Battle Of Hudson

The last time the Rangers and Devils met, it was for Game Six on 5/25/12 at The Prudential Center. Adam Henrique crushed Blueshirt hearts by scoring over a minute into sudden death to send the Devils to the Stanley Cup Final. As cruel an ending for the Manhattan side of the Hudson as Stephane Matteau’s double overtime winner was to New Jersey 18 years earlier.

Maybe it’s like Devil blogger Hasan said. It had to be that way. A series hardly fought came down to a goal mouth scramble with the hungrier team getting to the loose puck to exact revenge. The only difference is the Devils didn’t win the Cup. Instead, they fell to the Kings in six. Even with their three championships since our last Cup, ’11-12 holds a special place in Devil hearts. They beat their biggest rival to advance to a fifth Cup appearance. All with hockey legend Martin Brodeur in net after he outplayed Henrik Lundqvist. At age 40, Marty was better than 30-year old Henrik.

A fact that still stings. In truth, our team didn’t deserve to win the series. They were done in by Ryan Carter, Stephen Gionta and Steve Bernier. The Devils’ grind line had a bigger impact than departed captain Zach Parise. David Clarkson killed us more than a banged up Ilya Kovalchuk. Even Patrik Elias didn’t have a great series. It didn’t matter because the Ranger offense dried up. Marian Gaborik was a shell of himself following the bum shoulder in Round One against Ottawa. Brad Richards was invisible and Derek Stepan was a non-factor. They still found a way to comeback and tie Game Six 2-2 thanks to former Rangers Artem Anisimov and Ruslan Fedotenko.

Even in defeat, that team fought tooth and nail. The same Rangers we loved dug out of a 3-0 hole in the pivotal Game Five at MSG. A comeback I predicted in my 411 seat. I just didn’t see Gionta threading the needle to Carter for a gut wrenching loss our team couldn’t recover from. They never led after capturing Game Three. Credit the Devils for playing a perfect series. They were better when it mattered.

It makes tonight’s first regular season meeting at the scene of the crime feel odd. I still feel emptiness writing this much the way I did this post last year. I guess anytime you lose in that fashion, it takes a long time to recover emotionally. Based on the Rangers’ mediocre start, I’m not sure if they’re fully recovered. They’ve given up some bad goals where they just stood around or fell down like with Richards, Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi on Henrique’s crusher. Team defense hasn’t been consistent. Lundqvist is rounding into form. The offense is missing a key ingredient from last year.

You can’t trade for Rick Nash and expect him to solve everything. He’s been good. His second goal a beauty similar to one new Hockey Hall Of Famer Pavel Bure once scored as a Blueshirt. If John Tortorella is going to keep Gaborik, Richards and Nash together along with Stepan, Taylor Pyatt and Carl Hagelin, that leaves two different lines following the trade of Mike Rupp to Minnesota for Darroll Powe and Nick Palmieri, who debuts for the Whale tonight against Albany fittingly. I guess the schedule makers have a real cruel sense of humor. It’s Devils/Rangers Night.

It probably makes sense to have Powe play with Brian Boyle since he plays a straight forward, checking game that should mesh. I wouldn’t be too shocked if they’re killing penalties together. Powe blocked three more shots than Ryan Callahan. Captain Cally practiced in a non-contact jersey but remains out. Chris Kreider is listed as questionable for tonight.

Where does Tort play J.T. Miller? Does he start on the fourth line? It’s his NHL debut. I’m sure our coach will be careful how he manages JT’s minutes. He’s only 19 and in his first pro year. The 20 points (8-12-20) with the Whale are encouraging. This probably is just a cameo to see where he is in his development with Kreider and Callahan close to returning. Though the team could use Miller’s energy. The Rangers have yet to go over .500. The Hudson rematch would be as good a place as any to improve their record.

I’m not going to guess on what the rest of the lineup will be. Matt Gilroy’s played the last couple on the blueline with Anton Stralman. Stu Bickel’s taken a few shifts up front. It is the Devils. He probably will dress over Brandon Mashinter. Though I’d be curious to see what Mashinter can add. UPDATE: Mashinter was sent back to the Whale.

The goalie match-up should be a pair of marvelous 30’s. Lundqvist returns after Marty Biron performed admirably in a road win over Tampa Bay. Brodeur should be back in following Johan Hedberg’s shutout on Long Island. I’m sure the atmosphere at Prudential Center will be chaotic with “Hen—rique” and “Hen—rik” chants along with “Hen—rique’s Better,” from the Devil contingent.

Both teams have struggled on special teams. It’s no secret how bad our power play is while theirs isn’t much better. But they do get it set up. The Devils still boast a strong PK while the Rangers has been disappointing. They’ve taken too many penalties. In the win over the Bolts, they took only one penalty. They must remain disciplined.

I’m sure it’ll be entertaining. These are the best games. Tonight’s not about revenge. You don’t earn it in a regular season match. It’s what you learned from last year and how you apply it. 

The Rangers weren’t done making moves. Following the trade of Mike Rupp to Minnesota for Darroll Powe and Nick Palmieri, the organization recalled J.T. Miller. The 19-year old center who was selected in the first round of the ’11 Draft (15th overall) could make his NHL debut tomorrow against the Devils in Newark.

Despite only being 19, the Blueshirts signed Miller to an entry level deal last year. He’s tallied eight goals and 12 assists for 20 points with the Connecticut Whale (AHL). Miller had two assists in the Whale’s 5-4 overtime defeat to Bridgeport. His development is crucial to the Rangers’ future. In light of the Rick Nash blockbuster with Columbus, the Rangers lost valuable assets Artem Anisimov, Brandon Dubinsky and Tim Erixon.

Combined with the departures of Brandon Prust, Ruslan Fedotenko and John Mitchell, who’s been reborn in Colorado, Glen Sather hurt the team’s depth. The one move he made that’s paid dividends so far is signing Taylor Pyatt, who ironically enough I wanted. Pyatt has scored three goals and tallied two assists- becoming a versatile forward John Tortorella can plug in. With injuries to rookie Chris Kreider and captain Ryan Callahan, Slats had no choice but to deal Rupp to fill a hole. Powe can bring energy and kill penalties while Palmieri supplies more depth in Connecticut.

Miller has had an interesting winter. Aside from getting his feet wet in the pros, he helped lead Team USA to the gold medal at the 2013 WJC in Russia. As an alternate captain, he posted two goals and seven helpers under Phil Housley– teaming with leading scorer Johnny Gaudreau to form two/thirds of USA’s top line. While he wasn’t as exciting as Gaudreau or current Habs rookie Alex Galchenyuk, Miller was often in the right place during the holiday tournament. He was solid both ways and played with an edge. Something the Rangers are severely lacking.

Also called up is Brandon Mashinter. A 24-year old former Shark who put up seven points (3-4-7 and 14 penalty minutes in eight games with the Whale. A player who will mix it up. Making room on the roster, Benn Ferriero was sent down. He posted an assist in four games. Ferriero didn’t do anything wrong. It’s just our team looking for a spark.

The Rangers made a trade. In kind of a surprising move, they dealt enforcer Mike Rupp to the Wild for forwards Darroll Powe and Nick Palmieri.

Powe is 27 and can help the Rangers’ penalty killing unit. They’ve given up eight power play goals in 37 attempts to rank a disappointing 19th. Powe possesses speed and plays physical. He blocked three more shots (91) than Ryan Callahan (88) last year. He also gets in on the fore check and throws around the body. Something John Tortorella’s looking for.

He joins his third team (Flyers, Wild) tomorrow when the Rangers visit the Devils for the first time since Adam Henrique ended their season last Spring. Don’t expect too much offense. Powe has never scored more than nine goals. In eight games with Minnesota this season, he’s without a point. They were using him primarily on the fourth line. If he can supply energy to our otherwise vanilla roster, then it’s a steal for Glen Sather.

Rupp was in the second year of a three-year, $3.5 million contract Sather signed him to last year. Outside of burning the Flyers for two goals in the team’s exciting win at the Winter Classic, he never really established himself. He played hurt last year and was a good locker room presence who Tortorella leaned on. However, our coach refused to play him. He was used sparingly in eight games and now goes to a team who needs toughness. Even though Rupp lost the majority of his fights, he was a good teammate. Best of luck to him in Minnesota where he’ll be reunited with Zach Parise.

Also part of the deal is former Devil forward Palmieri. He joins his third roster in less than a year. He was selected by the Devils in the third round of the ’07 Draft. Palmieri spent parts of two seasons in New Jersey, getting into 78 games before Lou Lamoriello included him in the Marek Zidlicky trade. He posted 13 goals and 12 assists for 25 points all with the Devils. Palmieri was without a point in nine contests for the Wild last year. In 40 games with Houston, he has 21 points (10-11-21). The Rangers assigned him to Connecticut.

On paper, it looks like a good deal. Slats got two younger forwards for Rupp, who Tortorella barely used. Powe’s contract expires next year. His cap hit ($1.067 million) is more friendly than Rupp’s ($1.5 M) saving cap space. Palmieri is more of a project who’s a restricted free agent next year. He has size (6-3, 220) which our roster can use. Who knows if he’ll ever land in Broadway.

After a wild home loss to the Islanders on Thursday which was followed by a beatdown in Pittsburgh yesterday, the Devils changed the script on Long Island this afternoon.  For one, Johan Hedberg was in goal for the Devils’ third matchup against the Islanders after Martin Brodeur had started the first two.  Also, Mark Fayne was back in the lineup after missing two games with an arm injury – with Henrik Tallinder sitting this one out as a healthy scratch.  Finally (and I do mean finally), Bobby Butler was called up as the Devils’ latest ‘tryout’ up front after putting up a team-leading sixteen goals for Albany in the AHL.

For a day, the changes worked as the Devils finally got off the schneid, winning their first game in five tries by  shutting out the Islanders 3-0.  Of course, that score was extremely misleading as the game was still 0-0 with under four minutes remaining thanks to stellar goaltending in both nets, from Moose and Evgeni Nabokov – who’s career has been reborn on Long Island.  Despite a mostly frustrating afternoon (starting with a 7-3 edge in power plays for the Islanders), the Devils stuck with it and eventually were finally able to break through on their power play with 3:54 remaining when Steve Bernier scored the first of his two(!) goals.  Bernier’s second goal, on his next shift seventy seconds later gave the Devils some breathing room and David Clarkson‘s empty-netter finished it off for good with twenty-two seconds left.

Clearly this game was a lot different than Thursday’s shootout at the Rock, and the main reason why was again special teams.  This time, the Devils penalty kill did the job with their best defenseman (Fayne) back in the fold, allowing only seven shots on net in seven different power plays spanning 11:30.  Other than a phantom call on Adam Larsson in the second period, you couldn’t really question many of the calls on the Devils but it did seem like the Isles were getting the benefit of the doubt on non-calls.  To such an extent that Nabokov erroneously went to the bench during the third period when the ref held his arm up in the air…to signal a Islander penalty this time, after several straight calls had gone against us.

Then again with the way our power play has looked lately, I didn’t really want to see it much anyway.  Our first power play was cut short early in the first period when a lazy blind pass by Ilya Kovalchuk went to – who else? – Michael Grabner, and Andy Greene wisely chopped him down before he could begin one of his patented breakaways.  Our next power play came early in the third period, and it nearly proved disasterous, as again a blind Kovalchuk cross-ice pass went onto the stick of Grabner…and this time there was nobody between him and Hedberg.  Fortunately, Moose stayed with Grabner and made a lunging pad save to foil yet another breakaway chance by the pesky Islander forward.  That was merely the best save on a night where Moose put together a highlight reel, including another fine save on John Tavares after he deked around Bryce Salvador and got a quality chance in the slot.

At least the Devils did keep the shot total down – only allowing twenty-two despite all the power play time from the Islanders.  Give the penalty kill the nod today for stepping it up, and completely turning things around from Thursday night, when the Isles’ 3-4 in power play efficiency was the difference.  This time, their 0-7 was the difference in a more positive way for New Jersey.  Irony of ironies, it was the power play that would finally step up and break the deadlock late in the third period (and even more ironic that it was a bad call on Brian Strait that would give us the decisive PP, after some far more egreious Islander offenses went unpunished earlier).

As Chico (or Steve, can’t remember which) noted at the start of the power play, this was a similar situation to Thursday night with it being a tie game late, and a Devils’ PP giving them a chance to get a huge regulation win.  For the longest time, it looked like this would be yet another fruitless power play, with the only good news being that Kovalchuk didn’t throw the puck away this time.  However, lightning finally struck with just seconds remaining on the man advantage when Greene’s shot deflected off the stick of Adam Henrique, and right to Bernier, who stuffed the puck in just inside the right post.  Finally, someone put the puck on net during the power play and it paid dividends, will wonders never cease?

Fortunately there would be no dramatic finish as Bernier scored yet again on his next shift – this time with familiar linemates Ryan Carter and Stephen Gionta getting the assists on his second goal.  Somewhat surprisingly he wasn’t out there at the end to try and get a hat trick into the empty net, but letting Moose keep his shutout was paramount, and that he did.  Though every game’s been competitive to the final buzzer, the Devils have managed to take five of a possible six points from the three games with the Isles this year, with two more matchups left this season (on Long Island on the 16th this month, and at the Rock on April 1).

However, now attention will shift to the Devils’ next game – against that other New York team on Tuesday.  I’m sure Derek will have more on the Conference Finals rematch but little really needs to be said at this point.  You know it will be Brodeur and Henrik Lundqvist in net, you know Devils fans are going to go crazy with ‘Henrique!’ chants, and you know it’ll be testy between the players…maybe even the coaches too.  Both teams have had their struggles on this young season, but the Rangers got back to .500 last night with a win in Tampa Bay, while the Devils have nine points in seven games despite their four straight losses before this afternoon’s game.

Something had to change for the Rangers. Coming off a lousy showing against Pittsburgh, they bounced back with a better effort against one of the league’s hottest teams. Tampa Bay came in winners of six of seven, having blown the doors off Winnipeg Friday. Perhaps our team caught them at the right time. In easily their best game of 2013, the Rangers came back to beat the Lightning 3-2.

It was their first road win. The previous two were losses to the Bruins and Flyers in which they mustered one goal in each. It took a while for them to break through on Mathieu Garon but persistence paid off. Encouraging was the improved play from Derek Stepan and Carl Hagelin. Both had been called out in this space for not finishing. Tonight, their line with Taylor Pyatt was easily our best. They fore checked repeatedly, finally getting results.

Trailing 1-0 on a Steven Stamkos power play goal, Stepan finished off a play in front that tied it. Hagelin started it with a shot that caromed off Pyatt right to Stepan for a tap in. It was his first goal of the season, erasing a long drought dating back to last year’s first round against Ottawa. Maybe that’ll get him going. His line dominated Tampa’s D by repeatedly working the puck in and cycling for chances. They easily could’ve had more in the second if not for Garon.

Somewhat ironically, the Blueshirts scored two in the third despite being outshot 15-4. Thru two periods, they led in shots 26-17. The third was a bit tricky with the talented Bolts forcing Marty Biron to come up big in his first start. He was up to the challenge. While Biron kept Tampa at bay, another key performer delivered a clutch goal.

Rick Nash was acquired for such moments. For the first time in six games, he scored. It was much in the same fashion as his first in our jersey. Following a stellar defensive play from Marc Staal, Nash took a Brad Richards cross ice feed and abused Victor Hedman, tucking the puck past Garon at 3:04. It was a highlight reel goal from the power forward, who earlier failed to clear a puck that led to Stamkos’ PPG. Both Nash’s goals have been awesome. Now, let’s see if he can put together a hot streak. It would be perfect timing with the Devils and Islanders coming up.

Trailing for the first time, the Lightning came with everything. They dominated play with the trio of Vinny Lecavalier, Marty St. Louis and Stamkos buzzing. Our D bent but didn’t break. Neither did Biron, whose concentration was on. He made some key saves to retain the lead. He finished with 30 stops.

Predictably, John Tortorella went with three lines following Stu Bickel’s penalty. The only one a more disciplined Ranger club took. They definitely paid closer attention to detail. A trademark of last year’s roster. The big line of Nash, Richards and Marian Gaborik stayed together while the Stepan line continued to make things happen. Tort used Brian Boyle with Jeff Halpern and Arron Asham, who actually played within himself. Halpern drew a penalty and Boyle blocked shots.

With the Lightning threatening, some strong play from Pyatt, Stepan and Hagelin led to the clincher. Pyatt forced a turnover in the neutral zone and pushed the puck for a cutting Hagelin, who one-handed it past Garon for his first goal. A great hustle play by Pyatt and Hagelin, combining for a huge goal.  The Rangers led 3-1 with 5:13 left.

As often is the case, the clock hardly moved. Whenever you want a win, it seems to stand still forever. Eventually, Tampa Bay pulled Garon for an extra attacker. It looked like they’d get nothing. Our D was that good with even Mike Del Zotto playing strongly. However, the refs missed a Ryan Malone cross check on Staal. Eventually, the Bolts took advantage when Stamkos buried a rocket from Matt Carle to make it 3-2 with 21 seconds remaining.

Tampa got one last frantic chance but a one-timer hit Lecavalier in front as the buzzer sounded, giving the Rangers an important win. They’re back to .500 (4-4-0) with the Devils on Tuesday.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Marty Biron, NYR (30 saves in 1st start, 14 in 3rd-could’ve been Pyatt but they don’t win without Marty)
2nd Star-Carl Hagelin, NYR (GW-1st of season, assist 4 SOG, +1-he was everywhere)
1st Star-Derek Stepan, NYR (1st of season, 4 SOG, 4 hits-very strong game)

JT Miller is a prospect the Rangers are watching closely.

Last night, it was a battle of prospects between the Islanders and Rangers. The Bridgeport Sound Tigers defeated the Connecticut Whale 5-4 in overtime at Hartford. Sean Backman notched the winner at 1:57.

Bridgeport rallied from two one-goal deficits. John Persson’s power play tally in the third period tied the game 4-4. It was his 15th from defensemen Aaron Ness and Ty Wishart. Wishart had two assists. Three Tigers had multi-point efforts, including Backman (1-1-2) Persson (1-1-2) and Wishart (0-2-2). They also got goals from Jack Combs, Blair Riley and Matt Watkins. Kevin Poulin made 32 saves.

Regarding the Prospect Watch, Brock Nelson, Matt Donovan and Kirill Kabanov each had helpers. Nino Niederreiter was held without a point and only had one shot. It’ll be interesting to see how El Nino responds following his trade request. The Islanders are doing what’s best for his development. He’s having a good pro year with 36 points (19-17-36) helping him become an AHL All-Star. He’s only 20 and shouldn’t be rushed with the big club off to a good start.

For the Whale, Blake Parlett, Micheal Haley, Brandon Segal and Kelsey Tessier scored. Haley has five goals and seven assists with 113 penalty minutes with Connecticut. He’s tough as nails and has played in the NHL before with the Islanders. You wonder if the organization might consider recalling him if the Rangers continue to play soft. The fourth line is giving them zilch. At least with Haley, you know he can bang. Though he’s a bit of a loose cannon.

Prospects J.T. Miller and Christian Thomas combined to set up Parlett on the power play for a 4-3 lead with 26 seconds left in the second. Miller was an integral part of Team USA’s gold at the WJC 2013. He played well, setting up red hot linemate Johnny Gaudreau. Miller also did the little things, going to the net to screen goalies. The former No.1 pick is a smart player, who could see a cameo on Broadway soon. He’s still adjusting to life in the pros. Yesterday, his two assists gave him 19 points (7-12-19) for the season.

Thomas is kind of forgotten. He was a second round pick in 2010. The son of former NHLer Steve Thomas possesses skill in a diminutive 5-9, 174 frame. He’s had an up and down year in Connecticut, posting nine goals and eight assists in 44 games. He’s just 21 and turned pro last year. The question is can he make the next level. We’ve seen other small players do it with other teams. The Rangers must show patience.

AHL vet Mike Vernace had two assists. Prospect Andrew Yogan added a helper as did Kris Newbury. First-year pro Kyle Jean had no points and was minus-one. He’s cooled considerably since a hot start. The undrafted rookie center from Lake Superior State has eight goals and 10 assists. Goalie Cam Talbot faced 41 shots and stopped 36.

Some notables from Bridgeport this season are Donovan and Johan Sundstrom. Donovan has performed well on the blueline. He’s a name Islander fans should be hearing from in the future. With 21 points (6-15-21) in his second pro year, he’s a player with upside who can help the Islander back end. Sundstrom is faring well in his first season. The 20-year old Swede has 11 goals with 14 assists for 25 points and a plus-10 rating. He’s tied with Nelson for third in team scoring. Nelson being a former second round pick who also flies under the radar due to ’11 No.1 pick Ryan Strome.

When the Islanders hit Brooklyn, they’ll be rich in talent and ready to be a playoff contender.