a play out of the corner. Mac takes a slapper, and a mad scramble in front. If you look around the league, that’s how the power-play goals are being scored.”

”My two linemates have created pretty good looks for me, and I wasn’t able to find the back of the net. ‘Tonight they continued to do it, and I was fortunate enough to find the net a couple times, so that’s good.”

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One step forward, two steps back in Newark

Posted on November 3, 2013 by hasan4978

Is there a more fitting movie clip to describe last night’s fiasco in Newark called a hockey game?

Oh well, it was nice not to have to bag on the team for almost a week.  I enjoyed our lengthy two-game winning streak, the longest one we’ve had since February last year.  Alas, our supposed turnaround game in Boston barely carried us to one additional win against Tampa on Tuesday night.  Last night’s effort (or lack thereof) was an absolute dud, to put it mildly.  Let’s forget for a moment the Flyers came into the Rock after disgracing themselves Friday night on the heels of a horrendous season start, and thumbed their noses at the world even further by starting Ray Emery, who was front and center in Friday night’s craziness and escaped suspension on a technicality…apparently there’s no rule against a goalie beating the snot out of a defenseless opponent.  I’m not so much annoyed we lost to that team – well okay maybe a little, but god knows we were probably due to lose one to them since we’d pretty much owned them from the ’12 playoffs on.  Though I figured if we did lose, it would be an offensive show where Claude Giroux turned back the clock and went off, their other role players would chip in and they’d have a 4-2, 5-3 type win.  I never dreamed we’d lose 1-0 to one of the worst goaltenders in hockey and get a meager fourteen shots on net with the type of urgency you’d expect from a preseason game.

I suppose in one respect it makes sense since you had more or less preseason lineups out for both teams last night with the Flyers losing Steve Downie and Vincent Lecavalier in Friday’s sideshow, while we lost Travis Zajac to a ‘minor’ ankle injury in practice and Patrik Elias to the ever-random upper-body injury.  Our losses proved more key, despite Zajac’s awful offense this year it’s not like replacement Jacob Josefson is capable of producing goals either.  And replacing Elias with Mattias Tedenby?  Forgetaboutit.  Without them a previously improving power play went into a black hole, going 0-5 and creating more blocked shots than actual good scoring chances.  Only Jaromir Jagr and Danius Zubrus was even able to create any hope of offense last night, although Zubrus’s lack of finish has doomed him to a horrendous start on the stat sheet.

That said, there’s literally no excuse for either the lack of passion last night or the fact you were only able to get fourteen shots (and most of them not very good) against the Flyers last night.  I mean come on, the Flyers’ D aren’t exactly the Devils of the early ’00’s with Stevens, Niedermayer, Rafalski and a Colin White with two good eyes.  This same Flyer team gave up seven goals to a Caps team that didn’t have its best offensive player.  I realize they were going to be more up for last night’s game after that performance but come on now.  The Flyers weren’t exactly doing all that great even before last night either.  At least look like a professional hockey team, especially when you’re not in position to be giving away points despite two wins in a row.  Emery literally wasn’t challenged the whole night and still got the first star – our best chances were a couple of post shots, and one three-on-one Zubrus screwed up.  Aside from that, there were long stretches of just sucking in oxygen and doing little else. Boos rained down from the skies during the third period and I was among them.  Other than Martin Brodeur it looked like the team was already clocking out and ready to go to Minnesota and take another butt-whipping there.  Even midway through the first period this game had the grinding, unhappy feel of a Game 6 against Carolina in 2002 to me.

While you can’t attribute the team’s losing last year to a lack of effort, it’s cropping up this year in spades.  A total no-show last night and in Winnipeg a couple of weeks ago.  An almost total no-show in Columbus, and other blown leads and lapses of concentration doesn’t exactly bode well for coach Pete DeBoer.  DeBoer seemed a bit more relaxed and upbeat after the two game winning streak but make no mistake about it, last night’s loss put him right back on the hot seat.  Especially with the horrendous win-loss record since mid-February.  We literally haven’t had as much as a three-game winning streak since then.  Last night was our best chance for that but Brayden Schenn‘s redirect of a Andrei Meszaros shot at 14:29 of the first proved enough for Philly, who a year after crying about the 1-3-1 in Tampa bottled things up pretty well themselves last night.  Pretty much the only good thing about last night is the fact for some reason we’re able to contain their animalistic tendencies, since they realize we’re not going to engage with them in their cheap shot for cheap shot game.  About the only thing I saw that was dirty (besides a couple of well-timed dives to draw penalties) was Scott Hartnell attempting to rabbit punch Adam Henrique along the boards.  I’m sure there was other stuff too but nothing major, and probably the NHL had the Flyers on probation anyway after Friday night.  Although the fact nobody including Emery got suspended from that fracas makes you wonder about this league, and perhaps the influence Ed Snider has.

Since there was literally nothing to talk about from the game, let’s talk about another of my least-favorite subjects, attendance…which was frighteningly low (13,705) for a weekend night Flyers game.  I guess in this case the Devils are reaping what they sow with outrageously high single-game prices in the tiered pricing system, and fewer of the discounts that at least got people in the building the last few years.  Not to mention their draconian fan policies so far this season, and control over the Diablos (fans who stand and chant the whole game) in 122.  I’m literally not a person that complains about anyone else making noise and I sit two sections away – last night was the first time the Diablos actually annoyed me, at least in terms of noise level.  Sometimes their chants are corny but usually I just sarcastically snicker and let it go.  Noise-wise it was different last night though, they literally rang the horn/bell or blew the vuvuzela at all times nonfreakingstop.  I appreciate wanting to make noise especially since the rest of the arena’s dead but you know what, how about making your OWN freaking noise instead of relying on props?  At least then it would be authentic and not as annoying as nonstop screaming on a quiet bus.  The team’s fan ops is also guilty of jacking up the decibel level to an insane amount, when I was in the bathroom for the third period you’d have thought there was a boom box in there with how loud the music was.  Of course with every goal song they’re jacking up the music now too, trying to prevent the crowd from getting an audible ‘you suck’ chant going.  You wouldn’t have known it last night though since Seven Nation Army’s goal song didn’t get its official debut.

Amazingly the Devils are still in the mix for a playoff spot (four points out with a game in hand on the Caps) despite their horrendous start, but they just can’t keep losing like this and maintain that for very long, even in a bad division.  Look at what’s coming up the next three weeks till Thanksgiving, even a Devils team healthy and playing well would be hard-pressed to get points never mind this ghost of a team we’ve been seeing for months.  Last night we possibly turned the Flyer season around and tonight we’re most likely going to get another kick in the teeth playing Zach Parise in Minnesota.  Wouldn’t shock me if Parise scored at least a couple of goals, wouldn’t shock me at all.  Especially since we’re getting a rusty Cory Schnieder off IR playing tomorrow.  With Marty playing well in his last two games it’ll be interesting to see how the rotation shapes up going forward even if Schnieder doesn’t throw in another dud like his point giveaway against the Canucks the last time he played.  Probably a good thing I’ll be out to dinner instead of watching the game, god knows I saw enough of nothing last night to need a few more days off from the boys.

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Rangers Postgame Notes

Posted on November 3, 2013 by Derek

Some notables from tonight’s 5-1 home win over Carolina.

-Chris Kreider’s first career 3-point game. He extended his career best point streak to 3 recording 2 goals and 3 assists.

-The 3 assists for Mats Zuccarello tied a career high set on Jan. 25, 2011 vs. Florida. Since sitting out, Zuke has a goal and 5 assists over the last 5 games.

-Carl Hagelin recorded his 4th career 2-goal game. He had two in his rookie year (’11-12) and one last year. The Rangers are 3-0-0 since Hags returned outscoring opponents 10-3. The Hag Factor.

-After making 27 saves, Henrik Lundqvist improved to 2-1-0 since returning from his “secret injury.” He’s allowed 3 goals on the last 84 shots faced posting a 1.01 GAA with a .964 save percentage along with one shutout.

-With an assist, that gives Benoit Pouliot four points over his last 5. He’s definitely been more noticeable following a dreadful start. The key is consistency.

-The Rangers 5 goals came against Justin Peters. Let’s face it. He’s not NHL caliber. I don’t want to jump the gun on our offense being cured quite yet. We’ll learn a lot more starting Monday.

-When he focuses on playing hockey, Derek Dorsett’s an effective fore-checker who finishes checks. However, the shenanigans has to stop. He’s already taken some undisciplined penalties. Going back at Ryan Murphy wasn’t worth it. What if the Canes had gotten another one past Hank?

-A huge difference between Alain Vigneault and John Tortorella is how he plays our core guys. Only Ryan McDonagh saw over 20 minutes receiving a shade over 23. A sharp contrast from what we saw under Tort, who rode his horses. Dan Girardi isn’t being worn out getting 19:16 and going plus-3. Anton Stralman actually got 25 seconds more. The team’s most overlooked defenseman continues to fly under the radar working well with Marc Staal, who’s settled down. John Moore got over 17 minutes playing better hitting the post and forcing Peters to make a good save. Mike Del Zotto also had 17-plus and was okay. The balance is probably best for the team long-term.

-One other tidbit. Derek Stepan recorded his hat trick in 14:10 or about a minute less than Chris Kreider.

-Face-offs were Hurricanes 33, Rangers 28. Brian Boyle went 9-and-6. Brad Richards was .500 (7-for-14). Former Blueshirt Manny Malhotra was the game’s best going 10 of 14 in his second NHL game back from a career threatening eye injury. Wishing him all the best.

-Blocked shots continue to decrease under AV. The Rangers blocked 10 led by who else but Danny G (4). Taylor Pyatt had 2. The Canes had 15 led by lone goal scorer Andrej Sekera’s 4 and Justin Faulk’s 3.

-There was not much physicality with the teams combining for a paltry 39. The Rangers won that battle 22-17 paced by Derick Brassard’s 5. Ser—io—us—ly. Kreider added 3. For Carolina, Brett Bellemore led them with 5 and little ex-Sabre Nathan Gerbe had 3. Odd.

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Game Recap: Stepan hat trick highlights Rangers 3rd straight win

Posted on November 3, 2013 by Derek
Stepan Up: Derek Stepan celebrates his first of 3 goals with Ryan McDonagh. Part of his 2nd career hat trick. AP Photo/Bill Kostroun

Stepan Up: Derek Stepan celebrates his first of 3 goals with Ryan McDonagh. Part of his 2nd career hat trick.
AP Photo/Bill Kostroun

It was another strong performance. The Rangers won their third consecutive game defeating the Hurricanes 5-1 at The Garden. For the first time in 13 games, they scored more than three goals. Even better, Derek Stepan is the story of the game. His second career hat trick highlighted a big night. Not to be outdone Carl Hagelin scored twice. The Rangers improved to 3-0-0 since he returned. Chris Kreider and Mats Zuccarello added three assists. Henrik Lundqvist made 27 saves.

The obvious is that after 13 games, Stepan is finally off the snide in a big way. What a way to break out. He scored three times against overmatched third stringer Justin Peters. Since Alain Vigneault split up Stepan and Brad Richards, it’s benefited everyone. There was no way they could continue to having our top two centers together. Stepan has found chemistry with Kreider and Zuccarello, who each have three-game point streaks. Not to sound like a broken record but Kreider has been a much different player since his recall from Hartford. He’s continuing to use his body and make plays. On Stepan’s first on the power play. Kreider freed up a loose puck. On the second, it was a strong play along the boards allowing Zuccarello to set up Stepan.

With Kreider going and Hagelin already making an impact, there’s no doubt this team is much improved. Hagelin is that key ingredient who makes them harder to play against. That he picked up his fourth career two-goal game in just Game 3 shows just how essential the pesky Swede’s become. If Ryan Callahan is the heart of the Blueshirts, Hagelin’s the soul. He already has three points in three wins and the team is just one under .500 (6-7-0). Not bad considering how poorly they started. Following a shaky start, Hagelin got the scoring started when he took a Benoit Pouliot feed and fooled Peters with a backhand. Brad Richards, who started it with a solid play in his end got the other assist. Once he scored, the Rangers awoke and came at the Canes in waves. After being outshot 6-3 early, they finished the first period on a 9-3 run.

A strong penalty kill on a ridiculous Hagelin call led to him scoring out of the box on a mini-break. After a Peters mishandled a Taylor Pyatt clear, Hagelin stuffed one home for his second. Ironically, the goal came at almost an identical time (8:26) as the first (8:16). Even a period apart, that’s kind of creepy. Post-Halloween ghosts at MSG? 😛

The game wasn’t without intensity following a Ryan Murphy clip of Derek Dorsett. The rookie defenseman made the mistake of going low on a hip check low bridging Dorsett, who didn’t take too kindly promising retribution. Good thing the Rangers took advantage on the power play, which suddenly is becoming potent. With Manny Malhotra off for a cross check, it gave them extra time in the Carolina zone. Plenty for Stepan to get his first of the season. Critiqued for blowing chances, he didn’t miss this time with Kreider doing a good job in front. Zuccarello added the other assist.

Predictably, Dorsett went after Murphy getting two for roughing and two for elbowing. Jay Harrison came to the kid’s defense getting a rough which still gave the Canes an opportunity to get back in it. They took advantage thanks to an innocent looking Andrej Sekera shot from a sharp angle fooling Lundqvist. The replay seemed to indicate that it deflected off Anton Stralman. Jiri Tlusty and Justin Faulk picked up helpers.

Lundqvist made a couple of timely stops early in the third to keep Carolina at bay. I still don’t know how he was selected the game’s number one star over Stepan. Heck. Kreider or Zuccarello would’ve been a better choice than our goalie, who the media has a fascination with. Listening to Joe Micheletti after the game is bad enough. Hank was good. But it’s not like he stood on his head.

Tonight was more about Stepan, who recorded his first hat trick since that huge rookie debut at Buffalo. His second was a beauty set up by Zuccarello and Kreider. It started thanks to a great fore-check from Kreider, who took a Cane off the puck. Then Zuccarello fed Stepan for an easy one-timer in the slot. That line was flying all night. There was another shift where they kept Carolina pinned in for an extended period leading to cheers. Well deserved. Speaking of which, Stepan caught a break on his third goal when he sent a wrist shot off a Cane defenseman that trickled by Peters. Zuccarello and Kreider each added their third assists.

Vigneault let Hagelin try for the hat trick in the final minute. He nearly got it but hit the post after a Brian Boyle miss. Boyle doesn’t have a goal yet but it’s not for lack of effort. He’s been one of the most consistent players so far always bringing a strong work ethic. It might not always be appreciated by our fans, who go out of their way to critique his slow skating and lack of finish. But this guy has been a gamer since he came over from LA. He is a good penalty killer and solid face-off guy winning 9 of 15 tonight. He also has been a strong fore-checker this year adjusting to Vigneault’s more aggressive system. I’m glad he’s still a Ranger. You need those types that do the little things that don’t show up in the stat sheet.

All in all, a good win. Three in a row and four of five. The Rangers continue to improve defensively allowing two or fewer in six straight. Their record is 4-2-0. Things are headed in the right direction. And that’s minus our captain and with no Rick Nash in sight. Give Vigneault credit along with the players for sticking with it. The schedule gets tougher with Anaheim visiting Monday and then the Pens. Those will be good tests to see where this club is. Now, we can look forward to it.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Kreider/Zuccarello, NYR (3 A each-combined with Stepan for 9 points, +6 rating- can’t ignore them)

2nd Star-Carl Hagelin, NYR (2 goals-4th multi-goal career game, 5 SOG, 3 takeaways, +2 in 17:44- NYR 3-0 with Hags)

1st Star-Derek Stepan, NYR (hat trick-1, 2, 3-2nd career 3-goal game, 7 SOG, +2 in 14:01-Welcome Back Step!)

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Game Preview: Rangers look to stay hot this weekend

Posted on November 2, 2013 by Derek
Rookie Chris Kreider's resurgence has boosted the Rangers who have won 3 of 4 entering tonight's game versus Carolina. AP Photo/Frank Franklin II

Rookie Chris Kreider’s resurgence has boosted the Rangers who have won 3 of 4 entering tonight’s game versus Carolina.
AP Photo/Frank Franklin II

It’s amazing what a couple of wins can do for a team’s confidence. As Hasan can attest with the Devils, winning energizes a struggling club. For the Rangers, returning home has allowed them to settle down. No longer part of Dolan’s traveling circus, they’ve won two of three so far since coming back to a more familiar setting.

So far, they’re 1-1 at Madison Square Garden. Last night, defeating lowly Buffalo 2-0 on the strength of a Derick Brassard power play goal and Chris Kreider’s second in two games. A couple of days after rookie Cam Talbot backstopped the team to an important 3-2 win over the Islanders at Nassau Coliseum, Henrik Lundqvist returned backstopping the team to its second consecutive win. Like the theme from Major League 2, that’s called a “winning streak.” An unfamiliar term until now. They’re up to 5-7-0 and finally around the rest of the struggling Metro. Tonight, the Hurricanes visit MSG. A win against them would mean three in a row. That would be big with the first place Pens visiting Monday.

After a solid start, Carolina has struggled due to injuries with both Cam Ward and Anton Khudobin injured leaving Justin Peters to man the net. With top scorer Jeff Skinner also placed on injured reserve, the Canes have started to feel the affect losing three straight to end October. Eric Staal has eight points but is a team worst minus-10. Jordan Staal has only one goal and three points in 13 games. So far, uniting Marc Staal’s brothers hasn’t panned out. Especially for Jordan, who came over from the Pens last year. He totaled 31 points and was a minus-18 in Year 1. So far, he’s under 50 percent on face-offs. Not exactly what was expected.

In general, the Canes aren’t scoring much. Their 26 are tied with the Devils and Panthers. Only the Sabres, Rangers and Flyers are worse. Our scoring issues have been well documented. At least they seem to be coming around. Benoit Pouliot has scored twice in the last three and Mats Zuccarello has responded since being scratched with a goal and two assists. Kreider’s recent success after starting in Hartford is most encouraging. He’s finally being rewarded for hard work. What’s noticeable is how much better he’s using his size and strength. He’s also playing smart with the goal he scored the other night banked in off Ryan Miller intentionally. Alain Vigneault singled him out as one of their best players since returning.

J.T. Miller also is playing well. While he only has an assist so far, the 20-year old continues to impress with strong overall play. One thing I noticed watching him during Team USA’s gold medal win at last year’s WJC was how aggressive he is. Miller is unafraid and will go to the dirty areas. On Brassard’s power play goal, he screened Miller perfectly. That kind of play is something fans have clamored for. It’s no secret minus Ryan Callahan, who is getting close to returning, they don’t have much net presence. J.T. can provide that. So can Kreider, who’s shown a willingness to go in front. He scored his first on a rebound in the Islander win. If our team is to succeed, becoming harder to play against is a key. By having players drive the net, it improves their chances.

Another positive is Mike Del Zotto. With points in two straight, that should give him confidence. Clearly, he can be an important player with offensive skills that our other defensemen lack. While his D has never been a strong suit, he made a good play on Pouliot’s winner in Long Island. Using the boards to trap an Islander at the blueline, it led to a textbook give and go between Pouliot and Carl Hagelin. Del Zotto must stay active. I’d like to see more shots from him. Seventeen in the team’s first dozen isn’t enough.

As for Hagelin, his return has helped immensely. A similar heart and soul type to Callahan, the gritty Swede never takes off a shift. His speed gives Vigneault another forward who can play the high tempo he covets along with a top penalty killer. Hagelin improves the depth pushing Taylor Pyatt back to the fourth line. I still don’t know what Vigneault sees in him. At least Brandon Mashinter got back in and fought Cody McCormick. He should stay in along with Derek Dorsett over Pyatt.

Ryan McDonagh has also turned it around. Aside from his D returning to the level that’s expected, he has contributed offensively posting three points (1-2-3) over the last four. Not coincidentally, the Rangers won all three in which he hit the score sheet. That included a power play blast against the Isles on a Kreider screen. The power play has shown signs. McDonagh hasn’t been bad on the point sharing duty with Del Zotto. He definitely is more shore handed. A much better option than Dan Girardi. Danny G is back to turning his attention to defense. The right move from Vigneault, who’s kept Marc Staal and Anton Stralman together. An underrated tandem. Del Zotto has stuck with John Moore, whose ice-time has dwindled. That’s okay.

Most notably, the team has gotten back to playing better defensively. They’ve won three of four with the only defeat a 2-0 shutout loss to Montreal in the home opener. In all four, our beloved Blueshirts have allowed two goals or less. In fact, if you include the 2-1 Flyer disappointment, that’s five consecutive games. Returning to D is essential with scoring at a premium. It doesn’t look like we’ll see Rick Nash anytime soon. He wasn’t even at the Garden for intros. With his concussion looking more long-term, that means grinding out lower scoring games. Something they are used to. With Lundqvist returning to form with his 47th career shutout and Talbot proving capable, things are finally looking up.

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Flyers’ goonery last night a black eye on the NHL

Posted on November 2, 2013 by hasan4978

As a pro-fighting person in the NHL, I detest when things happen such as coach Ron Rolston and no-talent enforcer John Scott‘s continued cheap-shot hunting in Buffalo.  Both me and Derek are down on the Sabres after their antics in the preseason against the Leafs, and Scott’s recent blindside hit of Loui Eriksson that got him suspended for several games and gave Eriksson a concussion.  Unfortunately, the Slapshot-like goonery only seems to be increasing around the league as we saw another disgraceful display in Philly last night.  While the Sabres’ goonery is something new and originates from the head coach almost solely, the Flyers annoy me even more because it’s a systematic organizationial decision.  Owner Ed Snider and others in the organization as well as older Flyer fans thump their chest at the glory days when the Broad Street Bullies won Stanley Cups in 1974 and 75 and want all of their teams to be like that.

Unfortunately for the true non-animalistic Flyer fans out there, their organ-eye-zation hasn’t won a Cup in the nearly forty years since.  In recent years, the Flyers have become known for two things…a rotating door of goalies, and a never-ending cycle of gratuitous violence when games are out of hand.  With cheap-shot artists like Wayne Simmonds, Scott Hartnell, the no-talent Zac Rinaldo and now even Steve Downie back in the fold, the Flyers have plenty of people capable of going off at any moment, and I don’t mean scoringwise (though most of the above can at least play hockey when they want to).  Yes, you need grit and guys who can fight on a team – at least until clown teams like the Sabres and Flyers unwittingly do their best to get fighting banned once and for all – but at some point you would think reality has to set in that you can’t just win a Cup by bullying…or really accomplish much of anything.  This isn’t the wild west anymore, the way it was in the ’70’s when you had the big, bad Bruins who begat the Flyers and Mike Milbury going into stands chasing fans with a shoe.

Snider and company live in complete denial though.  When he allowed GM Paul Holmgren to fire then-coach Peter Laviolette just three games into the season, both he and Holmgren were peppered with questions about why would they hire within (former enforcer Craig Berube) to be their head coach, and didn’t they think they needed a culture change after forty years?  Snider angrily responded no, and went on about a thirty-second rant over why they didn’t need a culture change despite going backwards over the last few seasons on the ice.  It’s good for the rest of the division that the Flyers are still in denial because that means Holmgren will continue to sign for and trade everyone away at the drop of a hat, while Snider still caters to the section of the Flyer fanbase – perhaps even the majority of the fanbase – that wants violence first and skill second.

Last night Philly reached a new low both on and off the ice, as they got whipped by an Alex Ovechkin-less Capitals team 7-0 on their own ice, and then started all of the nonsense highlighted in the NHL Network clip above.  Not only did Simmonds start it all with an unneccesary cheap shot on Caps defenseman Tom Wilson along the boards (prompting a fight between the two), but goalie Ray Emery – a noted boxing afficianado – challenged Braden Holtby to a fight.  Wisely Holtby wanted no part of it but Emery wailed away at the goaltender anyway, even when Holtby was down and still not attempting to fight.  While you can sort of understand why his teammates didn’t want to jump in and risk a ten-game suspension, there was no excuse for the refs not to step in.  I’m sorry, that ‘fight’ needs to be stopped.  One of the linesmen made a half-hearted attempt to stop it and then backed off when Emery started wailing away.  The entire officiating crew needs to be suspended for letting that happen, as well as many in the Flyer organ-eye-zation.

Perhaps the most laughable part of this whole thing is whoever in the news media decided to give Emery a third star for that last night.  Bear in mind Emery allowed four goals and had a save percentage of <.800, so it’s not like he merited it for anything he did on the ice.  Why shouldn’t the media feed into what seemingly the organization and a good chunk of the fanbase wants though?  Emery’s comments after the game were laughable too, when he protested he gave Holtby a chance to defend himself.  Really?  I’d hate to see what kind of beatdown he would have given to him if he didn’t.  And there’s literally no excuse for hitting a guy while he’s prone on the ice.

I really have never gotten what the Flyers or any of these other teams who start brawls when they’re way behind in a game think that kind of ‘toughness’ is going to prove?  You lost the game…being punks is going to somehow restore your pride?  All it does is give fighting a bad name and prove you’re sore losers, and as a pro-fighting guy I hate that games like last night or the Sabres-Leafs preseason disaster are just more ammunition for the anti-fighting crowd.  You just can’t go head-hunting in this climate where any kind of headshot is going to be scrutinzed to the hills.  While I never wish injuries on a team or player, it was…shall we say ironic that Downie (who also has a history of Flyer-like behavior even when not on their team) got a concussion and big FA acquisition Vincent Lecavalier was also injured last night.  Perhaps the hockey gods are finally doing something the NHL should have done long ago and made the Flyers pay up for their gratuitious cheap shots.

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Devils’ golden oldies lead the way past Tampa

Posted on October 30, 2013 by hasan4978

When games like last night come along, you cherish them.  You don’t know how long you’re going to get to watch greatness in action, especially since fellow 41-year olds Martin Brodeur and Jaromir Jagr aren’t always going to be as healthy and productive as they used to be.  Last night however, they both turned back the clock a bit in a 2-1 Devils win over the Lightning, where Jagr scored the game-winning goal on a gorgeous breakaway http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZWIbHYa-Zk, and Brodeur turned aside sixteen shots – only allowing a Steven Stamkos power play goal late in the second period.  Jagr and Brodeur got the first and second stars respectively last night, which is a remarkable confluence given that both are 41years old and future HOF’ers.  Not to mention fellow aging icon Patrik Elias also figured in the first goal, with a sweet shorthanded give-and-go with Adam Henrique that Henrique eventually one-timed past Ben Bishop for the game’s opening goal early in the second period.

I wouldn’t call last night a banner team performance neccesarily, although the Devils did more or less bottle up Tampa’s high-powered offense and controlled the action for 50+ minutes.  Certainly defensively, the Devils’ starting six had another strong game collectively and it’ll be very interesting to see what happens when Bryce Salvador comes back from his foot injury (coming off the heels of the captain missing a couple of games due to a death in the family).  With coach favorite Peter Harrold still around, the Devils now have eight defensemen capable of playing in the NHL assuming you believe Eric Gelinas is here to stay.  Having fourteen forwards on the roster though – not even including Ryane Clowe who it’s probably safe to say has concussion issues yet again though the Devils won’t admit it – means the Devils can only afford to keep seven defensemen this year.  Unless the captain is getting Matvichuked until GM Lou Lamoriello can find a trade he wants, there’s going to be a hard decision made sooner rather than later and even Lou can’t keep kicking that can down the curb forever.

Offensively the Devils have had their issues to be sure, but the 41-year old Jagr has been a godsend with ten points in twelve games.  Signed only after the Devils lost Ilya Kovalchuk to home and rubles galore, Jagr’s consistently been among the team’s best players even when he doesn’t score.  For his part, Jagr a couple of days ago attributed his lack of goalscoring (for him) to his new sticks, given that his old stick company went bankrupt during the offseason.  As he joked above while holding court in the locker room after the game:

‘I’m 41 years old.  I’m not going to blame myself.  I’ve got to blame something else….I can’t blame the hands because they were pretty good to me all my life.  So I blame the sticks’.

While Jagr was in a mostly jovial mood after passing Phil Esposito for career game-winning goals (most of the media mistakenly thought Esposito held the record last night, apparently forgetting about some guy named Gordie Howe who’s still a couple ahead of both of them), he did show a hint of fire when he admitted he just wanted to be part of a team the last couple of years, but now he wants to be great again.

Now I can see why Derek still roots for Jagr…this season’s really my first up-close look at the guy after he’s been a hockey gypsy the last several years bouncing between New York, Russia, Philly, Dallas and Boston.  He’s always been a great talent but you see the off-ice things like his self-awareness, sense of humor and work ethic more day-to-day.  Jagr also cracked that he was better last night because ‘I scored a lot of goals on him (Marty) this morning.  He knows’.  Perhaps their personal duel helped Marty too, and he got better as the game wore on making a couple of key saves in the third although the Devils did keep the Lightning shot total down to a meager four in both the first and third periods.  While Jagr’s bounced around the league, Marty’s still on the same team he was drafted by in 1990 (Jagr’s the only other active NHL’er from that draft).  Fellow goaltender Cory Schnieder‘s lower body injury has given Marty another crack at the starting role a few days after the HOF goalie himself admitted it was Cory’s team.  Assuming Schnieder’s back on the weekend, you figure each goalie will get one game in and then we’ll see what happens after that depending on how both play.  At least Marty’s played better over the last couple of games than he did earlier in the season, and hopefully Cory can kick it back into first gear once he gets over whatever his ailment is.

Ironically everything else went wrong for me yesterday afternoon and last night except for the game itself, and being around my former seatmate and his girlfriend as the seats next to me were vacated again so I moved over and off the aisle.  One of the things that went wrong was trying in vein to post a blog here…apparently if I use the dropdown menu at the top of the screen it says the article posts but it goes into outer space and stupid me didn’t copy it before trying to post last night.  I generally have to click on ‘New Post’ on the upper right hand part of the screen to post an article that’ll actually show up on the front page but last night I tried the other way so I was doing a slow burn at midnight when I saw the article dissapeared.  After a night of short sleep I didn’t feel like doing it over in the morning so here it is now.  Or something slightly different than what I was going to post, which was more of a nuts-and-bolts recap.

And since I was at the game, here’s my daily update on the arena atmosphere…predictably the third and final goal song candidate (‘Whip’) sucked, ergo the mood after we scored our two goals was like it was a preseason game.  Of course, just using the word sucked will burn the ears of upper management who were apparently irate that the crowd decided to incorporate you suck into the Seven Nation Army goal song that’s probably going to win the final vote this week.  Especially since Whip and Righteous Smoke both stunk and got booed out of the building.  I didn’t really hear the boos last night, or much of any reaction to the goal song quite honestly but maybe I’ve gotten to the point where I’ve stopped caring enough to even listen for the crowd reaction.  What has become obvious over the last few days is the new ownership isn’t stopping at the goal song in terms of changing the atmosphere.

Also gone is Blur (Song 2), which was typically played after a Devils win for at least the last decade plus.  I didn’t notice last Saturday because I wasn’t at the game but I missed the ‘Woo-hoo!’ song after the final horn last night.  Not to mention the whole Devils Army theme of the last few seasons is also a thing of the past, which yeah was kind of corny but not nearly as much as many of the current forced chants from the Diablos in section 122 (‘Go Red Go’…really?).  It’s almost as if now that they own the team, ownership’s doing all they can to put their own stamp on it as fast as possible, irrespective to what the fans want or care about.  You wonder just how far they’re willing to go to tick off the current sth base.  There isn’t another sth base waiting to walk through the door.  Common sense states that you would want to observe your fans for a while before making what (to them) seems like sweeping changes to long-standing traditions.

In the humorous and annoying (at the same time) category, my seatmate was complaining that they no longer sold hot chocolate at the Mrs. Fields stand or the City Grill.  I like hot chocolate too so during the first intermission I looked around a little cause I vaguely remembered there being hot chocolate at the new Tim Horton’s stand outside of 225 (worth it to go there just for the Timbits – tiny Dunkin Donut-like munchkins).  Which there is…but you couldn’t get the hot chocolate there.  You had to get it at the City Grill outside of 230, even though it wasn’t on the menu there which confused me.  I went back and forth a couple of times before I realized you had to ask for it specifically at the City Grill outside 230.  Talk about customer service and advertising issues!  I did finally get some myself and it was quite good – 14 ounces for $2.50 isn’t a bad buy.  Especially considering I can just put it on my food and beverage card and not actually pay for it.   I also tried one of the dollar hot dogs for amusement, not expecting anything gourmet…but it wasn’t as terrible as it was a few years ago when they first started with the dollar dog promotion during certain games.  At least the magnetic schedule giveaway was nice, though the actual calendar giveaway won’t take place until late next month.  Just barely in time for 2014 I suppose.

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