Islanders Land Vanek from Sabres for Moulson, 2 picks

Posted on October 28, 2013 by Derek
Vanek's Final Hurrah: As it turned out, Thomas Vanek has played his last game for the Sabres. He was dealt to the Islanders Sunday. dirtydanglehockey.com

Vanek’s Final Hurrah: As it turned out, Thomas Vanek has played his last game for the Sabres. He was dealt to the Islanders Sunday.
dirtydanglehockey.com

In a stunning move, the Islanders have acquired Thomas Vanek from the Sabres in exchange for Matt Moulson, a 2014 first round pick and 2015 second round pick. Newsday’s Arthur Staple broke the trade in a tweet 31 minutes ago.

Playing in the final year of his contract, the 29-year old Vanek was tied for the team lead in points with nine (4-5-9). Rumored to be on the block since season’s start, he lasted just 13 games. With Buffalo continuing to rebuild, all signs pointed to their best player getting moved. Sitting dead last in the Eastern Conference with five points (2-10-1), the Sabres had the opportunity to get a good return from the Islanders. GM Darcy Regier moved him for a proven finisher in Moulson. In 11 games this season, he has six goals and three assists. Five of his six markers have come on the power play.

Moulson is also in the final year of his deal earning $3.9 million. His cap hit is $3.133 million. A stark contrast to Vanek, whose cap hit is $7.143 million thanks to Edmonton’s lunacy that forced Buffalo to match. He’s due $6.4 million this season.

For the Islanders, it’s a chance to upgrade a roster that features captain John Tavares. With the continued emergence of Frans Nielsen, Kyle Okposo and Josh Bailey, it allowed GM Garth Snow to swing a trade for a talented player. In a weak division, they’re banking on Vanek to make a difference. Currently, the Islanders are tied for second in the Metro with the Hurricanes at 4-4-3 for 11 points.

“We had opportunity to acquire an elite player and given where we are right now (.500), you go for it,” Snow told TSN’s Bob McKenzie.

“If we hadn’t drafted so well, if we didn’t have good prospects, we couldn’t afford to take the risk,” Snow told McKenzie on the steep price the Islanders paid to acquire Vanek.

I don’t necessarily agree. They didn’t lose anything off the roster. Vanek replaces Moulson. The only concern would be how fast he clicks with Tavares. Moulson had great chemistry with the Islander captain posting three consecutive 30-plus goal seasons. There’s no doubt he would’ve been a lock again in a full season. Now, he goes to the Sabres, who don’t score much. It’s unfortunate for him because he turned himself into a poor man’s Adam Graves. Who knows? Maybe he gets moved again at the deadline. There’s no guarantee he’s staying in Western New York.

As for Vanek, he gets basically a free trial with the Islanders. He can still turn unrestricted unless his new team can reach an agreement that keeps him with them when they relocate to Brooklyn. The best way for that to happen is for the Islanders to make a run in a second consecutive postseason. First, they must get there.

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Rangers win one for Cam

Posted on October 27, 2013 by Derek
An excited Rangers bench celebrates Derick Brassard's overtime winner marking the first time they beat the Red Wings in Detroit since last century. Tim Fuller/USA Today

An excited Rangers bench celebrates Derick Brassard’s overtime winner marking the first time they beat the Red Wings in Detroit since last century.
Tim Fuller/USA Today

If ever there was a character building win, it was this one. Against a team they never beat, the Rangers earned a hard fought 3-2 overtime win over the Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena. Derick Brassard’s breakaway goal with 12.9 seconds left gave them their first victory in Detroit since Jan. 30, 1999. Bill Clinton was still President and the new millennium hadn’t begun. Neither had Facebook or Twitter. Gas was cheaper. And there was no such thing as IPhones or Androids.

Indeed, a lot has changed since. Not always for the better. At least for one night, the Rangers resembled a determined hockey team whose lunch pail work ethic paid dividends. They concluded a long nine-game road trip by winning for only the third time. And not a moment too soon. It feels a lot better bringing a 3-6-0 record into the first home game Monday against the Canadiens. Hopefully, they’ll be able to build off an emotional win.

It was the first of rookie goalie Cam Talbot’s NHL career. In his second consecutive start, he gave the Rangers solid goaltending allowing two goals again. Against the Flyers, he took the loss. This time, his teammates came to the rescue making a 32-save effort stand up. They did it by rallying from two one-goal deficits. That included Mats Zuccarello’s first of the season that forced overtime. He was one of three Ranger forwards to finally light the lamp for the first time. That included Benoit Pouliot, who set up Brassard’s winner with some extra hustle. He dove to poke the puck ahead to spring Brassard, who beat Jimmy Howard five-hole.

”I only had to scoop up the puck. It was kind of bouncing, so I just closed my eyes and shot,” Brassard said.

It was that kind of effort that put a smile on their faces. They ended a challenging road trip on a positive note. It wouldn’t be a Ranger victory without some nervous tension. They played a good first only to trail thanks to a mistake. Zuccarello turned the puck over leading to Drew Miller beating Talbot short side. It wasn’t a good goal. But Talbot redeemed himself with steadier play.

Pouliot scored his first on the power play late in the second. Off a wild scramble in front, he got to a loose puck and snuck a backhand into an open side with Brian Boyle screening Howard. It wasn’t the prettiest but didn’t have to be. A gritty goal which is what sometimes works. However, an undisciplined Taylor Pyatt penalty led to the Red Wings going back in front before the period ended. Pavel Datsyuk set up Daniel Alfredsson with 11 seconds left. A back breaking goal that should’ve resulted in Pyatt being benched. He wasn’t.

Despite the setback, the Rangers persevered. Zuccarello got the game tied once more when he got to a Dominic Moore rebound in front and buried his first. A nice reward for the Norwegian who was reinserted by Alain Vigneault for Brandon Mashinter. It was good to see Zuccarello redeem himself. He went to the net and got rewarded. For the most part, the team fore-checked effectively forcing Howard to come up with some tough saves. He finished with 37. That included a leaping glove on a Boyle try. He also got a piece of an earlier Brassard breakaway. The American hopeful is a strong goalie who should represent Team USA.

Now, they finally return home for the home opener at the fully renovated MSG Monday.

”As a player, it (home crowd) gives you so much energy on the ice. You play with more emotion,” Brassard said. ”We want to get back and see our fans.”

”It’s going to be good for us. It’s been a challenge,” Vigneault added. ”We don’t have the record we want but we made some strides in the right direction.”

HARD HITS

–Chris Kreider had a second straight strong game finishing with three shots and three hits in 26 active shifts (18:23). What’s most different about him is he’s using his size and speed to get in on the cycle. One of his shots was a quality chance that Howard stopped. Kreider is coming back defensively and finishing checks. So far, he looks more confident. Hopefully, he’ll get one soon.

–J.T. Miller also had a solid night. Though he didn’t register a shot, he was noticeable on both ends. For a 20-year old, he has a lot of poise and is responsible defensively. Miller also takes the body.

-The other kid Jesper Fast received 14 shifts (9:38) on the fourth line. He had a shot, hit, takeaway and blocked shot. He doesn’t shy away from physicality and has stayed aggressive despite a smaller role.

-Against a strong face-off team, the Rangers did okay. They won 32 of 66. Boyle led them going 13-and-7 while Brassard went 9-and-6. They held Datsyuk to .500 (7-and-7) and Henrik Zetterberg to 9-and-10.

-Overall, I liked Boyle’s game. He was good on the fore-check and helped set up Pouliot’s power play goal. He also nearly had his first if not for an acrobatic save from Howard. The thing with Boyle is while he may not be the most gifted, fastest or smartest, the effort is always there. That’s why he stays in.

–Anton Stralman paced Ranger skaters with six shots while continuing to play steady D. While some of our better guys are still rounding into shape, Stralsy has been a rock. Probably one of Slats’ most overlooked moves a couple of years ago.

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Power play gives Devils a defibrillator in wild comeback

Posted on October 27, 2013 by hasan4978

Jagr, Gelinas, Greene, Zidlicky and Henrique celebrate the Devils’ unlikely comeback (TSN.ca)

 

Between most of last season, a drama-filled offseason and the beginning of this season there’s been a lot of misery for Devil fans as the team’s continually found ways to lose.  Going into tonight the Devils had one win in their first ten games overall this season, and only one win in our last twelve games against Boston over the last few seasons (and that win was a completely meaningless game for both teams on the last day of the ’10-11 season).  Our last win in Boston was nearly four years ago, in a game more memorable for Bruins captain Zdeno Chara breaking David Clarkson‘s leg with one of his patented 100-MPH slapshots than it was for our actual win.  The Bruins came into tonight’s game on a five-game winning streak and stood at 7-3 overall with a talented group looking to make a third run to the Finals in the last four seasons.  If the task of beating the Bruins tonight wasn’t daunting enough on paper, the outlook got even bleaker as the Devils gave up two goals in the first 9:19 followed by what could have been a backbreaking goal with just fifty-six seconds remaining in the first period, putting New Jersey down two again. Down two goals against the Eastern Conference champions and early Vezina favorite Tuukka Rask, this one was all but over.

Or was it?  As beloved ESPN college football analyst Lee Corso would say…’Not so fast, my friend!’

An inspired effort over the last thirty-three minutes got the Devils back in the game, but they still trailed by one with just under two minutes remaining when a double-minor high sticking penalty on Torrey Krug and a delay-of-game penalty on Patrice Bergeron set up a rare five-on-three for Devils in the final 1:49 of regulation.  Not long after the 5-on-3 started, coach Pete DeBoer pulled Martin Brodeur for a sixth attacker, setting up an even rarer 6-on-3 situation.  After the Bruins made one clear we continued to pass the puck around for several anxious seconds – minutes it seemed to me – before finally Marek Zidlicky used sheer power to score the tying goal at 18:52.  Even with the game tied, there was more excitement to come as the Devils still had a 5-on-4 power play.  Amazingly, the embattled Devils scored the lead goal twenty-three seconds later when Damien Brunner fanned on a one-timer of a deflection and it bounced right onto Andy Greene‘s stick, and he put it in an open net to give New Jersey a stunning 4-3 lead.  Even more astonishingly, it was our fourth power play goal of the game.  Last year it would have taken us weeks, if not months to get that many.  With momentum on their side, the Devils held on through those last anxious forty-five seconds for what could well be a season-changing win.  As former broadcaster Doc Emrick would say – ‘Had ’em…all the way’.

I don’t want to put the cart before the horse here…we do still have two wins in eleven games, and this game will mean very little if we don’t follow it up with a solid performance and another two points at home against the Lightning on Tuesday.  However, winning tonight the way we did against who we did – well let’s just say if this doesn’t get the Devils going in the right direction, nothing will.  Not only could it have been a season-saving win, it could well have been a job-saving win for coach Pete DeBoer, who was certainly feeling the pressure over the team’s horrendous record since late February last year.  After an uninspired, sloppy start where the Devils gave up a power play goal to Krug and a deflection goal by Jarome Iginla, DeBoer used his timeout.  For a time, the team’s play improved and Adam Henrique scored the team’s first goal of the game at 11:24 on a rebound from an Eric Gelinas shot.  Once again big Gelinas made an impact tonight with nearly twenty minutes played (19:58), including almost four on a power play that suddenly looks dynamic.  Even before Gelinas got here, I thought the power play was improving under coach Dave Barr with quick, decisive passing that was reminscent of former assistant Adam Oates‘ power play here.  However, Gelinas has taken it to another level in his two games with his skating ability and powerful shot, something which the Devils haven’t had from the point since forever (don’t give me Ilya Kovalchuk, he rarely if ever used his booming slapshot on the point).

That first period goal did not lift the team up for very long however, and yet another breakdown cost us in the final minute of the period when Milan Lucic used the turbo button on NHL14 to zoom past Zidlicky, and beat Brodeur with a weak shot through the legs to put Boston up 3-1.  That goal may have been the final straw for an increasingly on-edge DeBoer, seeing as Henrique was supposed to be the MSG2 post-period interview but it was abruptly canceled…presumably because the coach was about to lay into his team. I can’t even attribute the Devils’ revival to what was said since the first several minutes of the period it looked as if the ship was about ready to keel over and sink.  Only a horrendous three-on-one where the Bruins didn’t even put a shot on net kept us in the game.  However, the Devils did right the ship over the final thirteen minutes of the period outshooting the Bruins 13-3 (after being outshot 8-2 in the first seven).  Still, it looked like as has been the case through much of these last few months the Devils would have nothing to show for their hard work.  Until the last half-minute of the period when on another power play, they finally caught a break at 19:32 when a Steve Bernier shot rebounded to Brunner, and his shot was stopped by Rask but the goaltender’s momentum carried his arm and the puck over the goalline.  After review, Brunner’s fourth goal of the season stood, pulling the Devils within one.

Having gone to sleep during the second and let us back in the game, the Bruins were determined to clamp down during the third – and for the first fifteen minutes or so they did, giving us few real chances.  Until the Devils caught another break (in a manner of speaking) when Krug high-sticked Brunner, causing a lost tooth and blood which put us on the power play for the rest of regulation.  Though Boston killed off the front end of that penalty, Bergeron’s delay of game and the resulting six-on-three was enough to finally turn the tide, with Greene’s shock winner saving us from the always problematic OT/shootout specter.  Even Chico Resch was making jokes about our shootout prowess, remarking at one point when Rask wound up losing his goalie stick and having to use a defenseman’s stick (unfortunately we couldn’t get the puck to the net during that sequence), that maybe Rask should have to play with that stick during the shootout should we get there to give us a chance.

Fortunately, no such handicap was required to finally get two points out of a game.  The fact that it came against this team made it all the sweeter.  Usually, the Devils are the ones who have found ways to lose against the Bruins over these last few years when they’d beaten us eleven out of twelve.  Most of the games were actually close, but something would always happen where we’d be tied or have the lead late and then bite the dust, or get behind and fall short in a futile comeback.  That wasn’t the case tonight though.

Tonight for the first time in a long while, Devil fans were reminded anew why they love hockey and sports in general.  After all the negativity of the last several months, it feels good to have hope again for the next couple of days at least.

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Bailey’s late goal stuns Pens

Posted on October 26, 2013 by Derek
Josh Bailey celebrates his winning goal against the Pens. AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar

Josh Bailey celebrates his winning goal against the Pens.
AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar

There are shifts you remember. For Islanders forward Josh Bailey, that shift came late in regulation in Pittsburgh. Facing the team that eliminated them from the playoffs, the Islanders showed the same resiliency that pushed the Pens to the limit. A huge third period resulted in their best win of the season. A come from behind 4-3 win in regulation that stunned the Pens.

Out for a long shift after Pierre-Marc Bouchard tied it, a sliding Bailey broke his stick after trying to block a shot. With the short change, he sprinted towards the bench and got new lumber sneaking back into play. As the Islanders were clearing the zone, Bailey started a rush the other way. With Kris Letang scrambling around, Frans Nielsen retrieved a loose puck and chipped it to Bailey, who got just enough of it to tuck it past Pens backup Jeff Zatkoff. The conclusion of a wild sequence put the Isles ahead with 1:40 left. Kyle Okposo added the other helper.

Much as they had last Spring, the Isles exposed the Pens. If last year it was Marc-Andre Fleury’s inability to stop the puck, this time it was the Pens’ defense which imploded. They blew two one-goal leads in the third. After the old Patrick rivals exchanged goals 3:11 apart in the first, league leading scorer Sidney Crosby scored the lone goal in a dominant second that saw the hosts outshoot the Isles 20-10. Evgeni Nabokov stopped 19 of 20 to give his team a chance. He finished with 39 saves.

In a striking similarity to last May, an unpredictable third saw a pesky Islander effort get rewarded. Nielsen has been the best Islander so far. His consistency has given the club a second scoring line that’s taken pressure off new captain John Tavares. Nielsen and Tavares combined to set up Matt Moulson on the power play for the game’s first goal in the first. But Jussi Jokinen tied it. The Pens brought a 2-1 lead into the final stanza thanks to Crosby beating Nabokov on a mini-break for his eighth.

Nielsen wasn’t done. On a good fore-check, he neatly redirected a Thomas Hickey shot pass just out of Zatkoff’s reach. Radek Martinek picked up a secondary assist. But on the next shift, an unlikely source put the Pens back ahead. Off a nice rush by Joe Vitale, he centered for a cutting Deryk Engelland, who buried his first past Nabokov. Pretty cool when a noted tough guy scores. Engelland was playing forward due to injuries. The goal came 16 seconds later giving Pittsburgh a 3-2 lead. Before you could blink, the Islanders came right back. With the Pens leaving the zone early, a great keep by Martinek allowed Bouchard to pick up his first as an Islander. He took a Martinek feed and slipped a backhand past Zatkoff once again tying it 53 seconds later.

As time wound down, a strong shift by the Pens had the Isles pinned in their zone. That’s when Bailey broke his stick leaving the Isles a man short to defend. Able to keep their dangerous opponent to the outside, they got out of it unscathed. A scrambling Bailey got back in time to start the winning rush. It was kind of an innocent play with him getting the puck to Okposo at the side of the net. With no angle, he centered for Nielsen who was in great shooting position. Instead of taking the shot with Zatkoff down, he passed for Bailey, who was isolated. He was able to tuck one in for the game-winner. His fourth from Nielsen and Okposo.

It didn’t take long for some Pen fans to hit the exits. I’ll never understand why fans do that. You’re only down a goal with two of the game’s best. Crosby has been remarkable while Evgeni Malkin has yet to get going. He still has nine points. Even with them pulling Zatkoff for the extra, the Islanders did an excellent job in front of Nabokov not allowing anything to get through. One final clear allowed them to celebrate a well earned win.

Notes: With an assist on Bailey’s winner, Nielsen led all skaters with three points (1-2-3). His second straight three-point effort raised his season total to six goals and eight assists for a team-leading 14 points. Two better than Tavares (assist) who is second with 12. With a helper, Okposo is up to 11 points (3-8-11). … Pens outshot the Isles 42-25. However, shots were 8-7 Pittsburgh in the third. … Isles converted on their only power play (Moulson) while holding the Pens powerless in five chances. … Pens killed the Isles in face-offs winning 48 of 75. Crosby went 18-for-26 and Malking was 12-for-18. Casey Cizikas was the Isles’ best winning 8-of-18. Tavares went 10-of-23. Bailey lost 12 of 15. Peter Regin lost 13 of 18. Okposo won his only draw. … The win improved NYI to 4-3-3 with their 11 points tied with Carolina for second. At last check, the Canes trailed the Avs 4-2 late in the third.

METRO DIVISION

GP   Record  Pts

1.Penguins   10   7-3-0     14

2.Islanders   10   4-3-3     11

3.Canes        10   4-3-3      11

4.Jackets       10   5-5-0      10

5.Capitals      10  5-5-0       10

6.Devils          10  1-5-4       6

7.Rangers       8    2-6-0      4

8.Flyers           9    2-7-0      4

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Kreider takes positive steps in loss

Posted on October 25, 2013 by Derek
2406c-chriskreider

Chris Kreider

While the end result wasn’t what they wanted, the Rangers got an inspired effort out of Chris Kreider. Recalled from Hartford after posting two goals and two assists, he had an active game last night against the Flyers.

Given an opportunity to play on the top line with Brad Richards and Derek Stepan, Kreider was involved offensively. In 27 shifts, he took two shots and missed another couple of chances. Most importantly, he used his 6-3, 230 frame to keep plays alive in the offensive zone. He was particularly effective on the fore-check getting to loose pucks and winning board battles. Kreider also threw his weight around registering a game high six hits. Coincidentally, one of those included taking out his own teammate when he slammed into Ryan McDonagh. The frightening sequence occurred in the second period, forcing McDonagh to the bench. Luckily, he was okay and returned.

Kreider had an active stick credited with three takeaways. Also the most of any skater. His combination of size, strength and speed should be an asset for the Rangers. Even though he got credited with a dubious assist on Richards’ fifth of the season, the hard work paid off. When a player plays well, they earn breaks. I wonder if they’ll eventually change the scoring to Stepan, who chipped the pass to Richards. What matters most is Kreider competed and was rewarded by Alain Vigneault with over 19 minutes of ice-time. That’s what we want to see. He’ll still have to bury a few to stay on the top unit. Maybe the next project will be returning him to the front of the net on the power play.

It’s all a matter of being consistent. With the Rangers finally ending the merciless nine-game road trip tomorrow with a visit at Detroit, let’s see if he can follow up with another strong performance.

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Rangers continue to struggle without Nash

Posted on October 25, 2013 by Derek
Rick Nash celebrates Brad Richards' goal with Derek Stepan. AP Photo/Gus Ruelas

Rick Nash celebrates Brad Richards’ goal with Derek Stepan.
AP Photo/Gus Ruelas

 

When Rick Nash isn’t in the lineup, the Rangers struggle to win games. Acquired by Team President And General Manager Glen Sather in 2012, the All-Star forward was supposed to be the missing ingredient to a Stanley Cup. Instead, he’s been anything but due to injuries. In the same calendar year, he’s suffered two concussions. The first one kept him out four games at the end of February 2013. Not surprisingly, the team struggled posting an 0-3-1 record without him- getting outscored 12-6. When he returned, their play picked up immediately winning four in a row.

Despite a playoff disappointment in which he scored only one goal and totaled five points, Nash led the Rangers with 21 goals and 176 shots on goal in his first season. His 42 points ranked second behind Derek Stepan (44). In fact, the Rangers’ record was 13-4 in games he scored. An interesting correlation to the team’s success. Half their wins (26) came when Nash lit the lamp. In games he didn’t, they lost 14 times in regulation. A notable contrast.

Nash has played only three games this season registering three assists. In a win over the Kings, he was strong notching two assists and had six shots. He went down in a blowout loss in San Jose and hasn’t been back since. Not coincidentally, the Rangers aren’t winning. Last night’s 2-1 loss in Philadelphia made them 1-4-0 without Nash. They’ve been outscored 17-6 and have been shutout twice and held to two goals or less four times. It hasn’t helped that captain Ryan Callahan is also out with a broken thumb. He was off to a decent start scoring three goals in his last two games against St. Louis and Washington. Two came on the power play. In two games since his injury, the Rangers have been outscored 6-1 by the Devils and Flyers. Each rival has also struggled out of the gate but came away with victories.

Here is a closer breakdown of the team’s play without Nash in his first two seasons:

         MISSING NASH 

GP           Record         GF    GA      Diff.

2013       4              0-3-1              6       12       -6

’13-14     5              1-4-0              6       17       -11

Total       9              1-7-1             12      29      -17

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Schnieder’s dud mars better team game against Canucks

Posted on October 25, 2013 by hasan4978

Roberto Luongo and Cory Schnieder last year in different ‘uniforms’

 

Perhaps the only good news from last night’s 3-2 shootout loss to Vancouver is I don’t have to sit here and bash the team en masse.  Except perhaps for their pathetic shootouts (now 0-12 on the season in shootout attempts), but I’ll get to that later.  Last night however, the team played arguably its best defensive game of the season, only allowing seventeen shots in regulation and twenty-one overall.  Offensively, it wasn’t great again but two goals on thirty shots is about par for the course with this group, especially against an actual upper-echelon NHL goalie like Roberto Luongo.  If we can’t score against scrub backups, why should I expect us to roast Bobby Lou/Strombone/Thing 1?  Still, this game should have been a 2-0 or at worst 2-1 win.

Once again, a losing team finds a way to lose another game though.  Last night, the clear goat was Cory Schnieder (a.k.a. Thing 2), who was clearly at fault on both goals and put on a puckhandling display that would have made Johan Hedberg cringe.  It wasn’t just his first goal against – a freebee to Ryan Kesler at 6:07 when Schnieder tried to pass the puck to an unsuspecting Andy Greene and flubbed it right onto the stick of Henrik Sedin, who found a wide open Kesler on the left side of the goal for a tap-in.  It seemed as if that mistake hung over Schnieder all night, as he passed up several other easy chances to play the puck (and nearly flubbed a couple others) including falling down on a loose puck in the crease to get a faceoff with literally nobody around him, something I’ve never seen before.  As current creasemate Martin Brodeur will tell you, the ability to shrug off mistakes is what makes the difference between a goalie who can have good streaks, and a consistently elite player.

Kesler’s goal wasn’t even Schnieder’s worst mistake of the night though, as Daniel Sedin‘s blast from the boards after a dump-in from twin brother Henrik somehow found room under Schnieder’s pad at 12:37 of the second period – again tying the game for Vancouver.  Schnieder even admitted he was ready for the play since it was something the Sedins did but still failed to get his pad down in time and Cory took the blame for both goals and the loss after the game.  As it turned out, that was the last goal of the actual hockey game even though the Devils pounded seventeen shots at Luongo in the third period, and the Canucks dominated the 4-on-4 OT but couldn’t score there.

What was particularly galling about Schnieder’s game last night is it marred what was clearly our best defensive performance of the season.  I don’t want to say not having captain Bryce Salvador (death in the family) was a net positive – especially since Salvador’s had a bounceback season – but it isn’t a coincidence the defense was more efficient and moving the puck better last night with youngsters Eric Gelinas and Adam Larsson in the lineup in place of Salvador and Pete’s Pet (Peter Harrold).  Gelinas in particular was an eye-opener in his second NHL game last night with no less an authority than Jaromir Jagr calling him ‘the best player on the ice’ last night.  Jagr was pretty good himself too, but last night’s highlight was Gelinas’s first NHL goal on the power play at 9:41 of the first, firing a slapper through traffic and past Luongo.  Making perhaps his only contribution last night aside from getting the primary assist on Gelinas’s laser, Travis Zajac went to get Gelinas the puck for a keepsake.

Overall, Gelinas played 16:27, getting credited with three SOG and three hits while d-partner Larsson got nineteen plus minutes and was an E, so coach Pete DeBoer couldn’t harp on Larsson’s plus-minus the way he did before the game when he got ‘defensive’ over a question of how Larsson was being managed this season, bringing up how he wanted Larsson to make the simple play and not be a -6 in five games.  And yet he said nothing about Harrold’s -6 when he talked about benching him, instead claiming it was because he was a small guy that was beaten up with the workload.  Despite Pete’s lineup idiosyncrascies, every d-pairing worked last night, and it’ll be interesting to see what happens when Salvador returns either on Saturday or early next week.

If Gelinas was the surprise star last night, it was Jagr’s line with Andrei Loiktionov and Patrik Elias that was the best line on the ice.  All three forwards combined for a goal with some beautiful passing with Loiktionov finding a wide-open Elias at the right side of the net for a one-timer goal.  Somehow Elias was named first star last night, but it was really his older Czech linemate that was the best forward – something DeBoer even alluded to after the game when he called Jagr consistently the best forward on the team.  That line showed instant chemistry with possession and creativity, and should have had a second goal late in the second period when Loiktionov had a wide-open net but rushed a backhander high.  Although the Devils controlled play for much of the night against a Canucks team on a sixth-game of a seven game road trip and down to only nine healthy forwards last night, the Jagr-led line was really the only one creating chances for the most part, other than a couple of lasers by Michael Ryder that Luongo was up to the task on.

Of course once Schnieder gave up two leads and the game went into overtime, the result was pretty much predictable.  At least DeBoer tried a couple of new things in the shootout, deferring to get the last shot and giving Adam Henrique an attempt.  Though he had another miserable game, to his credit Henrique did actually fool Luongo on his attempt, something I can’t say about most of the Devils’ other twelve shots on goal during the skills competition this year.  Unfortunately Henrique somehow put a puck wide with an open net to shoot at.  Although Schnieder stopped D. Sedin and Alex Edler in the shootout, the immortal Mike Santorelli abusing him on the first attempt was enough to beat the Devils’ popgun offense which again went 0-for-3 and is 0-for the season in twelve shootout attempts.  I would have given Marek Zidlicky an attempt…he’s actually scored several shootout goals and has a better percentage than some guys who’ve gotten attempts this year but apparently of the two coaches last night only John Tortorella knows you can run defensemen out in the shootout.  Then again with how pitiful we are at the shootout, DeBoer’d probably have more success picking the lineup out of a hat.

And what would a home Devils recap be without yet more talk about the goal song and the atmosphere at the arena?  Last night’s ‘fan choice’ was Righteous Smoke by Monster Truck, which was a total dud, just like the 13k crowd last night.  I wasn’t even sure if they decided to change the goal song at the last minute because I kept hearing ‘Oh oh oh oh’ like the more popular SNA choice.  Unfortunately it seems as if the owners didn’t take too kindly to the crowd chanting you suck on Saturday night and laid down the law picking a song I doubt five fans voted for, and warning the Diablos section in 122 that if they chanted ‘you suck’ (among other things) they’d be ejected and have their season tickets revoked.  Granted, if you’re getting $100 season tickets you’re pretty much beholden to the team’s wishes but still, you can tell they were puppets of the team when they tried a ‘We are…JERSEY!’ chant in the third period, and started ‘Let’s Go Devils!’ chants when the inevitable ‘Rangers Suck!’ whistles finally started in the third period.

Bad feelings were evident all over the arena, with one guy a few rows in front of me going to the trouble to tape on the back of his jersey (three seperate pieces of tape):

#Harris Sucks, #Blitzer Sucks, #I don’t usually say suck

I’ve come down on the fans’ behavior a few different times but the fact the owners are being as childish and defiant as the fans is not going to make anyone happy in the end.  Unfortunately last night the boos returned after this dreadful goal song choice, and it seems as if the owners are determined to find a generic song choice that the fans can’t chant ‘you suck’ to.  Pretty much the only thing keeping me in good spirits in spite of the atmosphere was getting to spend the game talking with my former seatmate and his girlfriend in 120 since the three seats between us were unoccupied.  That and the fact I was just glad to be there after going almost a full three weeks in between games since I let my friend and his wife buy the Saturday game off me (he’s not a huge hockey fan himself, but he’s trying to get her into it).  Maybe I should beg them to buy more tickets off me if the team’s going to play that well when I don’t go.  Then again, it was against the Rangers who have their own problems right now.  As one guy on HF Boards cleverly put it, we were scoring against some guy dressed up in a Lundqvist jersey on his way to a Halloween party.

Right now most of the NHL is laughing at both our teams though.

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No Crying Just Yet

Posted on October 25, 2013 by Derek
Poor Cam: In what's becoming a theme, a Ranger goalie can't save this team. Cam Talbot still was solid making 25 saves in his NHL debut. AP Photo/Laurence Kesterson

Poor Cam: In what’s becoming a theme, a Ranger goalie can’t save this team. Cam Talbot still was solid making 25 saves in his NHL debut.
AP Photo/Laurence Kesterson

The Rangers accomplished something tonight. They managed to lose to the Flyers 2-1. I could gripe over how bad that is. But why bother? This is an embarrassingly dull team right now. I don’t know when that changes. They scored once on a lucky shot by Brad Richards. He caught Steve Mason napping late in the first. That was it.

In his NHL debut, Cam Talbot was solid finishing with 25 saves. Of the two goals he allowed, one could be considered soft with Matt Read beating him five-hole while shorthanded. That it came a man short shows just how brutal they were. Particularly Derick Brassard. For everything he did right last Spring, the former Jacket has been anything but so far. Even with four assists, he’s hardly been noticeable. Instead, blatant giveaways have led to goals against. The latest glaring example coming when his mishaps at the point allowed Read to skate in two on one and give the Flyers the lead.

The only positive offensively was the play of the top line, who responded following Derek Dorsett’s fight with Zac Rinaldo. With over a minute left in the first period, a good cycle from the trio of Richards, Chris Kreider and Derek Stepan led to their only goal. A nice keep by John Moore at the point along with a Kreider chip allowed Richards to keep the play going. With nowhere to go, he wisely fired the puck from a sharp angle surprising Mason, who wasn’t on his angle. A smart play from a much more confident player who’s been the lone bright spot. Richards’ team-leading fifth came at 18:56 sending them to the locker room even.

There really isn’t much else to say. Forget the 12 shots they fired on Mason in the second. Were any really threats as much as two bombs the Flyers sent that beat Talbot to the glove side but rang off the goalpost? You already know the answer. Brian Boyle took two dumb penalties including an unsportsmanlike for arguing over a missed call. Brandon Mashinter had a spirited scrap with Wayne Simmonds that led to more animosity befitting of the rivalry. Dorsett mixed it up with Braydon Coburn. Somehow, he wound up with the only misconduct. Ironic considering what happened the next period.

Before the second concluded, the most controversial play of the game took place. While finishing a check, Benoit Pouliot shoved Max Talbot from behind. His momentum carried him into the boards. It was a dangerous hit because he was vulnerable. At least Pouliot tried to hold up as Talbot crashed. No matter, He received a boarding major and game misconduct. I had no problem with the call because he could’ve been seriously hurt. Luckily for Pouliot, Talbot returned for the third. He’ll still be getting a call from the league. I think he might avoid further discipline. There was no malicious intent. If only he was earning his paycheck. Through eight games, he still is stuck on zero points. Great signing Slats!

The only aspect for the Rangers that was good was the penalty kill. They went four for four including a successful kill of Pouliot’s major. Unfortunately, they got no momentum. When you’re bad, you’re bad. Instead of testing Mason, a sloppy turnover led to Coburn getting the game-winner at 3:33. After someone went for a big hit in the neutral zone and missed, disaster struck. Marc Staal gave away the puck which might’ve caromed off Richards to Coburn, whose one-timer beat Talbot stick side. Read and Niklas Grossmann added helpers.

The damage was done. In past seasons, a one-goal deficit wasn’t enough to beat them. Not this team who is without Carl Hagelin and injured stars Rick Nash and Ryan Callahan. There is zero offensive creativity. Especially with Stepan continuing to struggle and Brassard dressed as a Halloween ghost. Alain Vigneault felt it was better to scratch Mats Zuccarello and play team pet Taylor Pyatt. I’m not questioning Pyatt’s effort. It’s always there. He tries hard. But it’s time for AV and Slats to face facts. He’s a stiff! What was he doing out in the last minute? Between him, the coach and the senseless play of Mike Del Zotto, it’s enough to put a paper bag over your head. Apparently some fans are suggesting it for Monday’s home opener.

https://twitter.com/KreiOfTheTiger/status/393554197552959488

The Rangers did get a power play. They only had two. Two stinking power plays and one shorthanded goal given up. On the second at least, J.T. Miller thought he scored the tying goal. Not only did he fool us but the New York Rangers who texted it as a power play goal immediately. What a joke. But the more you watched replays, the kicking motion was evident. On the bench, Miller sat there motionless. And so there went the only chance they had against the hapless Flyers. Path—etic!

HARD HITS

-I only have one. The mindless over promotion of the newly renovated Garden has taken its toll. The way MSG makes it sound, you’d think they were curing cancer. It’s an absolute joke! I can’t anymore with Dolan. How many times do we have to hear Sam Rosen say they spent $2 billion on the “New MSG.” It’s maddening. That’s all they care about. Not improving the on ice product which flat out sucks since Slats traded for Nash and then listened to the egocentric goalie on Tort. Yes. I said it! This is as much Hank’s fault that the team has zero identity. When they lose, I don’t even get upset anymore. I expect it. The losing culture is back. They can take their precious Garden and _______. You get the picture.

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Scott cheapshot latest Sabre disgrace

Posted on October 24, 2013 by Derek

We’ve seen this act before. It’s a tired one already in Western New York. It’s one thing to lose as often as the Sabres have. But quite another for the team to disgrace itself. On what was billed Rivalry Night on NBC Sports Network, Buffalo turned a 5-2 home loss to bitter nemesis Boston into a much uglier scene.

For a young rebuilding club that’s won just once in 11 games including last night, the story should be about kids such as Nikita Zadorov. The 18-year old Russian ’13 Sabre first round pick scored his first career NHL goal cutting the deficit to 3-2 late in the second period. That was a good moment for a kid who’s part of the team’s future.

After Bruin defenseman Torey Krug scored to restore a two-goal lead 4:17 into the third, Buffalo bench boss Ron Rolston thought it was a good idea to send out John Scott. The 31-year old veteran enforcer is on his fourth roster in seven years. He spent the first two with the Wild before moving to Chicago for two, then the Rangers and has spent the last two in Buffalo. Listed at 6-8, 270, Scott’s a behemoth who can intimidate opponents with his fists. In a meaningless exhibition against the Leafs, Rolston sent him out to chase around Phil Kessel following a fight in which Jamie Devane broke Corey Tropp’s jaw. The end result was Scott emulating Tom while Kessel was Jerry. It morphed into a circus with players pairing off while Kessel kept hacking away at Scott.

It was like one of those scenes from Slap Shot. Except it’s not the 1970’s or 80’s anymore. Hockey doesn’t want such ugliness in the game. Apparently, Rolston forgot what his job description was. He was more concerned with having Scott out for a shift following Krug’s goal that put his team down 4-2. What he got was a disgraceful display from a player who has no place in the game. After Loui Eriksson released the puck, Scott came flying in with the kind of dirty hit that the NHL has zero tolerance for. Judge for yourself.

As we see on the replay, Scott delivers a late hit from the blindside charging into a defenseless Eriksson. For his actions, he received a charging match penalty. The response was quick from Boston with defenseman Adam McQuaid dropping the gloves. Of course, he was assessed an instigator because why would he want to defend a fallen teammate.

”He’s out there for two reasons and that’s either to fight or hurt,” a livid Claude Julien of Scott. ”So he did his job tonight.”

What exactly is his job? To deliberately injure players. Why he was even out there made no sense. The Sabres needed a response. They trailed by two in a game that wasn’t over. Instead, Krug converted his second during the five-minute major putting it away. You have to wonder what is going on. Patrick Kaleta also earns a paycheck from the Sabres. He still hasn’t learned his lesson serving the sixth game of a 10-game suspension for another mindless incident for delivering an illegal check to the head. The victim was Columbus defenseman Jack Johnson, who fortunately wasn’t hurt. But Kaleta’s record which included three suspensions made it an easy call for League VP Brendan Shanahan.

One has to ask where the level of respect is. The league has been quite busy making examples out of many culprits. When is enough ENOUGH? It’s reaching a breaking point. How many second and third chances can you give these guys before they kill someone? Because it’s headed that route. Matt Cooke has been used as an example of someone who repaired his image. You’d like to see more players adhere to the rules and take responsibility. The question with Scott is why is he even playing. He’s a goon. Kaleta on the other hand can take a regular shift and inject energy. However, time is running out.

The Sabres should be focused more on playing the game of hockey the right way. That way the younger players learn. I understand the need for them to get tougher. Ryan Miller was run over by Milan Lucic and no Sabre defended him. Team toughness is important as long as it doesn’t go overboard. There was no point to Scott’s madness. He deserves a huge ban. We’re not talking 10 games. Either 20 or 40. The time has come for Shanahan to make an example out of someone. Do the right thing.

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Changing of the net in Jersey

Posted on October 23, 2013 by hasan4978

Image

When the Devils acquired Cory Schnieder in a blockbuster draft trade with Vancouver four months ago, people figured he would supplant a 41-year old Martin Brodeur as the team’s starting goalie at some point.  I’m not sure anyone figured the transition would be this quick though.  Schnieder will start his third straight game tomorrow night at home against his former team, although most people figured when the schedule came out that Schnieder would get both Canuck grudge matches anyway.

Even more telling though is what Brodeur himself had to say after practice today.  In a somewhat reflective mood Brodeur admitted, ‘I think he’s (Cory) in the net now to stay…I don’t see that’s going to be changed any time soon’.  While I didn’t see this kind of admission coming in October from a proud athlete like Marty, one look at the numbers so far indicate this kind of day was going to happen sooner or later:

  1. Schnieder 2.21 GAA, .917 save pct. in five starts
  2. Brodeur 3.40 GAA, .865 save pct. in four starts

Sometimes it can get pretty ugly for legends on the way out.  Derek can give chapter and verse on the inordinate influence Mark Messier had in his final, wasted years in New York, or how ugly Patrick Ewing‘s forced exit from the Knicks was.  Fans of another generation can recall Willie Mays falling down in centerfield during his final days with the Mets, or Joe Namath leaving the Jets and playing a handful of forgettable games as a Ram to close his career.  Injuries are sometimes inevitable with older bodies too, such as what’s going on with Yankee icon Derek Jeter right now – or Scott Stevens suffering a concussion in his final season and never playing again.  Occasionally HOF’ers are lucky/perceptive enough to leave on the right note. Yankee fans witnessed one such graceful exit recently with Mariano Rivera (I’d say the same about Andy Pettite too except he is just a notch below the other athletes mentioned in this paragraph).

In hindsight, would it have been better had Brodeur walked away following the ’11-12 playoff run?  I guess, but you can hardly blame the guy for thinking he had more hockey left in him following a strong second half of the season and a playoff run that woke up the echoes from seasons past (14 wins, 2.12 GAA, .917 save percentage).  Perhaps he would have won the Conn Smythe he could have had in 2003 and an improbable fourth Stanley Cup if Mark Fayne could hit an open net late in Game 1, or Ilya Kovalchuk didn’t hit a crossbar late in Game 2.  Even with the team coming up short, Brodeur could take pride in his performance at age 40, an age where most goaltenders have already called it a career, and no goaltender’s ever put up the minutes/games played that Marty has.  Brodeur has 1,224 NHL games under his belt – and counting – a full 195 games clear of Patrick Roy.  Brodeur has 669 career wins, a full 118 ahead of Roy now.  I remember how big a deal it was when Brodeur hit #552 in 2009 to break Roy’s record…yours truly took the above picture that special night.  And oh yes, Brodeur also leads all NHL goaltenders in career goals scored with three.

Maybe it would have been better for Marty to leave the 2012 playoff run as a spectacular finish to a brilliant career, but personally I’ll be sad when Marty stops playing.  I’ve known nothing else as a fan literally other than seeing Marty in net.  And personally from his end, Marty’s a competitor.  Ironically, winning itself probably rejuvanated him as much as anything, after a playoff-less 2010-11 season and several early playoff exits before that.  When he re-signed with the Devils, the immediate future still looked bright.  Unfortunately two days later, star winger and ex-captain Zach Parise left the Devils out in the cold by going to Minnesota.  After a playoff-less season where Brodeur’s save percentage went down and he missed a month with an elbow injury (though he did put up a 2.22 GAA in his 29 starts last year), came more bad news in the offseason with Kovalchuk’s shock departure and the gritty David Clarkson – who had a bit of a little brother type relationship with Marty – leaving for money at home in Toronto as well.

With his numbers so far and the team only having one win in its first nine games, things could have gotten ugly if Marty decided to make an issue of his playing time.  That’s the one thing I knew wouldn’t happen though.  After all, Marty was benched on a gold-medal winning Canada team in favor of Roberto Luongo and said all the right things then.  Even three years ago when he struggled and was replaced by Johan Hedberg for about a month he was all about what’s best for the team.  Yes, you do have to have an ego to be as good as Marty is…but Marty seldom if ever lets that ego get in the way of the greater good and he proved that again today.

“I think we’ve got to try to win some games somehow”, Brodeur said.  “This is what (head coach Pete DeBoer) feels is the best opportunity for him to be successful is having (Schneider) in the net and that’s fine. If we win, everybody’s happy. Even though I don’t play, it’s more enjoyable to be around….days like today are not fun.”

Make no mistake about it though…the fire still burns and Marty still wants to do what he can to contribute:

“I haven’t changed. I want to play every game. It’s not fun to sit,” he said. “The body feels good. That’s about it. It’s hard when you’re used to being the guy that’s counted on to play and all the sudden you’re not asked to. It definitely makes it a little hard, but it’s part of the process of getting older. It’s like we talked about the last three years. I haven’t played as many games either. It’s kind of somewhat a transition. But definitely it’s not fun. “You don’t play hockey, especially at the age I am, to just sit on the bench and hang out and have to do what I did today (be the only goalie in practice). It was fun today. I had a blast, but ask me that in two months and I don’t know if I’ll say the same thing.”

This isn’t going to be a situation where Schnieder will automatically play 70 games just yet though…with another twenty back-to-backs remaining, plus a road game at Montreal where he’ll surely play if healthy, Brodeur will still get his opportunities to go out in a final blaze of glory.  I hope he does.

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