Quick’s Strong Reaction Was Needed For Rangers

Posted on November 17, 2025 by Derek

A day later, much has been made of Jonathan Quick going after Mason Appleton following his shot at an empty net when time expired. Considering how poorly the Rangers played, the 2-1 final score didn’t tell the whole story.

To be blunt, it was the worst game they’ve played this season. They were atrocious throughout against the Red Wings, who looked much faster than the Nov. 7 meeting that they won in Hockey Town.

They left Quick all by himself far too often last night. Unlike the Rangers, who were mostly one and done against former backup Cam Talbot, the Red Wings kept firing shots at Quick, who did his best to make a lopsided game competitive.

It’s hard to believe the game was still tied with less than five minutes left in the third period. Detroit not only outshot New York by a wide 14-3 margin, they were credited with 12 scoring chances to only four for the Rangers according to Natural Stat Trick. Four of their six high danger chances came in the final period.

On the game-winner Lucas Raymond scored, the Rangers stood around and watched him circle around the net and fire a shot past Quick with 3:47 remaining in regulation. It was a team effort on the deciding goal that cost them at least a point.

A turnover at the Red Wings blue line from Alexis Lafreniere allowed Moritz Seider to start a quick transition up for Dylan Larkin. After he moved the puck to Raymond, he easily gained the Rangers zone and beat Carson Soucy badly. With Adam Fox occupied in front of the net, Soucy didn’t bother chasing Raymond, who scored a goal as easy as one in NHL 94.

Vincent Trocheck was the only forward who came back defensively. J.T. Miller was too late, and Artemi Panarin had a nice view of things from the other side. It was pretty disgraceful. Even though he’s finally producing, Panarin should still be expected to give a better effort. Especially in a tie game. He just hung back.

After the Rangers didn’t score with a six-on-five, Appleton fired the shot into the empty net at the buzzer. An emotional player who doesn’t take kindly to that sorta thing, Quick made a bee line for Appleton while both Panarin and Zibanejad didn’t seem to mind.

Did Quick overreact? Absolutely. He was probably more upset with how they played. If he was trying to light a fire, he did. It got the team’s attention. Instead of just going back to the locker room with their heads between their asses, they had Quick’s back. Seeing every player for both teams at each other’s throats made for a unique scene.

The red and blue contrast in the jerseys was aesthetically pleasing. There’s something to be said about two Original Six teams wearing their traditional color centennial jerseys. It looked much better than either side wearing the road white.

If there’s one thing that should annoy our fans, why does Quick have to do that? At 39, he’s the oldest player on the roster. A throwback to how the game once was played.

Even in 2012, when he won his first Stanley Cup with the Kings, the game had a lot more edge back then. That same year, the Rangers and Devils had a line brawl that made MSG sound like a heavyweight title fight. If you were there for it, you know what I’m saying.

Would they have looked so disinterested if Matt Rempe played? Although he’s a role player who isn’t expected back anytime soon, he brings a lot of character and energy to the bench and during shifts. Coincidentally, Adam Edstrom hasn’t been as effective without him.

There was a much different feel to that line with Rempe. Taylor Raddysh hasn’t done much since his hot start. He doesn’t really fit on the fourth line. I’d move him up with Noah Laba.

I’m puzzled by the Rangers’ reluctance to play Juuso Parssinen over Jonny Brodzinski or Conor Sheary. What was the point of giving him a two-year contract?

The Rangers leadership is supposed to be better with Miller as captain. You wouldn’t know it by how underwhelming he’s been. He hasn’t looked any better shifting over to the right side to play with Zibanejad and Will Cuylle, who’s been one of the few bright spots on a vanilla roster.

It shouldn’t always be the same players that show up every night. They also shouldn’t need a kick in the ass from Quick to wake them up. A 1-7-1 home record is unacceptable. They’ve only scored over one twice. That’s unimaginable for a team that’s 9-1-1 on the road.

At 10-8-2, they look like a mediocre team still trying to figure it out. There’s a lot of parity in the league. So. They’re right where you’d expect them to be.

Now, they head back on the road for the next three games. In what world did it make sense to fly home for one game and then go to Vegas for tomorrow? You’ll have to ask both the NHL and MSG. When they complete the road trip at Utah, they’ll return to host the Blues before visiting Carolina and Boston before and after Thanksgiving.

Logical.

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Rangers Remain Puzzling After Latest Loss At MSG

Posted on November 16, 2025 by Derek

It’s getting harder and harder to assess who the New York Rangers are this season. After picking up their league best ninth win on the road via a 2-1 shootout triumph over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday, they again reverted at home in a puzzling 2-1 loss to the far superior Detroit Red Wings.

As good as they’ve been away from home, it is as bad as they are at Madison Square Garden. The defeat was their eighth in nine games at MSG. Just who are the Rangers? Are they the dominant team that’s 9-1-1 on the road, or the punchless one that’s a dismal 1-7-1 at home? The best estimated guess is something in between.

Both Original Six rivals came in, playing the second of a back-to-back. However, the Red Wings had more to prove following blowing a 4-1 third period lead to the Buffalo Sabres in a bad overtime loss on home ice. Perhaps it wasn’t that surprising that the Red Wings picked up their first win in eight games against the Rangers.

It sure didn’t explain how bad they looked on an emotional night. Prior to the opening faceoff, MSG paid tribute to Hall of Fame writer Larry Brooks on the video board. Many journalists attended his service earlier today.

It was wonderfully done with Brooks’ Hockey Hall of Fame picture and flowers set up where he sat to cover games in the press box. If he’d seen the Rangers’ poor display, you could bet your bottom dollar that he would’ve been finishing up a scathing column.

They were pitiful. So badly outplayed and out-skated by the Red Wings that it looked like only a handful of players showed up. If not for the remarkable play of Jonathan Quick, who stood on his head in making 40 saves on 42 shots, it would’ve been a blowout loss.

Instead, the Rangers hung in thanks to many acrobatic stops from the unorthodox Quick, who really deserved a better fate. If only most of his teammates had given a stronger effort.

Incredibly, Quick made 15 saves while the Rangers were shorthanded. Sixteen of Detroit’s 42 shots came on the power play. He did all he could to give an undisciplined team a chance at stealing two points. For some reason, they didn’t want it as badly as the Red Wings.

Before the game, it was revealed that Mike Sullivan would miss the game due to a family matter. Hopefully, it was only to go visit son-in-law Charlie McAvoy, who lost a tooth when he took an errant puck to his mouth on Saturday night. It was gruesome.

David Quinn and Joe Sacco ran the Rangers bench in Sullivan’s absence. Listening to Quinn in the postgame, he wasn’t pleased with what he saw. He mentioned how they made a lot of errors that fueled Detroit’s transition game. They took full advantage of some sloppy turnovers. The Rangers were credited with 19 giveaways. They were outshot 42-19 and out-attempted 76-59.

From the outset, it was the more determined Red Wings who had the extra jump in their step. They were able to spend more zone time on the attack. Despite getting nine of the first 13 shots, they were unable to solve Quick. He was again sharp against an opponent he’d dominated recently. He entered, having won his last three starts versus the Red Wings, only allowing 3 goals. That included a 32-save performance in a win on Nov. 7 at Detroit.

They controlled large potions of a penalty filled second period. Each team had two power plays. Referee Kelly Sutherland drew the ire of the Rangers bench following a dubious call on Sam Carrick for “holding the stick” on J.T. Compher. MSG TV analyst Dave Maloney told it like it was.

By that point, the Red Wings and Rangers had already exchanged power-play goals. Quick had already made a few sparklers with Detroit on the man-advantage. But he was unable to stop a Lucas Raymond shot from getting through, which Alex DeBrincat put in for a 1-0 lead.

Sutherland made a questionable call on Moritz Seider for delay of game. Red Wings coach Todd McLellan had a lengthy discussion with Sutherland before deciding to not challenge. It was hard to tell if Seider’s clearing attempt went straight out.

The Rangers took full advantage of it by tying the game. Following an Artemi Panarin point shot that Will Cuylle got a piece of, the rebound came right to Mika Zibanejad for an easy put away. That made it four straight games with a power-play goal for the Rangers. Zibanejad is up to 112 as Ranger, trailing Camille Henry and Chris Kreider by four for the most in franchise history.

Then came the controversial call on Carrick. Compher wisely hooked Carrick’s stick into him to draw a dubious minor penalty. Former New Jersey Devil Jamie Langenbrunner was the master of it. He’d frequently tug at the player’s stick and pull it into him to get the call. Most players do it. Sutherland isn’t the only ref to be duped. It’s happened before and it’ll happen again. 

Despite the Red Wings getting several point blank opportunities to score. Quick was unconscious in net, making some unbelievable saves to keep it tied headed to the third period.

In a game that also featured the Rangers debut of defenseman Scott Morrow, he didn’t see much ice time, finishing with 9:56 while paired up with Matthew Robertson. As it turned out, he dressed in place of Urho Vaakanainen, who sat out.

Quinn and Sacco leaned heavily on Adam Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov with both going over 24 minutes. Carson Soucy saw an increased role. That proved to be a mistake. His foot speed was exposed on the game-winner.

The Rangers had to kill off two more penalties. It was basically let Quick make the saves. He also was scrambling around when a Patrick Kane shot headed for the net and went off Zibanejad to stay out. It was a crazy sequence.

But in a period that saw them on their heels throughout, the Rangers finally got burned when Raymond scored a beauty with 3:48 left in regulation. Taking a Dylan Larkin feed, he skated around a sliding Soucy and around the net to beat an out of position Quick for the game-winner. With Quick trying to get back in position, Soucy also screened him on Raymond’s goal.

With Quick on the bench for an extra attacker, Cam Talbot made a rare save by stopping a long Panarin shot. The rebound was right there for J.T. Miller to bury. But Saturday’s shootout hero missed.

After the buzzer sounded, Mason Appleton fired the puck into an empty net. Of course, an incensed Quick came off the bench and went after Appleton. Both teams nearly got into a brawl. But eventually, cooler heads prevailed. Had they showed that same fire Quick did, maybe they could’ve won.

The Red Wings deserved the win. They were much better than the Rangers on a night they honored the memory of Brooks and their 1950s and 1960s stars, which included Chuck Rayner, Andy Bathgate, and Rod Gilbert.

Maybe it’s the centennial jerseys. They haven’t won much with them. It doesn’t make sense. Does anything with this Jekyll and Hyde team?

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Rangers Call Up Scott Morrow and Send Down Gabe Perreault

Posted on November 16, 2025 by Derek

Following Saturday night’s 2-1 shootout win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, the New York Rangers were busy today.

They have called up defenseman Scott Morrow from the Hartford Wolf Pack and sent down forward Gabe Perreault.

The moves aren’t that surprising. In recalling Morrow, who was unavailable for last night’s game with the Wolf Pack in the American Hockey League, it’s due to the upper-body injury Will Borgen has. They need a right skating defenseman who can replace Borgen and play on the second power play unit.

It makes sense for Morrow to finally come up. Especially if Borgen isn’t available for tonight’s game at home against the Detroit Red Wings. Assuming he’s in the lineup, Morrow could find himself on the third pair with Urho Vaakanainen. Unless Mike Sullivan trusts him enough to play with Carson Soucy. Braden Schneider had one of his better games while teamed up with Soucy. I imagine they’ll stay together.

If Morrow dresses, it would be his Rangers debut. Acquired on July 1 as part of the K’Andre Miller trade to the Carolina Hurricanes, this could be his chance to make a good first impression. We’ll find out later if Morrow will replace Matthew Robertson in the lineup.

The reaction to Perreault being assigned to the Wolf Pack is predictable. Most observers can’t understand why he only got three games with the Rangers. Lost in translation is that Perreault is waiver exempt, which allows the Rangers to remain cap compliant by bringing up Morrow.

The move makes plenty of sense. After setting up Alexis Lafreniere for a power-play goal in his first game this season, Perreault didn’t distinguish himself in the last two games. While the analytics were strong against the Blue Jackets, he was demoted to the third line by Sullivan for the second straight game. He looked more comfortable playing with Noah Laba and Conor Sheary in the third period. So, it isn’t all bad.

If he stays in Hartford, Perreault can further develop by continuing to play top minutes. He’s only 20. With Vincent Trocheck back, the Rangers are playing a lot better. There’s no reason to rush Perreault. It was a little earlier than expected when he was brought up.

I’d like to see Juuso Parssinen get another look. He hasn’t been bad when he’s been in the lineup. In 12 games, Parssinen has two goals and an assist. He can slot in on either the third or fourth line.

Sullivan could also insert Jonny Brodzinski into the lineup. Without Perreault, someone else will have to play on the second power play. I guess it all depends on Sullivan’s preference.

The Rangers host the Red Wings at 7 PM.

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Zibanejad Becomes Eighth Ranger to 600 Points

Posted on November 15, 2025 by Derek

During the second period of the New York Rangers’ 2-1 shootout win over the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena, Mika Zibanejad scored a power-play goal to join an exclusive club.

His goal was the 600th point as a Ranger. It was also career point number 750. In doing so, Zibanejad became the eighth player to reach 600 in Rangers franchise history. He is part of some excellent company.

The list is headlined by Hockey Hall of Famers Rod Gilbert, Brian Leetch, Jean Ratelle, Andy Bathgate, and Mark Messier. It also includes Walt Tkaczuk and Ron Greschner.

Now, Zibanejad is a part of it. What it means is that since the Rangers acquired him from the Ottawa Senators for Derick Brassard on July 18, 2018, he’s been a pretty good player on Broadway.

A former Senators 2011 first round pick, the 32-year-old Zibanejad has had his best years as a Blueshirt in the Big Apple. Among the highlights is a 5-goal game versus the Washington Capitals on Mar. 5, 2020. He won the game on a breakaway in overtime at Madison Square Garden.

Six of his seven career hat tricks have come as a New York Ranger. In the Covid shortened 2019-20 season, he scored a career-high 41 goals in 57 games.

During the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Zibanejad led all Rangers in scoring with 24 (10-14-24) points.

In 2022-23, he set personal bests in assists (52), points (91), power-play goals (20), and plus/minus (25).

Entering this season, he’s scored at least 20 or more goals in eight consecutive years.

Zibanejad is also tied with Bill Fairbairn for the fifth most shorthanded goals (12) in franchise history. His next one would move him into a fourth place tie with former teammate Chris Kreider.

His power-play goal was the 111th as a Ranger. Zibanejad ranks third in franchise history in PPG’s. Both Kreider and Camille Henry are tied for the top spot with 116. There’s a pretty good chance that he’ll pass both for the franchise record.

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Borgen Out Tonight for Rangers

Posted on November 15, 2025 by Derek

At the top of the hour, the New York Rangers will take on the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena. They won’t have defenseman Will Borgen available.

In their 7-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday, Borgen finished the game banged up. An upper-body injury will keep him out of the lineup for Saturday’s game.

Borgen is listed as day-to-day by the Rangers, who will travel from Columbus back to New York following the game. They host the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday night at Madison Square Garden.

This will be their first game without Borgen, who’s been steady over the first 18 games this season. A defensive defenseman who was acquired last season for Kaapo Kakko, Borgen has probably been the Rangers’ most consistent player on the back end.

Averaging a career-high 18:43 a game, the 28-year-old Borgen is a solid physical presence for the Blueshirts. Ironically, he scored his first goal in the win over Tampa Bay. Borgen has formed a good second pair with Carson Soucy. They’ve quietly gotten the job done for Mike Sullivan.

Without Borgen, that means Braden Schneider will probably be asked to play a bigger role against the Blue Jackets. Schneider has struggled with consistency. If he moves up to pair with Soucy, he’ll need to be better. Unless Sullivan just decides to have Matthew Robertson play with Soucy, which would keep Schneider and Urho Vaakanainen together.

Either way, it’ll present more of a challenge at Columbus.

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Jack Hughes Expected to Miss Eight Weeks Due to Surgery on Finger

Posted on November 15, 2025 by Derek

The New Jersey Devils provided an update on Jack Hughes. They announced that Hughes underwent successful surgery on his finger.

He’s expected to miss eight weeks due to the procedure. Hughes suffered the injury when he accidentally cut his finger at a team dinner in Chicago on Thursday night. He will be re-evaluated after six weeks to see how it’s healing.

On Wednesday, Hughes assisted on a pair of goals in a Devils come from behind 4-3 win over the Blackhawks in overtime. He helped set up Simon Nemec’s tying goal with under four minutes remaining in the third period.

The 24-year-old center leads the team in scoring with 10 goals and 10 assists for 20 points over 17 games. Hughes will once again miss significant time due to an injury for a third straight season. He missed 20 games in each of the past two years..

Unlike past injuries, this one happened off the ice. It’s hard to believe he could be so careless. However, it isn’t the first time a star player got seriously hurt away from the rink.

In March 1993, New York Rangers defenseman Brian Leetch broke his ankle after a late night out spent with teammates. Many stories followed about what happened. The truth was that Leetch was drunk and fell to end his season. It was a disappointing year for the Rangers, who missed the postseason in 1992-93 one year removed from winning the Presidents’ Trophy.

At least Hughes’ bizarre injury came in the middle of November. That means he should be back before the Olynpics. If you’re the Devils, do you even want him participating for Team USA? We know the short answer from most Devil fans.

Now, the Devils will have to survive without their best offensive player. They still have Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt to help lead a team that enters Saturday, leading the Metropolitan Division with a 12-4-1 record. Ironically enough, that was the identical record the Rangers had a year ago when Chris Drury sent out his ill-fated league memo.

Unlike their bitter rival across the Hudson, the Devils don’t seem to have any outside distractions. However, they are piling up man games lost due to injuries. Hughes joins a crowded list on the injured reserve that includes Brett Pesce, Dougie Hamilton, Jonathan Kovacevic, Connor Brown, Evgenii Dadonov, Zack MacEwen, and Marc Mclaughlin.

If they can continue to get strong performances from Dawson Mercer, Arseny Gritsyuk, Timo Meier, Brenden Dillon, and Simon Nemec, they should be alright. They’ll also need Luke Hughes to be better along with Jacob Markstrom.

The Devils will take on the Washington Capitals later tonight in DC.

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Devils Lose Jack Hughes In Freak Accident

Posted on November 14, 2025 by Derek

In shocking news, the Devils announced this afternoon that star center Jack Hughes is out due to a hand injury sustained at a team dinner Thursday night.

The injury occurred when Hughes accidentally cut his hand. According to Elliotte Friedman, it sounds like Hughes slipped, which led to the freak accident.

Hughes will not play on Saturday against the Capitals. No timeline has been given yet. Hughes will be evaluated to determine the extent of the hand injury.

It’s as bizarre as it sounds. Supposedly, it was at superfan Frank Fleming’s birthday party. Better known as Frank The Tank, he’s a diehard Mets and Devils fan who is well known on social media for his epic rants.

UPDATE: According to Devils reporter Kristy Flannery, the Hughes hand injury wasn’t due to using a steak knife, as had been assumed. Instead, he leaned on a glass, and it broke to cause the cut.

What a bizarre story.

For the Devils’ sake, hopefully it’s not too serious. Hughes is off to a great start, leading the team in scoring with 20 points (10-10-20) in  17 games. He has the Devils in first place with a 12-4-1 record for a conference best 25 points. They’ve been one of the league’s best teams.

Losing Hughes for any amount of time would be a significant blow. With Connor Brown placed on injured reserve retroactive to Oct. 30, the Devils are very top heavy. After injuries to both Cody Glass and Zack MacEwen (IR) on Wednesday night in Chicago, Sheldon Keefe leaned heavily on his top six to get a 4-3 overtime win over the Blackhawks.

Without Hughes, it really weakens the team at center. I suppose Dawson Mercer could slide over. Nico Hischier will do the heavy lifting with Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier. Perhaps Mercer will anchor Arseny Gritsyuk and Paul Cotter. Ondrej Palat is better suited for a supporting role. At this point, Cotter provides more than a declining Palat.

The team recalled forward Scott LaChance from Utica. He’ll be available for tomorrow night.

The Devils have been without Dougie Hamilton and Brett Pesce on the blue line. Simon Nemec has stepped up with his hat trick only the third in franchise history from a defenseman.

It’ll be interesting to see what the lineup will be for tomorrow when they visit Washington.

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Hockey Mourns The Loss Of Larry Brooks

Posted on November 13, 2025 by Derek

Early this morning, sad news hit the hockey world. Legendary New York Post hockey columnist Larry Brooks passed away at 75. He lost a brief battle with cancer. Brooks’ colleague Mike Vaccaro broke the news with a very touching tribute to what Brooks embodied in all of his years covering the sport he loved.

RELATED: RIP Brooksie: Larry Brooks, Post Legend And Hall Of Fame Hockey Writer, Dead At 75

“He was the best hockey writer of the past 50 years,” said Mark Everson, for many years his fellow hockey writer at the newspaper, forever his friend. “He said he was lucky to get to The Post, but The Post was even luckier to have him.”

“For the last three decades, no one covered a sports beat in this city better than Larry did on the Rangers,” Post Executive Sports Editor Chris Shaw said. “Well before the Hockey Hall of Fame enshrined him, Larry had already earned a place among the legends who have graced the pages of The Best Sports in Town.”

“I like to think that I was a guy who could change the momentum of a game when I came on the ice,” said Sean Avery, the immensely popular left wing who played parts of six seasons for the Rangers. “Brooksie could do that with the swipe of his pen. The guys that really understood playing for the Rangers all had a good relationship with Brooksie because he loves hockey players.”

There have been plenty of tributes that have poured in since Brooks’ passing. Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018 after winning the Elmer Ferguson Award for his contributions to the sport, Larry was like one of us. He was a diehard Rangers fan who sat up in the Blue Seats at the Garden in Section 419. I know that fact due to my Dad, who used to see him at games. They were a year apart.

“I feel like I represent the Blue Seaters,” he once said in an interview about how he covered the sport on that special day on Nov. 13, 2018. “I try to represent them every day when I write, and I hope I represented them well today. … I’ve tried to be as straightforward as possible. Every day I go into work, I’ve done my best to be honest, be informative, accurate, and entertaining.”

His no-nonsense style always hit home with fans. Whether you agreed with him or not, he was going to tell it like it is. That’s what made him a quintessential New Yorker. Brooks was the The Post. Whether it was on the beat covering the Devils, Islanders, and Rangers, or in his memorable Slap Shots column that appeared on Sundays, he always provided readers with lots of information and interesting tidbits.

To be honest, I looked forward to reading Slap Shots every Sunday because I knew that it would be hard hitting and entertaining. In some way, my old Hard Hits column was a nod to Brooks. I admired the passion and style he brought to covering the sport.

Little did I know he was also a great baseball writer. He covered the Bronx Zoo Yankees in the 1970s and returned to contributing columns on both the Yankees and Mets during the summertime. He worked alongside Mollie Walker as they took on the US Open. If you haven’t read Walker’s emotional tribute to the man, please do yourself a favor and read what she wrote. It was from the heart about someone who made her a more knowledgeable hockey beat writer by having her read the whole NHL labor agreement.

Related: Partnering With The Post’s Iconic Larry Brooks Created Forever Memories On And Off The Ice: ‘I Wish We Had More Time‘

“No one was as creative in their coverage as he is. Larry had a way with words that always resonated. From giving Henrik Lundqvist his forever nickname “The King” to eviscerating a bad performance, Larry’s words always stuck. 

One NHL GM once threatened an agent that he would call off a trade if he read about it in the New York Post the next day.

We cracked up over that one. We laughed all the time. Larry and I talked about anything and everything, but we could go for hours when it came to hockey. Even when we spent every minute of the 10-day 4 Nations Faceoff trip together last season, we were texting the next day like there was so much for us to catch up on.”-Mollie Walker, NY Post, Nov. 13, 2025.

Harping back to what Mollie said about how Larry had a way with words that always resonated. That’s true. He always found a way to get you to chuckle. He was a character who gave us something. He put it all out there. Maybe that’s what I liked most about him.

It’s hard to believe he’s really gone. When it was revealed before the season that he was taking a leave of absence, I had a feeling it was due to a personal matter. How I wish I had been wrong. I was hopeful that we’d get more great columns from Larry. He’d probably have enjoyed where the game is right now. I’m glad the Rangers got him one final home win.

There will be a real void without Brooks for the hockey community. He was old school. There was nothing fake about Larry. He also was a good person. There were a few instances where I sent him messages either on social media or email. I always got a response back. That says a lot about who he was.

Brooks was more than just an award winning Hall of Fame writer. He also worked for the Devils as Vice President of Communications, spending a decade (1982-92) in East Rutherford before returning to the NY Post beat. He built a great relationship with former Devils architect Lou Lamoriello.

“What never changed, from day one, was the personal part of our relationship,” said Lamoriello, who ran the Devils from 1987-2015 and the Islanders from 2018 through last April and who sat at the Brooks family table in Toronto the night Brooks was honored by the Hall of Fame. “One thing you always knew about Larry was that he’d tell it like it is.”-Mike Vaccaro, NY Post, Nov. 13, 2025.

Brooks had some run-ins with former Rangers coach John Tortorella. It dated back to an interview Tortorella did after the Lightning lost to the Devils in Game 5 of the 2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The most popular was when Tortorella took him to task for a sarcastic column he wrote about Rangers defenseman Wade Redden. The exchange remains priceless.

Despite having a heated relationship, Tortorella and Brooks reconciled years ago. Tortorella had recently checked in to see how Brooks was doing. Something that meant a lot to him. It’s unfortunate that we’ll never get the chance to see them on some show sharing a laugh about the good old days. Brooksie became Larry’s nickname thanks to Tortorella. He even referenced it in his name on Twitter, which was NYP_Brooksie.

Larry Brooks leaves behind son Jordan, daughter-in-law Joanna, and two grandchildren, Scott and Reese. He will be sorely missed.

RIP LARRY BROOKS (Feb. 26, 1950 – Nov. 13, 2025)

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Nemec’s First Career Hat Trick Lifts Devils to Overtime Win over Blackhawks

Posted on November 13, 2025 by Derek

Once again, the New Jersey Devils needed a hero late in another exciting game. This time, it came on the road against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Simon Nemec recorded his first career hat trick to lift the Devils to a 4-3 overtime win over the Blackhawks at United Center. Already with a goal in a back and forth game that was shown on TNT, he scored the game-tying goal with 3:46 left in regulation.

On a great rush and pass from Jack Hughes down low to Stefan Noesen, Nemec was the recipient of a Noesen backdoor feed that he chipped home to tie the score.

In overtime, Jacob Markstrom caught the Blackhawks in a line change. His stretch pass for Nemec at the Chicago blue line sent him in against Spencer Knight. The Blackhawks starter had been superb for most of the game, making several great saves to deny multiple bids. This time, it was Nemec who fired home a laser top shelf to beat Knight at 3:28 and complete the three-goal game in style.

By recording the hat trick, Nemec became only the third defenseman in franchise history to score three goals in a game. In fact, the only other Devil to do it was Uli Hiemer on Oct. 31, 1984 versus the Pittsburgh Penguins. The first ever defenseman to get three was Barry Beck, who did it as a member of the Colorado Rockies on Dec. 17, 1977 vs. the Minnesota North Stars.

For his achievement, he got to hear from Wayne Gretzky on the NHL On TNT postgame show. Something he’ll probably remember the rest of his life.

Initially, there was some excitement surrounding the game due to Jack Hughes and Connor Bedard. They were the headliners to watch in the second half of TNT’s doubleheader. It didn’t disappoint. Hughes put on a better show than Bedard. Both were factors last night.

In a very fast paced opening period that saw the teams combine for 22 shots (12-10 Blackhawks), the Devils ran into some penalty trouble midway through. After they successfully killed off a Ondrej Palat hooking minor thanks to their aggressiveness, which led to two shorthanded shots getting thwarted by Spencer Knight, consecutive penalties on Luke Hughes (tripping) and Brenden Dillon (boarding) put the Blackhawks on a five-on-three.

Just as the two-man advantage was expiring, the Blackhawks struck when Bedard rifled home a Teuvo Teravainen pass into a vacated net for a power-play goal at 18:35. Due to the quick puck movement from Bedard, who was literally everywhere during the five-on-three, they had Markstrom completely faked out. He was so badly out of position that he was way out of his net. By the time Tyler Bertuzzi moved the puck to Bedard for a fake shot, the Devils goalie was down and out. Instead, he passed it over to Teravainen, who then had an easy setup for Bedard to bury his 10th for a 1-0 lead.

Bedard has goals in four straight and extended his point streak to nine (8-11-19). After the first was over, the Devils didn’t take another penalty. Instead, they dominated most of the remainder by outshooting the Blackhawks 27-8, including 14-3 in a lopsided second period.

By the time the period started, they were without forward Cody Glass. He suffered a hand injury with 11 seconds left in the first. A key checking center who already missed time due to one injury, Glass could be out again when the Devils continue their road trip at Washington this weekend. He took seven shifts (4:02 TOI) before exiting the game.

That wasn’t the only player to go down. Zack MacEwen only took three shifts (2:13 TOI) before leaving. The Devils played with 10 forwards for the remainder. It worked out well due to coach Sheldon Keefe being able to lean on his top players. Hughes, Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Timo Meier, Dawson Mercer, and Arseny Gritsyuk played over 20 minutes.

Prior to the game, Keefe changed his top two lines to help get Hischier going. The Devils captain came in without a point over his last four games. His line hadn’t been getting it done. So, Keefe decided to flip the two wings. Bratt and Meier joined Hischier on one line. Gritsyuk and Mercer played with Hughes. The moves paid off. With Keefe also able to double shift Hughes and Hischier, they tilted the ice.

For a while, they had trouble beating Knight. The Blackhawks starter had already stoned Bratt on a breakaway. He stole at least three goals, including one on Hughes by making a point blank pad save on a breakaway. Hughes drew a penalty on Wyatt Kaiser for hooking. Before they went to the power play, the Devils nearly scored. However, Dennis Cholowski’s shot hit the crossbar.

The Blackhawks did a good job killing off the penalty by limiting the Devils to a single Luke Hughes shot that Knight handled. Hughes had some looks to score during the game, but he still doesn’t have a goal on the season. He’s struggled defensively so far. Perhaps he’s feeling the weight of expectations after signing the new contract.

As the period moved on, the Devils spent significant time in the Chicago end. They kept the puck on a string. Taking advantage of the long change, they peppered Knight, who kept making big stops, including one on Hischier and another on Hughes. It looked like his goaltending was going to keep the Blackhawks in front headed to intermission.

With time winding down in the period, Meier started a quick transition that led to Nemec tying the score at 19:45. After receiving the puck from Meier, an on-rushing Hischier found an open Nemec in the slot. With Bedard hounding him, Nemec had enough room to send a backhand towards the net that beat Knight short side. That tied the score.

At the start of the third period, it was the Blackhawks who responded. On some sustained pressure in the Devils zone, Nick Foligno got the puck up for a Louis Crevier shot pass which an open Landon Swaggert tipped in for his first at 3:05.

Afterward, it was the Devils’ turn to respond. Following a near miss from Jack Hughes on a wrap-around, he set up Mercer for his ninth to tie the score with 9:47 remaining. Following a Knight stop on Gritsyuk, the rookie helped keep the play alive for Hughes, who made a perfect diagonal feed across for Mercer to finish.

But in a helter skelter period, the Blackhawks again came back to retake a one-goal lead. Once again, Crevier and Foligno were involved. Following receiving the puck from Crevier, Foligno saw that Sam Lafferty was standing at the Devils blue line. He wisely banked a pass off the boards that sent Lafferty in. He went around a diving Luke Hughes and then out-waited Markstrom to tuck a backhand in for a 3-2 Chicago lead with 6:26 remaining.

It looked like that would be enough for the Blackhawks to win. However, the Devils had other ideas. Thanks to Jack Hughes’ creativity, they again tied it up for the third time. After flying into the Chicago zone, he had Stefan Noesen at the side of the net. Rather than look to take a low percentage shot from a tough angle, Noesen found a cutting Nemec in front for an easy goal to make it 3-3 with 2:46 left in regulation.

Having been very active all night, Nemec made a smart read to pinch down. With the Blackhawks occupied with Hughes, Nemec was able to get just enough of the puck to chip it into the open side for his second of the game. He wasn’t done.

When it needed extras, that meant an exciting three-on-three between two of the fastest teams in the league. It was the Devils who controlled overtime by getting all four shots, including Nemec’s emotional winner.

Following a big Knight save on Luke Hughes, Hughes made sure to reset the play by passing the puck back to Markstrom. He immediately noticed that all three Blackhawks were going to the bench for a change. That allowed Markstrom enough time to send a stretch pass way up for Nemec, who was lined up on the opposite side. Once he received the pass, he moved in and picked high glove from the left circle to send excited teammates off the bench to congratulate him.

At 21 years old, Nemec became the youngest defenseman in NHL history to have a hat trick and overtime goal in the same game. He’s the first since Jakob Chychrun did it on Apr. 4, 2021.

Most noteworthy is that he’s the only third defenseman in Devils franchise history to record a three-goal game. It’s hard to believe it took 41 years for Nemec to join Beck and Hiemer. The Devils have had some great defensemen, including Hall of Fame legends Scott Niedermayer and Scott Stevens. Niedermayer was the better offensive defenseman. Despite winning the Norris, a Conn Smythe, and four Stanley Cups, he never had a hat trick in his career.

It speaks to how difficult it is for a defenseman to do it. Cale Makar has one hat trick in his career. If anyone can get another, it’s probably him. Nemec might have something to say about it.

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Rangers Kick The Extra Point In Win Over Depleted Lightning

Posted on November 12, 2025 by Derek

It wasn’t a Picasso. Fortunately for the New York Rangers, it didn’t have to be in what amounted to a 7-3 runaway over the depleted Tampa Bay Lightning.

Buoyed by a season-high four assists from a revived Artemi Panarin, the Rangers pulled away from the Lightning to roll to their league best eighth road win in 10 games (8-1-1). They’ve now won six of their last eight to move up to fourth place in a crowded Metropolitan Division.

For a second time in three nights, Vincent Trocheck was instrumental in the team’s success. With the Rangers nursing a 4-3 lead under duress in a poorly played second period, Trocheck scored a big goal with 2:41 remaining.

After the teams combined for seven goals in a wild and wacky first period, which lacked any goaltending from Igor Shesterkin and Andrei Vasilevskiy, the Rangers were mostly on the defensive in the second.

The Lightning kept pinning them in, with the top line of Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, and Jake Guentzel having their way. Kucherov had a couple of close calls. On one scoring chance, he skated past three Rangers and forced Shesterkin into a tough pad save to keep the Rangers ahead.

On a power play that Point drew on Shesterkin for tripping, the Lightning had it set up. However, Darren Raddysh was unable to hit the net on a Guentzel setup. Had the dangerous one-timer been accurate, it probably ties the game. Fortunately for Shesterkin, he missed.

At one point, shots were 11-2 Bolts in the period. But in the later stages, the Rangers finally started moving their feet. A strong shift from the Noah Laba line created some momentum. During it, rookie Gabe Perreault was out with Laba and Conor Sheary. He was switched with Will Cuylle, who scored on the power play back in a four-goal first period.

Cuylle has goals in two straight. He finished the game with Mika Zibanejad and J.T. Miller, who finally got a break when a Zibanejad banked off the skate of Erik Cernak and Miller for a goal. He badly needed it. It was his first goal in six games and ended a four-game pointless streak.

On a quick outlet from Vladislav Gavrikov up for Panarin, he made a lead pass for Trocheck at the opposite side of the Tampa Bay blue line. With Trocheck moving in on a two-on-one, Vasilevskiy lost his balance and fell to the ice. That left Trocheck a wide open net to shoot at for his first of the season with 2:41 left. That goal gave the Rangers the breathing room they needed to carry into the third period.

With the Lightning playing the game minus captain Victor Hedman, Anthony Cirelli, and Ryan McDonagh (IR), they ran out of gas. By the start of the third, Lightning coach Jon Cooper replaced Vasilevskiy with backup Jonas Johansson. He made one really good save early to keep it at 5-3.

However, Johansson had no chance on another Rangers’ odd man rush that involved Panarin and Trocheck. With the Lightning defense backing in, Panarin moved the puck to a pinching Urho Vaakanainen. Not the most offensively gifted player, the defenseman made a nice pass across for a cruising Trocheck, who finished off his second with ease to salt the game away.

There was a little bit of animosity when Lightning goal scorer Scott Sabourin crashed Shesterkin’s net and gave him a whack in search of a rebound. An incensed Shesterkin immediately gave it right back to Sabourin, who then got into it with Gavrikov. Both received minor penalties during the scrum.

Following Cuylle’s empty netter, Sabourin wanted to go at someone when the buzzer sounded. But things calmed down.

The game started crazy. A Yanni Gourde offensive zone cross-checking minor put the Rangers on an early power play. They caught a break when Adam Fox had his shot take a funny carom off the back boards, allowing Cuylle to bury the rebound opportunity for a 1-0 lead.

Over a couple of minutes later, Miller had Zibanejad’s centering feed deflect off Cernak and him to make it a two-goal lead at 3:31.

That forced Cooper to take a timeout to lay into his bench. They responded by getting the next goal from Sabourin. Taking advantage of a bad pinch in by Fox, Jack Finley, and Curt Douglas trapped both Fox and Zibanejad inside the blue line. That allowed Sabourin to come in and pick high glove on Shesterkin from the left circle. It wasn’t a good goal to give up. He wasn’t screened on the play.

It was defense optional on the next goal. Carson Soucy, who earlier in the game had a huge hit on Brandon Hagel that ended his night early, moved the puck to Panarin. He then found Lafreniere open for a wrist shot that beat Vasilevskiy to make it 3-1. Lafreniere has goals in two straight and six points over the last four games.

But the Lightning responded again to cut the deficit to one. This time, Shesterkin gave up a bad rebound on a Gourde shot that was put back in by Zemgus Girgensons with 6:01 left.

However, the chaos continued. On another Lightning defensive miscue, Will Borgen got a nice reward when he had his shot deflect in off a Lightning player for his first. The goal was unassisted.

But with Gourde in the box for slashing, the Rangers hurt themselves. On a bad read by Fox, he forced a pass into the middle while under pressure at the point. The Lightning quickly turned that into a shorthanded goal. J.J. Moser’s pass sent Guentzel away. He then came in from the left side and deked Shesterkin to tuck a backhand in to make it 4-3.

From there, the Rangers were able to rebound. Shesterkin settled down to finish with 33 saves on 36 shots. He improved to 8-3-1 versus the Lightning. Vasilevskiy (5 GA on 13 shots) fell to 7-9-2 against the Rangers.

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