Battle Of Hudson covers the Rangers and Devils, who's intense rivalry heated up in the 90's. With fresh faces added, they battle for supremacy in NYC and NJ..
For the last day, the rumors were rampant that the Rangers were involved in a deal for Jake Guentzel. Despite the asking price, they were focused on trying to acquire the proven scoring forward for the home stretch.
With several interested parties, there was no guarantee that Rangers team president and general manager Chris Drury would get it done. Guentzel would be a rental for whoever landed him unless he agreed to sign an extension.
Perhaps that was enough of a concern to not overpay. Drury also didn’t part with Kaapo Kakko and a 2024 first round pick when the Ducks offered both Adam Henrique and Frank Vatrano. Apparently, the Rangers still value Kakko enough to not want to include him in a rental deal. The 23-year-old right wing has seven goals and four assists in 41 games this season.
Despite the lack of production, the organization has seen enough positives to hang onto Kakko. A strong puck possession player who’s solid defensively, the former 2019 second pick is capable of contributing. If the Rangers can add a first line scoring wing, then he can move back down to the third line where he looked comfortable.
As Thursday moved on, it became apparent that the Hurricanes had moved ahead of the Rangers in the bidding for Guentzel. A playoff contender that’s been knocking on the door, the Canes finally went all-in by trading for Guentzel. The full details of the move still aren’t known. But the former two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Penguins will be headed to Raleigh, where he’ll try to help the Canes go for a Cup.
The Hurricanes scratched forward Michael Bunting before tonight’s game. He’s expected to be part of the package headed to Pittsburgh. When the full trade is announced, it’ll be interesting to see what else the Canes gave up.
With their division rival improving, the Rangers still are on the clock. Friday’s deadline concludes at 3 PM. Vladimir Tarasenko wanted to go to the Panthers. Due to that, Ottawa didn’t get back much in return.
Anthony Duclair was acquired by the Lightning. He will now become a member of both Florida teams. It was with the Panthers that he had his most success. Now, he joins their bitter rival.
The Rangers can still add a right wing who can play on the top line with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. Jordan Eberle is available. He would be a good addition who probably wouldn’t cost as much.
Pavel Buchnevich has been made available by the Blues with a discount. We know he had great chemistry playing with Zibanejad and Kreider. However, would the Blueshirts really go back to the future and pay up for a Broadway reunion with Buchnevich? The price would be higher due to getting him at a discount.
There’s still a feeling that they’ll Rangers could use another defenseman. If not Jakob Chychrun, maybe a player who checks off some boxes to help solidify their blue line.
A final thought on the Rangers not getting Guentzel. It isn’t always the sexy move that works out. Two years ago, Drury landed Vatrano, Andrew Copp, Tyler Motte, and Justin Braun. That team came within two games of playing for the Cup.
Let’s not jump to conclusions. We’ll wait and see if Drury has any tricks up his sleeve tomorrow.
Earlier today, the Rangers made a move before the trade deadline to help improve their roster.
They acquired Alex Wennberg from the Kraken in exchange for a 2024 second round pick and a fourth round conditional pick. By adding Wennberg, they bolstered their center depth. An area that had to be addressed due to the loss of Filip Chytil for the season.
A 29-year-old veteran who’s spent a decade in the NHL with the Blue Jackets, Panthers, and Kraken, Wennberg is considered a solid two-way center capable of adding secondary scoring.
In 60 games for the Kraken, he had nine goals and 16 assists for 25 points this season. Wennberg has scored double-digit goals in four different seasons, including the last three. He put up 17 with the Panthers in 2020-21. He had 13 in 2021-22 and 11 in 2022-23 for the Kraken. When he joins the Rangers, Wennberg needs one goal to make it five seasons in double figures.
He can play on the power play and penalty kill. The more likely scenario is that Wennberg will be added to the Rangers’ penalty killing unit. For his career, he has three shorthanded goals, including one this season with the Kraken.
Wennberg is a strong checking player who’ll win puck battles. He’s a plus-22 in takeaways (40) and giveaways (18). He also will sacrifice for the cause. Wennberg has 65 blocked shots this season.
In adding a capable player who should be an ideal fit in the top nine, the Rangers will have more scoring balance. Wennberg can slot in and center the third line. If Will Cuylle is the left wing, we don’t know who will play the right side. That might be Jimmy Vesey. Vesey could move down to the checking line and play with Barclay Goodrow and either Matt Rempe or Adam Edstrom.
Another possibility is that Rangers coach Peter Laviolette might opt to play Goodrow up on the third line. He’s a better faceoff option than Wennberg, who checks in at 46.2 percent over his career. He’s won 46.7 in 2023-24. Goodrow has won 54 percent this season.
As much as some fans gripe about Goodrow’s lack of production due to his $3.64 million cap hit, that isn’t the role he plays on the roster. Goodrow is a valuable checking forward who’s reliable on the penalty kill. He provides a lot of grit and intangibles, such as finishing checks and blocking shots. He’s also an ornery player who can agitate opponents. That’s always needed in a long playoff series.
One question that’ll be on people’s minds is what happens to Adam Edstrom and Matt Rempe. Jonny Brodzinski has been a good player. He filled in admirably on the third line, forming solid chemistry with Cuylle and Kaapo Kakko. The latter has seen some time with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider on the top line. It hasn’t clicked. It remains to be seen what the organization will decide regarding Kakko.
Given how well Edstrom and Rempe have played on the fourth line, neither deserves to be the odd man out. They provide a unique combination of size, strength, and physicality to a roster that needs it.
When the Rangers resume play on Saturday, we’ll know by then if they made any more key additions. They’re in the market for a scoring right wing.
Unless they’re willing to overpay for Jake Guentzel, who’s about to be shipped out of Pittsburgh, other possibilities include a reunion with Frank Vatrano or possibly Kraken forward Jordan Eberle. If Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek really wants a first round pick along with a top prospect for Vatrano, I’d pass. The ask might be Kakko, too. I don’t feel Vatrano is worth it.
Eberle would probably be cheaper. He knows how to play and has postseason experience. He actually could be a nice fit on the top line. They need someone who can score goals and get their nose dirty. Eberle isn’t shy about that.
If there’s an area that’s been overlooked, it’s the Rangers’ defense. They haven’t played well for a while. Despite one of the league’s best records, there’s too many instances when they give up the blue line and let opponents create dangerous scoring chances. Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick have covered up a lot of mistakes.
While K’Andre Miller has certainly had his ups and downs, singling him out is wrong. This is an issue for the whole defense, including golden boy Adam Fox. He hasn’t been the same player defensively.
Erik Gustafsson has certainly been a good player for the Rangers. But there are moments when he makes costly mistakes. They’ve been more noticeable recently. I still think they’d be making a mistake if they don’t add a defenseman to upgrade the top six.
Of course, it isn’t easy to add a player like Jakob Chychrun. Maybe Noah Hanifin could be a possibility. You can cross his name off. Hanifin is being traded to the Golden Knights. The rich get richer again.
VGK and Calgary Flames completing a trade to send Hanifin to Vegas. Contract extension also in the works.
Braden Schneider has steadied his play. So. You can rule out Radko Gudas. A left defenseman who can play on the third pair would help solidify the defense.
We’ll see what else Rangers team president and general manager Chris Drury decides to do. There are less than 48 hours left until Friday’s March 8 trade deadline. Until then, I’ll see you soon.
For over two periods, nothing separated the Rangers and Panthers. A pair of power-play goals sandwiched around two goals from leading Florida goal scorer Sam Reinhart had the Rangers even on the scoreboard in the third period at home.
Unfortunately, it was the relentless Panthers who took the game by outscoring the Rangers two-zip to come away with a 4-2 win at Madison Square Garden. It was the Rangers’ third loss over the last four games (1-2-1).
Unlike getting a tying goal from Vincent Trocheck with the goalie pulled in a 4-3 shootout loss at the Maple Leafs, they earned no points this time. It certainly was a different ball of wax.
The Panthers are a better team defensively than Toronto. It showed in how they protected a one-goal lead in the final period to earn points 87 and 88. That leads the league. The race for the President’s Trophy includes the Rangers, Bruins, and Canucks. The Rangers remain fourth with 84 points. The Bruins are up to 86. The Canucks have 85.
While having the league’s best record and earning home ice for the entire playoffs would be nice, the Rangers need to look at why they’ve lost twice to the Panthers. Florida is a very tough team with balanced scoring and a strong defense and is getting great goaltending from Sergei Bobrovsky. He made 26 saves to outduel Igor Shesterkin (25 saves).
The Panthers also boast a true star center in Aleksander Barkov. Barkov had an impact on the game, finishing with two primary assists while dominating by winning 12 of 15 faceoffs. He’s a huge difference maker.
On the flip side, it continues to be a struggle for top center Mika Zibanejad. It was another game where he didn’t score a 5-on-5 goal. More frustrating was his inability to pick up Reinhart on his second goal in less than a three-minute span during the second period. Zibanejad finished minus-two and lost 9 of 14 faceoffs.
Another mind-numbing thing was the go-ahead goal Shesterkin allowed to Panthers forward Ryan Lomberg. Even though he shot the puck between Jacob Trouba’s skates, it was from 40 feet out with no screen. It’s one Shesterkin needed to have.
That goal was enough for the Panthers to clamp down and claw the Rangers. They found it very tough to get through the neutral zone and establish anything in the Florida end.
It was only when Kaapo Kakko had a great shift behind the net that the Rangers almost tied the game with less than three minutes remaining. A loose puck came right to Kakko in front of Bobrovsky. But he fired the shot wide to miss the scoring chance. It was the only opportunity the Rangers got.
When Shesterkin was pulled for an extra attacker, they waited too long in the offensive zone to get shots through. Alexis Lafreniere was set up in front. But the setup never came. Instead, Adam Fox was out-muscled by Anton Lundell, who scored the empty netter with less than a minute left to seal it.
For one period, the Rangers played well. They got pucks into the Panthers’ zone and applied forecheck pressure. Most notably, it was a couple of effective shifts from the fourth line that got the crowd going.
Fan favorite Matt Rempe was in on the cycle working with Jonny Brodzinski and fellow rookie Adam Edstrom. They were good early on. On one shift, Rempe recovered a loose puck behind the net and set up a Braden Schneider shot that missed the mark. On another shift, he parked himself in front of Bobrovsky, who had to fight around to see shots.
It’s been how Rempe plays that makes him noticeable. For a player who’s listed at six-foot seven, 241 pounds, he skates well enough to make things happen. So too can Edstrom, who also is six-foot seven and 234 pounds. There’s a lot to like about the pair of former Rangers’ sixth round picks. They bring energy and get things going.
For this game, Rangers coach Peter Laviolette decided to move Barclay Goodrow up to center the third line. He wanted to have a checking line that could match up against the Panthers’ top scoring line. The trio of Goodrow, Jimmy Vesey, and Will Cuylle had a good game. Goodrow’s at his best when he’s utilized in that role. He won 7 of 13 faceoffs and was noticeable in 13:52 of ice time.
When you’re up against Barkov, Reinhart, Matthew Tkachuk, and Carter Verhaeghe, it makes sense to do what Laviolette did. Tell that to the fans who don’t understand hockey. Goodrow isn’t going to score much. But he’s a gritty player who adds intangibles. That could come in handy this spring. People have to stop focusing on his $3.6 million cap hit.
The Rangers had a good first period. They played well defensively and checked diligently. They also were physical. On a play along the boards, an aggressive Fox delivered a hit on Tkachuk that sent him down. He was turning with the puck when Fox finished the check.
Naturally, it turned into a scrum that had three Panthers to two Rangers. Tkachuk got up and punched Fox to get the only penalty for roughing.
On the power play, the Rangers hardly established anything. The Panthers were aggressive by attacking at the points. With the man-advantage running out, Laviolette tried something different. He kept Artemi Panarin out with the second unit.
With it set to expire, Jacob Trouba let go of a shot that rebounded off Bobrovsky right to Cuylle, who buried his 11th goal of the season to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead. K’Andre Miller drew the other assist.
A couple of minutes later, Zibanejad drew a holding minor on Kevin Stenlund. But the top unit was unable to get much done. It wasn’t until the second unit came out that they set up a shot. The Panthers killed it off.
With less than a minute left, Edstrom went off for interference on Verhaeghe. On a power play that carried over to the second period, the Panthers were held in check by the Rangers’ penalty kill.
Florida picked up their game in the second. They were more aggressive and started to dictate the terms. After Trouba lost control of a puck, he took down Barkov. But similar to their first power play, the Panthers didn’t muster much.
With it looking like they had some momentum, a dubious call on Rempe sent him to the box for tripping Eetu Luostarinen. The replay indicated otherwise. He didn’t stick his leg out. It was just two players coming together with Luostarinen falling down.
Unfortunately, the Panthers made it count on their third man-advantage. On a rush that was started by Verhaeghe, an acrobatic Barkov made a heads-up play. He was able to bat a puck out of midair right for Reinhart to fire his 43rd goal by Shesterkin. That tied the score with 9:49 remaining.
We will literally never stop talking about this so therefore it's tonight's @Publix Grab & Go Play of the Game 🤩 pic.twitter.com/4jq8biftzW
Over two minutes later, Barkov and Reinhart hooked up again. After receiving a pass from Gustav Forsling, Barkov and Reinhart worked a give and go to perfection. After he got the puck from Reinhart, Barkov immediately passed it back for Reinhart to one-time past Shesterkin. Zibanejad failed to stick with Reinhart. He has 44 goals for a reason. It was a poor job by Zibanejad.
With the Panthers continuing to press the action, Lundell got his stick up on Schneider. It drew blood to hand the Rangers a double minor. On the first half of the power play, Panarin set up a Trocheck shot in the slot that rebounded right for Chris Kreider to bury his 31st goal to tie it again with 4:34 left.
Although they came close, the Rangers were unable to beat Bobrovsky on the second half of the four-minute power play. When he had to be good, Bobrovsky made the key saves. He had some help from his defense.
With the game still tied in the third period, a Forsling pass up for Lomberg led to the game-winner. He simply gained the Rangers’ zone and took a wrist shot from distance that eluded Shesterkin. Even though it was shot through Trouba, there was no reason for him to allow that goal. That gave the Panthers a 3-2 lead with under 14 minutes to go.
Afterward, the Panthers locked up the neutral zone and made life difficult. The Rangers struggled to establish much offense. They were outshot 12-6 in the period.
There were too many instances when one player tried to carry the puck and skate through a maze of Panthers. As Miller and a few other Rangers found out, that strategy didn’t work. Especially against a well schooled opponent that checks well.
Trocheck made one good rush and even got to the net. But an aggressive Bobrovsky poke checked his scoring chance away with Aaron Ekblad checking Trocheck for good measure.
The only other chance was created by Kakko. It was a strong display of puck possession behind the Panthers’ net. Kakko set up one shot. That’s the best that the first line looked all night. But when Kakko had a glorious chance from right in front, he missed wide. That was it.
There were about two and a half minutes left. At that point, I would’ve gone for it. Shesterkin should’ve been off the ice for a 6-on-5. Laviolette waited too long.
Oliver-Ekman-Larsson cleared his zone to center ice. Lundell had body position on Fox. He then was able to end the suspense by scoring the empty netter.
The Rangers are now off until Saturday. By then, we’ll know what they did. The NHL trade deadline is this Friday, Mar. 8. With rumors circulating that they have an interest in Kraken center Alex Wennberg, who sat out for trade considerations, he could be the target to upgrade at third line center. Other teams are interested.
I’ll put something up this week about it. The Rangers honored Pride Night with taped rainbow sticks and in-game features on the MSG telecast. It was the right thing to do.
On a night, they honored Pride at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers were battling the Panthers for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.
After grabbing a 1-0 lead on a rare power-play goal by rookie Will Cuylle, the Rangers fell behind the Panthers in the second period. Sam Reinhart connected for his 25th power-play goal on a great play by Aleksander Barkov.
The goal came with Matt Rempe in the penalty box for an iffy tripping minor on Eetu Luostarinen. He didn’t stick out his leg. But he got called. The Panthers tied the game.
Reinhart would score his second of the period over two minutes later to put the Panthers ahead.
When it looked like the Panthers were in control, Anton Lundell high-sticked Braden Schneider, drawing blood for a double minor. The Rangers evened the score on a Chris Kreider power-play goal on a follow-up of a Vincent Trocheck shot to beat Sergei Bobrovsky.
Afterward, Rempe was finally back out for a shift with Jonny Brodzinski and Adam Edstrom. Having been effective earlier in the game by forechecking and creating a couple of chances, the fourth line did a good job.
Rempe dumped the puck in deep. He then came in and delivered a big, clean hit on Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling. The Garden crowd erupted with cheers. They then chanted, “Rem-pe, Rem-pe!!!”
It’s officially a love affair with Rempe at MSG. They love the 21-year-old kid who plays with an edge. He knows where to go when the Rangers are setting up for a shot. He gave Bobrovsky problems by standing directly in front of a couple of attempts.
The Rangers and Panthers remained tied until Ryan Lomberg scored with less than 14 minutes left in the third period. Florida added an empty netter to hand the Rangers a 4-2 defeat.
Apologies up top for the cheap pun, but might as well start with some levity. This is a tough piece to write for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is it’s just plain wrong for me to even think of celebrating a man losing his job when I’m also personally looking for work as of last Tuesday. Granted, in my case being laid off was being paroled from what had become a horrible job with a hideous boss and in the long run I should be better off assuming I find a job I at least somewhat like doing and can be good at. If people think Lindy ran a slipshod operation with the Devils, they should have tried working at my old company. Without naming names or really getting into it, let’s just say there’s a reason almost everyone who was there three months ago is gone now.
Not to mention my job problems the last few months since my old store was sold only added to the angst I already had with the Devils team this year, and why I announced I was going on an emotional break in my last blog. I’m not sure I’ve really come out of it yet – I may or may not go to tomorrow’s game, hardly seems to matter at this point with the Devils sitting seven points out of a playoff spot staring down a gauntlet of games in the next ten days that include the Panthers, Blues and Hurricanes at home followed by the Rangers and Stars on the road. Although I’m not going to celebrate Lindy’s dismissal, at least resolving that issue removed some of the potential toxicity of going to games the next month of the season with fans loudly calling for the coach’s head at the end of the last homestand, and a 1-2 West Coast swing doing nothing to improve anyone’s mood since. If they aren’t already out of the playoff picture in a top-heavy Eastern Conference, the next week or so should probably put the final nail in.
Honestly even if I was predisposed to pop champagne corks for Lindy’s dismissal (and believe me, my only real issue with this change – besides the fact it’s Travis Green taking over – is that it came almost certainly too late to matter for this season), he’s always been a class act off the ice and for the most part in the way he handled the criticism on the ice aside from a couple of slipups like picking on a reporter or blaming the media for the team being uptight on the power play, at least he was there and accountable unlike our GM.
It’s too bad it couldn’t have ended better here, especially after the redemption arc that was last season, but results can be stubborn facts sometimes. Having two bad seasons and a massively underachieving campaign this year eventually was going to outweigh what happened last season. I do think it’s patently unfair that many Devils fans attribute our downfall this season mainly due to the fact we no longer have Andrew Brunette on the staff, never mind that we lost three top five defensemen off of last year’s team. Not to mention at least three of our main offensive stars have either been hurt or playing hurt (Dougie Hamilton, Jack Hughes, Timo Meier). When has any assistant coach ever had ‘that’ much influence in the NHL? All that, and the utter breakdown of Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid in goal had a lot more to do with our demise this year than losing a freaking assistant. Arguably a lot of that had more to do with our downturn than who the head coach was too, but I have no interest in relitigating the Lindy tenure at this point, it’s over and done with now and I’ve gone over my issues with him as a coach in previous blogs.
In terms of Travis Green, consider me underwhelmed – especially given the poor job he’s done with the power play this year or at least since early in the season. Not to mention his Vancouver tenure was pretty underwhelming sans one fluke winning season and playoff run in the bubble out of his five years there. My nightmare scenario is they made the change with enough time in the season for Green to get a new coach bounce, go on an illusory stretch drive run and just miss the playoffs but still doing enough to earn an extension. Unless you’re gonna give Sergei Brylin a chance, the Devils really need a ‘full’ change of coaches and not just take out the general and hope the inadequate private can do a job.
Again, I don’t feel right calling for people’s jobs now but this season has irritated me to such a degree I can’t help myself. It’s not as if Lindy or even the rest of the staff are the only people I have issues with (although it’s kind of an unfortunate epitaph that in Lindy’s last game, it was Jack who noticed the Devils needed a sixth skater on the ice for the empty-net situation and not even anyone else on the staff pointing it out). At least the coaching change has forced Tom Fitzgerald out of his bunker for a morning presser tomorrow a few days before the trade deadline, not that I’m expecting many hard-hitting questions from a neutered media regardless.
There isn’t really much to talk about from the last few games for me since I watched very little of the West Coast swing – or the last two games of the previous homestand for that matter. Aside from an ugly win over the Habs and a rare laugher over the Sharks (where was this goal outburst when we played them at home a few months back?!), not as if there’s been much redeeming during that period anyway. Losing to wild-card leading Tampa at the end of the homestand was a massive blow to the playoff fantasy, losing to the Ducks despite outshooting them like 56-23 or whatever it was is peak Devils right there, especially with Jack missing an end-game penalty shot in craptacular fashion, failing to even put a puck on net.
Funny thing is when I saw the text from a friend saying ‘didn’t think they could find a new way to lose, but a last second penalty shot is a new one’ I immediately thought it was us getting scored on late in a tie game. I kind of wish it was that as opposed to the alternative lol. I’ve compared Hughes over the last three months to Ilya Kovalchuk during the John MacLean reign of error, but my god comparing that penalty shot to the Kovalsuck miss against Buffalo early that season is too eerie for me…I immediately had that PTSD flashback when I saw it.
I shouldn’t even joke about PTSD either cause if I ever had it (undiagnosed), it would have been during my last few weeks on the job given how much I had to do, felt I was doing well but it was still never enough to either keep up or avoid getting yelled at. Enough about me though, and quite honestly I’ve done more than enough talking about the team at this point as well. I don’t have it in me to rant about the offense being unable to shoot straight, or the now-previous coach running poor Nico Daws into the ground. Dude was literally the only reason we had a playoff pulse for three weeks and now he has worse numbers than Vitek because they just keep playing him…every…single…game! More than anything, the overplaying of Daws is why a coaching change needed to happen now, as belated as it was.
Not that any other option in goal would be better, but you have to manage people and not just play every game out like it’s Game 7 of the Finals when there’s still six weeks to two months left in the season, no matter how perilous your job security is or the team’s position in the standings. Like I said though, enough about the team at this point. Maybe I’ll have another post after the trade deadline if they do something insane, or if there’s anything actually positive to discuss. Until that point however, I’m just gonna wash my hands of this team for a little while longer.
At the beginning of the season, there were some concerns about Jonathan Quick. Signed by Rangers team president and general manager Chris Drury last summer to become the backup goalie, the former Los Angeles Kings all-time franchise leader in wins and shutouts has silenced the doubters.
The former Conn Smythe winner and two-time Stanley Cup champion has been a consistent player for the Rangers all season. In 21 games (20 starts), Quick has a 13-5-2 record with a 2.45 goals-against-average (GAA), and .916 save percentage along with two shutouts.
At one point, it was the 38-year-old netminder who played like the Rangers’ starter over Igor Shesterkin. Quick’s steadiness in the net earned him a well-deserved reward.
On Sunday, the Rangers announced that they’d signed him to a one-year contract extension worth $1.275 million. The deal includes a $500,000 signing bonus in addition to a $775,000 salary, along with a $25,000 performance bonus if he can post a .915 save percentage in 20 starts next season.
“It’s a good feeling knowing I’ll be back,” an excited Quick told reporters following yesterday’s practice. “We’re in the middle of a season, so the focus is here and now. We got Florida coming in [on Monday], they’re a great team.”
Quick has been a great addition to the Rangers. He’s supplied a dependable goalie who can come in and play like a starter, which he’s been for most of a brilliant career that includes 388 wins. He needs one more to tie Dominik Hasek for 15th on the all-time NHL list.
Quick is also chasing Ryan Miller for the most victories by an American-born netminder. Miller won 391 games. It looks like he’ll reach that lofty status soon. It’s been a good year so far. It just got better.
A couple of days removed from the entertaining heavyweight bout between Matt Rempe and Ryan Reaves up in Toronto, the former Blueshirt heaped praise on the neophyte.
When speaking to reporters about Rempe, Reaves called him “a really nice kid.”
“It shows that fighting’s not dead in this sport. People still get amped up for it.”
Of course, he was referring to the great crowd the Maple Leafs had on Saturday night. Every time Rempe and Reaves came near each other, you could hear the excitement from fans who wanted to see the two square off.
It didn’t happen right away. Rempe chose to avoid Reaves early on with the Rangers ahead on an Alexis Lafreniere goal. It was a smart move. Whenever your team is up against an opponent, it’s better not to accept a fight in that situation. That could swing the momentum.
Later in the contest, Rempe came all the way across the ice to flatten Maple Leafs defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin against the boards. His feet raised up on the jaw-dropping hit that drew quite a reaction from the Leafs crowd. It was understandable.
Once he crushed Lyubushkin, who was forced to leave the game due to an injury, Rempe had to know that he would have to answer the bell.
Even in a very competitive back and forth game that saw each side battle back from one-goal deficits, you knew it was only a matter of time. With the Leafs leading the Rangers 4-3 on a John Tavares goal, Reaves had finally had enough. He wasn’t taking no for an answer.
Finally, the much anticipated bout happened with under six minutes left in the third period. Before he engaged, Rempe looked toward the Rangers bench. It was almost as if he was seeking their approval. It made for a comical moment.
Then, Rempe and Reaves squared off at center ice to the delight of pumped up fans at a capacity Scotiabank Arena that included 19,312 in attendance. The refs wisely got out of the way and let the two combatants handle their business.
The bigger Rempe launched some heavy rights that the smaller Reaves avoided. He used his reach to make it tough on Reaves. The younger Rempe did well early. But the more experienced Reaves came on in the second half of the fight. After re-watching it, it was a hard fought draw.
“That guy [Reaves] is a legend. That guy has been one of the most feared men in the league for 15 years,” Rempe told Mollie Walker of the NY Post after the morning skate on Monday.
“He’s going to be a menace in this league,” Reaves said about Rempe.
Unless the Rangers and Maple Leafs meet again in the playoffs, there won’t be a rematch until possibly the following season. Considering how exciting the game was, which the Leafs took 4-3 in a shootout, there’s probably a lot of fans who would sign up for a seven-game series between the Original 6 rivals.
If that happens, it probably won’t come until the Eastern Conference Final. One can only hope.
This one lived up to expectations. In a highly entertaining game that had plenty of excitement for fans, the Rangers fell in a shootout 4-3 to the Maple Leafs in Toronto.
The third and final regular season meeting was one to savor. It took place on Hockey Night In Canada. The biggest stage on a Saturday night up north.
A battle between two good teams that are playoff bound provided a unique combination of goal scoring, goaltending, hitting, and a heavyweight bout. It also included a wild three-on-three in overtime. Perhaps that’s the part when the Rangers should’ve won the game.
Instead, Leafs goalie Ilya Samsonov made five saves, including a theft on Adam Fox, when it looked like he had the winning goal. Samsonov made 32 saves and stopped three of four Rangers shooters to pick up the victory.
It was some retribution for a goalie who at one point was sent down to the American Hockey League (AHL) due to his struggles. Somehow, he wasn’t worthy of a star from the media who watched (allegedly).
Neither was Alexis Lafreniere, who was clearly the best player for the Rangers on Saturday night. He only scored his 18th goal and set up two others, including Vincent Trocheck’s tying goal that came with 67 seconds (1967?) left in regulation.
His second three-point game of the season allowed Lafreniere to match his career high in points (39) set last year. He continues to play with a lot of confidence. The former 2020 top pick is playing the best hockey of his career.
In the early going, the Leafs looked to get the jump on the Rangers in front of their home crowd. A near miss from the league’s leading goalscorer, Auston Matthews, came close to giving them the lead.
Igor Shesterkin would also make a key save on Tyler Bertuzzi. He had another good game, finishing with 31 saves on 34 shots. Unfortunately, Shesterkin couldn’t stop Mitch Marner in the third round of the shootout. He was then beaten by Max Domi in the fourth round. Samsonov then watched as Trocheck’s shot hit the far goalpost and stayed out.
After successfully killing off a Jacob Trouba high-sticking minor, the Rangers grabbed the lead with less than nine minutes left in the first period. On a good drop pass from Fox to Lafreniere, he ripped a shot that made a distinct sound.
The puck came back out into play. Initially, it wasn’t ruled a goal. However, the officials quickly got together and realized the puck hit off the post and crossed the goal line. Lafreniere’s 18th of the season put the Rangers ahead.
Following that came some penalties. Mika Zibanejad drew a tripping call on Timothy Liljegren. But fourteen seconds later, Trocheck clearly knocked down Calle Jarnkrok to go off for interference, negating the power play. With the Leafs on a man-advantage, Simon Benoit interfered with Barclay Goodrow at center ice to get whistled.
Despite the Leafs coming close, they didn’t beat Shesterkin in the first period. He stopped a dozen shots. The Rangers took the one-goal lead to the locker room.
The second period was played more to the Leafs’ style. A bit more wide open, it favored the freewheeling Leafs, who love to use their speed and skill to drive play.
Interestingly enough, they drew even on a fluky play. In a battle near the boards, Marner was able to get free from Ryan Lindgren. He then moved in and got ready to shoot. But he fanned on his initial attempt. With Erik Gustafsson, Will Cuylle, and Shesterkin anticipating a shot, Marner retrieved the puck and then cut in and scored his 24th goal at 3:54.
Over a minute later, Gustafsson broke up a Leafs’ rush and cleared the zone. The puck came right to Artemi Panarin at center ice. He quickly turned it into a three-on-two rush. Panarin moved the puck to Lafreniere, who then passed across for a quick Trocheck one-timer that beat Samsonov to give the Rangers their second lead.
The Leafs answered back over three minutes later. On a sustained forecheck, Jake McCabe and Domi worked the puck back up to William Nylander. He then fired a wrist shot that changed direction off Gustafsson past Shesterkin with Domi in front. Nylander’s 33rd tied the game with 11:06, remaining in the second.
Less than a minute later, out came Matt Rempe for a shift. He made an immediate impact by delivering a thunderous check on Leafs defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin. He struggled back to the bench, where it was obvious that he needed to go to the locker room.
The reaction to Rempe’s big hit was both shock and exasperation from the pro Leafs contingent. Replays showed that he left his feet. The refs missed an obvious charge on Rempe. He would be made accountable for his actions later by Ryan Reaves.
A couple of shifts later, Matthews missed on a great opportunity to give the Leafs the lead. He got another chance, but Shesterkin stopped him on a backhand. Matthews is always dangerous when he’s on the ice. The Rangers dodged one.
Late in the period, with the Rangers shorthanded, Fox got a great opportunity. On a back pass, he seemed to have Samsonov down and out. Instead, he shot the puck into him and then looked on in astonishment. It was that kind of night for Fox. He played a good game, tallying two assists. But he easily could’ve had a couple of goals.
With the game still tied in the third period, Samsonov made a couple of key stops on Panarin. On the other side, Shesterkin reached out to deny Tavares twice.
Jonny Brodzinski then absorbed a big Reaves hit that almost led to the Rangers coming down and going back up. But Jacob Trouba’s shot was saved by Samsonov, who covered up. Samsonov would also make a tough stop on a Chris Kreider deflection of a Fox shot pass. He also later denied Jimmy Vesey on a breakaway.
With the game still tied, the Leafs went ahead. It wasn’t without controversy. Prior to Morgan Rielly and Jarnkrok combining to set up a rebound for Tavares to put in, Kaapo Kakko was taken down. It was an obvious trip that was missed. Instead, play continued. The Rangers’ inability to clear the puck cost them. They trailed by one with 12:43 left in the third period.
On the next shift, a dangerous Lafreniere fired a shot just wide. He was very noticeable throughout the game. As good as his chemistry is with Panarin and Trocheck, Rangers coach Peter Laviolette might want to consider moving Lafreniere up to play with the struggling Zibanejad and Kreider. They couldn’t muster anything playing with the miscast Kakko, who’s a much better fit with Brodzinski and Will Cuylle on the third line.
After a close call for the Leafs with Tavares hitting the post, it was time for Rempe to accept Reaves’ challenge. That came with 5:59 remaining. The two paired off and exchanged rights in a good scrap. Reaves did his trademark raising of the arms while Rempe gave a salute. It was entertaining.
As good as that was, the Rangers were running out of time. Following a Zibanejad blank that missed its intended target (the advertisement?), Marner flipped a soft backhand clear towards the empty net. It came oh so close to going in but instead grazed the left goalpost for an icing.
That set the stage for Trocheck. After winning an offensive draw, he would be the recipient of a Lafreniere rebound that allowed him to pounce for his 22nd goal with 1:07 left in regulation to tie the score. With a secondary assist, Panarin picked up his 85th point of the season.
In overtime, it was mostly Rangers. Samsonov made a save on Panarin. He also stopped Lafreniere and Trocheck. Zibanejad thought he had Kreider for the game-winner in front. But Kreider’s tip-in went wide. He’d have another chance stopped late in extra time.
With time growing short, a Kreider forced pass for Zibanejad was intercepted by the Leafs. With Miller caught due to the turnover, Lafreniere stepped on the ice too soon and touched the puck for a bench minor. If he hadn’t taken the penalty, the Leafs might’ve had a breakaway and scored. It left them with only seven seconds for a four-on-three. A Trocheck faceoff win sent the game to a shootout.
In the shootout, Nylander went wide in Round 1. Panarin shot into Samsonov’s glove. Following a Shesterkin save on Matthews, Zibanejad beat Samsonov with a snapshot. That meant Marner had to score in the third round. On a deke, he was able to tie it after a long pause. It looked like it wouldn’t count. But the replay showed that the puck was still moving. That made it a good goal.
Lafreniere went for the win. However, Samsonov was able to stop his backhand deke. In the fourth round, Domi came in and beat Shesterkin with a wrist shot upstairs. That left it up to Trocheck. He made a strong move and had Samsonov beaten. But the shot went off the goalpost to give the Leafs the extra point.
There was a lot of hype surrounding Saturday night’s game between the Rangers and Maple Leafs. It had little to do with both teams having good records.
Instead, most of the hoopla centered around Rangers forward Matt Rempe. The 21-year-old rookie has quickly made a name for himself. Since debuting against the Islanders with a memorable fight against Matt Martin at the Stadium Series on Feb. 18, Rempe has handled himself extremely well.
A former 2020 sixth round pick, he entered Saturday night with a goal, assist, 32 penalty minutes, and three fights. The fact that Rempe’s contributed offensively during limited shifts while adding some much needed physicality to the roster demonstrates what kind of a high character player he is.
It isn’t all about bruising hits and dropping the gloves against opponents. There’s more to Rempe than that. He has some real personality. It was on display when he earned the game’s first star in a win over the Flyers on Feb. 24. There, he was getting the postgame interview on ABC showing that enthusiasm that’s made him a very popular player.
With the Rangers facing the Leafs in Toronto on a Hockey Night In Canada, everyone wanted to see Rempe take on well-respected veteran Maple Leafs enforcer Ryan Reaves.
During their first few shifts, Reaves engaged Rempe to gauge his interest. With the Rangers ahead on an early goal from Alexis Lafreniere, Rempe decided to pass on fighting Reaves. Instead, he opted to stick to playing hockey. That meant getting in on the forecheck and playing defensively responsible. It was a wise decision. There was no reason to fight with the Rangers leading on the scoreboard.
— chris kreider respecter (@jonmoxIeys) March 3, 2024
During the second period, with Reaves off on a line change, Rempe skated across the ice and launched a heavy hit on Leafs defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin. He didn’t stand a chance. Rempe’s skates came off the ice on the big hit. It likely should’ve been a charging minor penalty.
The end result was a woozy Lyubushkin trying to shake off the cobwebs bent over at the Toronto bench. Eventually, he exited the game. Hopefully, it isn’t a serious injury. Nobody wants to see a player get hurt.
In the third period, with the Rangers trailing the Leafs 3-2 on a John Tavares goal, Reaves didn’t take no for an answer. Seeking retribution for his injured teammate, the 37-year-old warrior finally got Rempe to oblige with 5:59 remaining.
The amusing part was Rempe’s reaction. Before he dropped the gloves at center ice, he gave a look to the Rangers bench and said something to his teammates. It was obvious that he was enjoying the moment.
Then, Rempe took part in his fourth fight in only the seventh game of his NHL career. He took some shots from Reaves, who used his experience well. But Rempe also landed a few blows in what amounted to an entertaining hockey fight.
Fittingly, that was his final shift of the night. In nine shifts, Rempe totaled three hits and five penalty minutes in 5:56 of ice time. He again gave another packed house something exciting. Afterward, Rempe raised his hands and saluted Reaves, who did the same. It was another cool moment.
There was still a game to be decided. Thanks to a good faceoff win by Vincent Trocheck, the Rangers tied the game with 1:07 left in regulation. Adam Fox had a shot deflected by Lafreniere on Leafs goalie Ilya Samsonov. The rebound came right to Trocheck for his second goal of the game.
Ultimately, the Rangers lost to 4-3 to the Leafs in a shootout. It was a great game. One that Rempe will remember.
Eastern Conference Champions: An excited group of Rangers pose with the Prince of Wales Trophy after defeating the Canadiens to reach the Stanley Cup Finals.
AP Photo/Kathy Willens
Once upon a time, there was a close-knit group of New York Rangers who overcame the odds to reach the Stanley Cup Finals.
It wasn’t supposed to happen. But the 2013-14 Rangers made it a reality by digging deeper when they faced adversity. That included having to win a closely played deciding Game 7 to advance past the Flyers in the first round. Daniel Carcillo and Benoit Pouliot were the unlikely heroes. Henrik Lundqvist made 26 saves.
In the second round series with the old division rival Penguins, the Rangers faced a formidable opponent that featured superstar tandem Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Along with Kris Letang, Chris Kunitz, James Neal, and Marc-Andre Fleury, the former champs were expected to advance.
After Derick Brassard scored in overtime to win Game 1, nothing went right for the Rangers. They were shut out in the next two games. A lackluster showing in Game 4 put them in a three games to one series hole. Never before had they come back from such a deficit in franchise history.
Following the 4-2 loss at home, the Rangers had a players only meeting in the locker room. That situation was exactly why Martin St. Louis was acquired for. The former Lightning star had come over in a trade for Ryan Callahan. A Stanley Cup champion with Brad Richards in 2003-04, they spoke up about the series not being over. Along with Lundqvist, the message was sent.
Walking out of the Garden, I told our Dad that I couldn’t believe how badly they played. Along with my brother Justin, we all thought they were capable of winning the series. Maybe that belief helped explain what happened.
The Rangers had the pieces to make a comeback against the Penguins. While they didn’t boast a Crosby or Malkin, they had enough key stars and depth to get back in it. That included St. Louis and Richards. Both who won together in Tampa. There was also Lundqvist, who was in the prime of his career. He was certainly capable of getting hot and stealing a game.
When they visited Pittsburgh for Game 5, I felt that all they had to do was steal that one to change the momentum. Win once in enemy territory, and the pressure would be squarely on the Penguins. The thought process was that if they took that do or die fifth game, they’d go home and win Game 6 to force a deciding seventh game. If they got there, anything could happen.
The most surprising thing was how easily the Rangers won Game 5. First period goals from Chris Kreider and Brassard set the tone. Following a Malkin tally in the second, Brassard and Ryan McDonagh scored less than a minute apart to break it open. Lundqvist made 31 saves. The Blueshirts won 5-1 to force Game 6.
Before they played on Mother’s Day, the Rangers flew up to Montreal that Saturday to pay their respects to St. Louis’ Mom France. The sad news that she passed away came prior to Game 5. It brought them closer together. They were inspired to rally around their teammate.
A day later, an emotional St. Louis played in the sixth game before a raucous environment at home. I was fortunate enough to be in the building. When St. Louis had a loose puck bounce off him for the game’s first goal, MSG shook. It was never louder. The energy and electricity in the building were palpable.
At that very moment, I knew the Rangers were winning that night. There were so many emotions. Goals by Carl Hagelin and Brassard made it 3-1. The Pens certainly tested Lundqvist. But he was in a zone, stopping 36 of 37 shots to send the second round series back to Pittsburgh. All the pressure was on the Pens. Would they really lose two games on home ice to blow a 3-1 series lead?
When Brian Boyle beat Fleury on a breakaway, there was a good feeling. For the third straight game, the Rangers scored the first goal to grab the lead. During the comeback, they’d never trailed. That was important. With Lundqvist stifling the Pens on one end, it allowed the Rangers to play their game. They forechecked well due to the line of Brassard, Pouliot, and Mats Zuccarello. But in the seventh game, different players starred.
Having gotten a goal from the fourth line, the Rangers needed a power-play goal. Following Jussi Jokinen tying the game, they were on a man-advantage. On a play in transition, Derek Stepan got the puck down low for St. Louis. He then found Richards open in front for the go-ahead goal on the power play.
That was all they needed. In what amounted to a nerve-racking third period that saw the Pens carry the play for long stretches, they kept firing shots on goal. However, a laser focused Lundqvist wouldn’t allow anything to beat him. He was even swallowing up dangerous chances that you swore the Pens had scored on. This was his game.
When the final buzzer sounded, the Rangers won 2-1 to complete the comeback to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. They finally beat the Pens in the playoffs. It was so exciting.
That they rallied around St. Louis was something special. He still had a magic moment left. It came at a key moment against the Canadiens in the next round.
After the Blueshirts dominated the first two games in Montreal, they lost Game 3 on an overtime goal by Alex Galchenyuk. Despite facing unknown goalie Dustin Tokarski, following Kreider colliding into Carey Price that ended his season, the Rangers found themselves tied in Game 4 with it headed to overtime.
Faced with the prospect of losing two home games, they needed a hero. That’s when St. Louis delivered in the clutch. After they kept the puck in, Richards got it to Hagelin at the top of the left point. He then sent a pass across for an open St. Louis in the right circle. One on one with Tokarski, he blew a wrist shot into the top part of the net to score the memorable overtime winner.
After losing Game 5 to the Canadiens, the pressure was on to close out the series back at home. This was the scene prior to the opening faceoff. The legendary John Amirante performed both the Canadian and American national anthems.
Some fans were a bit over enthusiastic about winning the Cup. We had to calm them down.
The environment was awesome. I loved catching excited fans waving the traditional “Let’s Go Rangers” playoff towels near the conclusion. That’s when the Garden comes alive.
Game 6 was closely played. For nearly two periods, the Rangers couldn’t beat Tokarski. Despite having the edge in play, they were still searching for that one shot that would give them the lead.
Moments earlier, Lundqvist made the save of the game when he made an acrobatic stop to deny Thomas Vanek. It remains one of his most memorable saves of a brilliant Hall of Fame career.
In a memorable run during that spring, it was always about which player was going to step up. This time, the spotlight shined on the fourth line. On a good pinch from McDonagh, he moved the puck behind the net to Boyle. In a battle, he was able to come out and center a pass for Dominic Moore, who buried a one-timer past Tokarski with 1:53 left in the second period.
It was the only goal they’d need. Playing a near flawless game that included a strong third period that made life easier on Lundqvist (18 saves), the Rangers shut down the Canadiens to win 1-0.
When the final buzzer sounded, it touched off a huge celebration. Both on the ice and in the stands. It was bedlam. People were hugging each other in our section.
It definitely was awesome to be there for that. I felt lucky. I never thought they’d ever reach the Stanley Cup Finals with our family and friends in the building. It was special.
The Stanley Cup Finals didn’t go the Rangers’ way. They came up against the battle tested Kings, who were on a mission to win a second Cup in three years. They’d overcome a 0-3 deficit to stun the Sharks in the first round. They also beat the Blackhawks. They were tough.
Although the Rangers lost to the Kings in five games, it was a very close series. They had leads in the first two games. However, the Kings rallied back to take both games in overtime.
That included a controversial goal from Dwight King in Game 2. Former Ranger Marian Gaborik forced sudden death. Dustin Brown took advantage of a Dan Girardi turnover to beat Lundqvist over 10 minutes into the second overtime. It was a cruel ending.
We went to Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals. It was electric before the puck was dropped. Unfortunately, the Kings had other ideas. They silenced the crowd by taking the game 3-0 behind Jonathan Quick (32 saves).
A Jeff Carter goal with one second left in the first period really hurt. The Rangers never recovered. The Kings tacked on a couple of more goals in the second to pull away.
It was a disappointing night in June. But one that would be remembered. The Rangers played a Stanley Cup game in the big city. That rarely happens. I bought a Stanley Cup program. It’s stored away along with some more cool Rangers stuff.
One thing about being a fan. If you go to games, sometimes you collect nice things. Even better, you meet former players, and those moments stay with you forever. They’re just normal people off the ice. I always treated them as such. My interactions were good.
Fortunately, the Rangers didn’t go down easily. They got goals from Pouliot and St. Louis to hold off the Kings 2-1 in Game 4. It wouldn’t have been possible without Lundqvist. He faced a barrage of shots in the third period. King Henrik delivered by finishing with 40 saves to help the Rangers stay alive.
The Rangers needed to find a way to steal Game 5 in Hollywood. It was another hard fought game in enemy territory. Trailing by a goal late in the second period, they got goals from Kreider and Boyle (shorthanded) to suddenly take a 2-1 lead to the locker room.
But similar to the first two games, the Kings played a good third period to draw even. Gaborik burned his former team to tie it at three. Late in regulation, Hagelin had a great opportunity to win it. But he was unable to beat Quick on a breakaway. The game went to overtime again.
That night, I was out at a bar with some coworkers. The overtimes were frustrating. Nash got a great chance to win it. But of course, he didn’t come through. That whole postseason was a struggle for him. What if he’d scored like the star he was? We’ll never know.
The Kings took two penalties in sudden death. The Rangers couldn’t capitalize on either one. Early in the second overtime, I sarcastically joked about how, of course, the power play sucked with a chance to win it. A few of my friends laughed. It was a fun time.
Kreider had the best chance. He was in on a breakaway. I thought for sure that he’d score. Instead, Quick made the critical save. Maybe in that moment, I knew how it would end. The Rangers had so many opportunities. The Kings basically tried to hand them the game. Had they won, I really think they would’ve taken Game 6 at MSG. Then, it goes to a winner, take all Game 7. In that scenario, anything could happen.
Instead, the Kings made a good play on a rush. Tyler Toffoli found a trailing Alec Martinez for the Stanley Cup clinching goal past Lundqvist. It came at 94:43. That’s over 34 minutes into overtime.
When it ended, the bar shut off the game. We missed the handshakes and Cup presentation. Honestly, that was the one time I was glad I didn’t see it. Who wanted to see Lundqvist cry with his mask on? Nobody wanted to see the Kings celebrate.
I look back on that season with great pride and joy. The Rangers finished the regular season with 96 points. That didn’t stop them from making a memorable run.
Beating the Crosby/Malkin Pens was special. Especially given the circumstances. They came together to win for St. Louis. Crosby even checked on him prior to Game 6. That’s how classy he is.
Even though they eliminated the Canadiens without Price, the Rangers proved that they were a determined group. They earned it. I only wish I’d been able to upload the fan celebration. It doesn’t matter. Being there for that moment was enough. You can’t always get everything on camera. Savor those moments.
When I reflect back on the 2013-14 New York Rangers, I am appreciative of how hard they battled. They made it due to key contributions from every player.
For a long time, some misguided fans took the grit and sacrifice of Girardi and Marc Staal for granted. Those guys did whatever it took to win games. The current roster that’s in first place could use some of that warrior like mentality.
If the 2023-24 New York Rangers are to make a similar run, they’ll need to improve defensively. They’ll have to get more contributions from everyone. There’s a week until the trade deadline. Happy March!
hasan4978
Derek
Battle Of Hudson 
You must be logged in to post a comment.