Struggling locals battle it out at the Rock tonight

Posted on October 19, 2013 by hasan4978

Other than the Devils’ home opener on the 4th, neither us or the Rangers have played a game in the tri-state area this season.  While the Rangers are still in the midst of their season opening nine-game road trip during the finishing touches of MSG’s gagillion-dollar renovation, the Devils return to their arena after their own five-game trip into the Twilight Zone.  The left/north coast wasn’t kind to either team, as the Devils remain the only winless team in the NHL after seven games while the Rangers started 1-4 (being outscored 25-9 in the process) before their now-typical manhandling of the Caps in a 2-0 shutout.  Still, the Rangers have issues with captain Ryan Callahan again on the shelf – this time with a broken thumb.  Callahan and a rejuvanated Brad Richards are the only Rangers with multiple goals to this point as the Alain Vigneault high-tempo offense hasn’t really upped the team’s goal total so far with just eleven in six games.

Going by the old axiom your best players have to be your best players, the Rangers have come up short in that area (Callahan aside), with defensemen Marc Staal and Dan Girardi combining for a -13 and just one point while Derek Stepan is goal-less with a -7 in six games – though he does have five assists.  It doesn’t help that forwards Rick Nash and Carl Hagelin are also on the shelf.  Perennial Vezina nominee Henrik Lundqvist has ugly numbers too – a 3.33 GAA and .902 save percentage, and that’s after his shutout Wednesday.  At least he still has a job unlike former caddy Martin Biron, who was given the axe after two subpar games.

It’s not like things are a bowl of cherries for the Devils either…in fact they’re actually worse.  While the Rangers have two wins and four points after six games, the Devils are still stuck on zero wins and three points through seven games.  While we’ve played our majority of the games on the road too, we were supposed to have the easier West Coast trip compared to the Rangers’ California to St. Louis gauntlet.  Our BC-Alberta-Ontario swing didn’t exactly help though, as the Devils lost multi-goal leads in a pair of games (the only ones we even got a point on during the trip!), and the whole trip was an exercise in Murphy’s Law – whatever could go wrong did.  We lost a close game we were dominated in and a blowout where we outshot Ottawa by nearly twenty.  A shootout loss, an OT loss, and a loss where we had a contreversial disallowed goal go against us at a key point in the Calgary game.  I’m just tired of talking about it all.

Hard to believe these are the same two teams that met in a stirring Conference Finals just eighteen months ago. Or that the landscape of the NHL has changed to the point where another such meeting is extremely unlikely in the near future (thanks to the new division-weighted playoff system).  To be sure, both teams have changed significantly in the last year and a half…in our case we’ve had to try and pick up the pieces after the stunning twin departures of Zach Parise and Ilya Kovalchuk in successive offseasons, while the Rangers’ changes were mostly of their own doing – first dealing for Rick Nash, then dealing away Marian Gaborik and finally axing coach John Tortorella after a second-round exit last spring.  If both teams don’t pick it up soon I’m sure more changes will be made, although in the Rangers’ case there’s not a lot that can really be done apart from the Biron and Aaron Asham cuts the other day.  Vigneault is not getting fired, though he may have to adjust his system to fit the talent on his team (and they may have already started to do that in Washington).

New Jersey may be facing the bigger changes though, with the questions getting louder about Pete DeBoer‘s job security after the Devils’ slow start combined with a terrible finish last year that equals a mere eleven wins in forty-two games.  Although the team is still trying for the most part – which is half the battle for a coach in keeping his job – the personnel decisions remain bizarre and slanted.  DeBoer’s blind adherence to the ‘left on left, right on right’ way of stacking his wings and defense pairings have led to us continuing to ice a nightmare third defensive pairing of Anton Volchenkov and Peter Harrold, while Mark Fayne and Adam Larsson continue to get yo-yoed in and out of the lineup.  Volchenkov probably won’t get benched because heaven forbid we play a right-handed guy on the left side, while Harrold probably won’t get benched because heaven forbid we play Fayne and Larsson over a career AHL/fill-in defenseman.  Ostensibly, Harrold serves as a point on the power play and provides offensive punch but he hasn’t put up a single point in seven games – even the cement-footed Volchenkov has two.

In defense of the head coach, it’s not like our best players have been our best players for the most part either.  Patrik Elias and Damien Brunner are our only forwards with as many as four points through seven games.  Despite all the changes up front and touting depth over stars, the Devil offense continues to struggle with or without Kovalchuk and Parise, putting up just thirteen goals in the first seven games.  In a big surprise to no one, former Ranger Ryane Clowe is already out of the lineup, being placed on IR for ‘precautionary reasons’ after getting a headache following a hit to the head last Sunday in Winnipeg.  Maybe it’s just as well he get some time off since Clowe has only one assist and a -5 in six games anyway, showing that maybe his lack of offensive production last year may be the new norm rather than an abberation…a scary thought considering the tough Newfie is signed for the next five seasons at big money.

Our goaltending has also been a mixed bag, with Cory Schnieder (2.65 GAA, .908 save) playing well but not getting support offensively or defensively in his three games while Martin Brodeur (3.40, .865) has been dreadful in his four games.  Essentially they’ve been rotating to this point, perhaps until one finally wins a game.  Tonight is Schnieder’s ‘turn’, which is noteworthy in itself since it’s been a while from the time a healthy Brodeur was benched against the Rangers.  We’ll see how the team responds for Cory tonight, after his not-so-veiled anger with his teammates over a clear lack of effort in Winnipeg.

Another interesting aspect of tonight’s game is the crowd…and no I don’t mean the percentage of Ranger fans to Devil fans, although with the Rangers not having a home game for most of the month it’s reasonable to think there might be more blue than usual in the regular season, especially with a Saturday night start time.  Devil fans aren’t happy about a lot these days – stars leaving, the team’s play, increasing ticket prices, and also losing Rock and Roll part 2 as a goal song.  A few days ago, the team sent out a letter finally spelling out in no uncertain terms that the goal song would be changing and because people complained about the ‘you suck’ part of it.  Despite the fact that they’re letting fans vote on the new song (I voted for ‘Raise Your Hands’ from Bon Jovi but don’t expect it to win), Devil fans are incensed and many are vowing to boo every single goal song until RR2 comes back.

I already made my feelings known on this matter after the home opener, when this de facto protest started.  While I like the goal song itself, many Devil fans have given it a disproportionate amount of importance given the state of the team and how the change was enacted.  From afar it’s a fascinating soap opera but now that everyone at the arena is being forced into what’s essentially a political fight, I’m dreading the atmosphere at games until either the team gives in or the fans come to their senses – and not too unhappy that I’m not going tonight.  Devil fans protesting the goal song + Ranger fans booing anyway will send a loud message to management (assuming we actually score a goal tonight), though it’ll also embarass the fanbase. Unfortunately, nobody seems to care about how much of a joke this stupid fight will make us into either, so long as we get our thirty-second song back.

As far as the on-ice importance of tonight…yes, it’s still early and most of the Metro division is bad – but if the division remains bad that means only three teams will make the playoffs as opposed to four or five.  Either way, the Rangers and Devils have to pick it up if they want to contend for a playoff spot this year. As the Devils proved two years ago, you can’t win a Cup in October and November but you can sink your season in a hurry.

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Injury to Callahan big blow

Posted on October 18, 2013 by Derek

Ryan Callahan, Derek Stepan

He’s the unquestioned leader of this team. Nobody plays harder than Ryan Callahan. The Ranger captain always gives max effort and does whatever is needed to win games. Whether it’s scoring a gritty goal like the one he batted out of mid-air or laying out to block a shot as he did on a John Carlson shot in the waning minutes of their 2-0 shutout of Washington, he only knows one way to play. All out.

That grinding style has its risks. Not the biggest in stature, Callahan squeezes every ounce out of his 5-11, 190 frame. One of the game’s best hitters, there’s no check he won’t finish. If he has to fight to send a message, he’ll do it occasionally. No one exemplifies what it is to be a Ranger more than Captain Cally. That’s why the latest setback is so damaging for a club already without Rick Nash. The 28-year old Rochester native suffered a broken thumb in Wednesday’s win. He’ll miss three to four weeks.

After working so hard to return from offseason shoulder surgery, Callahan is back on the mend. He’s missed significant time before. In 2011, a broken left hand sidelined him 19 games. He returned to help the team make the playoffs. But took a Zdeno Chara shot that cost him the final two of the regular season and all five of the first round. A broken right leg. Even in his first full year, a knee sprain kept him out of 16 games. There have been lesser bumps and bruises along the way.

This is who he is. A heart and soul type who is a lock for Team USA ‘if’ he stays healthy. Cut out of the same mold as American hopefuls David Backes and Dustin Brown, Callahan is the most important skater on the Blueshirts. If Henrik Lundqvist is their most indispensable, then the former ’04 fourth round gem is the glue. He can always be counted on to log big minutes playing every situation. Not only do they lose what he does on the ice, but what he brings in the locker room. We saw frustration from the fearless leader following consecutive embarrassments to San Jose and Anaheim challenging his team to be better. They responded with more inspired play the last two. Now, they’ll have to do it without him.

In his place, Darroll Powe was recalled from Hartford. Rather than summon Chris Kreider, who’s off to a good start with the Wolf Pack, the organization made the right call. They don’t want a repeat of last year. Playing with Kreider’s psyche is counterproductive. He’s better off staying put until he’s ready. It’s not a shortened season. There’s plenty of time for him to develop. The addition of Powe adds a valuable penalty killer. An area Callahan provided. Powe is a strong defensive forward who showed improvement during camp. He gets a chance to provide a spark. With him likely in a fourth line role, it allows J.T. Miller to have an increased role. He shouldn’t be expected to play top line and replace Callahan. Plugging Mats Zuccarello might be a better option that gets him going. The speedy Norwegian has yet to register a point. But is fearless. They need him to produce.

With Carl Hagelin just cleared for contact Thursday, he’s getting closer to returning. The target date is Oct. 29 against the Islanders following the home opener. They can certainly use his combination of speed and grit. The Swedish version of Callahan should help. He won’t freight train opponents but there’s not mistaking what he brings. A similar hard forward that makes the Rangers tougher. He’s a top six forward on the roster.

Instead, they’re stuck waiting for Zuccarello and Benoit Pouliot to find the back of the net. Pouliot’s been particularly frustrating proving why he’s a former top pick that’s bounced around the league. A former ’05 first round pick of the Wild, this is his fifth team (Min, Mtl, Bos, TB, NYR). There are instances where he shows flashes of talent but other moments where you don’t notice him. In six games, he has 11 shots. This is a guy capable of scoring 10-15 goals hitting double digits in three consecutive seasons (’09-10 thru ’11-12). In 34 contests with Tampa last year, he posted eight goals and 12 assists. But played around better talent. There’s still no reason why he shouldn’t be able to contribute. Brad Richards, Derek Stepan and Derick Brassard are the Rangers’ top three centers.

Alain Vigneault must resolve this issue. An improved power play under assistant Scott Arniel is clicking at 20 percent ranking 15th. They’re 4 for 20. Hardly a large sample. However, a more aggressive approach has worked so far with Richards shooting from everywhere. Similar to what he did with Dallas. Vigneault preaches offense. He has to find a way to get the most out of the supporting cast. It isn’t the most skilled. Jesper Fast is still learning and Miller is only 20. He knows what he has in vets Brian Boyle, Dominic Moore and Taylor Pyatt. Derek Dorsett is the team enforcer.

Maybe the defense will have to produce more. He wants them to be more active. The dilemma is early on, they got victimized defensively. Ryan McDonagh, John Moore, Marc Staal and Anton Stralman are all capable of contributing. Moore’s goal the other night was a rocket. Mike Del Zotto is supposed to be the team’s best offensive blueliner. Instead, the fifth year pro remains an enigma posting a minus-six with no points in five games. He missed the Washington game with the flu. Defensively, the team was fine with Justin Falk. At 23, Del Zotto should be improving. Instead, he’s stagnated. This is a big year for him. He’s earning $2.9 million this season. He’s a Group II next summer. Time is running out.

The early injuries provide a challenge. Everyone must step up. No game should be easy. The Rangers visit the Devils tomorrow in Newark. The only remaining winless team would love nothing better than to get their first victory against the bitter Hudson rival. Scoring will probably be at a premium. That means air tight D and splendid goaltending like they got in D.C. We’ll see if they’re up to the task.

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The Devil Way

Posted on October 18, 2013 by Derek

The New Jersey Devils once prided themselves on being the best. At least that’s how it used to be under Team President and GM Lou Lamoriello. The architect of three Stanley Cups and five Finals appearances has never taken a back seat to anyone. After the unexpected departure of Ilya Kovalchuk, he vowed to field a competitive roster that could challenge for the playoffs.

So far, it hasn’t gone accordingly. The Devils’ latest defeat against the Senators by a score of 5-2 extended their season winless streak to seven (0-4-3). A rally fell short with Ottawa getting the final two sending the once proud franchise into its Saturday match against the Rangers still seeking their first win. They’re the only team left without a win. Even the Sabres, Flyers and Oilers have wins. It would be easy to point out that they’ve been in most games. They’ve lost once in overtime and twice in a shootout. At least that was the talking point from the official Devils Twitter after the game.

New Jersey Devils     ‏@NHLDevils          35m 

The final horn sounds.  The scoreboard does not reflect our play tonight, but we still fall to Ottawa 5-2.  #NJDvsOTT

It’s all well and good to accentuate the positive when things don’t go your way. However, at some point reality sets in. You have to look in the mirror. The Devils used to make zero excuses when they lost. That’s been the Devil Way. Not lately. If you follow the Devils on Twitter or tune into the telecast or radio, the spin machine is in full force. In sports, it doesn’t work that way. There’s winning and losing. No in between. Right now, the Devils 0-4-3 record for three points ranks second worst in the Eastern Conference. Only the Flyers have less points (2). Following a 3-0 loss at home, the Sabres are 1-7-1.

There’s an old saying Hall Of Fame coach Bill Parcells always said. “You are what your record says you are.”

Whether they want to admit or not, the Devils are a bad hockey team right now. They’ve been outscored 26-13. A combination of poor offense, shoddy defense and subpar goaltending from future Hall Of Famer Martin Brodeur are the story so far. Coach Pete DeBoer has come under fire for questionable personnel decisions. Even though they competed tonight, there have been disturbing stretches where they’ve seemed disjointed. A recent loss at Winnipeg saw Cory Schneider storm off the ice. That kind of emotion is needed.

The Devils aren’t the only area local struggling. The Rangers are off to a 2-4-0 start having been outscored 25-11. A 2-0 shutout against favorite target Washington may get them untracked. However, they’ll have to do it without captain Ryan Callahan, who is lost for 3-4 weeks with a broken thumb after blocking a shot. Already minus Rick Nash and Carl Hagelin, they have to right the ship regardless. It’s the same for New Jersey. Under a new division format, only the top six are guaranteed playoffs. The remaining two are wildcards. The Metropolitan isn’t strong so far with only Pittsburgh out quick. There’s plenty of time to turn it around.

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Devils’ modern-day Gong Show rolls on

Posted on October 18, 2013 by hasan4978

In my latest edition of symbolic YouTubing, I’m rolling out the Gong Show theme. I never watched the show but it was a late ’70’s talent show satire where you were gonged by the celebrity judges if your act was bad enough.  Right now the Devils would be good for multiple gongs a night.  I never thought I would say this but it is now getting as bad as the dark days of the John MacLean era all over again.  I was a skeptic about this team in the summer but I never thought we would be so bad we’d be the last winless team left in the NHL.  While the Devils’ struggles last year were mostly due to a lack of scoring touch and bad goaltending, this year everything’s taken turns breaking down.  Worse yet, the effort doesn’t seem to be there the last couple of games which is a sign of players tuning out coach Pete DeBoer.  When guys like Stephen Gionta and Mattias Tedenby (!) are among your better players, that screams vets going through the motions.  I wasn’t sure Travis Zajac was even alive until he finally managed to score on the tail end of a lengthy 5-on-3 early in the third period.  Adam Henrique is still on the back of a milk carton.

Typically, the Devils fell into a rabbit hole early when ex-Sen Anton Volchenkov screened Martin Brodeur on an Erik Karlsson shot – literally seconds after broadcaster Chico Resch said he was talking to Karlsson and the Norris-caliber defenseman was despondent he hadn’t yet returned to his former level after his achilles injury.  Talk about a reverse jinx! Less than two and a half minutes later, Bobby Ryan beat Brodeur shortside for a bad goal and the Devils were down two before the seven-minute mark.  Seeing the urgency, DeBoer took a timeout and the Devils resumed their usual ‘pepper the goalie with shots into his chest’ and dominate shots on goal without getting any real chances while giving up the best chances.  Zach Smith‘s goal late in the second balooned the Senators’ lead to 3-0 despite being outshot 23-11 in the first two periods.  At least it wasn’t as absurd as our game with them last year where we outshot Ottawa 33-11 and lost 2-0.  Yes, Craig Anderson is a good goalie but let’s face it, we make every goalie look like Anderson.

It’s to the point where I don’t even want to watch these games right now.  Of course my mood isn’t helped by my utter lack of sleep/headaches this week.  Maybe I’m still paying the price for staying up late for the Vancouver and Edmonton fiasco endings last week. Between the team’s play and the ridiculous goal song booing nonsense, I’m actually glad I let one of my friends buy my pair of tickets for Saturday.  Sad to say, the head coach is going to pay for this extended run of bad play with his job sooner rather than later.  How can he not?  I know we had the Finals run in 2012, but since then the Devils have been a disaster.  Eleven total wins (nine regulation) in 41 games is just unacceptable.  MacLean was the worst coach in NHL history for me – considering how good the team was in the second half compared to how bad they were in the first half – and he had nine wins in 33 games.

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Hanks A Lot

Posted on October 17, 2013 by Derek
Marc Staal clears a puck as Henrik Lundqvist watches closely. AP Photo/Alex Brandon

Marc Staal clears a puck as Henrik Lundqvist watches closely.
AP Photo/Alex Brandon

Henrik Lundqvist was back to being at his best. The Rangers followed suit by returning to the kind of defensive style we’re used to. The end result was a 2-0 shutout of the Caps. Lundqvist stopped 22 en route to his first shutout of the season. It was his 46th career shutout.

A strong second period is where the game was won. The Rangers followed a solid road period by dominating the Caps in all facets. They outshot Washington 21-6. Most notably, they broke through twice on Braden Holtby. Defenseman John Moore one-timed a Brad Richards feed through for his first. They weren’t done. Ryan Callahan scored his third in two games after a power play expired. With Alex Ovechkin out of the box, the Rangers never gave up the puck. Eventually, Callahan snuck in and batted in a rebound lacrosse style making it 2-0. Richards and Derick Brassard drew the assists. The goals came 1:46 apart.

Playing better defensively, the Rangers focused on keeping Ovechkin to the perimeter. The league leader in shots on goal still managed to get eight on Lundqvist while attempting 13 total. The most dangerous chance came on a five on three during the first with it scoreless. With Anton Stralman already off for a hook, Taylor Pyatt also went into the sin bin for a hook handing the Caps a huge chance. This is the best ranked power play clicking at over 35 percent coming in. Despite passing the puck around like the Globe Trotters, Lundqvist stifled Ovechkin and Joel Ward missed a gimme. The Rangers survived by relying on Hank and doing what they do best. Block shots. The blocked 22. Dan Girardi was a machine getting in the path of four. Stralman also blocked four. Even Mats Zuccarello awkwardly blocked two.

This is who they are. It doesn’t matter who coaches. If the team is going to come together and win games, they must play as a unit. I didn’t particularly care for how they sat back in the third. The Caps had more of the territorial play outshooting the Rangers 8-4. But none were particularly threatening. I never got the feeling they would score. Lundqvist was sharp from the outset playing more aggressive than I can remember. He challenged shooters by coming way out. With the Caps pressing late, that aggression forced John Carlson to go for the corner, which he missed.

Lundqvist has shut out the Caps three straight games dating back to last Spring. That’s 180 straight minutes without allowing a goal to a good offense. Watching Washington overpass the puck with Mike Green opting not to shoot during one sequence is proof that Hank is in their heads. A great goalie can do that even to some of the best players. The combination of our D which included a security blanket from hustling forwards made it impossible for the Caps to get going. They were held to 14 shots through two periods and totaled 22 for the game.

When it was over, the Ranger fans at Verizon Center were left cheering while Cap fans exited. And the best aspect. We didn’t hear that annoying goal horn once except for period’s start. That’s six straight periods that ugly siren hasn’t been heard for Cap celebrations. Music to my ears.

Moore Goals: Defenseman John Moore celebrates his second period goal with Ryan McDonagh. AP Photo/Alex Brandon

Moore Goals: Defenseman John Moore celebrates his second period goal with Ryan McDonagh.
AP Photo/Alex Brandon

HARD HITS:

-The fourth line of Pyatt, Brian Boyle and Derek Dorsett played well giving the team a boost with some strong shifts. At times, Jesper Fast was on it. They forechecked effectively and injected energy while playing defensively responsible.

-Richards continued to look like a much different player. His two assists added to a team-leading seven points (4-3-7). He spoke during intermission about working really hard. It’s showing on the power play where his decision making is much better. He’s shooting the puck and making intelligent reads. Looks like early vindication for not wanting him bought out.

–Justin Falk was solid in place of Mike Del Zotto. He lost a scrap to Caps rookie Tom Wilson in the first but was okay defensively. He delivered three hits and had two blocks in 15 shifts (8:57) while staying out of the box. Exactly what Alain Vigneault wanted.

-Aside from sacrificing, the Rangers were physical registering 35 hits to the Caps’ 21. Captain Cally paced them with five and Danny G had four. Only two skaters (Stepan, Miller) didn’t have a hit.

-Speaking of the captain, Callahan was a beast not only scoring one of those cool goals that makes 24 number one in Blueshirt hearts. But he was all over the ice leading with six shots and blocking two shots. In 28 big shifts, he was plus-one in 22:06.

-With an assist and a much sharper game back with Girardi, Ryan McDonagh was stellar defensively matched against Ovechkin. In 30 shifts, he recorded his first point and was plus-two in 25:14. To borrow a cheesy line from a 90’s movie, “The Shadow Knows!”

–Benoit Pouliot still is searching for his first point. He has moments where you don’t notice him and then occasional bursts like the late chance he got on a mini-break which Holtby snuffed out. He needs to find the back of the net soon.

-Great hustle from Dominic Moore following a turnover. He came back hard and made a diving block to deny a Cap bid. He had three hits and won 6 of 11 draws. The Harvard man only knows one way to play.

-The Rangers lost the faceoff battle 37-31 with Cap center Nicklas Backstrom winning 15 of 22. Jay Beagle was 6 for 6. Moore was their best going 6 and 5 while Brassard lost 10 of 22. Richards took some early going 3 and 2. Boyle struggled losing 11 of 16 and Stepan was 5 and 7. Coincidentally, Pouliot went 2 and 0.

-Refs Chris Rooney and Justin St. Pierre missed obvious interference penalty on Troy Brouwer, who inadvertently caught Stepan with a shoulder high. I didn’t think he saw him. He was going for a change. Still worth pointing out Stepan was hurt and missed a few shifts before returning for a power play. Glad he was okay.

Puck Daddy writer Greg Wyshynski had a little more detail on the incident with Vigneault upset with Brouwer feeling it was a head shot. He gave it to Rooney a bit who contested that it was more accidental.

“I just looked at the replay there. If he couldn’t see him, I don’t know what else he was looking at,” said Vigneault, after the Rangers’ 2-0 win. “Obviously the principal point of contact was the head, so we’ll see.”

Brouwer spoke about the incident showing concern for Stepan.

“I was at the end of my shift, [defenseman Mike] Green had the puck and was pulling it out of our zone. I was going for a change and there was a little incidental contact in the neutral zone,” he said.

“I’m glad to see that he came back and wasn’t seriously hurt after it, those can be tough plays and I pride myself on being an honest player and tried to get out of the way without causing as much damage as possible.”

I don’t need to see it again. I don’t view Brouwer as a dirty player. I think it’s exactly what he said. There shouldn’t be any discipline.

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Rivalry Renewed: Rangers battle Caps

Posted on October 16, 2013 by Derek

Brad Richards, Arron Asham, Anton Stralman

After three days off, the Rangers return to the ice to battle the Capitals at Verizon Center. The game doesn’t begin until 8 EST due to it being televised nationally on NBC Sports Network. It’s the first meeting of the season between classic Patrick rivals. As history has shown, they’ve battled four of the last five years in the playoffs splitting each series. Expect the action to heat up.

Perhaps that’s what the Rangers need. Their early struggles have been well documented. So far, they’ve been outscored 25-9 suffering humiliations at the hands of the Sharks and Ducks. After dropping a third straight to the Blues, the organization put Arron Asham and Marty Biron on waivers. In their place will be J.T. Miller and Cam Talbot. Miller will start on the fourth line playing left wing. He scored four times with Hartford. Talbot will backup Henrik Lundqvist.

With Rick Nash moved to injured reserve and still minus Carl Hagelin, it’s up to the rest of the team to step up. Alain Vigneault finally criticized some of the non-producers. Though he didn’t mention them by name, Benoit Pouliot, Mats Zuccarello and Taylor Pyatt are off to bad starts. With Brad Richards doing most of the scoring, it’s up to the supporting cast to contribute. Derick Brassard and Ryan Callahan produced last game. So, the top line got the job done. When you consider they scored three without Nash, that’s a good sign. They need it from everyone.

Whenever the Rangers see the Caps, that usually means Ryan McDonagh against Alex Ovechkin. Ovechkin is off to a fast start ranking second in the NHL with six goals and tied for fifth with nine points. Assuming Vigneault reunites McDonagh with Dan Girardi, that would put a familiar match-up in place for the rivalry renewal. They blanketed him during a first round seven-game win holding Ovechkin to one goal. None over the final six. During a Rivalry Special that aired on NBCSN last night, he admitted to how frustrating it was. They likely will repeat it prior to the game. Very interesting dialogue from both sides including McDonagh, who took a hard Ovechkin hit that cut him. A classic battle wound with him noting he’d take that hit every time to win. If Vigneault sticks with Marc Staal, he’ll be asked to limit Ovechkin’s time and space.

McDonagh was paired up with Anton Stralman Saturday. Stralman has been their most steady D thus far. He isn’t flashy. But gets the job done. A player who no doubt improved under Tort. As for the third pair, it’ll have a different element with Justin Falk in for flu-ridden Mike Del Zotto. Falk gets the assignment with John Moore, who must raise his level. He’ll get the opportunity to replace Del Zotto on the power play. An area he was used last Spring with mixed results. Certainly a good enough skater with a booming shot, it should be interesting to see how he does. As for Falk, Vigneault stressed that he wants him to play physical but also must stay out of the penalty box. He took two minors in the St. Louis loss. If he wants to stick, the ex-Wild blueliner must be more disciplined.

With the club finally East for the final four of a lengthy nine-game road trip, let’s see if they can come together as a group. They finally had time to practice and look at video. They aren’t as busy over the next week with two more days off before a visit to the Devils. Then four days to prepare for the Flyers. This is a golden opportunity for them to turn it around. All three are winnable.

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Pominville’s Revenge

Posted on October 15, 2013 by Derek

Pominville’s Return: Jason Pominville’s return to Buffalo was a success with the former Sabre netting the game-winner. Kevin Hoffman/USA Today

Jason Pominville successfully returned to Western New York last night. The former Sabre notched the winning goal in the Wild’s 2-1 win over Buffalo,  The former Sabre captain scored a power play goal with 9.7 seconds left in the second period. His emotional return was no consolation to Buffalo, who matched their worst winless streak to start a season. They’re 0-6-1 having scored only seven goals in seven games.

For the most part, the Sabres played better than recently holding the Wild to 16 shots. In fact, a strong second period had them in position for their first win. Brian Flynn steered home his own rebound with 4:56 left. However, a late penalty led to Pominville’s game-winner. With Buffalo on the verge of killing a penalty, some globe trotter passing from the Wild resulted in a sweet finish for Pominville. Jared Spurgeon gained the Buffalo zone easily and passed for Mikko Koivu, who fed Pominville for his second which just got past Jhonas Enroth. A back breaker for sure.

”It tops off a pretty emotional day in a great way,” a happy Pominville expressed after receiving cheers when he was introduced at game’s start, ”So many good memories in this building. It’s nice to get another one.”

Despite helping his new team win, he still understands what the Sabres are experiencing. There were moments where they couldn’t get the puck from Wild skaters leading to groans from a frustrated crowd.

”It’s tough for the group of guys that have been here a while,” he said. ”The team is going through a little bit of a rebuild, trusting a lot of younger players. It’s going to be a process for them.

”I definitely feel for the guys that have been here a long time. They are competitors, they want to win, and right now it’s not going their way. But I’m sure they’ll stick with it and find a way to turn it around.”

That rebuild has seen them struggle mightily. It’s definitely not a good time for Buffalo fans. Not long ago, the Sabres made two consecutive trips to the Conference Finals. Now, they’re an NHL doormat without much talent. Thomas Vanek and Cody Hodgson are the offensive leaders. They need others to step up like Tyler Ennis, Drew Stafford, Marcus Foligno and Steve Ott.

”It’s going to be hard to win with only one goal scorer,” Enroth noted after making 18 saves to give Ryan Miller a day off to prepare for the Islanders tonight. ”At the same time, I think we played pretty well. We were in charge pretty much the whole game. So it’s a good sign, I think.”

To their credit, the Sabres lifted played better after a poor first period that drew boos by close. Before Flynn scored on Zemgus Girgensons’ set up, the Bronx jeers were undeniable. They generated quality chances against Josh Harding (22 saves) threatening to surge ahead. Swedish rookie Johan Larsson had the best opportunity following a Wild giveaway but missed from 10 feet. Those are the kind of shots they have to bury.

”You’re not going to win many games scoring one goal,” Buffalo coach Ron Rolston said. ”We need our top six to step up.”

Buffalo was 0 for 4 on the power play. They couldn’t convert in the third while trailing. When you have trouble scoring, special teams are doubly important. If the Sabres can figure it out on the man-advantage, it could make life easier. For now, they’ll continue to battle. Facing an Islanders’ club with offensive capability will be a good challenge. The Isles dropped their last two on the road. At the very least, Buffalo should take something positive from Monday and bring it into tonight.

Notes: Henrik Tallinder returned to the lineup. The ex-Devil defenseman took 24 shifts finishing plus-one in 17:32. To make room, Alexander Sulzer was sent down to Rochester. … Sabres outhit the Wild 23-8 with Girgensons and Ott sharing the team lead (4). … Minnesota won the faceoff battle 27-22 thanks to Zenon Konopka, who went 6 and 1. Ott was Buffalo’s best going 7 and 4 while Mikhail Grigorenko went 3 and 1. Hodgson struggled losing 9 of 11 and Ennis lost 6 of 10. … Kyle Brodziak got the Wild’s first goal during the first from Matt Cooke and Jonas Brodin. Cooke has six points (3-3-6) with his new team. … Buffalo D Tyler Myers is without a point in seven with a minus-seven rating.

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Making Biron and Asham scapegoats unfair

Posted on October 15, 2013 by Derek

When he was placed on waivers yesterday, Marty Biron was taken by surprise. Five games into the season, the veteran backup was jettisoned along with Arron Asham. Somehow, the blame has fallen on two bit parts. It doesn’t seem right.

“I’ve got to take some time and think about it,” the 36-year old Biron told reporters Monday after getting the bad news. “There’s many different options that are going to be presented to me and I’ll see what fits the best.”

Sure. He was dreadful in two periods before getting pulled at St. Louis. He allowed two bad goals in a winnable game. The only one in the last three the Rangers competed in. They’d already been humiliated by Sharks rookie Tomas Hertl, who unfairly came under criticism for having the audacity to celebrate his between the legs goal on reliever Biron. The Rangers didn’t stop him. They embarrassed themselves. How did they respond? By going through the motions in a 6-0 blowout defeat at Anaheim. Henrik Lundqvist was in for that. He couldn’t stop anything either. The former Vezina winner has a 4.21 goals against average (GAA) and .887 save percentage. He’s allowed 16 goals on 141 shots.  Hardly what you expect from one of the league’s best. Even with the defense struggling adjusting to Alain Vigneault’s system, he’s taken responsibility. So have teammates for the team’s 1-4-0 start.

“With the way we’re playing, sometimes that happens,” said alternate captain Marc Staal, who’s tied with Dan Girardi for a team worst minus-seven rating. “I don’t know if we need any more wake-up calls but we know, in the room, it’s not acceptable the way we were playing and changes happen.”

“It’s a performance-based business and the organization felt that Marty’s first two performances were not what we expected,” Vigneault analyzed. “I said before, we need a backup that can play 15 to 20 games and play well.”

Maybe the coach might want to look in the mirror. He wants his team to play with a different mindset. For the most part, they did that scoring three against the Blues. Brad Richards’ resurgence continued with a goal and assist. He leads everyone with four goals. At least someone’s confidence is up. Ryan Callahan also scored not once but twice on the power play. Yet they still managed to give up five falling for a third consecutive game. At least the goals against have dropped from nine against San Jose to six against Anaheim to five in St. Loo. They’re heading in the right direction. Vigneault accentuated the positives. That’s fine. But it still doesn’t explain how lost they are defensively. Rather than playing zone as they did under John Tortorella, he wants them to play man with defensemen actively attacking the puck carrier to start a counter. That style is much riskier putting more emphasis on the forwards. There have been too many instances where they haven’t taken the man in front leading to easy goals. Derek Stepan has been victimized and rookie Jesper Fast was on David Backes’ winner Saturday. On the same play, Staal was in no man’s land.

Clearly, they’re not on the same page. When Girardi pointed out that they have to get back to playing the defensive style they used to after the Ducks’ loss, it spoke volumes. If you already have one of your team leaders questioning the shift in strategy four games in, that isn’t encouraging. This is a D that’s used to out-grinding opponents. By also playing a higher tempo, more defensemen are getting caught pinching leading to odd-man rushes. Even Ryan McDonagh has struggled. Maybe it was easier playing a simpler defensive system under Tortorella. He had them get back and make lift difficult by blocking shots and keeping opponents on the perimeter. This made it a lot easier on Lundqvist and even Biron. A defensive scheme is more goalie friendly. The complaint was that it didn’t allow the Rangers to open up the attack. Something Glen Sather wants to see. Not to play devil’s advocate. But haven’t we seen this act before? Maybe the players will adjust and it’ll still be a good season. It’s not like the Metro Division is strong. Only the Pens are off to a good start. Two of the Rangers’ next three opponents New Jersey and Philadelphia have played worse. Their next opponent Washington picked up their second win last night. Columbus, Carolina and the Islanders have been so so. It’s better to struggle now than later.

The Rangers still have four more road games before returning to MSG for the home opener against Montreal on 10/28. On paper, only Detroit is scary. However, they must go out and prove themselves. Start winning. It doesn’t help that Rick Nash (concussion) is on IR. Dating back to last season, they’re 0-5-1 without Nash having been outscored 23-9. With Nash’s status uncertain, it’s up to the rest of the team to figure it out. J.T. Miller was summoned from Hartford. He’ll be back in for tomorrow’s game. Maybe he can provide a spark. It still doesn’t say much when they waived Asham, who was okay. At least he wasn’t taking undisciplined penalties like Derek Dorsett. Asham didn’t deserve this treatment either. It’s no secret they lack toughness. That’s the roster Sather and Vigneault assembled. That’s where the blame belongs.

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Rangers waive Biron and Asham

Posted on October 14, 2013 by Derek

The Rangers have put Marty Biron and Arron Asham on waivers. The news broke an hour ago with Alain Vigneault breaking the difficult decision to each player. Per Daily News beat writer Pat Leonard who tweeted from the practice facility at Greenburgh.

‏@PLeonardNYDN

Looks as if Vigneault just delivered news of waivers to Biron and Asham separately on ice at end of practice.

It was painfully obvious that Biron was going to be waived. When asked about the likeable veteran backup, Vigneault was noncommittal indicating he didn’t know if he could count on him for 20 starts. In an Olympic year, having a steady backup is important. It’s still sad about Biron, who’s been a great team guy. If he isn’t claimed, his cap hit is $375,000 in the AHL.

Cam Talbot has played well for Hartford winning two of three starts posting a 2.54 goals against average (GAA) and .918 save percentage. He certainly made an impression during preseason with Vigneault giving him a long look. Now, it appears the organization is ready to see what the 26-year old from Ontario can do. It helps that the team is back in the Eastern time zone with a third day to prepare for the Capitals. The schedule isn’t as taxing with the next three games spread out over seven days. They visit the Devils Saturday and then see the Flyers a week from Thursday 10/24. That should allow them to go exclusively with Henrik Lundqvist, who looked sharper stopping 15 of 16 in relief of Biron Saturday.

The schedule picks up at the end of the month with four games in six days starting 10/26 at Detroit before hosting Montreal 10/28, visiting the Islanders 10/29 and returning to MSG on Halloween to battle Buffalo. That’s probably when we’ll see Talbot.

Asham also was waived. His cap hit would be $75,000 if he is assigned. He got into three of the club’s five games. He earned a spot in camp. Another Sather move that didn’t work out. He never replaced Colton Orr. Meanwhile, Orr remains a fixture with the Leafs and takes a regular shift.

Maybe Chris Kreider or J.T. Miller get recalled. Both are off to good starts with the Wolf Pack. Miller has four goals and Kreider has two goals and an assist. Danny Kristo leads them with five points (2-3-5).

Figure something to be announced later.

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Devils’ year-long malaise continues out West

Posted on October 14, 2013 by hasan4978

No, this isn’t highlights of the Devils game tonight although it might as well have been.  If you’re an avid sports movie watcher, you know this montage is from Major League 2 when the fictional Indians once again couldn’t do anything right.  Right now that’s basically what the Devils have become once again, just like in the 2010 part of the ’09-10 and ’10-11 seasons, this franchise is in a total collective malaise right now now at the tail end of an embarassing road trip where they lost games to Joey MacDonald, Al Montoya and Jason LaBarbera – journeyman goalies on non-playoff teams, all of them.  Technically there is one more game still to come on the trip in Ottawa on Thursday but for all intents and purposes the team will come home to sleep in their own beds for a couple of nights and face the music for their horrendous start of the season.  While it’s true they haven’t been blown out in any game yet – though tonight should have been one – we haven’t exactly been playing the Blackhawks and the Bruins either.

I haven’t come to terms with the Devils’ bad start (coupled with a lousy finish to last season) enough to reach acceptance yet that this team is just not very good.  I still believe this team has enough talent to be better than the prognosticators think and can contend for a playoff spot.  Right now they’re not playing like it though.  Tonight’s game in Winnipeg was really the low point of the season although the score didn’t reflect it for a long time only because Cory Schnieder hasn’t forgotten how to play goal in his short tenure here. Over the last several months I’ve been so tired of hearing how we dominated shots, possession, everything…at some point if you don’t start winning games you’re just not any good, period.  I don’t care what CORSI, Fenwick or what any of the new-age stats say.  WIN SOME GAMES!

Maybe the experts were right after all when we were predicted anywhere from 12th-14th in the conference.  Despite all the changes (forced and not) this offseason, last year’s final thirty-five games is clearly carrying into this year with the lack of finish in crucial moments, untimely defensive mistakes and scared coaching.  Astonishingly, the Devils have nine regulation/OT wins in their last 41 games.  And two of them came during the final, meaningless week of last season after we’d been eliminated from the playoffs.  I know this roster has limitations and I’ll get to them but I’m sorry, that just isn’t good enough for the talent on this roster.  When you see sequences like a god-awful power play in the third period where Travis Zajac of all people looked drunk trying to keep the puck in and giving up a breakaway, or Andy Greene of all people looking slow and getting blown by Evander Kane to create another shorthanded breakaway on the same shift, you really wonder where this team’s confidence and head is right now.  New Jersey was outshot 4-0 on a two-minute power play shift all told…I would not have thought that possible if I didn’t see it.  After I did, I knew I didn’t need to see any more of this game really.

While it’s true Kane does have blinding speed, this Devils team is slow as a whole, which is no surprise considering they’re the oldest team in the league – as pointed out by Chico Resch during the telecast.  When you ice five 30+ defensemen speed is going to be a problem in your own zone, and when many of your key forwards are either old or slow it’s going to be a problem in the offensive zone too.  Even our lone non 30+ defenseman (Adam Larsson) looks like he’s skating in quicksand when he tries to go backwards, and was culpable on the first goal as the ruinization of a #4 overall pick continues under this staff.  Winnipeg is not a playoff team, but they are fast (same with Edmonton the other night for that matter) and that matchup’s been a huge problem with us in four straight defeats over the last two seasons.  We do have some speed on the roster in Jacob Josefson, Mattias Tedenby and even Mark Fayne is faster than most of the defensemen who played tonight. Of course they’re all sitting in suits upstairs, as Pete DeBoer‘s continued allegiance to the vets and stubborness in caring more about getting lefties on the left side than icing the best roster is going to sink his job into the abyss sooner rather than later.

And yes it’s time and fair game to suggest DeBoer’s job is on the line, GM Lou Lamoriello may be more patient than he used to be, but all of his changes in the offseason suggest he expects results with this team sooner rather than later.  Especially with the potential embarassment of forefiting a top five pick.  I realize it’s only six games into the season, but when you think of streaks like the Isles’ fourteen game winless streak a couple of years ago, I really don’t think DeBoer would survive anything close to that.  If it wasn’t for last year, maybe it’d be different but last year did happen and canceled out the honeymoon from the ’12 playoff run.  Yes, most of the rest of the Metro division is bad now, Derek knows the Rangers are also doing their best John MacLean Devils-like impression too although at least the Rangers are losing to the West teams that actually made the playoffs last year and they actually (gasp) WON a game.  Other than Vancouver, this wasn’t exactly a murderer’s row trip in terms of who we were playing.  Two loser points – and in games where we gave up multiple-goal leads – is just not acceptable.  You can’t count on the rest of the division being bad for the whole season either, no division is bad enough to keep you in the race if you can’t win a game.

With the quality of play getting worse and results staying depressingly similar, you no longer wonder when the other shoe will drop, but how quick.

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