Looking to the future: Devils prospect rundown

Posted on April 13, 2013 by Derek

Needless to say, things aren’t looking too good for the Devils’ NHL team after their ninth straight loss against Ottawa last night, another frustrating game where we outshot the Senators by a 33-11 margin and yet lost 2-0.  My game recaps are pretty much over for the season at this point barring something bizarre happening down the stretch, though I’ll still be looking at the playoff races to see how it all shakes out – particularly in the East.  If there are two things to hang your hat on as a Devils fan, one is the continued effort the team has shown in the face of an incredible stretch of offensive futility and ill-timed mental breakdowns.  

The other shining light right now is the continued improvement of some of our key prospects.  After a well-publicized debut season in the NHL, Stefan Matteau is currently lending a helping hand in Blainville-Bosibrand’s QMJHL playoff run as they’ve won two fairly easy series to advance in the sixteen-team tournament and will play Bale-Comeau in the semifinals starting on Friday.  Matteau has three goals, eight points and a +3 in nine playoff games thus far.  Down in Albany, their own fading playoff chances (six points back with just five games left) have at least gotten a boost from the joint arrivals of defensemen Jon Merrill from Michigan, and winger Reid Boucher from Sarnia of the OHL, both signed to AHL tryout contracts within the last few weeks.

Due to suspension and injury, Merrill only played 40 games at Michigan in the last two years, but his talent as a puck-moving defenseman has always been there.  Merrill had 47 points in 82 career games with a +25 at one of the top hockey programs in the country.  Since coming to Albany, the former second-round pick (#38 overall in the 2010 draft) has proven he can play in the AHL with six points in seven games thus far for the baby Devils.  Assuming he can avoid the off-ice issues that have plagued him in the past – and the reason he dropped out of the first round – the twenty-one year old Merrill should be patrolling the blueline sooner rather than later for the big club.

Boucher wasn’t always the most highly regarded of the Devils’ prospects, being a fourth-round pick in 2011, but the nineteen-year old winger exploded onto the scene in the OHL this year with sixty-two goals in sixty-eight games, breaking an OHL season scoring record previously held by some guy named Steven Stamkos.  After his own team’s playoffs ended, Boucher joined Albany and has continued his torrid year putting up a point a game, with three goals and two assists in five games.  In a system previously bereft of true forward prospects (and hurt by the failures this year of former first-rounders Jacob Josefson and Mattias Tedenby), Boucher and Matteau have provided a bit of a light at the end of the tunnel, though the cupboard still needs more stocking up front, as evidenced by the NHL Devils’ problems this year.

On defense, current Devils’ defenseman Adam Larsson, Merrill and fellow Albany defenseman Eric Gelinas (2009 2nd rounder, #54 overall) are the Devils’ best hopes for a successful changing of the guard from their current older stay-at-home defense, to a more mobile, younger defense with offensive capabilities.  Gelinas had 16 goals in a full season at Albany last year, but his scoring has been down a bit this year, partly due to Larsson playing half the season in the AHL during the lockout.  At 6’4, 205 Gelinas could add size and more puck-moving ability on a defense that desperately has needed it for years.  Make no mistake, the system also has plenty of stay-at-home types to balance things out like Brandon Burlon – Merrill’s teammate at Michigan and a 2008 2nd rounder, Seth Helgeson a 2009 4th rounder who also recently signed with Albany and 2009 3rd rounder Alex Urbom, who’s actually seen time with the NHL Devils in the prior two seasons.

Of course what everyone wants to know is what the Devils’ future in net looks like considering the combined 80 years on the birth certificates of Martin Brodeur and Johan Hedberg.  There are plenty of young goalies in the system, but it’s not yet known whether any of them will be able to fill the skates of our HOF goaltender.  Albany goalies Jeff Frazee (2005 2nd rounder) and Keith Kinkaid (undrafted FA) have both played respectably in the AHL for a team that would be in the playoffs except for their lack of prowess in the shootout, going just 2-12 in the skills competition.  Frazee is not looked on as a big prospect at this point though, and the 23-year old Kinkaid probably has the best chance to crack the Devils’ lineup in the near future.  Also in the organization is Scott Wedgewood, playing for the ECHL’s Trenton Titans.  He’s the youngest of the three at 20 years old, and perhaps more importantly has exhibited puck-handling skills that have proven so vital to the Devils’ various systems over the years.  He’s still at least a couple years away though.

It’ll also be interesting to see who else the Devils add to the system in June, when the NHL draft is held in Newark.  Despite the ungodly 3 PM Sunday start time on the 30th, I definitely plan to be there.  Even if the Devils are missing their 3rd, 5th and 7th rounders, they’ll probably wind up with high first and second-rounders with the way things are going.

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The Big Game Tomorrow at Nassau Coliseum

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Derek
For years, Islander fans haven’t had much to get excited about. Unless it was the selection of John Tavares in the ’09 Draft over Victor Hedman and Matt Duchene, there wasn’t much else to enthuse a loyal fan base dying for a team they could rally around. Amidst all the frequent Islander jokes from some of our Ranger fans is that there are a select few who don’t view tomorrow’s big game as an automatic two points.

Indeed, times have changed. Last year, the Rangers owned the town by winning the Atlantic and posting the East’s best record. The Islanders finished near the bottom. A point better than the Canadiens. Things sure have a way of coming full circle. Montreal clinched the playoffs last night with a win at Buffalo. They rank second in the conference to Pittsburgh and lead the Northeast by a point over Boston. Who did the Bruins lose to? That would be the hottest team in hockey, the New York Islanders. By defeating one of the league’s best 2-1, they improved to 8-1-1 over their last 10.

These days, the Islanders don’t lose. They no longer beat themselves or implode. More encouraging for them is that it’s not always Tavares or sidekick Matt Moulson doing the scoring. On some nights, there’s Colin McDonald sniping or setting up Michael Grabner’s winner like he did previously in a home win over the Flyers. Or underrated playmaker Frans Nielsen dancing around until he find someone open or finishes himself. Sometimes, it’s Matt Martin, who’s everything Sean Avery once was on the other side of the rivalry. Martin punishes opponents with ferocity and also can hit the net. Even forgotten former first rounders Kyle Okposo and Josh Bailey are chipping in. Bailey’s two goals were the difference in Beantown. Casey Cizikas has also been involved on an overlooked third line that does the grunt work.

One of the questions entering 2013 was how the Islanders would replace P.A. Parenteau. Parenteau leads an awful Colorado team in scoring. Under Jack Capuano, everyone’s contributed. That includes bargain Brad Boyes who nobody else wanted. He was basically run out of Buffalo. Playing with Tavares and Moulson, Boyes has reemerged with 31 points (8-23-31) including 12 power play points (1-11-12). The trio of Tavares (24-18-42), Moulson (13-26-39) and Boyes are one, two, three in team scoring. Exactly what you want from your top line.

Without Evgeni Nabokov, they’re not where they are. Nabokov has become the most indispensable goalie in hockey. In 35 starts, he’s won 20 of the Isles’ 21 games. The man known as Nabby is 20-11-4 with a 2.54 goals-against-average (GAA), .910 save percentage and three shutouts. That’s three more than last year’s Vezina winner, Henrik Lundqvist. Lundqvist still possesses better numbers (2.12 GAA, .926 save percentage). One look at the Islanders blueline is enough to tip your cap to Nabokov even more. They’re doing it with captain Mark Streit, a banged up Travis Hamonic, aging Lubomir Visnovsky, Andrew MacDonald, Matt Carkner and another Kings castoff Thomas Hickey. Hardly intimidating. Nabokov’s performance is that much more valuable. Isles’ backups are 1-5-0 with a 3.68 GAA and .869 save percentage.

Entering this shortened season, I didn’t see how it would change on the Island. Not coincidentally, I picked the Rangers first and the Islanders 15th. Fast forward and it’s the underdogs by the Meadowbrook who are in better position for the playoffs. Their latest victory keeping them in a tie for sixth with Ottawa. The Senators make up their extra game tonight against the desperate Devils, who are on life support. You know who they along with the Rangers will be rooting for. Without a doubt, these are strange occurences that only happen during a playoff race. It can make your blood boil. The Flyers gave us another reason to hate them.

Currently, the Islanders are seventh with 46 points. Two better than the Blueshirts, who enter tomorrow’s big game in desperation mode. They’re far from safe with the Jets blowing the doors off Florida 7-2 Thursday. Winnipeg is still hoping to win the Southeast, which the Caps lead by two with one extra game left. The Jets are tied with the Rangers in points (44) but have only six left. They own the ROW (regulation/overtime wins) tiebreaker with 20. The Rangers have 16 compared to the Islanders’ 18. Even if they beat them in regulation Saturday, they’ll still rank seventh or eighth depending on what the Senators do. Ottawa also has 16 ROW. It really is tight. The Devils only have 13 and need to get hot. They’ll probably need a six or seven wins to have a shot. New Jersey has 40 points with eight remaining.

The Rangers and Islanders haven’t played many big games the past decade. Tomorrow is one of them. The winner a little closer to the postseason. The loser causing a bit more anxiety. It would be nice if both made it. It could happen at the expense of the Devils. The last time both the Rangers and Islanders made the playoffs without New Jersey was ’86-87 when the Wales Conference still existed with the first two rounds divisional format. The old days of the Patrick and Adams while the Norris and Smythe existed in the Campbell Conference. With realignment set for 2013-14, a return to the glory days will be present. But will all three teams make it? The Devils, Islanders and Rangers last made it together in ’06-07. Unless the Devils turn it around and get help, there’s almost no chance. Complicating matters, they face the Rangers twice.

These are strange times when anything’s possible. Cue the theme from End Of Days. The battle’s just begun.

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Eastern playoff race update (4/11)

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Derek

With six Eastern conference games all impacting the playoff race in some way, here’s the up-to-date standings:

Top seed race – Pittsburgh and Montreal are both well on their way to wins (Pens up 5-2 late on Tampa Bay, Montreal up 4-1 late on the fading Sabres) so barring a miracle in either game, this is what the standings will look like in the next half hour:

1. Penguins 62 points (28 ROW) – 7 games left
2. Canadiens 57 points (23 ROW) – 8 games left
4. Bruins 56 points (22 ROW) – 8 games left

Southeast race – Winnipeg’s up 6-2 on Florida after two periods up north, I think it’s safe to count that in the W column.  Their third straight win would also tie them for the eighth seed with the Rangers, though New York has two games in hand.  Washington continued their surge toward the postseason earlier tonight with their sixth straight win, downing the Canes 3-1 at the Verizon Center.

3. Capitals 46 points (19 ROW) – 7 games left
—  Jets 44 points (20 ROW) – 6 games left

Avoid going home race – Both Ottawa and the Isles registered big wins, with Ottawa beating the Flyers 3-1 to snap their five-game losing streak while the Isles went into Boston and won a tight 2-1 game (gee, why can’t we ever do that?).

For all intents and purposes, the Flyers and Sabres’ losses realistically eliminated them from the bubble, given the Sabres are now six points out with two more games played than the Rangers and the Flyers are seven points out with one more game played.  The only reason I’m keeping the Devils on the list is their three games left combined against the Rangers and Senators, though another loss tomorrow would pretty much be the last nail in our coffin as well.

5. Leafs 49 points (22 ROW) – 8 games left
6. Senators 46 points (16 ROW) – 8 games left
7. Islanders 46 points (18 ROW) – 7 games left
8. Rangers 44 points (16 ROW) – 8 games left
————————————————
9. Jets 44 points (20 ROW) – 6 games left
10. Devils 40 points (13 ROW) – 8 games left

Tonight’s results:
Islanders 2, Boston 1
Ottawa 3, Philadelphia 1
Montreal 5, Buffalo 1
Washington 3, Carolina 1

Pittsburgh 6, Tampa Bay 2 – late third
Winnipeg 6, Florida 2 – mid third

Tomorrow’s games:
Ottawa at New Jersey

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Volchenkov suspended four games

Posted on April 11, 2013 by Derek
Brendan Shanahan video explanation

After Anton Volchenkov was tossed out of last night’s game against the Bruins with a clear elbow on Brad Marchand, he got hit with a four-game suspension by safety czar Brendan Shanahan this afternoon.  I only saw this hit on replay moments ago (after hearing of the suspension) and I have to say I have no issue with Volch getting four games.  There really was no reason for him to lead with an elbow.  I don’t think he’s as dirty as he is clumsy but that hit needed to be punished nonetheless.  While Volch’s suspension two years ago falls short of the timeline for a ‘repeat offender’ it was still taken into account in this ruling, as was Marchand missing the rest of the game due to injury.

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In Hank We Trust

Posted on April 11, 2013 by Derek
Copyright Getty Images/by Kathy Willens

It’s safe to say that without Henrik Lundqvist, our team would be in the lottery. Even without a shutout, Hank’s put together a strong season. There are too many instances where the Rangers rely on him to eek out games such as tonight. They earned a much needed two points thanks to Lundqvist- edging the Leafs 3-2 in a shootout. The affable 31-year old, who’s already been here nine years, stopped all three Toronto shooters to keep pace with the Islanders.

Despite being in a three-way tie with the Senators and Islanders, the Rangers are still eighth due to Ottawa having an extra game left and the Islanders holding the first tiebreaker with 17 regulation/overtime wins. For those keeping track, the Rangers have 16 and the Sens 15. Both the Islanders and Rangers have eight games remaining while the Senators have nine. The Isles take on the Bruins tonight while the Sens visit the Flyers. The Blueshirts don’t play again until Saturday’s big showdown at Nassau Coliseum. 
If there is one thing our team has, it’s Lundqvist. With finally a break in the schedule, look for John Tortorella to ride our horse down the stretch. The Rangers play once over the next five days. In order to make the playoffs, they need Hank to be at his best. When he’s allowed two goals or less in 2013, King Henrik is 16-2-3. It’s when he permits three-or-more that our team struggles. Even if it’s not on par with a career best ’11-12, more often than not he gives them a chance. Few goalies are more dependable.
In the second straight meeting against the Leafs, Lundqvist made some clutch stops, finishing with 23 overall. Both Toronto goals were off turnovers. As usual, Ranger killer Phil Kessel was involved. He scored the game’s first goal courtesy of a poor backhand turnover from Ryan Callahan, which he batted past Hank. Until Ryane Clowe battled Mark Fraser to a draw, the Rangers were lifeless. The speedier Leafs were all over them. Thanks to Lundqvist, the deficit remained one until Carl Hagelin got to a Ryan McDonagh rebound in front for his ninth. It was only his second in the last 21. Partially due to all the line juggling. At least Tortorella made a switch when they needed it.
Spurred on by Hags’ goal, the Rangers finally started pushing back. Eventually, another play the tireless Swede started led to their second straight goal. This one a beauty off the stick of McDonagh. After Derick Brassard dished for McDonagh, he danced around two Leafs and unleashed from the high slot- beating James Reimer through a Callahan screen. The kind you expect from our captain following a rare mistake. 
As has been the case throughout, our team couldn’t get the all important next goal. Instead, they wasted two power plays by doing what they do best. Killing it all on their own. The Leafs did nothing on either. It was self inflicted. Being that it was only my second game and probably last unless they go deep, there were instances where I screamed for them to shoot the puck. How many times must we see Rick Nash try to stick handle through three guys? Nash has one of the deadliest shots but rarely uses it. Between that and McDonagh not letting go of a wide open shot, it was frustrating. The only instance they got set up time was when frequent target Mike Del Zotto carried the puck in. Sadly, they still couldn’t muster a shot. You’d think Reimer was Johnny Bower. 
I don’t care how many toe saves he made. You are supposed to fire from every angle on a guy who practically lost his job to Ben Scrivens. That was last year. Too often, our team tries to make the perfect play. That philosophy must change. Fittingly, the two powerless failures allowed the Leafs to get life. Off another putrid turnover, Kessel tied it. This time, it was Dan Girardi, who made a bugaboo. Why Arron Asham was on with our team protecting a one-goal lead is debatable. But Girardi was miserable all night and his giveaway proved costly. It allowed James van Riemsdyk to set up Kessel’s second.
As usual, no one scored again until the shootout. In a game they really should’ve won in regulation, they were on their heels clinging for dear life in overtime. The Leafs are a dangerous team. Minus Marc Staal, our D has suffered. Girardi looks worn down and McDonagh’s been hit or miss. Del Zotto’s been our best defenseman since Staal’s injury. Yet he gets killed. He took a pounding again. But was better. It doesn’t help that Tortorella already is restricting John Moore’s ice-time (8:41). He’d rather trust Steve Eminger. You can’t make it up.
I didn’t have much confidence entering the skill competition. Lundqvist had to stop all three Leaf shooters. Thankfully, he did so it didn’t come down to Kessel. The only goal came from Mats Zuccarello. MZA rewarded Tortorella by doing what Nash should have. Faking, then going five-hole on Bower Reimer. He’s now six-for-12 in his career in shootouts. When Lundqvist shut the door on Mikhail Grabovski, a big extra point was clinched.

NY Puck 3 Stars:
3rd Star-Carl Hagelin, NYR (goal, assist-love him)
2nd Star-Phil Kessel, Tor (2 goals-13, 14-dangerous but wasn’t in Carlyle’s top 3) 
1st Star-Henrik Lundqvist, NYR (23 saves incl. 3/3 in shootout-delivered again)
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Anatomy of a lost night

Posted on April 11, 2013 by Derek

When the Devils have three home games in a week, often I’ll opt just to sell one of them off and go to the other two games.  With last Saturday being my goofy Mets-Devils doubleheader (yes I went to both games in the same day – that’s a seperate story in itself) and considering most of my friends are going to the Friday game against Ottawa, it was an easy call to sell off tonight’s game against the Bruins – especially with it being a 7:30 weeknight game.  Admittedly I wasn’t too upset to sell off this game considering the Bruins have just flat had our number…winning ten out of eleven games with our only win being the meaningless Fan Appreciation Day game in 2011 that was Jacques Lemaire‘s final game behind the bench.

Essentially the Bruins have won ten in a row against us that mattered.  And we lost seven in a row overall coming into tonight.  I didn’t exactly think we had much of a chance, and I was wrestling with whether to even watch the game.  Part of me was like ‘the Devils are trying, they deserve to have me go down with the ship and watch’, but the other part of me that was just tired of seeing Sissyphus roll the boulder up the hill won out.  I needed a break from the futility, period.  I stayed away from the game and anything around the NHL as long as I could.  Finally I was going to SiriusXM Radio and saw on the NHL channel they had the Toronto-Ranger game going to a shootout.  So I tuned that in, and that’s when I found out the Devils were trailing 4-2 after two periods and I was like…of course.

As it turned out it was probably a good thing I missed almost all the game.  Even if the Devils showed some fight, coming from 4-0 down to get within one before coming up short in yet another frustrating loss to the Bruins.  Not only can the Devils never beat the Bruins, they can’t beat anyone at this point.  Of our eight straight losses, seven have been by one goal, with the Islanders’ two-goal win the only multi-goal loss.  You can’t say the Devils aren’t trying, or that they’re just getting blown away.  Fact is pretty much every game’s been the same script though.  Bad teams find ways to lose games, and this year the Devils are a bad team – especially without Ilya Kovalchuk.

I might have thrown myself off the balcony if I’d witnessed our horrendous power play in person tonight.  Not only did the Devils go an embarassing 0-8 with the man advantage, they gave up two shorthanded goals to boot.  I don’t want to kill Matt Shaw, because Devil fans have been killing the power play coach for years, but it’s reached a new low this year – with and without Kovalchuk.  Going a -2 on eight man advantages is about as low as you can get.  Maybe Dave Barr should coach the PP as well as the PK, at least that unit’s been somewhat respectable.  They did give up one power play goal in three chances, but also scored shorthanded to at least even it up for the night.

At this point I don’t even want to look at the recap.  Just seeing the boxscore is ugly enough, with three goals given up in the game’s first 8:12, including both shorthanded fiascoes.  It was amusing seeing the highlights on the first two goals, with Anton Volchenkov being beyond bad on the first goal and Steve Sullivan throwing a dumb blind backhand pass on the second goal that led to a fatal two-on-one break.  Amusing because I didn’t have to live through it in real-time at least.  Maybe that first goal contributed to Volchenkov’s state of mind later when he elbowed Brad Marchand and got thrown out of the game late in the second period, forcing the Devils to kill off a five-minute major and likely leading to an ill-timed suspension.

Amazingly the Devils not only killed off the major penalty, but even scored when Travis Zajac converted a breakaway for just his sixth goal in forty games.  Patrik Elias had scored on a tip-in earlier to get the Devils on the board, after Zdeno Chara‘s tip-in off a netmouth scramble in front gave the Bruins a seemingly safe 4-0 lead early in the second.  Despite not having Volchenkov or captain Bryce Salvador (who left with a wrist injury) for the latter part of the game and being reduced to four defensemen for the last twenty-five minutes, the Devils gamely tried to rally back and Andy Greene scored 5:58 into the third to make it 4-3.  However, the four-man defense finally broke when Mark Fayne was slow to reach a loose puck, then inexplicably left Tyler Seguin alone in front for a back-breaking goal at 7:33.  A final-minute goal by Matt D’Agostini of all people served as more torment than consolation.

With the playoffs all but out of reach now (playoffs?!  PLAYOFFS?!), my goals are more modest at this point.  Number one is to get Martin Brodeur at least one more win the remainder of the season, so he doesn’t have to be stuck on the ungodly number of 666 anymore.  Maybe it really isn’t a coincidence that the Devils have appeared cursed since that unholy number with Kovalchuk getting hurt in that game and the Devils losing eight straight since.  Perhaps they need to sacrifice a live chicken, or do something else kooky to break the spell.  Number two is to find out who should stay and who should go.  With several key UFA’s on the docket and clearly offensive upgrades needed across the board, important decisions will have to be made in the offseason.

On a personal note though, it’s disgusting the contempt some Devils ‘fans’ have for Salvador, between message board postings and various tweets toward Tom Gulutti while he was posting updates on the captain’s health during the game – and he rightly called out people on it.  I mean this is the same fanbase that once cheered Kevin Weekes getting hurt so I shouldn’t be surprised, but it doesn’t mean I’m not dissapointed just the same.  Yes, Sal hasn’t been good this year and re-signing him led to our defensive logjam, but he’s been a loyal soldier here and deserves better than he gets from clowns that post or tweet in mostly anonymous fashion on the internet.  Did anyone really expect the point production he had during last year’s playoffs?  That’s not who he is.  Other people have underperformed as well, why is Sal the scapegoat for many, because he’s wearing the scarlet C?

My only consolation is that this mess of a season isn’t going to last too much longer.  I shudder to think what this season might turn into if we were going the normal 82-game distance – though conversely there’d be more time to fight out of this hole.  Now there’s just eight games left, and only two home games I have to go to since my friend is coming to the game Friday and the Fan Appreciation Day home finale against Pittsburgh.  I have free tickets to the Panthers game on the 20th (sold off my pair because of it) so I can ‘skip’ that game if it’s meaningless which it’ll likely be at this point, but it’ll probably be a nice Saturday out so I might as well go anyway.  Especially since it’s going to be a while before I see the building again after April.  Not to mention I have to use some more of the food and beverage card I still have for the arena before it expires at the end of the regular season.

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Eastern playoff race update (4/9)

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Derek

Top seed race:

1. Penguins 60 points (27 ROW), 8 games left
2. Canadiens 55 points (22 ROW), 9 games left
4. Bruins 54 points (21 ROW), 10 games left

-Notes: In what has to be described as a mere formality, Pittsburgh clinched the Atlantic Division title (and moved closer to the #1 overall seed) with a 5-3 win in Carolina. Montreal’s division and top seed hopes were damaged by a 3-2 home loss to the streaking Caps.

Southeast division race:

3. Capitals 44 points (18 ROW), 8 games left
— Jets 42 points (19 ROW), 7 games left

-Notes: Winnipeg kept pace with the Caps by beating the Sabres 4-1 up north, and improved their chances of making the playoffs even without winning the division with an important two points.

5. Leafs 48 points (22 ROW), 9 games left
6. Senators 44 points (15 ROW), 9 games left
7. Islanders 44 points (17 ROW), 8 games left
8. Rangers 42 points (16 ROW), 9 games left
———————————————–
9. Jets 42 points (19 ROW), 7 games left
10. Devils 40 points (13 ROW), 9 games left
11. Sabres 38 points (11 ROW), 8 games left
12. Flyers 37 points (16 ROW), 9 games left

-Notes: Ottawa’s damaging 3-2 loss in Tampa Bay kept them winless in the middle of a seven-game road trip, while the Isles’ big 4-1 over Philly at Nassau, and the Jets’ win put some distance between the Sabres and Flyers from the rest of the bubble.

A pair of big games loom for the locals on the bubble as the Rangers try to hang onto the final playoff spot against a Leaf team they’ll be looking to pay back for their loss in Toronto on Monday.  New Jersey’s task is even more formidable at home against a Bruin team that’s beaten them ten out of eleven games (really ten in a row since the one time we beat them was a glorified exhibition at the end of the ’10-11 season).

Tomorrow’s key games:
Toronto at Rangers 7 PM
Boston at Devils 7:30 PM

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Rangers Can’t Get No ReLeaf

Posted on April 9, 2013 by Derek
Phil Kessel gets congrats after scoring the winner.
Copyright Getty Images/Canadian Press/by Nathan Denette

This is one they could have won. Or at least gotten a point in. But the end result was due to the Maple Leafs, who were better than the Rangers. They took the front end of a home-and-home series- pulling out a 4-3 win at Air Canada Center. Phil Kessel scored his second of the game 39 seconds after Derek Stepan tied it. Ultimately, it stood up as the winner in arguably the most frustrating loss of 2013. 

The reason our team got zero out of it was because for the second straight game, they weren’t good enough defensively. Against a lesser team like Carolina, they got away with it. But not against what looks like a dangerous Leaf team who are poised to make their first postseason appearance since ’04. What makes them so tough is they’re ability to attack five-on-five. They were relentless and made life difficult for Henrik Lundqvist, who was fresh off being named one of Three Stars of the previous week. He gave up four goals on 28 shots. None were soft. It was the product of poor back check pressure and soft D. 
I’m not going to single out anyone. I’m getting a little sick of some our fans pinning everything on Mike Del Zotto. Granted, he had a miserable night and was on for three goals against including the critical Kessel decider. However, it’s unfair to beat up on him. For the most part, he’s stepped up his play since Marc Staal went down. Del Zotto’s partner Dan Girardi didn’t have a strong game either.  Neither did our forwards, who were fine offensively but didn’t get the job done in their end. They may have got sucked into Toronto’s run and gun style. But it’s still unacceptable how they hung Lundqvist out to dry. He’s bailed them out many nights and probably isn’t getting another night off. 
James van Riemsdyk and Ryan O’Byrne staked the Leafs to a two-goal lead. For some reason, our team didn’t match the Leafs’ intensity. They got off to a fast start before our team awoke halfway through. Rick Nash was a big reason why our team came back. He scored twice and dominated Toronto. Both goals were highlight reel. The first came when he took a Stepan pass in the neutral zone and drove to the net and let go of a shot that trickled past James Reimer. Video review showed that it may have gone off Nash’s skate with Stepan in the vicinity. 
Mats Zuccarello came close to tying it twice. The first time, he was stoned by Reimer on a Brad Richards feed. The second point blank on a deflection. Zuccarello has looked good since returning. He just hasn’t had any puck luck. They have to start going in soon. All season, Lundqvist has spoke about special teams. In this one, the Leafs took full advantage of a Ryan Callahan hold on Dion Phaneuf. They let Kessel get set and he fired from the left circle with Van Riemsdyk in front. It went through Lundqvist, who never tracked it. It might later get changed to JVR. It was a crusher that restored a two-goal lead for Toronto with 42 seconds left in the second period.
Despite that, I felt our team would come back. They were on the verge of tying it prior to Captain Cally’s untimely penalty. As well as the Leafs played offensively, their D was vulnerable. Nash notched his second less than three minutes into the third to cut the deficit to 3-2. Former Jacket teammate John Moore made a wise bank pass to Nash, trapping the Leafs. Nash then flew past and did the rest. With the referee in the process of calling a hook, he undressed Reimer for his club-leading 17th. Remarkable talent on display in his return home. Of course on his next couple of shifts, Toronto got away with grabbing him. That wasn’t called but a phantom Del Zotto high stick was.
The Leafs came awfully close to going ahead by two. With the penalty expiring, Stepan made a great defensive play to tie it. Forcing a Leaf into a turnover at the blueline, he led a two-on-one rush with Darroll Powe. The whole time, I was yelling ‘Shoot.’ When he did, the puck went top shelf for his 14th. An amazing individual effort from a much improved player. His emergence has been exciting. Imagine a home grown kid developing into a leader in the mold of Callahan with higher skill. 
Unfortunately, our excitement came too soon. On the very next shift, Toronto showed why they’re playoff bound. With our team scrambling around, Tyler Bozak passed for a cutting Kessel, who walked in and beat Lundqvist 39 seconds later. Del Zotto got killed by the Twitter masses because he was lost on it. However, Nash was the closest man to Kessel. He didn’t fill in with Girardi back. They got burned. 
Sometimes, that’s the difference between winning and losing. There were close calls on both ends afterwards. The Leafs hit a post and Nash just missed at the buzzer. Even if I don’t agree with John Tortorella going with six forwards with Lundqvist pulled, it’s too late to worry now. The Rangers get the same team in less than 48 hours. They must win.
NY Puck 3 Stars:
3rd Star-Rick Nash, Rangers (2 goals, 7 shots and dominant- if only he took Kessel)
2nd Star-Tyler Bozak, Leafs (set up Kessel’s winner, 14-and-11 on draws, beat Stepan twice)
1st Star-Phil Kessel, Leafs (credited with 2 goals incl. GW plus helper)
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Eastern playoff race update (4/8)

Posted on April 9, 2013 by Derek

With less than three weeks remaining every game’s important and every day has a number of important games that’ll impact the various races out East and West in some way.  For this blog obviously our focus is on the East where the Rangers, Islanders, Devils and Sabres (yes they’re somehow still in the playoff race) are all fighting for playoff spots in this short season.  In the East, there are three seperate races going on, and regulation/OT wins are the first tiebreaker – and as such will be denoted below.

One is for the top two seeds between Pittsburgh, Boston and Montreal.  Whoever loses the Northeast will likely slot in as the #4 seed and still get home-ice in the first round, while whoever wins the division will jockey with a now injury-riddled Penguins team for the top overall seed.

1. Penguins 58 points (26 ROW), 9 games left
2. Canadiens 55 points (22 ROW), 10 games left
4. Bruins 54 points (21 ROW), 10 games left
Race number two in the East is the Southeast division battle between Washington and Winnipeg, with the winner getting the third seed and the loser most likely not making the playoffs at all.
3. Capitals 42 points (17 ROW), 9 games left
—  Jets 40 points (18 ROW), 8 games left
And of course the race that all of us reading this blog care about, the playoff race.
5. Leafs 48 points (22 ROW), 9 games left
6. Senators 44 points (15 ROW), 10 games left
7. Rangers 42 points (16 ROW), 9 games left – they get seventh on the second tiebreaker, head-to-head points against the Isles
8. Islanders 42 points (16 ROW), 9 games left
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9. Devils 40 points (13 ROW), 9 games left
10. Jets 40 points (18 ROW), 8 games left
11. Sabres 38 points (11 ROW), 9 games left
12. Flyers 37 points (16 ROW), 10 games left
Tonight’s results:
Boston 6, Carolina 2
Toronto 4, Rangers 3
Tomorrow’s key games:
Philly at Islanders 7 PM
Pittsburgh at Carolina 7 PM
Washington at Montreal 7:30 PM
Ottawa at Tampa Bay 7:30 PM
Buffalo at Winnipeg 8 PM
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Eastern Playoff Race Heating Up

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Derek
As we approach the final two weeks, the Eastern playoff race is heating up. Sunday saw a few teams in action, including the Devils. New Jersey dropped their seventh consecutive game, falling to Buffalo 3-2 in a shootout. Steve Sullivan scored and Mark Fayne’s shorthanded tally allowed the Devils to earn a point. They’re currently ninth with 40 points. Winnipeg also has 40 but have one less game remaining.

The Devils aren’t the only team slumping. The Senators lost their fourth straight at Florida by a score of 2-1. Dmitry Kulikov’s power play goal broke a 1-1 tie in the third. The Sens finally got back starting goalie Craig Anderson. But his 15 saves weren’t enough. Ottawa is hanging onto sixth with 44 points. The Rangers and Islanders are two behind. The Rangers are at fifth Toronto tonight. The Leafs have 46. The two Original Sixes have a home-and-home with Toronto visiting MSG Wednesday. 
The Islanders and Devils have each played 39 games. Both are idle while the Rangers play No.39 at Air Canada Center. Winnipeg has already played 40 and trail Southeast leading Washington by two. The Caps remained hot thanks to two more goals from resurgent captain Alex Ovechkin. They came back from a goal down to beat Tampa Bay 4-2. Ovechkin was coming off a hat trick. He’s on fire with  15 goals over his last 13 games. Since 3/14 when he also lit the lamp against Carolina, the Great Eight has tallied 16 goals and nine assists for 23 points in 15 contests. Indeed, those who wrote his obituary did so too soon. Apparently they forgot how explosive he is. Full marks to Adam Oates, who has his team in position.
While everyone’s been focusing on the three locals, the Sabres are playing their best hockey. Patrick Kaleta and Steve Ott scored and Nathan Gerbe beat legend Marty Brodeur for the shootout winner. Ryan Miller made 37 saves and stopped Sullivan, Patrik Elias and Travis Zajac to give Buffalo their third win in a row. The Sabres rank 11th with 38 points. They have nine left. They’ll need to probably win at least six and sneak out a couple of more Bettman points. Considering how unpredictable the year has been, don’t count them out.
At 37 points and 12th, the Flyers are too inconsistent. Their play remains baffling with not enough defense and goaltending. Unless Ilya Bryzgalov returns to our universe, it could fall on Steve Mason. Claude Giroux will have to carry a depleted roster. 
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