Two In A Row: Rangers pass Devils for Eighth

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Derek
Mike Del Zotto celebrates shorthanded goal for Rangers.
Copyright Getty Images/Photo by Julio Cortez



Ryan Callahan spoke about the importance of following up yesterday’s win with another one. The Rangers did exactly that against the Hudson rival Devils by holding on for a crucial 3-2 victory in regulation at The Rock.

Their second in a row allowed them to pass the defending Eastern Conference champs in the standings. Technically, each club has 32 points. They’re in a four-way tie with Carolina and Toronto. However, the Canes and Leafs have more regulation and overtime wins (15), which allows them to rank sixth and seventh in the East. The Rangers moved into eighth by virtue of one more ROW (12) and one fewer game played than the Devils. New Jersey has 18 left while the three clubs ahead of them each have 19.

It’s enough to make your head spin. Perhaps that part is best left for our Devil contingent. Any way you slice it, the second meeting between blood rivals was big. The Devils took the previous meeting with Martin Brodeur in net. He was activated for tonight’s game but was the backup behind Johan Hedberg. Facing his Swedish countryman Henrik Lundqvist, Hedberg was solid making 19 saves. However, Lundqvist was busier stopping 29 of 31 shots to help the Blueshirts end a four-game losing streak dating back to last Spring against New Jersey. They needed every single one to sneak out of Newark with two points.

Like last year, there isn’t much separating these two. Nothing was decided after a wild 20 minutes that featured four goals. Unlike recently, the Rangers were the ones who led. They took two one-goal leads in the first period only to see the Devils fight back. Mike Del Zotto had his second straight strong game, scoring a goal and assist. It was his shorthanded goal that gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead. The play was made by emerging No.1 pivot Derek Stepan. Stepan forced Hedberg into a turnover. The Moose was looking to catch the Rangers in a change. Instead, Stepan’s hustle led to him sending a pass to a cutting Del Zotto, who batted it out of mid-air for his first goal in 21 games (Jan.29 vs Flyers).

The Devils struck back with a power play goal off the stick of Travis Zajac. With J.T. Miller in the box for hooking, Zajac took advantage of a funny bounce that allowed him to beat Lundqvist from the slot for his fifth. It snapped a 10-game drought. Peter Harrold and Ilya Kovalchuk drew the assists.

Oddly enough, the scoring binge continued. In a 118-second span, three goals were scored. Carl Hagelin steered the Rangers back in front when he scored his first in 10 games. With nowhere to go with the puck, Dan Girardi intentionally passed off the back boards. Knowing the boards are lively at The Rock, it caromed right to Hagelin, who buried his eighth 1:35 later. Callahan got the other assist. But it took the Devils only 23 seconds to erase the deficit. They got it from an unlikely candidate. Anton Volchenkov pumped home his first. The defensive defenseman took a Stephen Gionta feed and fired off a Ranger stick past Lundqvist. His last goal came in Game One of the Stanley Cup Final against Los Angeles on 5/30/11.

Both teams didn’t let up in just as entertaining a second. Only one goal was scored. That was due in large part to splendid netminding from Hedberg and Lundqvist. The Devils and Rangers combined for 21 shots for a second consecutive period. Again, the hosts led 12-9. They couldn’t get one by Lundqvist, who came up with three critical saves on a Devil power play. They were owed one following a dubious call on Zajac for goalie interference. Both radio feeds accurately pointed out he was elbowed by his own defenseman Girardi. Not Zajac, who slammed his stick in frustration. It didn’t matter because our power play sucks.

Eventually, Anton Stralman took one on Gionta to hand the Devils a golden opportunity. They generated quality chances but Lundqvist stood tall keeping it tied. Once it expired, Del Zotto made a great outlet for Nash, who blistered his 10th past Hedberg from the right circle. It was his first in six which gave the Rangers a 3-2 lead. Hagelin nearly doubled it but was robbed by a sliding Hedberg. Not to be outdone, Lundqvist stopped the Devils in their tracks. He got a piece of a Kovalchuk try keeping it out.

Following a wide open first two periods, the third was more defensive oriented. John Tortorella sent only one attacker in. The dreaded one-four is a formula they used under Tom Renney and continue to employ under a coach whose motto once was Safe Is Death. I’m not a fan of this strategy. But it paid dividends. The Devils outshot us 7-4 but never really gave me a sense they’d tie it. Even with David Clarkson doing his best Greg Louganis to draw one more power play, Lundqvist and his team weren’t going to allow another Devil comeback.

Instead, it was a team effort. There were a couple of close calls. One where Lundqvist lost sight of the puck. Thinking he had it, it was actually on the side of the net with Stepan clearing the puck off a Devil stick. Fortunately because it almost was a penalty. That would’ve meant a five-on-three. Stepan’s been doing everything right. He’s not the only one with Tortorella for a second straight night playing everyone. He again showed confidence in Miller, who saw a big shift late. He nearly scored off a great effort. Del Zotto made the play of the game by denying Patrik Elias on the doorstep. A pass across was ticketed for the franchise Devil. But Del Zotto’s backcheck prevented disaster, allowing Lundqvist to get back in time.

Pete DeBoer pulled Hedberg with 70 seconds left. The Devils got pressure but the Rangers got into the lanes. They broke up plays throughout. In fact, they blocked 15 Devil shots and the hosts sent another 14 wide- frustrating them. It all added up to the biggest win of 2013.

NY Puck 3 Star Selection:

3rd Star-Johan Hedberg, NJD (19 saves-made some gems despite 3 GA)
2nd Star-Henrik Lundqvist, NYR (29 saves incl. 12/12 in 2nd-money performance)
1st Star-Mike Del Zotto, NYR (SHG-3rd, assist, 3 hits, blocked shot, +2 in 20:51)

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Miller Delivers In Shootout

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Derek
Rookie J.T. Miller beats Dan Ellis for the win.
Copyright Getty Images/by Frank Franklin II

For once, John Tortorella went with instinct. By sending out a shootout trio that included 19-year old rookie J.T. Miller, he rewarded his best players. Even if that meant Rick Nash, who otherwise had a quiet night, the shootout ace and youngest player on the roster delivered a much needed victory over a team they trailed in the standings.

Too bad they didn’t get it done in regulation. Instead, they settled for beating Dan Ellis twice in a 2-1 Rangers win over the Hurricanes at MSG. The skill competition is hardly my favorite. But I’ll take it. The superior team deserved the extra point for a much better effort after a dismal first period.

”It means nothing if we don’t go into Jersey and play the same way,‘‘ gritty captain Ryan Callahan noted after helping set up USA linemate Derek Stepan’s tying marker in an inspired second. ”We have to go to Jersey and show that kind of effort we did in the second and third, and pucks will start going in for us, too.
‘‘There’s no concern in this room. We know we have guys in here that can score goals, and it’s going to come.’‘

Truthfully, it was one of their best games of the season. For once, the Rangers showed the kind of resiliency that was a trademark last year. They were brutal in the first and were predictably booed with Carolina getting their lone goal thanks to captain Eric Staal in the final minute. The Canes controlled the period by skating circles around the Blueshirts, who seemed stuck in quicksand. They were out-shot 14-6. 
Whatever Tortorella said in the locker room worked. He was on the bench three minutes before the start of the second. The team responded by dominating the second. Right off the first shift, they were stronger with Nash almost scoring. It was that kind of night for the reunited line of Nash, Marian Gaborik and Brad Richards. They came close but couldn’t get one past Ellis, who was the only reason the Canes got a point. He finished with 35 saves and somehow was omitted from the three-star selection by the blind media. 
Tortorella played everyone, including Miller who was noticeable most of his 15 shifts. Already responsible defensively, he anchored a line with Brian Boyle and Taylor Pyatt that cycled the puck. As usual, whatever line Callahan was on was strong. He played with Stepan and Swedish speedster Carl Hagelin, who drew the primary helper on Stepan’s eighth. It came at even strength following a powerless play. Callahan was instrumental starting the play and then bumping into Ellis for an easy Stepan follow up of a Hagelin rebound. Callahan was pushed in. The refs let it go. 
It might’ve been a break. Staal was nabbed for a dubious goalie interference in the first which negated a Carolina power play. Maybe they deserved one considering the strong response. You earn your breaks. It was the only way they beat Ellis conventionally. He stood on his head.
Offense has been an issue. Part of it’s been a lack of shots. They fired a lot more frequently. Mike Del Zotto was our best player. He’s often criticized for passing up opportunities. Tonight, he was more aggressive and registered five shots, including a couple of tough ones on Ellis. With Marc Staal out, Del Zotto is the most important defenseman. Ryan McDonagh struggled throughout in extended minutes. Del Zotto didn’t along with capable partner Steve Eminger (20:56 TOI), who has been a different player since returning. Del Zotto received 28 shifts (25:17) and was active.
Tortorella even gave Roman Hamrlik over 10 minutes. He was better. If they’re going to dig out of this mess, everyone must chip in. That’s what we got even if the power play continued to mystify. Just decline it. 
Amazingly enough, Ellis stoned Micheal Haley on a feed from Jeff Halpern. It was one of his best stops along with getting a piece of a Nash point blank shot on an early breakaway. He also stopped five more in a wild overtime. Four-on-four hockey is so entertaining. It’s a shame that the NHL continues to play only five before taking 10 minutes to re-ice it for the shootout. Play another five!
In the shootout, Nash undressed Ellis with a backhand tuck. Henrik Lundqvist denied leading Canes’ scorer Jiri Tlusty. After Ellis forced Callahan wide, Lundqvist caught a break when Alexander Semin’s backhand deke drew iron. Another break. It set the stage for Miller, whose previous attempt was one of the best ever. Only he didn’t finish. For an encore, he slowly moved in and as he made a deke fumbled the puck before recovering and then went wide on Ellis- converting from a tough angle. Cool stuff from the kid. 
Now, they must follow it up tonight in enemy territory. They owe the Devils one.
NY Puck Three Star Selection:
3rd Star-Ryan Callahan, NYR (assist, 4 SOG, 4 hits, 4-and-2 on draws incl. 2 critical ones)
2nd Star-Mike Del Zotto, NYR (5 SOG, +1 in 25:17)
1st Star-Dan Ellis, Car (35 saves-many big ones)
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Devils send Matteau back to juniors

Posted on March 17, 2013 by Derek

On an otherwise quiet Sunday – if you’re not out celebrating the ‘real’ St. Patrick’s Day – the Devils sent first-rounder Stefan Matteau back to his junior team of Blainville-Boisbriand in time so he would be eligible for the QJMHL playoffs, which are set to begin this week.  With Matteau only playing on and off (one goal, two assists in 17 GP) it was an easy decision for GM Lou Lamoriello to make.  After the Armada’s season ends, Matteau is then eligible to either go to Albany – who are themselves in a playoff run – or return to New Jersey.  As Lou said though, this was the best thing for the 19-year old Matteau’s development, adding ‘We know what we have there.  He’s going to be a size and strength forward in this organization for a long time’.

While it’s true the Devils burned a year off his entry-level deal by keeping him beyond the five-game limit, they did avoid another more crucial deadline – by sending him down before his 23rd game he doesn’t accrue another year toward free agency.  Seeing as Matteau had been a scratch the prior three games before playing barely five minutes last night, the writing was on the wall.  He’ll be back sooner rather than later though.  And if nothing else, at least he was able to get his feet wet and get his first NHL points under his belt.  It would be a tremendous success if he had a nice playoffs for his junior team, then got in some time in Albany before coming back for good.

New Jersey didn’t immediately announce a replacement for Matteau on the roster.  Perhaps the hurt Henrik Tallinder is ready to play, or at least ready to practice and take a place in the healthy scratches box.  Obviously the Devils would have to shed a forward to accomodate eight healthy defensemen.  Danius Zubrus is skating but not practicing with a stick yet, so he’s still a few games away at best.  Martin Brodeur may participate in practice tomorrow depending on how he feels, and he’s been skating and taking shots so perhaps his return is more imminent.

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Punchless Devils show fight, but still lose two in a row

Posted on March 17, 2013 by Derek

After winning three of four games, the Devils appeared set to close out this ungodly ten game in seventeen day stretch on a high note.  However, a shootout loss in Philly on Friday and a hard-fought regulation loss to Montreal at the Rock on Saturday kept the Devils squarely on the bubble of the playoffs heading into a monumental showdown with a Ranger team struggling even worse than we are in the standings and in their last three games.  Then again, other than five teams in the NHL (Chicago, Anaheim, Pittsburgh, Boston and the Canadiens), who isn’t on the bubble these days?  Besides Team IR down in Sunrise, who’s on the other side of the bubble.

Not that the Devils are a model of health themselves these days, the latest crippling injury being one to Andrei Loktionov, ostensibly day to day after a strain suffered or aggravated early in the Flyers game on Friday.  Not-so-coincidentally the offense has dried up in these two games with only a deflection goal by David Clarkson (his first goal in a month) on Friday and a Peter Harrold power play goal last night keeping us from being shut out in either game.  This despite actually playing well for the most part, even going against a far more desperate team on Friday and a better team yesterday on the back end of our most taxing part of the schedule.

Problem is, the Devils put themselves in a position during the losing streak of death where there really aren’t many acceptable losses left.  We currently sit in seventh with 32 points after 29 games.  Eighth-place Carolina is one point back with two games in hand.  Who’s in ninth and tenth?  New York, New York – with the Isles sitting three points back (one game in hand) and the Rangers at four points back (two games in hand).  There isn’t much room for error, and the projected cutoff line always winds up increasing after the trade deadline as teams make moves and the more desperate teams beat up on the less desperate teams and teams that are out of it.  I have the Devils needing to go 11-8 to secure a playoff spot, which would put us at 54 points.  Perhaps that’s too high of a guess but better safe than sorry.  Coach Pete DeBoer said at the halfway point the Devils needed to win two of every three games, so he’s even shooting higher.

Even the game itself wasn’t as discouraging as some of our own fans, not by a long shot.  I’ll bag on the team as badly as anyone when they deserve it like they did at times during the losing streak, but when they’re giving effort I’m not going to take them out to the woodshed.  With the way fans at the arena, and on the NJDevs message board complained all night long – particularly the loudmouth sth behind me who’s already gotten on my last nerve – you would have thought it was December 2010 when we got whipped by the Habs and Johan Hedberg got pulled before you could blink in the game. I don’t understand how any sane person could watch last night’s game and think the Devils weren’t trying or played lousy.  They outshot Montreal 33-22, including 26-13 in the final two periods when the team was clearly gassed (evidenced by Adam Henrique and Ilya Kovalchuk going to the locker room in the third period for ‘refreshments’ according to the latter – most likely IV treatment).

Yes, the Devils couldn’t score against the cripple ghost of Rick DiPietro with the way things are going, nevermind an actual good goaltender like Carey Price.  Really though, what does anyone expect?  It would be nice if Travis Zajac got to ten points before the end of the season, but losing Zach Parise not only took a chunk out of the total team goalscoring but out of Zajac’s personal offensive game as well.  We’re missing another top six/nine forward in Danius Zubrus and the guy who’d been a revelation leapfrogging Zajac and Adam Henrique into the #1 center role (Loktionov).  There aren’t exactly reinforcements lying around up front the way there are on defense, where we have Henrik Tallinder hurt, Mark Fayne (our best defenseman last year) a healthy scratch and haven’t skipped a beat defensively with Harrold in the lineup.  How Harrold himself only played one of the first twenty-four games or whatever it was is another stupid byproduct of our unbalanced team depth.

Back to our idiot fans though, it’d be one thing if it was just the stupid, obsessive complaining about the team, or complaining about the refs on every single call, but there’s really no reason for some of the lewdness and sexually explicit chants toward women – and I’m not just referring to the Devils Dancers.  During the ceremony to honor goaltending coach Jacques Caron before last night’s game, the nonsense started with unneccesary comments about his girlfriend (his wife passed away a few years back).  What, the guy can’t have a life after being widowed?  Perhaps I should have gotten an inkling at that point it would have been a bad night in the stands.

Not to mention the comments toward a couple of women who were leaving midway through the third period about how they weren’t real fans and a couple other insults thrown in.  Thing is, they weren’t actually leaving the game, they were leaving the section – I only know this cause I happen to know one of the women in question, nice girl who I was surprised was in the section last night cause her brother refuses to sit there anymore.  I almost wanted to turn around and haul off on the guy at that point but I was with three other friends on a night out, and didn’t really feel like starting up anything, especially since to be honest it wouldn’t have been fair at that point since the guy didn’t know ‘why’ she was leaving.  Even so, why be judgemental?  I’ll sometimes shrug when the family who sits in front of me always leaves early (particuarly when they left a 4-4 game against the Isles when we had a late power play in regulation) but you don’t really know everyone else’s situation.  You don’t insult them.  Unless they’re an annoying opposition fan anyway, emphasis on annoying.

That’s the unfortunate byproduct of sitting in one of the cheapest sections of the arena though, you get all the stupidity and drunkeness around you since people can afford to buy five beers given their ticket is the price of less than three.  My tickets got raised a whopping $5 per game for next year, while the loudmouth clown behind me still is at $22 per game one step away.  Last night was one of the few times I was glad it was a short season.  Of course I wound up renewing my seats for next year, and I can always relocate as nobody’s forcing me to stay in 120.  I just don’t want to, given the fact aisle seats for under $30 behind the net aren’t going to come along all the time.  How did I get these?  Simple, the sth who sat there last year was annoyed enough at the section not to renew.  He’s a whiny clown so I don’t want to give him the satisfaction of saying I see why he left, but…

Given all that I’m sure Tuesday’s going to be another barrel of laughs, especially if we lose a 1-0, 2-1 game which is entirely possible with our offensive woes.  Even given the Rangers’ own offensive struggles, and the fact they might be tuning out coach John Tortorella since his screaming fit(s) during and after a 4-1 loss to the Sabres, which came on the heels of winning 5 of 6.  That’s the difference between a nutcase like Tortorella and a calming influence like DeBoer.  He may yell at the team too, but he does it behind closed doors.  I don’t always agree with the coach withholding his criticisms, but in the long run it’s probably best.  And last night I agreed with Pete 1000% after the game:

‘We just needed another goal.  I don’t think I could ask much more of our group considering it was their third game in four nights.  Montreal’s sitting here resting, waiting for us, I thought the guys really emptied the tank and gave us what they had.  When I look at the scoring chances, for every one of those we gave them, they gave us probably three.  We just didn’t put them in.’

At least he can see the big picture, unlike many of our fans.    

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Quote Of Day

Posted on March 17, 2013 by Derek
The Quote Of The Day comes from ultimate warrior Dan Girardi. Danny G will do anything to ignite his struggling team. He epitomizes what they should be about along with Ryan Callahan and Carl Hagelin. The alarm has been sounded.

”It’s gut check time pretty much. ‘We’ve got to figure out what’s going on here and play with some serious desperation. We’re falling in the standings here.‘‘

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Blanked in the Steel City

Posted on March 17, 2013 by Derek
Even when I miss games, it doesn’t seem to matter. This team is just not good. They have yet to put together a stretch that would make the Garden Faithful believe. Instead, we’re left with a soft club that goes belly up once things go bad. The Rangers trailed the Pens by a goal early in the third and were showing signs of life. As soon as Roman Hamrlik didn’t keep the puck in at the blueline, that was the end.

Anton Stralman was forced to take a penalty. On the ensuing power play, the Pens worked the puck around against our tired unit until a pass found that elite sniper Tyler Kennedy, who beat Henrik Lundqvist from an awful angle. I’m also told the goal he permitted to Beau Bennett 1:30 into the contest was a real doozy. Simply put, the losing is taking a toll on Hank, who also went down on all fours for Pascal Dupuis’ marker that finished the Rangers. Not that it was his fault another lazy neutral zone turnover led to Hamrlik getting abused by the combo of Dustin Jeffrey and Dupuis.

It all added up to a 3-0 loss against a team they can’t beat. Embarrassing. Remember how dominant they were against the Atlantic last year? Not anymore. At last check, they’re 4-5-1 versus the division. Not to sound like a broken record. But in a 48-game schedule, you must be better than 8-10-2 against two of three divisions, including your own. The only one they’ve fared well against is the weak ass Southeast (5-2-0). Even that took a hit with Winnipeg sweeping the two games. The Jets won again in a shootout over the Leafs. One of those dreaded three-point games. They’re now up four  and play Ottawa today. Even the Islanders passed us.

Things are looking upside down for the Nash Rangers. In not even half a season, they’ve become Columbus East. Reliant on one star to determine their fate while Marian Gaborik and Brad Richards steal money. The D is in shambles. There’s no supporting cast even if John Tortorella loves Darroll Powe’s work ethic. At least he got 10 minutes. He’s still without a point since the trade. Not to fear. Brian Boyle is stuck on one goal and is playing on the third line. H-E-L-P.

Chris Kreider scored again for Connecticut. So, there’s that. There just isn’t much to get excited over. The Rangers were 13-9-2 at the halfway mark. They haven’t earned a point since, starting the all important stretch drive 0-for-3. Where is the urgency? You can’t win if you don’t score goals. And the look on Lundqvist following the defeat at Winterpeg was one of agony. It’s mental.

As every loss mounts, it seems Tortorella has lost the room. He’s become the man he vowed never to be like. Tom Renney. The dull, grinding style isn’t working with this bunch. Either change or get the hell out. What’s sad is they were very close last year with a different group. As usual, Glen Sather is escaping blame. He royally screwed up the roster. The coach deserves criticism for not adjusting. But the teflon GM who gets too much praise hasn’t delivered a roster worthy of a Cup. Time is ticking on Lundqvist.

At least they held Sidney Crosby in check. You do that and you should have a chance to win. Not this team.

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Suspension? Brayden Schenn hit on Peter Harrold

Posted on March 16, 2013 by Derek

Last night, Brayden Schenn had a questionable hit on Peter Harrold. The Flyer center came high on Harrold resulting in a charge late in regulation. He launched himself into a defenseless Harrold at the end of a play where the whistle blew. The penalty was called. However, as Devils’ color analyst Chico Resch pointed out, Schenn made “a real bonehead play,” that could’ve seriously injured Harrold. Fortunately, he was okay and said he didn’t think the hit was that bad. It’s still the same culprit who had a similar hit on Anton Volchenkov on 1/22- earning a one-game suspension from League Deputy Brendan Shanahan.

In assessing the two hits, this one isn’t as bad as the one on Volchenkov. Schenn now has a history, which could factor in if the NHL decides to review it. The Devils are back in action tonight against the Canadiens. The Flyers are off until Monday when they visit Tampa Bay. That should give Shanahan enough time to decide. Considering that it’s the same player, Schenn probably will face another ban.

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Where’s The Offense?

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Derek
John Tortorella and Brad Richards are two of the reasons for the Rangers lack of success.

A closer look at the Rangers and one has to wonder where the offense is. Following yesterday’s loss at Winnipeg, they currently are 13-11-2 with 28 points through 26 games and rank ninth in the East. Hardly what was expected.

Even with the addition of Rick Nash, they have struggled to score. Nash has done his part pacing the team with 23 points (9-14-23) in 22 contests. The only player to average at least a point-per-game on a roster that features Marian Gaborik and former Conn Smythe winner Brad Richards. Nash missed four games with a mystery injury. Coincidentally, they lost all four earning one point in a shootout defeat at Ottawa.
It’s no secret that Gaborik and Richards haven’t done enough. After scoring six goals and nine points in his first 10, Gaborik has just two goals since with eight points. Unlike Richards, he hasn’t missed a game. That hasn’t stopped John Tortorella from benching him due to poor play away from the puck. If he isn’t finishing (1 goal in 13), he’s not living up to his salary. Interestingly, he’s received less than 19 minutes from Tortorella, who has leaned heavily on Nash, Derek Stepan and Ryan Callahan. 
Before Richards tallied in two consecutive games on 3/8 and 3/10, he’d gone without a goal in 15 (1/26). His struggles have been well documented. The expected top center has not been the same this year. Year Two was supposed to be easier. Instead, it’s been the opposite for Richards, who has 15 points (4-11-15) in 24 contests. On a roster devoid of talent, his point total still is tied for third in team scoring with second-year Swede Carl Hagelin (7-8-15). Callahan ranks fifth with 13, including nine markers. Stepan is second behind Nash with 18 points (7-11-18) following a slow start. 
Richards has only two points on the power play. Both assists. The expected power play point man has failed miserably under Tortorella and assistant Mike Sullivan. On a team that ranks in the bottom third on the man-advantage, he’s taken just 55 shots. Too often, he’s passing up opportunities. One of the biggest problems is his passing, which has led to turnovers. There have been too many instances where a blind pass doesn’t connect, allowing opponents to transition the other way. The Rangers aren’t paying him to be Scott Gomez. It’s taken less than a year for fans to get on the Game Five hero of last year’s Conference Semifinal against Washington. This town loses patience quick. If they are to turn it around, it must fall on Richards, who is one of the leaders of this club. 
That isn’t the only issue. It’s no shock that no Ranger ranks in the top 30 among forwards or defensemen in NHL scoring. If you prorated Nash, he makes it. His nine markers are tied with Callahan for tops. Only Callahan has had success on the power play, leading the team with five power play goals. Stepan is next with two while Nash has only one along with Gaborik, Hagelin, Taylor Pyatt, J.T. Miller and injured defenseman Marc Staal. Richards and Mike Del Zotto have the goose egg. At least Del Zotto has four power play assists. Del Zotto has 10 points (2-8-10) thus far, trailing Staal and Ryan McDonagh (2-9-11) by a point. Last year, he had 41 points (10-31-41) placing fifth on the team. He must produce more. 
No one would dispute that Del Zotto isn’t a power play point man. At this stage of his career, he’s still a work in progress. He’s best when he jumps into the rush and is instinctive. Del Zotto still makes poor decisions like passing up a great chance last night with a forced pass to nowhere. The game was tied. You have to shoot when you’re in the slot. He and Richards are the biggest culprits in that area. He’s taken 41 shots, which trail Dan Girardi by 10. McDonagh has 37 and Anton Stralman, who has three goals on 36 is right behind. Your top offensive blueliner should lead in every offensive category. What’s more? Tortorella doesn’t use Stralman enough on the power play. He’s willing to shoot. It’s better than overusing Girardi, who gets almost 25 minutes. 
The Blueshirts’ lack of depth has been duly noted everywhere. After Nash, Callahan, Gaborik, Stepan and Hagelin, no one has more than four goals. That includes Richards, who has the same amount as Pyatt. One of Glen Sather’s good signings. Though Pyatt’s gone ice cold with just one goal over his last 22. On a team that can’t score, Tortorella uses him on the second and third line. With Brian Boyle only with one goal and top penalty killer Darroll Powe without a point in 15 games, there’s not enough support. The best of the bunch is 19-year old rookie J.T. Miller (2-2-4), who remains up due to his play in all three zones. It’s too much to ask him to score more than he has. In a lot of ways, he reminds me of a young Brandon Dubinsky with a higher ceiling. It’s going to take time.
It hasn’t helped that Tortorella refuses to play his bottom six forwards. Powe has been seen as a solid forechecker but receives about the identical amount of ice-time to Mike Rupp, who has three points (1-2-3) since the trade to Minnesota. He also has reduced Jeff Halpern’s role to a bench warmer. The way he’s run the bench is counterproductive. It also speaks volumes. Does he really like the roster he was given? That doesn’t matter. It’s still his job to do the best job he can. There are too many instances where he tinkers lines which aren’t working. Best example is force feeding Richards with Nash and Hagelin after they had chemistry with Stepan. You can’t do that at the expense of winning in a 48-game sprint. 
Then there’s the style they play. This is my biggest issue with Tortorella. A guy who once modeled himself on Safe Is Death winning the Stanley Cup with Richards in Tampa Bay, has become a total bore. The opposite of his lightning-like reactions to the media during press conferences. This insistence on dumping and chasing isn’t working. They’re not the ’11-12 Rangers. That team got after it and wore down opponents with a grinding style. They won by outworking opponents and didn’t rely on one superstar. Scoring by committee. Part of it was Slats subtracting too many key parts (Anisimov, Dubinsky, Fedotenko, Mitchell, Prust). 
Gone is the work ethic. Simply put, they haven’t proven they can play Tortorella’s system. He’s too stubborn to change. If you have offensive minded players such as Gaborik and Richards, then play to your strength. You don’t think Nash would explode? It could only help Hagelin, who can blow by defenders. Stepan and Callahan aren’t great skaters but could benefit. Miller certainly can fly. Why not go for it instead of sitting back? This team doesn’t win enough close games. Henrik Lundqvist remains without a shutout despite solid numbers (2.27 GAA, .920 save percentage). He’s .500. He stormed off the ice Thursday. Frustration is mounting.
Meanwhile, Chris Kreider remains buried in Connecticut. Entering 2013, I felt he needed to be a factor for this team to have success. Instead, Tortorella soured on him. It hasn’t helped that the organization didn’t realize he was hurt. Kreider will probably stay with the Whale and be a late season call up if our team turns it around. The sad aspect is he is a better fit for this roster. Even if he isn’t ready, it can’t hurt to give him another look over the stone hands crew. Arron Asham has been a colossal bust with one goal and hasn’t played since 2/19, suffering from back spasms. They actually miss him. You can’t make it up.
Unless Tortorella comes to his senses, I can’t see this team being more than a seven or eight that gets bounced in the first round. A far cry from last year. Sometimes, it doesn’t always go according to plan. It looks like Sather miscalculated. They lack punch and too often are underwhelming. 
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Lost In Winterpeg

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Derek
Copyright Getty Images
Photo by John Woods/Canadian Press

I’m trying to come up with the words to describe the latest setback. Passionless. That’s what this team is. Or as Mickey would say to Rocky, they’re bums wearing Ranger jerseys. How do you come out flat after your coach called you out? Maybe they just don’t care. The season is slipping away and the Rangers lost again in regulation to Winnipeg. These are the losses that come back to haunt you.

The Jets were the superior team in every way. They scored more. Checked better. Played tighter defense. And even had the better goaltending. Chalk it all up and Winterpeg jumped ahead of the Rangers with a well earned 3-1 win to move into eighth.

If you’re looking for something positive, forget it. This was awful. They stunk. When Nik Antropov scores on you early and Antti Miettinen first in a century stands up as the winner, you know it’s gotten bad. Did you see his goal? It was the kind of bounce that good teams get. Or ones that go against bad ones. Especially inconsistent teams with Cup expectations. There won’t be any parade for the 2013 Rangers. They’re incapable of putting together 60 minutes. What makes anyone think it’s going to change if they reach the postseason? The Islanders are a point behind them.

Brad Richards can’t make accurate passes and Marian Gaborik can’t finish. It’s basically Rick Nash, Ryan Callahan, Derek Stepan and Carl Hagelin. If those four don’t hit the score sheet, they’re screwed. Unless Richards and Gaborik rediscover themselves, they’re going to have to win a lot of one-goal games. Unlike last year, they’re not built that way. So, we got another frustrating performance that made everyone on Twitter want to drink. This is what you get when you have a mismatched roster that lacks cohesion. Nothing’s changed. They have no identity.

It doesn’t help that Marc Staal remains out indefinitely. Who knows if we’ll even see him back the rest of the season. It’s not worth the risk unless the team does a 180. Right now, you can only count on a handful of guys to show up. I’ll include Dan Girardi and Ryan McDonagh, who are being worn out by John Tortorella. Neither is 100 percent. But they’re warriors. When I stated that Mike Sauer was going to be sorely missed last year, it was due to the physical style he brought. He was the team’s toughest D since Jeff Beukeboom. He still hasn’t been replaced. Steve Eminger was their best blueliner tonight. That’s not a good sign. The Rangers need more from Mike Del Zotto, who still doesn’t know when to shoot. He blew a two-on-one.

As for Henrik Lundqvist, he still is without a shutout and couldn’t steal this one. It’s hard to fault him. But it’s painfully obvious that he isn’t having the kinda year needed. This team can’t score. It’s the same old song and dance. They brought in Nash but lost too many other parts. You can’t have a bunch of stone hands in the bottom six. Why did Tortorella even have Brian Boyle and Micheal Haley out there down a goal? For what purpose? Does Jeff Halpern still exist?  Arron Asham still is out with back spasms. You can’t make this stuff up. Nothing like a healthy Stu Bickel in the lineup.

Tortorella waited too long to reunite Nash with Stepan and Callahan. This insistence on playing him with Richards is ridiculous. It’s not working. This isn’t an 82-game schedule. You can’t do it at the expense of winning. He really has made some baffling decisions. And well, I guess Chris Kreider will remain buried in Connecticut while the team struggles to find offense. Maybe they can recall Kris Newbury. Nothing makes sense in Ranger Land.

So, they’re basically stuck. I hope the Mike Ribeiro rumors are true. He knows how to score and set up teammates. But at what cost? You look at Winnipeg and they got two defensemen who can flat out bomb it in Dustin Byfuglien and Zach Bogosian. Big Buff let go of a seeing eye shot that Miettinen deflected past Lundqvist, who was out of position. That can’t be even if he felt Anton Stralman screened him. He’s starting to resemble Martin Brodeur, who always bitches out his D. The body language is negative. You wonder what’s weighing on Hank’s mind.

The Jets scored first on a power play when Antropov steered home a rebound. The Rangers were MIA the first half only to show a pulse later. They carried momentum into the second where a great shift from Stepan, Gaborik and Callahan resulted in the tying marker. They cycled the Jets in circles until Stepan fired for Callahan, who tipped his ninth past Ondrej Pavelec. Maybe if Del Zotto had shot instead of passed, they might’ve led. Richards also was stoned by Pavelec, who was every bit as good as Lundqvist. He finished with two fewer saves (28).

Just when it seemed they were about to surge ahead, Byfuglien found enough space to get off his rocket and Miettinen beat Stralman to the spot for the game decider. Puzzling. They never recovered. The third was like the first. Most of it, they were unable to complete two passes and forecheck. They turned Winnipeg’s defense into the 1979 Canadiens. It was appalling. Even when they got pressure, I never got a sense they would tie it. Even in the final frantic minute with Lundqvist pulled.

It ended when Nash tried to take on three Jets and predictably lost the puck, leading to Winnipeg captain Andrew Ladd’s empty netter. Coincidentally, Tortorella didn’t use his timeout due to the Jets icing the puck twice. Unfortunately, Stepan lost both faceoffs and Nash tried to do too much. Now, they must go to Pittsburgh for a dreaded matinee (1 PM) on Saturday. Good heavens.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Ryan Callahan, NYR (9th of season-4th straight game with a goal)
2nd Star-Dustin Byfuglien, WPG (2 assists)
1st Star-Ondrej Pavelec, WPG (28 saves)

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NHL realignment now official for next season

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Derek

Today the inevitable finally became a reality as re-alignment is officially ago for the 2013-14 season.  By now I’m sure everyone knows what this means for the local teams, as the current Atlantic Division will gain three new teams – Washington (an old Patrick Division Rival, so they’re not really new), Carolina and Columbus.  Detroit and Columbus both switch over to the two Eastern divisions, which are unnamed as of yet, with Winnipeg going to the West – giving the East two eight-team divisions and the West two seven-team divisions.

Also, the playoff system will undergo some tweaking, as the top three teams from each division will gain automatic berths in each conference’s eight-team postseason, with the top two remaining teams getting ‘wild card’ berths.  In essence, instead of three automatic division winner berths and the five best remaining teams in a conference playoffs, there’s six automatic berths and two wild-cards in a division-based playoffs.  Each division’s #2 and #3 seeds are guaranteed to play each other in the first round.  The division champion with the most points in each conference will play the wild card with the fewest points in that division’s playoff series and the other division winner will play the top wild card in that division’s playoffs.

In layman’s terms, let’s use last season’s point totals as a guide to what that’ll mean under the new system.  In our division, the Rangers (109), Penguins (108) and Flyers (103) would get automatic playoff spots while Boston (102), Detroit (102) and Florida (94) would be the automatic berths from the other division.  New Jersey (102) and Washington (92) would gain the wild-cards as the top teams remaining, with Ottawa (92) being the first team out of the playoffs.  New York would have played Washington in the first round since they finished with the most points and the Caps with the least, so in essence the Devils would be a crossover team facing Boston in the Northeast/whatever playoffs.  Philly-Pittsburgh and Detroit-Florida would be the other first-round series.

It’s sobering to think under that format the Devils probably don’t get out of the first round last year.  Be that as it may, the Atlantic/whatever name it winds up being Division championship would have been Rangers-Flyers assuming playoff results from last year held, with Boston-Detroit the other likely division final.  Both winners would then face off in the Conference Finals.  In that respect, the final four is similar with the two remaining teams in the East facing off for a berth in the Finals against one of the two remaining teams in the West.  At least the playoffs themselves are still fundamentally unchanged – it still takes four best-of-seven series to win the Cup, there’s no ‘extra’ playoff teams.

Of course assuming last year’s point totals would hold up would be erroneous since the schedule format itself has also undergone a more radical change.  Under the new format (which will remain in place for ‘at least’ two years), each East team would face its division rivals either four or five times – two teams five times, the other five teams four times, with the extra game presumably rotating year-to-year between different division teams.  You also play each team in the other East division three times – two home, one away or vice-versa.  Ironically, this format for conference games isn’t much different than this year’s schedule, only with more division teams obviously as each conference goes from having three five-team divisions to two seven/eight-team divisions.

What is different from this year’s schedule obviously is the non-conference schedule, which now includes a home-and-home with every team out West.  To sum up the math for us tri-staters:

-30 division games (five against two teams, four against five others)
-24 conference games (three against other conference teams)
-28 non-conference games (home-and-home with every team out West)

Out West the math is slightly different, given there’s only fourteen teams there but the principle remains the same.  Cynics may, and will say that this format is only a placeholder until expansion.  Perhaps that’s true.  I try not to be one of those fans that has an automatic knee-jerk reaction to anything new the NHL does is bad.  Really, division playoffs aren’t new, although I’m just young enough that I never experienced it as a fan. My biggest fault with this system though – in addition to the inequality of conferences (would it really have been that hard to keep Columbus out West, have fifteen teams in every conference and give every team a truly equal opportunity to make the playoffs?), is the fact that it isn’t really true division playoffs anyway.  In theory, under last year’s point totals the Devils could have won the ‘Northeast’ playoff bracket while five teams would have made the playoffs from what I call the Western division (Vancouver, Phoenix, San Jose, LA and Calgary – taking the place of Detroit).

It seems to me as if the NHL tried to have it both ways with this playoff format.  They wanted to guarantee a majority of division matchups in the first two rounds without actually locking in division matchups for every series.  Granted, having four teams in a division be locked into the playoffs would cause screaming and yelling from fifth-place teams in other divisions that have more points than a fourth-place team.  In that sense, this format does ensure the top eight teams make the playoffs.  Still, instead of a relatively simple ‘division winners and the rest of the top eight make it’ which it currently is, this format will be a lot more complicated to explain to the so-called casual fan the NHL keeps trying in vein to hook.  And by the time most people get it, it’ll probably change again presuming there is expansion soon as has been speculated.

As far as the schedule goes, there are pluses and minues to being able to see every team every season.  Stating the obvious, it is an NBA-like schedule and that’s the league the NHL’s most often compared to since the seasons have overlapping months with the exact same game length for regular season and playoffs.  Part of me won’t mind the variety of seeing every team, and part of me will wonder why we only have 16-18 total games against the Flyers, Rangers, Pens and Islanders in a given 82-game season.  Perhaps fewer division games will compensate for the fact that the first two rounds of the playoffs are going to be heavily weighted in division.

Everyone wants to speculate what this means in regards to competition, and obviously our division – already the toughest in the league – got even tougher adding Carolina, Washington and even a Columbus team which is already improving under new president John Davidson.  It will be nice to have the Caps back as someone who didn’t quite grow up with the Patrick Division as I wasn’t a big hockey fan in the late ’80’s but I’m certainly familiar with it, and Carolina has a built-in division rivalry with the Caps and playoff rivalry with us.  Columbus might be able to develop a rivalry with Pittsburgh in time (among other teams) and certainly there’ll be a bit of a rivalry with the Rangers with the Rick Nash factor, but right now they seem a bit miscast in this division, even if travel will be better for them.

Then again, the league is tougher as a whole.  Parity just gets more pronounced each season and this year you could probably count the number of teams on one hand that are out of the postseason mix at this point.  It’ll be interesting to see how it all shakes out.

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