Battle Preview: Lundqvist returns to face Kings

Posted on November 17, 2013 by Derek

A day after getting an important road win at Montreal courtesy of rookie Cam Talbot’s first NHL shutout, the Ranger return to Madison Square Garden tonight to host the Kings. Following a night off, Henrik Lundqvist returns to net where he’ll oppose LA backup Ben Scrivens.

Since Jonathan Quick went down to a groin injury, the former Leaf has filled in admirably winning his last two starts against the Islanders and Devils. He shutout New Jersey with 26 saves Friday and has allowed four goals in three starts on a four-game road trip that concludes later. Along with a strong team in front of him, they shouldn’t be taken lightly. The Kings go for the Metro hat trick.

Back home for two more including the always tough Bruins Tuesday, the Rangers try to finish strong before embarking on a crucial five-game road trip through Thanksgiving. Will fatigue be a factor 24 hours later against a more rested opponent? Hopefully that won’t be the case. They’re only 4-3-0 at home. Hardly what Dolan had in mind following the final renovation that features The Lounges with breathtaking views for those who can afford it. Because it’s not like other fans are allowed in… At the very least, you can catch all the retired jerseys and banners up close. We are going later. It’s my second game.

It’s imperative for the Rangers to get the final two home games before the big road trip that includes stops in Dallas, Nashville, Tampa, Florida and Boston. To their credit, they’ve won seven of nine to get over .500 (10-9-0) ranking third in the Metro Division. There’s still much work to do. Rick Nash isn’t expected to return until either Tuesday or Thursday. Putting themselves in a better position can set the tone when they hit the road.

Ryan Callahan was the lone goal scorer in their win yesterday, deflecting home a Brad Richards one-time blast for his team-leading fourth power play goal. No other Blueshirt has more than one PPG. Even though it’s slightly improved, it’s not like they’re lighting the world on fire. They rank 16th converting at 18.8 percent. The penalty kill has gotten a little better moving up to 11th at 83.6 percent. The special teams can improve.

Against a big, physical team such as LA, the Rangers must use their team speed and get pucks deep. Finish checks and limit the Kings’ time and space. They can’t allow Anze Kopitar much room and must prevent their big forwards from screening Lundqvist. Dwight King notched the winner against the Devils by tipping in a point shot. Los Angeles is without Jeff Carter, which helps. But still boast Mike Richards, Justin Williams and rookie Tyler Toffoli has seven points in six games since being recalled. An active D features Drew Doughty, Jake Muzzin and Slava Voynov, who are all capable of getting shots through from the point. For our team, puck management inside their zone will be essential.

A faster tempo favors the Rangers. Chris Kreider and Carl Hagelin are two of the fastest skaters. Both have played well during the turnaround. Derek Stepan has been relatively quiet since his hat trick on Nov. 2. He is second with 14 points and has points in four of the last five. But is capable of better production. One goal in the last six isn’t enough for our top center. Maybe he breaks out.

With Justin Falk coming in and doing a solid job, I’d venture to guess he’ll be in the lineup again for Mike Del Zotto. If that is the case, what does it mean? I’d rather not know. Hopefully, they come out and play a smart aggressive game.

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Devils’ not-so-grumpy old men shine again

Posted on November 17, 2013 by hasan4978

After the Devils’ 2-1 win against Tampa Bay a few weeks ago when HOF’ers-to be Martin Brodeur and Jaromir Jagr were the first and second stars, I commented about how remarkable it was to have that legendary duo as our first two stars of the night and about savoring the moment because there probably wouldn’t be many more like it with their careers winding down.  Instead that game served as only a preview of things to come, as even more unbelievably Brodeur’s had a dominant stretch since then (eight goals allowed in seven games, six of them wins) while Jagr’s continued to pace the scoring up front with a team-leading 16 points…a full nine points clear of anyone else on the Devils’ roster.

Last night’s 4-1 win over the Penguins was yet another example of the old guys leading the charge, as Brodeur was the game’s first star making 27 stops and only allowing a Chris Kunitz breakaway goal last night on a pokecheck that just missed the mark early in the second period, deflecting the puck behind the goaltender into the net.  Of course Marty made a handful of other brilliant saves and perhaps just as importantly kept the play moving time-and-again with his puck-handling – which becomes more important when you see how Cory Schnieder and most other goalies handle it like it’s a grenade.  Jagr could easily have been one of the three stars himself with a two-goal, +4 game, firing home a slick wrister on the third goal at 14:03 of the third after Danius Zubrus caused a turnover from Kris Letang and dished it off to the big Czech on the resulting two-on-one.  Then Jagr finished the game with a flourish at 18:43 with a nice spin-o-rama empty-netter that he had a laugh about after the game:

Jagr on his empty-netter: “Great move: spin-o-rama, backhand shot, top shelf. Faked the goalie out. What a great move, what a great deke.”

It wasn’t just the old guys (Zubrus included with two assists and a +4 of his own) that stepped up last night though, as Adam Larsson had one of his best games as a Devil with a crucial tie-breaking goal at 18:22 of the second period that he punctuated with slamming his fists on the boards in excitement, then just as critically saving a sure goal early in the third period with a diving stop on an open net.  Larsson also got the crowd excited with a big hit on Beau Bennett later in the third.  In a rarity, the Devils had not one but two different defensemen score goals as Andy Greene‘s bouncer with nineteen seconds left in the first eluded Marc-Andre Fleury for the Devils’ opening goal.  Greene wound up with the second star, probably more for his twenty-seven tough minutes against Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin than for his lucky goal.

Last night was another team effort all around, with the offense finally showing up, the defense continuing to hold the fort (particularly on the penalty kill) and not just one but two goaltenders with a sub-2.00 GAA – although Schnieder and his one win is probably envious of Marty’s six despite remarkably similar splits.  If one area of the game still needs work it’s the power play, which seemingly had half of its production in a single game with four of its eleven goals in that wild win at Boston which started Marty’s revival.  Overall our power play ranks 20th while our penalty kill is 3rd and rising.  This despite our supposed PK specialists in Bryce Salvador and Anton Volchenkov.  Salvador’s been out indefinitely with a leg injury while Volchenkov’s missed the last two games with a strain.  While it’ll be interesting to see what happens when both return, it is nice to see a more mobile defense.

After two home games I’d be remiss if I didn’t comment on the dissapointing attendance both nights, barely above 12,000 for the SCF rematch on Friday and barely above 14,000 for a marquee division showdown on a Saturday night.  Both games were at ‘Elite’ pricing level, which in layman’s terms is the highest non-Ranger single-game prices possible.  For November games, even against those two teams it’s foolish to have any game tier priced so high that the cheapest box office seat is $44 meaning it costs $50 and up to get in the building (including transportation/TM fees).  Considering how our attendance has always sagged until winter break historically it’s not hard to see in hindsight why the crowd was shockingly dissapointing for both games.  At least there was a moment of personal levity last night when some Penguin fan – for reasons known only to American males – posed for a picture with the Devils Dancers, only one of the cheerleaders was holding her pompoms over the logo on his shirt so it couldn’t be seen. There wasn’t as huge a Penguin fan invasion as some feared on a Saturday night, though personally I wound up sitting between a Penguin fan and a Ranger fan(!) last night.

Our sales department continues to try and find ways around the fans chanting ‘you suck’ to the SNA goal song, pumping up the music super-loud, playing it fast and adding in canned ‘Let’s Go Devils’ chants during the song.  As usual though it’s more about the game itself and the crowd level as to whether they’re actively engaged in the goal chant.  The shame of it is, it actually is a good goal song but I don’t expect it to last.  It’s not just on the goal song that the Devils pump up the noise though, it’s all the time…you can’t escape the loud, louder and loudest music ever whether it’s during the pregame skate, stoppages in play or even intermissions when you might actually (perish the thought) want to talk to the people next to you and can barely hear each other.  Our fan section which the team more or less controls – the Diablos in 122 – also partakes in the loud, louder and loudest philosophy with a combo of loud horns, dying horns, vuvuzelas and cowbells to go along with a combination of good and laughably hokey chants.  Even people watching on TV notice the bad mix of noise from that section, or the lack of audible crowd noise on the goal songs because the Devils are playing the music itself so loudly.  I can understand some of it and I’m not against loud noise on principle but I don’t get why it has to be at concert levels all the time.  It’s not exactly promoting the ‘family atmosphere’ the new owners seem to want if you can’t hear your kids or anyone else next to you.

Enough of a rant though, it’s not our problem for the next several days as the Devils trek out to the West coast to face the Ducks on Wednesday, Kings on Thursday and Sharks on Saturday in a potentially make-or-break trip.  If I had to guess I’d say we’ll see Schnieder on Wednesday and coach Pete DeBoer will give Marty at least one of the Cup Final rematches on Thursday.  Whoever’s in goal, the Devils have to find a way to get offense from guys not named Jagr.  Although in the ‘a rising tide lifts all boats’ theory, Zubrus and Travis Zajac have both picked up their play tremendously since being paired with Jagr on the de facto first line.  Hopefully Patrik Elias will find his form on the trip, after a couple of uneven games in his return from back spasms.  It would be nice if mercurial skill players Damien Brunner and Michael Ryder both found their early-season form though each (particularly Brunner) look like a fish out of water right now.  Ryder is a streaky player in general, but it is always a potential problem trying to integrate one-dimensional/individual players into a team system.  It would also be nice if DeBoer didn’t continue to have Gionta and Janssen take multiple shifts a game against the other team’s top line, though he got away with it last night…Gionta even won a crucial faceoff against Crosby on the PK!

Eventually one way or another you would figure the Devils have to branch out a little from having two of the oldest players in the league carry them, but for now it’s still fun to watch, a nice change of pace from the last several months which have been drudgery for the most part.

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Quotables: Cam Talbot on 1st shutout

Posted on November 17, 2013 by Derek

“My first NHL shutout would have meant the world to me in any building,” said Talbot, the first Rangers goaltender of the NHL’s modern era that began in 1944-45 to start his career with five straight games allowing two goals or fewer. “It’s just a great feeling.”

Rookie Cam Talbot describes his excitement of posting his first NHL shutout to New York Post Rangers beat writer Larry Brooks. He stopped all 22 Canadien shots backstopping the Rangers to a 1-0 shutout in the House of Horrors.

It was the Rangers’ first win at Bell Centre since Mar. 17, 2009 when then captain Chris Drury scored shootout clincher in a 4-3 win. The 26-year old Talbot became the first Ranger goalie to pitch a shutout at Montreal since Ed Giacomin posted a 5-0 win on Feb. 25, 1967. He’s now known as the Ghostbuster.

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Talbot shuts out Canadiens for big win in Montreal

Posted on November 17, 2013 by Derek
Canadien goalie Carey Price (33 saves) makes a glove save. The Rangers solved him once and finally got a win in Montreal. The Canadian Press/Graham Hughes

Canadien goalie Carey Price (33 saves) makes a glove save. The Rangers solved him once and finally got a win in Montreal.
The Canadian Press/Graham Hughes

No Lundqvist. No problem. At least that’s the case tonight for the Rangers, who got a big win in Montreal. For the first time in three and a half years, they won at Molson Centre. Thanks to 22 saves from rookie Cam Talbot, the Rangers shutout the Canadiens 1-0. It was an important bounce back victory following Tuesday’s disappointment. Back over .500 (10-9-0), the Blueshirts have won four of five climbing back into third in the Metro.

They got it done with relentless pursuit of the puck. This wasn’t your dull 1-0 shutout. It was a game in which the Rangers kept pushing the pace. That was the key to ending an eight-game losing streak at Bell Centre. The schedule helped with the Habs obviously tired from travel after edging the Blue Jackets in a shootout Friday night. In this league, you have to take advantage when you can. Credit Alain Vigneault’s club for doing so. They gave a strong effort outshooting the Canadiens 34-22.

Carey Price was the only reason it was close. A great candidate to start for Team Canada, he showed why making several big stops keeping his team in it. He finished with 33 saves. That included a couple of ridiculous glove stops with one coming late on Brad Richards off a perfectly executed two on one rush with underrated defenseman Anton Stralman. Stralman hasn’t put up gaudy offensive numbers so far entering with only two assists. However, his defense has been stellar since being paired with Marc Staal. When Staal gets caught taking chances, Stralman is back defensively. There’s a reason he’s on the plus side of the ledger.

As for Richards, he had a good night setting up the Rangers’ only goal. It came as a five on three power play expired. After struggling to get much done, they finally got set up. Richards worked a give and go with Derek Stepan and then one-timed one from the left circle past Price 5:25 into the second. At that point, the Montreal goalie had been impenetrable stopping everything including Chris Kreider, who was flying all night. Originally, Richards was credited with the power play goal. But it was later changed to Ryan Callahan, who stood in front and got a piece of it. Four of his six markers have come on the man-advantage. It was the only way they were beating Price, who was sensational.

After a feeling out process early, the Rangers began to carry the play in the first outshooting the Canadiens 15-7. There weren’t many penalties but they did kill off an early Stepan hook that prevented Max Pacioretty from a clean breakaway. They cashed in during the second when Pacioretty tripped up Carl Hagelin. That gave them the one opportunity they needed. With Raphael Diaz out of the box, Callahan converted Richards’ one-time blast.

It wasn’t dull with Kreider battling hard against P.K. Subban during one shift. A strong forecheck kept the play alive until Subban faked like he was hi-sticked suckering the refs into calling it with under three minutes left. Sometimes, I really can’t stand Subban. It was punkish. At least the Rangers killed it maintaining a 1-0 lead thru two.

With Dominic Moore back, Vigneault trusted the fourth line enough giving them regular shifts. That included ex-Hab Benoit Pouliot, who at least showed a pulse. J.T. Miller had a few noticeable shifts that should endear him to the coaching staff. He failed to get a puck deep once protecting the lead. Those are instances where he must be careful.

Unable to extend their lead, the Rangers continued to attack and make the Canadiens work extremely hard. The line of Stepan, Kreider and Mats Zuccarello buzzed but couldn’t get one. Vigneault went to a checking line of Brian Boyle, Derick Brassard and Derek Dorsett. Dorsett, who near the end of the second made a huge block of a Subban shot- has become a tireless worker. Not much different from Brandon Prust, who was on the opposite side. If only Dorsett got rewarded more for his effort. Brassard has scary moments with the puck but other shifts where he’s active. As for Boyle, he was strong defensively and dominant in the faceoff circle going 12 for 16. The Rangers as a team were 27 up and 27 down.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Justin Falk, who played a solid unspectacular game. In 17 shifts (12:11), he didn’t make any glaring mistakes and had a nice keep that to a good chance. I wonder if Vigneault will keep him in for the Kings tomorrow. What does it mean for Mike Del Zotto?

There was only one shaky sequence that had to have every Ranger fan screaming at the TV. Brassard mishandled a puck and John Moore scrambled around creating a maze in front of Talbot. It led to some dangerous chances for the Habs. However, Talbot came up with a difficult save in traffic. Similar to a shorthanded bid earlier. He only made 22 saves but was poised throughout. That’s the best thing about him. He hasn’t looked overwhelmed. When the Rangers ran the clock out, that’s five consecutive starts in which Talbot’s allowed two or less. At least in Montreal, #InCamWeTrust.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Anton Stralman, NYR (SOG, 2 blocks, hit in 28 shifts-21:08)

2nd Star-Chris Kreider, NYR (3 SOG, 6 hits in 20 shifts-17:38)

1st Star-Carey Price, Mtl (33 saves incl. 15/15 in 3rd-deserved better)

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Del Zotto a scratch, Talbot gets start, Nash return next week?

Posted on November 16, 2013 by Derek

Entering tonight’s match against the Canadiens at Bell Centre, there’s plenty of news items for the Rangers. The main two are off the ice. Mike Del Zotto is a healthy scratch. It’s the third game he’ll miss. Alain Vigneault kept him out twice last month. Extra defenseman Justin Falk goes back in.

I’m not crazy about this move. I get how frustrating Del Zotto is. Already in his fifth year, the 23-year old former ’08 first round pick has regressed. Ironically, he had his best season under John Tortorella in ’11-12 when the Rangers won the division and advanced to the Conference Finals. He established career bests in goals (10), assists (31), points (41) and plus/minus (20). He was inconsistent in the playoffs but scored a couple of big goals to finish off Ottawa and Washington.

Last year, he took a step back tallying 21 points (3-18-21) in 46 games. He was a non-factor scoring a goal and assist during the playoffs. When Glen Sather replaced Tortorella with Vigneault, the hope was that it would spark Del Zotto. He’s a very gifted player with excellent skating ability and offensive potential. So far, the results have been disappointing. With just four points (1-3-4) in 16 contests thus far, he’ll sit out. The reason I disagree with Vigneault’s decision is because it looked like Del Zotto was coming around. A recent four-game stretch saw him put up a goal and two helpers by being more aggressive. He has lost power play duty to Ryan McDonagh, who leads our defensemen with 11 points.

If you look closely at the blueline, nobody else is producing. Aside from his second goal in the Devil loss, Marc Staal had been silent. Many expected him to step it up following a strong preseason. Three points and minus-five is hardly what anyone foresaw. Dan Girardi has struggled mightily. It was nice to see him score against New Jersey. But his defensive gaffe led to Dainius Zubrus’ winner. With two points and a minus-six, he’s having trouble adjusting to Vigneault’s system. Danny G still has a tendency to go down to block shots. Unfortunately, it cost the Rangers at least a point. Anton Stralman has only two assists. Offensively capable, he’s being used more in a shutdown role with Staal. The plus-two tops our D. I’d like to see him look for his shot. John Moore hasn’t lived up to expectations. With just a goal and assist despite blazing speed and a rocket, it’s taking him longer to develop. He’s thrown the puck away several times yet hasn’t missed a game.

You tell me if it’s fair on Del Zotto. He’s always the whipping boy. At least with Tort, it worked to a point. I’m not sure how he’ll respond amidst trade rumors. Another thing lost in translation is that the Rangers lack any depth. Unless they’re going to panic and recall Dylan McIlrath from Hartford, what exactly are they doing? Del Zotto has little value and is in the final year of his contract. If the Rangers want him back, he’s restricted. It seems a little early to give up on him. By that I mean the season when Vigneault’s preaching more offense from the back end. He’s still their most talented offensively. Trade him and maybe they get a mid-round pick. Hardly ideal if you lose a player off the roster. We’ve already seen Falk. He’s not a regular. Who knows? Maybe it’ll actually result in a win in the house of horrors.

At least Vigneault’s starting Cam Talbot. Everyone knows how awful Henrik Lundqvist is in Montreal. Though it was interesting to hear our coach criticize his star pupil over the softy he let in against nemesis Ryan Carter. Lundqvist took responsibility but also tried to shift blame to the entire team. He had a point. I don’t think he likes being called out. Expect a bounce back performance tomorrow night when the Kings visit. This is a big weekend. At 9-9-0, the Rangers are fourth in the Metro. They face two challenges. The Canadiens’ speed usually gives them fits. And the Kings will be looking for a measure of revenge.

The biggest news is that Rick Nash has been cleared for contact and has already practiced. He hasn’t reported any setbacks. Puck Daddy writer Greg Wyshynski had a post up an hour ago on Nash’s progress.

“Hopefully, one of the games, for sure,” Nash told Newsday’s Steve Zipay at Bell Centre Saturday morning, “as long as there are no setbacks. Everything’s been positive and I’ve been pushing it every day.”

At this point in his recovery, Nash said, it is a matter of conditioning and building his leg strength, because he is free of the headaches that plagued him since the high hit from San Jose defenseman Brad Stuart. “I’m feeling better than I thought I would,” said Nash, who skated for the eight straight day. “I’ve only had two (full) practices with the team, plus the morning skates, I think I need a little more down-low work, 3 on 3 . . .”

Nash still hasn’t spoken to Stuart but holds no grudge indicating that the hit was “a hockey play.” If he does return either Tuesday against Boston or Thursday in Dallas, it’s definitely a surprise. I thought he’d be out longer. Concussions are the unknown. I hope Nash and the Rangers are being cautious. I worry about him returning too soon. The team can definitely use his offense. But health comes first.

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Ghosts of seasons past loom over Devils’ 2-0 loss to Kings

Posted on November 16, 2013 by hasan4978

What was ironic about the Devils’ loss to the Kings in the teams’ first game since the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals is that for the first period and the early part of the second it didn’t feel like a revenge game at all.  Partly because of the dissapointing (barely above 12,000) attendance and partly because half our team from that series is no longer here.  Plus the stakes are clearly lower in November, especially for the Kings right now.  All of the dissapointment and frustration from playing that team in 2012 came back in one big flash when Peter Harrold got called for a phantom double-minor high-sticking call (replays showed it was actually a Kings stick that drew blood on the play) early in the second period, which brought back memories of the Steve Bernier major penalty/expulsion in Game 6 and thus the bitterness from that series.  From then on I wanted to stick it to the Kings, Johnathan Quick or no Quick.  Unfortunately the immortal Ben Scrivens did his best Quick impression and shut us out 2-0 in yet another disheartening defeat.

Other than the Edmonton fiasco early in the season, I haven’t been this mad about a game all year.  Yes, the Devils played well for forty minutes despite not scoring (how familiar does that sound?!), but I’m sorry…I know this offense doesn’t have Ilya Kovalchuk, Zach Parise or David Clarkson anymore.  But any team with Jaromir Jagr, Patrik Elias, Travis Zajac, Adam Henrique and company should not be getting shut out five times in nineteen games.  Especially against journeyman/backup netminders like Scrivens, Al Montoya and Ray Emery.  Our pathetic attempt to even set up a power play late in the third period was indiciative of our offense last night and really the last two seasons.  Boos rained down from the heavens late in the game and I joined in, beyond frustrated with this team.  Especially since last night was yet another failed attempt at winning three in a row, which this team still has not done since February.  Not to mention another lost two points at a juncture in the schedule where it can be ill-afforded, particularly with almost everyone else in the division on a hot streak right now.

Our lack of offense was one thing, it could have been predicted by anyone with half a brain who wasn’t high on Kool-Aid before the season (although the Devils manage to find new ways to lower the bar daily) but the effort level in the third period was beyond pathetic.  It was as if they gave up once Scrivens started stonewalling them and they knew it was going to be another one of those games.  People used to harp on Kovalchuk’s lack of backchecking (and Elias for one still takes his shots publicly) but at least the Russian merc tried to backcheck unlike the invisible Damien Brunner, who spends more time complaining to papers in Switzerland about how we’re stifling his creativity than actually attempting to do anything without the puck.  Brunner lah-de-daaed his way to a puck late in the third period during our ill-fated power play and wound up taking a tripping penalty that effectively sealed the game up for the Kings.  For a guy who was begging for a contract in Switzerland before the season, he sure hasn’t done much aside from a couple of early-season goals in losing efforts.

Even guys like Andy Greene had their head up their you-know-what during the third period, when he first deflected a harmless floating shot right back at Cory Schnieder, who had to make a spectacular reflex save to keep the game scoreless. Schnieder however, cannot score for the team – nor could he make up for Greene’s next faux pas which was drifting over to the right boards way out of position and letting Dwight King have free reign in front for an easy tip-in goal, the Kings’ only score of the game against the ill-fated Schnieder with just under eight minutes left in the third period.  Schnieder must be wondering what he’s gotten into here…with a GAA under two and a save percentage almost .920 he still has just one lousy win (and a shutout at that).  ONE LOUSY WIN with a GAA under two, what a disgrace.  Scoring by committee my tit, what scoring…you can’t exactly count on Cam Janssen goals every game, or Ryan Carter two-goal games – except maybe against the Rangers.

As usual our coaching left a lot to be desired last night too.  Pete DeBoer‘s fascination with surrogate children Stephen Gionta and Harrold is by now well-documented, to the point where I don’t even bat an eye anymore when Gionta gets played (and overplayed) while Jacob Josefson sits in the press box time and again, or when Harrold gets played (and overplayed) with Mark Fayne getting ruined by the constant yo-yoing in and out of the lineup.  I’ve almost come to accept that as fact at this point.  Janssen’s two goals unfortunately I knew in the back of my mind was going to buy him another 10-15 games at least in spite of his utter lack of talent – or fighting these days.  I’m a believer in chemistry but sometimes that goes off the rails and it’s doing that with Janssen now.  When you play Janssen you willingly handicap yourself, especially not being able to play him in a scoreless third period and running eleven forwards out there including Carter-Gionta-Bernier as a de facto third line yet again despite all of our supposed forward depth.

What ticked me off more than any of that was seeing literally all of the above players on the ice late in the second period when Kings’ offensive aces Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams were out on the ice.  Coaches look to match up your fourth line against their first line on the road, it’s flat inexcusable just handing them that matchup at home!  And if you’re not going to play Josefson or Mattias Tedenby over Gionta or Janssen, could you play them over Brunner?  At least they’ll freaking try!  It’s just amazing the amount of self-inflicted wounds this team gives itself on a nightly basis.  Especially when it relates to Josefson, a former first-round pick who was trusted by former coach Jacques Lemaire in all situations but wound up permanently in Pete’s doghouse after some bad games early last season.

Speaking of Lemaire (above), he’s been observed with GM Lou Lamoriello taking in practice and games the last few days.  Presumably Lemaire went with Lamoriello to Toronto on Tuesday to take in the Hall of Fame festivities with former Devil Scott Niedermayer among others being inducted and the Devils were playing the Leafs soon after that but the fact that Lemaire’s been around for much of the last week is eyebrow-raising in itself.  Of course all the speculation is whether he’ll return yet again to coach with a testy and scared Pete on increasingly shaky ground.  Or what kind of coaching/player evaluations he’s concurring with Lou on.  As much as I don’t want us to keep going to that well forever, there really aren’t all that many candidates out there if you’re talking about an in-season coaching change and with this nightmare of a schedule coming up I could see a season-crushing five or six-game losing streak on the horizon.  Although the Devils’ results were better the last couple of weeks before last night’s two steps backward, Lou’s been known to make changes even when the team’s winning if he sees something he doesn’t like.  He can’t like the way DeBoer’s managing his lineup at the moment, or the largely underwhelming results.

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Ott gets Nolan Era off to good start

Posted on November 16, 2013 by Derek
Welcome Back! Like old times, Ted Nolan was back behind the Sabre bench and got a win. AP Photo/Gary Wiepert

Welcome Back! Like old times, Ted Nolan was back behind the Sabre bench and got a win.
AP Photo/Gary Wiepert

For the first time since 1997, Ted Nolan was behind the Buffalo bench. Fittingly, his team got a win with the Sabres prevailing over the Maple Leafs 3-1 at First Niagara Center.

Steve Ott was the catalyst scoring the tying goal and setting up Marcus Foligno’s game-winner. The Sabre captain had a strong game driving David Clarkson nuts. He was at his best mixing it up frustrating the Leafs. With Ryan Miller putting on a Hasek-esque performance in net making 32 saves, the Nolan Era got off to a good start. The kind Sabre fans have been hoping for. It was only their second regulation/overtime win. That was secondary to the big storyline.

”It was one of those games where you didn’t ever know that this type of day would ever happen again,” an emotional Nolan expressed of a triumphant return. ”It was very emotional, so I’ll have a good cry after everybody leaves.”

”Guys have been playing heavy for a long time. I think this was a full rejuvenation of guys’ careers,” Ott added of the big change. ”It’s game on. It’s time to start fresh. It’s like you’re a rookie again.”

That’s exactly the kind of attitude the Sabres will have. It’s a new start for a franchise that needed it including defenseman Tyler Myers. He set up Ott’s goal in the second with a booming shot from the point that caromed off Jonathan Bernier right to the pesky Sabre who led by example. Considering the kind of game he played, it was fitting that Ott had a hand in the winner. Taking a Drew Stafford outlet, he broke in on Bernier and backhanded a perfect pass to Foligno, who backhanded his second home.

It was enough to hold off the Leafs, who were without Nazem Kadri– serving the first of a three-game suspension for a dangerous hit against Minnesota. Miller made some acrobatic stops to keep Toronto at bay. He also got a big assist from defenseman Christian Ehrhoff. With the Leafs searching for the equalizer, Miller was down and out with a gaping net facing James van Riemsdyk. But a sliding Ehrhoff blocked his attempt which was ticketed.

”It’s a new start,” Ehrhoff said following the game saver. Ironically, he scored into an open net sealing it. ”A lot of guys have been down, and confidence hasn’t been high. When there’s a big change like that, it’s a fresh start for everybody.”

”That was a heck of a play by him,” van Riemsdyk added. ”We’re not getting those bounces right now, but we’ve got to keep pushing forward.”

Toronto’s lone goal scorer was Trevor Smith, who beat Miller in the first from Clarkson and Mason Raymond. Bernier finished with 24 saves.

”It was really fun for me to look up once in a while and see how much fans enjoyed this game,” Nolan said. ”Hopefully, it’s a sign of good things to come.”

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Christian Ehrhoff, Buf (empty net goal at 19:32 3rd, game saving block on JVR, +1 in 24:05)

2nd Star-Ryan Miller, Buf (32 saves incl. 13/13 in 3rd)

1st Star-Steve Ott, Buf (goal, assist, 3 for 5 on faceoffs, +2 in 19:37)

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Kings’ big third costs slumping Islanders

Posted on November 15, 2013 by Derek

For two periods, the Islanders seemed on their way to a second straight win on home ice. Goals from Casey Cizikas and Aaron Ness had them leading 2-0 over the Kings with one stanza left. However, Los Angeles rallied from a two-goal deficit by scoring three unanswered in the third to stun the Islanders 3-2 at Nassau Coliseum last night. Slava Voynov, Tanner Pearson and Tyler Toffoli scored for LA, who’s doing a mini-tour of the metropolitan area. They play the Devils tonight and the Rangers Sunday.

It was a disappointing result for the slumping Islanders, who lost for the fifth time in six. After a disastrous 0-4 road trip, they were hoping to build on a 3-1 win over Nashville. But couldn’t just hold on coughing up a two-goal lead.

”That was a big physical team,” Islander coach Jack Capuano said. ”I thought we played decently and well enough to win.

”You’re always frustrated when two points slip away. The big thing is how we respond. We have to find a way.”

At 7-10-3 tied with the Devils in points (17) despite playing two more games, they need to put together a good stretch. Thomas Vanek missed his third consecutive game with an “upper body injury.” Since acquiring him from Buffalo for Matt Moulson and two draft picks, things haven’t gone well. They’re 2-4-0 when he plays and 1-2-0 without him. That’s six losses in their last nine. It’s no wonder they’re looking up in the suddenly tightening Metro. The Pens have dropped three straight and still lead the division but only by a point over Washington. The Rangers and Hurricanes are tied with 18 points four back. Then come the Isles and Devils, who are both five out. The surging Flyers have won three straight suddenly up to 15 points including a 2-1 win Wednesday at Pittsburgh. With an overtime loss yesterday, Columbus sits last with 14. Eight points separates the entire division.

“It wasn’t turnovers, it wasn’t puck management, it was just the situation,” Capuano assessed after seeing his team allow a Toffoli tip to squeak past Kevin Poulin with 1:27 left. “They got some shots to the net. We knew they’d shoot the puck and crash and that’s how they got the game-winning goal.”

They’ve led in seven of their 13 defeats. That also included 2-0 leads to Columbus and Vancouver. Being able to protect leads is a necessity in the NHL. The Isles learned how to do it late last year making the playoffs. It hasn’t helped that scoring has dried up. After top three scorers John Tavares, Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo, there’s a big drop off. Moulson is still listed as the fourth scorer. Josh Bailey is stuck on eight points since Oct. 25. Michael Grabner doesn’t have a point since Oct. 17. The lack of depth is hurting them on the blueline too with Lubomir Visnovsky still out with a concussion. They’ve missed him.

With Evgeni Nabokov struggling in net, Poulin has gotten the last two starts. For the season, he’s 2-5-0 with a 2.45 GAA and .914 save percentage. Nabokov is 5-5-3 with a 3.24 GAA and .894 save percentage having allowed 10 goals in his last two starts. He’s allowed four or more five times including the last three. 

It’s a combination of things for a team that needs to right the ship. Detroit visits tomorrow. Then the Isles go on the road for three with stops in Toronto, Pittsburgh and Philly before returning home Nov. 27 against Winnipeg for a four-game home stand. It won’t get any easier.

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Devils prepare for crucial back-to-back at the Rock

Posted on November 15, 2013 by hasan4978

Devils celebrate beating the Kings 2-1 in Game 5 of the 2012 Finals (FoxSports)

With a second West Coast trip on the docket next week, the Devils’ games tomorrow and Saturday at the Rock loom large toward keeping up the momentum they’ve built in taking seven out of a possible eight points in their last four games, culminating in a huge 3-2 win at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.  This weekend’s games are also emotionally charged, for different reasons.  Tomorrow night the Devils host the Kings in the teams’ first matchup since Game 6 of the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals (though their last meeting at the Rock was a bit more successful for the Devils – see above picture), albeit without goaltenders Martin Brodeur or Jonathan Quick – on the shelf for the next few weeks due to injury.  Ironically far more players remain from the Kings’ 2012 team than ours, so getting a pound of flesh will probably be more on the mind of the fans than anything else.  Still, it’s a huge game that could get the Devils back to NHL .500, which would be a bit of an accomplishment after their 0-4-3 start.  Not to mention the Devils would have their first three-game winning streak since early last season.

Our early-season injury merry-go-round is continuing with Patrik Elias (back spasms) and Stephen Gionta (sprained ankle) both seemingly on their way back into the lineup this weekend, while Anton Volchenkov will miss the next few games due to a lower-body injury (pulled leg muscle) sustained early in Tuesday’s victory over the Rangers.  Most likely Mattias Tedenby and Jacob Josefson will be the scratches if both forwards return, while Mark Fayne will take the place of the injured Volchenkov.  Even with Elias and Gionta back though, the Devils will ice just eleven of the eighteen skaters that took the ice in Game 6 a year and a half ago, with some key pieces missing.  Ironically center Andrei Loiktionov was on the Kings that year, but contreversially didn’t get a Stanley Cup ring despite a fair number of games played during the season and was traded out of LA last season.  He’ll have something to prove against his former team obviously.

Our lineup will probably look something like this for the weekend:

F: Zubrus-Zajac-Jagr, Brunner-Elias-Ryder, Henrique-Loiktionov-Bernier, Carter-Gionta-Janssen

D: Greene-Zidlicky, Harrold-Fayne, Gelinas-Larsson

Saturday’s game against the Penguins is bigger in terms of them being a division rival so it’s a four-point game in the standings, which a suddenly hot Brodeur will be in the net for.  After appearing to grease the skids for Cory Schnieder to take over the #1 role in net, Marty’s done everything he can to delay the transition longer by going 5-1 in his last six games with just seven goals allowed during that stretch, which included back-to-back shutouts against the Flyers and Predators.  Pittsburgh’s three-game losing streak has suddenly put the Metro lead back up for grabs, as the Pens maintain just a one-point lead over the rival Caps with everyone else closing in as the Devils, Rangers and Flyers among others have all picked it up after slow starts.

While we haven’t played the Kings since the spring of 2012, we did play the Penguins in our season opener this year and got blanked 3-0 with Schnieder in net.  Amazingly our season series ends on New Year’s Eve as we play Pittsburgh two more times in December (thank the new NHL ‘balanced’ schedule for that).  I’m not really wrapped up in the division standings at this point though, even though we’ll likely have to finish in the top three to make the postseason with the way the divisions are shaping up now.  It’s still early though, right now I just want to see the Devils stay afloat until November and hopefully carry the momentum of this most recent 6-3-2 stretch through the last brutal part of their early-season schedule.

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A New Era for Sabres starts Friday

Posted on November 14, 2013 by Derek
Reunited, Ted Nolan and Pat LaFontaine pose for a photo op following the Sabres' shake up. latimes.com

Reunited, Ted Nolan and Pat LaFontaine pose for a photo op following the Sabres’ shake up.
latimes.com

Unless you were living in a cave, Terry Pegula finally took action firing GM Darcy Regier and coach Ron Rolston following the Sabres’ 3-2 shootout win over the Kings Tuesday. Pat LaFontaine was promoted to Team President and former coach Ted Nolan was hired.

The shake up still has the hockey world buzzing. An amazing 24-hour rollercoaster of emotions for Buffalo fans who rejoiced like our very own Brian Sanborn. Like many, he’d been waiting for this day. That it’s two familiar faces who are extremely popular makes it a great PR move.

How it will work out remains to be seen. LaFontaine was offered the GM position but wisely turned it down- citing lack of experience. Who they select will play a huge role in how long interim coach Nolan stays. The last time he was in this position, he and LaFontaine were with the Islanders. He lasted two years guiding them to a postseason appearance in ’06-07. He gets one more crack with the place it started. Nolan won a Jack Adams in ’96-97 after winning the Northeast Division and leading them to the second round. Then came his dismissal that remains a mystery to this day. All we know is it had something to do with Dominik Hasek. It’s great that he’ll get one more chance in Western New York.

Currently, the Sabres are 4-15-1 ranking last in the East. In 20 games, they only had one regulation/overtime win under Rolston. He was overmatched. They should’ve made it earlier following the John Scott nightmare. At least Pegula grew tired of the shenanigans. Buffalo is in a rebuild and Regier should be credited with getting great returns for Jason Pominville and Thomas Vanek. But his firing was a long time coming. At the very least, he retrieved some good pieces in trades which will benefit Buffalo long-term.

So, what does it all mean? That the Sabres will become a harder team for opponents. Nolan’s teams always outworked the opposition. Something that happened with the Islanders whenever they faced the Rangers. It’s been a while since he ran an NHL bench. That will be interesting to follow. I don’t think you forget how to coach. In some aspects, it reminds me of what the Devils did bringing back Jacques Lemaire. He proved he still had it making something out of a lost ’10-11 in Jersey. Something Hasan can allude to.

Will it work? It can’t be any worse. Worst case scenario is they continue to struggle and move Matt Moulson at the deadline and probably Ryan Miller. It’s about the future. However, there will be a work ethic instilled which is necessary for young players’ development. Tomorrow, the Maple Leafs visit First Niagara Center. A fitting first opponent considering the rivalry. It should be interesting.

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