Battle Of Hudson

We’re coming down to the homestretch. Similar to the triple crown, you ride your horse till the end. At least that’s what Ranger and Islander fans are hoping as their respective teams chase the playoffs. Each is back at it tonight with pivotal games against teams who trail them in the standings. 

Patriots’ Day is a special day in Boston. Spanning five decades, one of the great states celebrates the historic Battles Of Lexington and Concord by holding two traditional sporting events. The Boston Marathon and the annual 11 AM Red Sox game at Fenway Park. 

Henrik Lundqvist stretches to make a save. Copyright Getty Images/by Craig Ruttle

There are moments that can define seasons. Even turn them. For the 2013 Rangers, let’s hope tonight’s 1-0 overtime win over the Islanders before a raucous Nassau Coliseum is one of those games we look back on.

For 63 minutes, the Battle Of New York lived up to the hoopla. It was two teams not giving an inch. This was playoff hockey. No matter what side you were on. It was the kind of game that had you on the edge of your seat. From ferocious hitting to goal posts and great saves, the Rangers and Islanders played a great game. Hopefully, they’ll both make the playoffs. It’s much better for one of the classic rivalries that’s been overshadowed in recent time. Both teams are in the hunt as a frenetic shortened season hits its peak.

The Rangers prevailed thanks to their best player, Henrik Lundqvist. The Swedish King lived up to his name by stopping all 29 Islander shots for his first shutout. It was exactly the kind of virtuoso performance he’s been supplying to help the Blueshirts to a 5-1-1 mark over their last seven. Considering how well the Islanders played, they needed every last one along with Lundqvist’s best friend, the goal post to prevail. The Islanders still earned a valuable point to stay in seventh with 47 points. The Rangers remained eighth with 46, pulling two ahead of idle Winnipeg.

For a long time, it seemed it was destined for a shootout. Another game that wouldn’t be decided the old fashioned way. Following a strong kill from the Islanders on the Rangers’ fourth power play, Dan Girardi played the hero. Teamed with a shaky Ryan McDonagh all night frustrating John Tavares, Girardi took a great Derick Brassard backhand feed and beat Evgeni Nabokov inside the far post for the game’s only goal at 3:11 of overtime. His first goal in 28 games. Ironically, the other came against the Islanders on 2/14. The response was mixed with the Ranger contingent erupting while Islander fans headed for the exits.

In all honesty, Islander fans had nothing to be ashamed of. Their team carried the play thanks to an aggressive forecheck that pinned our team in. In particular, the Isles’ second line of Frans Nielsen, Josh Bailey and Kyle Okposo dominated shifts. Bailey missed on some great chances. Okposo had a step on Girardi in the final minute of regulation but slashed him to go to the box. As usual, the Ranger power play got nothing accomplished. They took the collar in four chances. The Islanders didn’t score in their two either. The penalty killing from both sides along with splendid netminding from Lundqvist and Nabokov kept them off the scoreboard.

The hitting was about even and each team sacrificed limb and limb. Outside of a strong push from the Rangers during the first half of the second, the Islanders had the puck. They out-shot us 28-18 in regulation and clanged three posts, including a cross bar by Colin McDonald in the third. The Blueshirts also came close on a power play when Derek Stepan deflected a Ryan Callahan try off the left post. Video review confirmed that it never came close to crossing the line.

I’ve seen fans on the losing side complain about the officiating. Granted. Neither Rob Martell nor Paul Devorski got in the way of the action. The veteran crew called eight penalties, including coincidental minors on McDonald (elbow) and Arron Asham (rough). McDonald elbowed Steve Eminger along the boards and Asham overreacted- negating a power play. The refs missed calls, including Carl Hagelin holding Tavares’ stick with the Islanders star center eventually getting nabbed for a rough. McDonagh later was irate for an interference call after he was cross checked. They also didn’t catch a high stick on Tavares.

It was that kind of game. A lot was going on during and after whistles. They didn’t pick up everything. However, they allowed the two teams to play, which is how it should be. You don’t want a penalty fest. There were no fights but plenty of scrums with Travis Hamonic giving Rick Nash a crosscheck and Okposo later yapping at Nash between the benches. Nash was shutdown by Hamonic and partner Andrew MacDonald, who saved a goal by blocking Callahan’s shot with Nabokov caught out of net by Brassard. In fact, Nash missed a few shifts late in the third due to a lazy back check that allowed Tavares to get his only good chance. He came in two-on-one but Lundqvist got a piece of his shot with the glove. Hank was sharp all game. He saved their bacon.

Ironically, our best forwards were Brian Boyle and Darroll Powe. Both checkers stepped it up. Boyle has been bashed all season. But he was very active physically and outstanding defensively. Powe, who is still without a point after being acquired from Minnesota for Mike Rupp– had his best game. He nearly scored with Nabokov stoning him on a rebound. He also threw his weight around. The only player who was ineffective was Asham, who on his birthday struggled. He took a bad penalty early and passed up a couple of opportunities to shoot. A team wide epidemic. So, it’s not only him.

One of Lundqvist’s best stops came on Matt Moulson late in the first. Moulson got to a rebound in front and chipped the puck towards the net but a sprawling Lundqvist kept it out with his glove. If his save on Nazem Kadri the other night was special, so too was his work in Uniondale. A place he enjoys playing in. Nabokov denied Nash on a stuff try and closed the door on Hagelin.

I figured it’d take a weird bounce to beat either goalie. Instead, Brassard took a Mike Del Zotto feed in the neutral zone and drew two Islanders at the blueline and led Girardi perfectly. He caught Bailey flatfooted and Danny G ripped a great shot to beat Nabokov.

NY Puck 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Dan Girardi, NYR (OT winner at 3:11, 2 blocks, +1 in 29:13- superb)
2nd Star-Travis Hamonic, NYI (2 SOG, 2 hits, 2 blocks in 23:02-best defenseman on ice)
1st Star-Henrik Lundqvist, NYR (29 saves incl. 22 the first 2 periods-clutch)

After five big games today, we came closer to getting a clearer picture in the Eastern playoff free-for-all.  Pittsburgh’s win coupled with the Bruins and Habs’ losses put the Pens in comfortable position for the top seed in the East, while the Northeast remained as is with the Habs one point ahead of the Bruins for the #2 seed.

1. Pittsburgh 64 points (29 ROW), 6 games left

2. Montreal 57 points (23 ROW), 7 games left

4. Boston 56 points (22 ROW), 7 games left

In the Southeast, a wild game between the Caps and Tampa saw the Caps get an all-important two points with a 6-5 OT win against the Lightning, despite blowing a 5-1 lead!  With each team having six games remaining, the Caps are now four points ahead of the Jets for the #3 seed.

3. Washington 48 points (20 ROW), 6 games left

— Winnipeg 44 points (20 ROW), 6 games left

Toronto further solidified their playoff position with a convincing win against the Habs, while in the night’s biggest game the Rangers squeezed out a 1-0 OT win over the rival Islanders on Long Island in a spirited contest even I got into a bit (especially when you have Jiggs McDonald doing the Isle telecast).  I’m sure Derek will have more on that game when he comes down from cloud nine.

5. Toronto 51 points (23 ROW), 7 games left

6. Ottawa 48 points (17 ROW), 7 games left

7. Islanders 47 points (18 ROW), 6 games left

8. Rangers 46 points (17 ROW), 7 games left

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9. Winnipeg 44 points (20 ROW), 6 games left

(yes I’ve now removed the Devils from the bubble, now a de facto seven points behind of the eighth seed and having to pass the Jets too with just seven games remaining, their chances are slim and none just like the other East teams who are just waiting to be eliminated)

Toronto 5, Montreal 1

Washington 6, Tampa Bay 5 (OT)

Carolina 4, Boston 2

Pittsburgh 3, Florida 1

Rangers 1, Islanders 0

Upcoming games (4/15 – no relevant East games tomorrow)

Devils at Toronto 7 PM

Ottawa at Boston 7 PM

Philadelphia at Montreal 7:30 PM

Both the Isles and Rangers don’t play again until Tuesday, when the Isles take on the Panthers in their home finale before finishing the season with five straight on the road, while the Rangers head to Philly against a comatose Flyers team that may or may not decide to awaken to try to play spoiler.

With the season already winding down, it’s time to look at one of the more intriguing award races. The Norris is regularly handed out to the league’s top defenseman. The Post-Lidstrom edition still features some prominent names. Let’s break it down further:

1.P.K. Subban, Habs

34 GP 11-23-34  +11 26 PIM 7 PPG

Subban leads all blueliners in scoring with 34 points. Of his 34, a good chunk have come on the power play. Montreal possesses one of the best with PK teaming with Andrei Markov at the points. Subban has 23 power play points. He has a lethal cannon that can devastate goalies. Remember, he held out. What if he didn’t miss time? It’s hard not to rank him first based on the production. But he’s had help from Markov, who’s always been overlooked. Markov ranks fourth in D scoring with 26 points. Will that take away some votes from PK?

2.Kris Letang, Pens

29 GP 3-26-29 +12 8 PIM

When the Pens have Letang in the lineup, they’re a much better team. How much better? Pittsburgh is a ridiculous 23-6 when he plays. He’s the unquestioned defensive leader. At a point-per-game clip, Letang is always involved offensively. Of course, he benefits from their talent, featuring Hart front runner Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. But Letang is more than just an offensive guy. He logs big minutes for Dan Bylsma and the team has won their last 11 with him. It’s Letang who is their most important player.

3.Ryan Suter, Wild

40 GP 4-25-29 +1 22 PIM

When Suter opted to leave Music City for St. Paul, he took a beating due to wanting to play with childhood pal Zach Parise. Some wondered how Suter would fare without Shea Weber. It’s Suter who’s outperformed his former teammate. Anchoring a blueline that doesn’t give up much, he plays in every situation and has continued to perform well. Suter got off to a slow start. But since being teamed with rookie Jonas Brodin, he’s been a rock. His 29 points place him third in team scoring trailing only Mikko Koivu (33) and Parise (32). Suter also plays physical as evidenced by his 59 blocked shots. His play makes him a top candidate.

4.Oliver Ekman-Larsson Coyotes

41 GP 3-18-21 +7 24 PIM

The man known as OEL in hockey parts is already emerging as one of the best defensemen. Ekman-Larsson doesn’t have the sexy stats of the others playing for defensive oriented Dave Tippett. However, he has 21 points and helps Keith Yandle anchor the D in the Desert. OEL does everything well, making him one of the best overall blueliners. He has 64 hits and 37 blocks. If the ‘Yotes get in, he’ll be a big reason why.

5.Andrei Markov, Canadiens

40 GP 8-18-26 -6 10 PIM

Finally back healthy, Markov has reclaimed his place as one of the top defensemen in the game. If not for all the injuries, he probably would’ve been up for a Norris already. With Subban getting most of the press, Markov has been overlooked. His fantastic start is what sparked the Habs’ resurgence. The man can skate with the best of them and can be counted on under Adams candidate Michel Therrien. His minus-six rating along with Subban will probably leave him out of the mix. But he’s still awfully important to Montreal’s playoff aspirations.

6.Duncan Keith, Blackhawks

40 GP 2-21-23 +17 29 PIM

A former Norris winner hasn’t gotten the attention of the other candidates. But on the league’s best team, shouldn’t Keith be mentioned? He has always been rock solid. Anchoring a strong back end with Brent Seabrook, Keith deserves more credit. His 23 points are right there in terms of production and his plus-17 are among the best. He’s also blocked 54 shots. On a great team, Keith has been overlooked along with Francois Beauchemin. Those are the dark horses who’ll get left out.

Everyone knows about the season Chicago’s had – undefeated in regulation through their first twenty-four games, current leader for the President’s Trophy with a 31-5-4 record (66 points) through 40 games.  With the nucleus of a team that won the Cup just three years ago, the Hawks are among the favorites to do it again.  Their only real question mark is whether goalies Corey Crawford and Ray Emery can keep up their strong regular season play, and who will actually start the playoffs as the #1.  Emery’s come back from the dead – again – to post a shining 15-1 record with three shutouts, a 1.90 GAA and .924 save percentage.  Crawford’s numbers are almost as good, and he’s the goalie the Hawks have more invested in monetarily and for the future.

One of the biggest surprises – and under-the-radar stories – is taking place in Anaheim where Bruce Boudreau has had the Ducks playing at an elite level since taking over midway through last season.  Anaheim came into this season in a bit of turmoil with franchise players Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry set to go UFA, but the Ducks got off to a strong start and were able to re-sign both their key pieces in-season (what a novel concept, wish we’d do it more often).  Overseas goalie Victor Fasth has been a revelation in his first NHL year, going 14-4-1 with three shutouts, a 2.17 GAA and .923 save percentage.  Fasth gave the team a needed lift when starter Jonas Hiller struggled early, but both goalies have shared the load for the most part.  Like in Chicago, goaltending is still a question mark for the Ducks come postseason time though, in what may finally be the last go-around for ageless winger Teemu Selanne.  Or maybe not.

Vancouver struggled early without key players such as Ryan Kesler and got caught in the middle of a well-chronicled and messy goaltending situation, but Kesler’s return has helped propel the Canucks past the Minnesota Wild to gain a bit of a foothold for the #3 seed.  Will Cory Schnieder be able to hold up in the postseason though?  Or will coach Alain Vigneault pull the plug at the first sign of trouble and go to Roberto Luongo?  More importantly, will it even matter?  Goaltending wasn’t really the problem in Vancouver’s wipeout last postseason.  

Goaltending isn’t a question for the defending Stanley Cup champions (at least inasmuch as we know who’s in net), but Conn Smythe winner Johnathan Quick has struggled so far this year coming off of offseason surgery, and in the first year of a new ten-year deal, posting a 2.55 GAA and .897 save percentage.  Ironically backup Johnathan Bernier‘s had the far better year, going 9-2-1 and is a big part of the reason the Kings are in a comfortable position as opposed to the dreaded bubble.  LA’s defense got hurt by the injury to Willie Mitchell early on, but their trade deadline acquisition of Robyn Regehr, and continued improvement by younger defensemen such as Slava Voynov and Jake Muzzin have helped the Kings keep rolling along after a slow start.

San Jose has had an up-and-down year, but for a team currently in a playoff spot, they were able to reload for the future by dealing off pending UFA’s Doug Murray and Ryan Clowe, neither of whom was playing a big role on the Sharks this year.  Their forward depth hasn’t really been all it’s cracked up to be, with guys such as the well-paid Martin Havlat (a potential buyout candidate at the end of the season with three more years left on his deal and declining production) and post-buyout signee Scott Gomez failing to impress, but goalie Antti Niemi and their defense – coached by old friend Larry Robinson – has carried the load thus far for the fifth-seeded Sharks.

I don’t remember whether St. Louis was my preseason pick to win the Cup or just the Western Conference, but either way I had them making a big run this year.  It hasn’t really materialized yet as they’ve struggled all year, particularly in goal where Jaroslav Halak‘s been in and out of the lineup due to injuries (and had a down year because of it) and Brian Elliott‘s flopped after a career year last season.  If it wasn’t for young Jake Allen filling the void to the tune of a 9-4 record, the Blues might be on the outside looking in.  Especially with an offense that has a lot of solid role players, but not really that one guy that can carry the load for any length of time.  Chris Stewart leads the team with 31 points in 40 games, and their next-best guy (Alex Steen) has a mere 25.  St. Louis is currently five points up on ninth place though, so they should still be able to make it.

The less I can say about the Minnesota Wild, the better off I’ll be.  Cold hard facts are that Zach Parise and Ryan Suter have lived up to their paychecks thus far in year #1 of their 13-year marriage, and their absence has clearly been felt by both teams that they left.  Parise leads the team with 15 goals (second in points with 32, just behind the always underrated Mikko Koivu) and Suter has 29 points in 40 games, proving that there is indeed life after Shea Weber.  Currently the Wild actually have one of the most stable goaltending situations in the West with Nicklas Backstrom having another solid year and the unquestioned starter there.  Minnesota’s only concern with Backstrom is long-term, the fact that Backstrom isn’t signed past this season.

Minnesota and the Detroit Red Wings of all teams, are sitting on top of the bubble.  The Wild have 46 points with 8 games left, while the proud Wings have 45 points with just 7 left – and two points ahead of a trio of teams knocking on the door for the postseason.  Detroit’s one team I pegged right before the year, the fact they’d struggle without vet leadership like Nicklas Lidstrom and Tomas Holmstrom (not to mention their contributions as players) but still had enough talent to squeeze out a playoff berth.  They’ll have to work to get that playoff berth though, with Phoenix, Columbus and even Dallas post-Jagr still just two points behind.  Of the three, Columbus is the biggest overall surprise, hanging in the race mostly on the back of Vezina – yes you read that right – candidate Sergei Bobrovsky.  The Flyers castoff has carried a putrid offense and questionable defense on the brink of postseason contention with a sparkling 2.01 GAA and .931 save percentage, going 15-10-6 for a team where Vinny Prospal is the leading point-getter with a mere 24 on the season.

Surely the West playoff run will be every bit as tense as the East’s…but now I’ll largely give the forum to Derek to talk about the Rangers and the East playoff chase in-depth other than my nightly standings updates, since he’s the only one on here whose team ‘might’ make the playoffs at this point.

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.