Rangers’ Bad Third Period Proves Costly in Loss to Capitals

Posted on January 13, 2024 by Derek

When it’s not going well, the little things add up. In their fourth straight loss, the Rangers continued to be their own worst enemy. A bad third period turned a 2-1 lead into a frustrating 3-2 loss to the Capitals on Saturday afternoon in DC.

Despite the Caps missing Alex Ovechkin from the lineup, they found a way to come back and defeat the Rangers by one goal. They got strong play from goali Charlie Lindgren. He stopped all 10 shots in the third period to improve to 2-0 versus the Rangers this season. He also made 31 saves against them in a 4-0 shutout on Dec. 9.

In the battle of brothers, it was the elder Lindgren who came out on top over younger brother Ryan Lindgren. The Rangers defenseman was also busy during the contest. He was involved in an altercation with Nic Dowd late in the first period due to a clean hit he landed on Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary. It shouldn’t have prompted a response. But that’s how the game’s become.

Wilson Bloodies Brodzinski

Earlier in the first period, Capitals forward Tom Wilson bloodied Jonny Brodzinski. He was called for a boarding minor. Anton Blidh responded to the hit by cross-checking Wilson. That led to Connor McMichael roughing Blidh during the scrum. McMichael received the extra two minutes to put the Rangers on a power play that they failed to capitalize on.

Regarding the Wilson hit on Brodzinski, he didn’t target him from behind. As ESPN studio analyst P.K. Subban illustrated during a segment with Mark Messier, Wilson came from the side and let up. Messier took it a step further by indicating that Brodzinski put himself in a vulnerable position.

Even if you’re not the biggest fan of Wilson, the penalty was for Brodzinski turning into him. There are too many overly sensitive hockey fans who have forgotten what the game used to be. It’s become much softer. There was nothing malicious about Wilson’s hit. Both Messier and Subban crushed it with their stance on the Lindgren hit. It’s a hockey play.

Fox Gives Rangers the Lead

With the game still scoreless, a good play by Will Cuylle in the offensive zone forced Capitals defenseman Nick Jensen into a turnover. His aggression led directly to Adam Fox, giving the Rangers the lead.

On a play down low after Cuylle moved the puck to Chris Kreider, he got it across for Fox. His intended return pass came right back to him for an easy goal that put the Rangers up 1-0 with 6:37 remaining in the first period.

It was Fox’s third goal in four games. After going without a goal since Oct. 28, Fox has suddenly been finding the back of the net with regulatory. He’d later add another goal to make it four goals over the last four games.

The lead proved to be short-lived.

Mantha Ties It

On a play in the Caps’ zone, a K’Andre Miller misread had a bad result. His pinch at the point put Jacob Trouba in a tough spot. McMichael sent Anthony Mantha on a breakaway where he beat Jonathan Quick to tie the score with over two minutes left in the period.

Miller got caught reaching to try to prevent the McMichael lead pass that sprung Mantha for his 12th goal of the season. It was another mistake from the suddenly struggling Rangers defenseman. He’s made several during the team’s four-game losing streak. Miller has to do a better job defensively.

Fox Strikes Again

During an evenly played second period in which both Quick and Lindgren made crucial stops, the Rangers were able to surge back ahead thanks to Fox. He struck again to give the Rangers their second lead of the contest.

Fox stepped up and fired a slap shot from the right point that went through a Jimmy Vesey screen past Lindgren for his second goal of the game. The goal was unassisted. The Rangers led 2-1, with under 15 minutes left in the period.

Quick stopped all 10 shots in the period to allow the Rangers to take the one-goal lead to the locker room. He played another good game. It’s been discussed around hockey circles. It’s Quick that gives the Rangers the best chance of winning. He’s outplayed “All-Star” Igor Shesterkin. We’ll see how Shesterkin responds in tomorrow’s rematch at Madison Square Garden.

Defensive Miscues Hurt

In the third period, the Rangers made too many mistakes to finish off the Caps. There was an undisciplined Kreider slashing minor that ended a power play a minute in. Ultimately, defensive miscues hurt the most.

Still ahead by one, the Rangers fell asleep during a Caps’ rush in transition. After Carlson passed the puck up for Evgeny Kuznetsov, he breezed by a lazy Zibanejad stick check and then was allowed to circle around the net. Kuznetsov then had his backhand tipped in by Dowd, who beat Miller to the front of the net. That tied the score.

On another mindless defensive shift less than two minutes later, Fox made a bad read that led directly to an easy tap in for T.J. Oshie. Capitals defenseman Joel Edmundson started it with a pass up for Dylan Strome. After Fox’s step up didn’t work, that created a two-on-one down low. Strome easily passed across for an easy Oshie goal that gave the Caps the lead with 11:31 left in regulation.

It’s been those kinds of eye-opening mistakes that have the Rangers struggling. If the Hurricanes win over the Penguins tonight, their lead for first place will be down to a single point.

Lindgren Shuts The Door

Following the Caps’ pair of goals that turned a one-goal deficit into a 3-2 lead, they limited the Rangers offensively. While they wound up out-shooting Washington 10-6, there weren’t many Grade A chances.

The best opportunity came when Zibanejad tested Lindgren high. But he got his glove up to deny him.

With Quick off for an extra attacker, the Rangers got two more chances with time winding down. Alexis Lafreniere had his one-timer in the slot stopped by Lindgren with 1:19 left. It was a tight window. He couldn’t quite lift the puck.

The final opportunity came with 11 seconds to go. They had Vincent Trocheck open for a one-timer. However, his shot went high and wide. Despite dominating on faceoffs by winning 20 of 24, the Rangers’ best center (this season) couldn’t force overtime.

Hopefully, Trocheck will make it to the All-Star Game on merit. Unlike the starting goalie, he deserves to go to Toronto.

Rematch Tomorrow

With the Caps holding up their end of the bargain by winning on home ice for the second time this season, it’s up to the Rangers to do the same in tomorrow’s rematch at 1 EST. If they can, they’ll finally end the losing streak and conclude the season series with a split against the Caps. If they can’t, then there are bigger issues.

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Passive Hockey Costing Rangers During Season Worst Stretch

Posted on January 11, 2024 by Derek

If you checked the game sheet of tonight’s Rangers’ 5-2 loss to the Blues, you probably think they didn’t play badly. If only it were that simple.

The Rangers out-shot the Blues by a healthy 43-19 margin. It didn’t mean anything. By continuing to play passive hockey during the worst stretch of the season, they’re costing themselves games.

It didn’t matter that they were without Mika Zibanejad, who was a late scratch due to sickness. The flu is going around. Hopefully, it’s not a team epidemic.

If you watched Thursday night’s game, the Rangers looked like they were in a malaise. There were too many missed assignments and undisciplined play that allowed the Blues to score four goals on 19 shots past Igor Shesterkin. It was the latest game that he gave up four or more goals. It was the third start in his last four where he allowed at least four goals.

Of course, it isn’t all his fault. The Rangers gave gotten away from the structure they had. At one point, they were one of the league’s best defensive teams. Continuing to sink out of the top 10 in goals allowed per game, they’re headed the wrong way.

The issue is that the Hurricanes continue to climb in the standings. Their latest win (6-3 over Ducks) pulled them within three points of the Rangers for first place in the Metropolitan Division. The Islanders and Flyers are six behind. Teams behind the Rangers are catching up. That great start afforded them a slump. They’re under .500 over the last 17 games (8-8-1).

Fox Scores and Then Gives It Back

Skating without Zibanejad, the Rangers dressed 11 forwards and 7 defensemen. That meant a cameo for Zac Jones. It also significantly weakened the Rangers’ lines. Jonny Brodzinski replaced Zibanejad to play with Chris Kreider and Will Cuylle. Barclay Goodrow centered the third line between Jimmy Vesey and Blake Wheeler. The checking line was Jake Leschyshyn with Nick Bonino and whoever they double shifted. Neither played much.

Related: Rangers’ Depth Is Becoming An Issue

At least Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck, and Alexis Lafreniere were still intact. Despite generating a lot of offense at even strength, the Rangers’ best scoring line was shut down by Blues goalie Jordan Binnington. He had a strong night finishing with 40 saves. That included a combined 13 on Lafreniere and Panarin. Both couldn’t solve him.

Before two minutes had gone by in the game, Adam Fox scored his fifth goal of the season to give the Rangers an early 1-0 lead. He put in a Goodrow rebound for his second goal in three games.

But after he’d put them ahead, Fox made a mistake that led to Jordan Kyrou tying it. Following both players colliding inside the Blues’ zone, Fox was late to recover. Kyrou got back up quickly and was left wide open to bury a Pavel Buchnevich feed for his first goal of what proved to be a big night.

Kyrou Puts Blues Ahead

After Bonino took an ill-advised delay of the game penalty, that put the Blues on the power play. It didn’t matter that they came in with the worst ranked power play.

Instead, the four Rangers’ penalty killers backed up and allowed Robert Thomas and Buchnevich easy access to set up a Kyrou power-play goal for a 2-1 Blues lead. This was about as soft as it gets. Nobody took anyone. It was way too easy.

Even in a period where the Rangers created some opportunities, they were held to one goal on 13 shots by Binnington. While they applied forecheck pressure, the defense remained sketchy. Kyrou nearly completed the hat trick before the first period concluded.

Undisciplined Penalties Doom Rangers

In the second period, the Rangers were their own worst enemy. They took three consecutive mindless penalties. Those undisciplined penalties doomed them.

After killing off a Brodzinski holding minor, Goodrow interfered with Torey Krug behind the Rangers’ net. That put the Blues back up a man. Unable to capitalize on the penalty, the Blues were handed a third straight man-advantage when Trocheck hooked into Kasperi Kapanen.

It only took 13 seconds for the Blues to cash in with another power-play goal. Brandon Saad converted from Brayden Schenn and Krug to put the Blues ahead 3-1 with 10:34 left in the second period.

Kreider Comes Close Twice

Finally, on the power play after Krug slashed Kreider, the Rangers sent out a top unit that included Lafreniere with Panarin, Fox, Trocheck, and Kreider. They moved the puck around well. Kreider came close twice.

He hit the goalpost on two chances. One came early on the five-on-four. The second came later. Binnington was able to cover the puck to get a stoppage. He also denied both Panarin and Lafreniere.

That’s the kind of game it was. The Rangers couldn’t quite figure out how to beat Binnington consistently. Luck was on his side on the Kreider opportunities.

Kyrou Gets Hat Trick

On a broken play in the Blues’ zone, Nick Leddy cleared the puck right to Kyrou, who got the hat trick with under 13 minutes left in the third period.

He picked up the puck and skated in and beat Shesterkin with a wrist shot that made it 4-1 Blues.

While there was still 12:59 left in regulation, it didn’t look like the Rangers could mount a comeback. When you subtract Zibanejad from a lineup that already lacks depth, it becomes predictable.

Trocheck Scores on Power Play

If there ever was a deserving Rangers player who should make the All-Star Game in Toronto, it’s Trocheck. He continues to play well. He scored on the power play to cut the deficit to 4-2 with 9:02 remaining.

After Cuylle drew a slashing minor on Thomas, Trocheck followed up a Kreider rebound to beat Binnington for his 13th goal. That gives him four goals in three games. He has eight points over the last four games. He continues to get it done.

Buchnevich Seals It

With Shesterkin off for an extra attacker, the Rangers tried to make it interesting. However, a former player ended matters. Buchnevich sealed it by scoring into a vacated net with 18 seconds left.

Buchnevich had another good game for the Blues. He finished it with a goal and two assists. In 38 games this season, he has 13 goals with 19 assists for 32 points. The 28-year-old right wing continues to produce well for the Blues.

In 174 games with the Blues, Buchnevich has 69 goals and 106 assists for 175 points. He’s over a point-per-game since the Rangers traded him on July 23, 2021, in exchange for Sammy Blais and a second round pick. It’s safe to say the Blues won that trade.

Rangers Play Capitals Twice

The Rangers will play the Capitals twice this weekend. It’s a classic home and home series. Both games are at 1 EST. The first one is in Washington on Saturday, Jan. 13. The Caps then visit Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Jan. 14.

Those are the last two games of the regular season series between the old Patrick Division rivals. The Rangers and Caps have split the first two. The Caps took the first meeting 4-0 on Dec. 9. The Rangers took the second meeting 5-1 on Dec. 27.

Whether Zibanejad is back or not, the Rangers have to play better hockey. They’ve become too soft. There have been some bad losses over the last month. They have to get it going soon.

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Rangers’ Depth is Becoming an Issue

Posted on January 10, 2024 by Derek

It would be easy to accentuate the positives for the New York Rangers at this point in the season. Despite their play leveling off over the last month, they remain atop the Metropolitan Division with 54 points. Only four other teams have won at least 26 games thus far.

That includes the Vancouver Canucks, who dealt the Rangers an ugly 6-3 loss on Monday night, Jan. 8. It was the Rangers’ second straight defeat. At least they rallied back from a three-goal deficit in a 4-3 shootout loss at the Montreal Canadiens to salvage a point on Jan. 6. Not once have they lost three straight games this season. When they visit the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night, that’ll be tested.

Although they have a 26-11-2 record with a .692 win percentage, the Rangers are 8-7-1 since a 6-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Dec. 5. During that stretch, they’ve suffered some lopsided defeats. They’ve lost by three goals or more five times over their last 16 games.

Following the loss to the Canucks, Rangers coach Peter Laviolette had some strong words on his team’s lackluster play.

“We weren’t under siege, but some of the decision-making for line changes or a line rush with people out of place or line changes, they bit us right away against a team that has a lot of talent. There’s no excuse for that. We’re not going to win giving up five goals. You can’t win. Not on a regular basis. You’ll win one out of 10, maybe you’ll score six. And so that has to get taken care of,” he pointed out about how much they struggled defensively against the Canucks.

Even in the shootout defeat at Montreal, they spotted them a 3-0 lead. There wasn’t much Jonathan Quick could’ve done on the three goals that the Canadiens scored. They were left wide open.

Defense Struggles

If there’s been an area that’s taken a step back, it’s the defense. The structure hasn’t been the same over the last month. The defensemen and forwards aren’t doing a good job in coverage. There’s been some miscommunication that’s led to goals against that neither Igor Shesterkin nor Quick could be blamed for.

K’Andre Miller was caught out of position on three Canucks’ goals. In particular, two of the three were bad reads by the fourth-year defenseman. With the Rangers trailing the Canucks by one late in the first period, Miller stepped up instead of staying with Brock Boeser. Elias Pettersson faked him out to sneak a pass by Miller that sent Boeser in alone for a breakaway goal that put the Rangers behind 3-1 with 16 seconds left in the period.

Unfortunately, Miller’s misadventures continued during a crucial point in the game. After leading scorer Artemi Panarin cut the deficit to one with his 26th goal off a nice pass from Alexis Lafreniere, the Rangers were still in it during the second period. However, the explosive Canucks struck twice over 74 seconds to increase their lead to 5-2.

Miller was beaten badly by Pettersson, who made a great move around to get his own rebound and tuck the puck past Shesterkin with 4:27 left in the second period. Nils Hoglander then scored his own highlight reel goal to put the Rangers down three with over three minutes to go in the period. The fumes coming from Laviolette on the Rangers bench indicated how frustrated he was with his team’s effort.

It isn’t only the defensemen who are struggling. There have been too many instances when the forwards are caught watching goals happen. It’s even true for the Panarin line. In a game that Panarin, Vincent Trocheck, and Lafreniere combined for three goals and three assists for six points, they still finished minus-two each. That included an empty netter from Pettersson that sealed the Rangers’ fate.

Lack of Depth A Concern

For a while, the Rangers overcame the losses of Filip Chytil and Kaapo Kakko without any trouble. They were carried by Panarin, Trocheck, Mika Zibanejad, and Chris Kreider. The contributions from Lafreniere and Blake Wheeler provided them with two consistent scoring lines. That allowed them to vault to the top of the standings around Christmas.

However, the lack of depth has become a concern. Since Chytil’s suspected fourth concussion on Nov. 2, it forced Laviolette to shift Nick Bonino to the third line. While the well-respected veteran center continues to provide strong defense and penalty killing, he’s not cut out to play in the top nine. He’s better suited in a checking role on the fourth line.

The Rangers have gotten some secondary scoring from Will Cuylle and Jimmy Vesey. However, that’s about it from the bottom six forwards. Both Bonino and Barclay Goodrow each have only a goal this season. Jonny Brodzinski provided a spark initially. But he’s without a point over his last seven games, and his only goal came on Dec. 10. Tyler Pitlick is out with a lower-body injury. He only had a goal and two assists in 28 contests.

It’s hard to replace a skilled player such as Chytil. With no indication on whether he’ll return this season, that’s a big hole to fill. The Rangers will likely have to make a trade for another center. They just saw Sean Monahan score a goal for the Canadiens on Jan. 6.

At 29, he’s affordable with a $1.985 million cap hit for the season. He has 10 goals with 13 assists for 23 points. He is over 57 percent on faceoffs. Monahan should be on the Rangers’ radar. He won’t cost a lot compared to some of the rumored players (Trevor Zegras) that could be available.

The Rangers should also be in the market for a right wing. They can’t continue to play Wheeler on the first line. With only five goals and 10 assists for 15 points, Wheeler would be a better fit on the third line. Interestingly enough, Laviolette had Cuylle skate with Zibanejad and Kreider at this morning’s practice. Perhaps he’s going to get a chance to play with them when the Rangers visit St. Louis on Thursday.

Othmann Sent Down

It comes as no surprise that Brennan Othmann was sent down to the Hartford Wolf Pack yesterday. After appearing in three games, the former 2021 first round pick will get more time in the AHL to develop.

After a good first game in which he had five shots on goal against the Chicago Blackhawks on Jan. 4, Othmann hardly received enough ice time over his next two games. That included 7:16 at Montreal and 7:33 against Vancouver. Laviolette’s reasoning for Othmann only taking two shifts in the second period on Jan. 8 was due to wanting to double shift Panarin. The top two lines saw extensive time while Othmann mostly sat on the bench.

It was pretty obvious that he was going to be returned to Hartford. However, recalling Jake Leschyshyn isn’t exactly going to solve the Rangers’ depth issues. It isn’t going to get any better.

Kakko Nearing a Return

Kakko is nearing a return. He’s been skating in a non-contact yellow jersey during practice. However, he’s definitely getting closer to being back.

While he struggled offensively with two goals and an assist in his first 20 games, Kakko at least can play a top nine role. He’s a strong puck possession player who can be effective on the forecheck. We’ll see if he can turn it around when he returns.

Shesterkin Named All-Star

On Jan. 4, Shesterkin was named an All-Star. With Panarin’s wife expecting a second child around the All-Star break, he can’t go. By his own admission, Shesterkin said Panarin deserved the nod. He hasn’t been consistent. However, the other goalie options for the Metropolitan Division weren’t good with Ilya Sorokin struggling as well.

If there’s a Ranger who deserves to be voted in by the fans, it’s Trocheck. With a dozen goals and 28 assists for 40 points in 39 games, he’s second in team scoring behind Panarin. Trocheck’s been a consistent force all season.

A dependable center who’s won 61.9 percent of faceoffs to rank near the top of the league, Trocheck is the frontrunner for the Steven McDonald Award. No Ranger has given a better effort.

NHL All-Star Weekend is in Toronto between Feb. 1-3. Online fan voting concludes tomorrow night.

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Devils’ uncertain up-and-down season nears halfway point after spirited win over the Blackhawks

Posted on January 6, 2024 by hasan4978

I had to look back and see when my last blog on the Devils was, turns out it was when we hit another valley losing the first three games of our pre and post-holiday homestand. Since then, the Devils have won five of six games, actually looking impressive in a couple of them – road blowouts of the Senators and Capitals. I’m certainly not going to make the case everything is hunky dory again though, particularly at home where everything remains a slog. 

Sure, they managed to beat Detroit right before Christmas to stop the skid before visions of a winless homestand percolated through the holiday but it was a Detroit team that was on a travel back-to-back (we know plenty about that!) and had lost one of its defensemen during the game, probably the biggest reasons we were able to come from behind in the third period to win 3-2 after a sloggish first two periods. At least Timo Meier looked right again for the first time all season, scoring two goals and seemingly finding his first step. He looked to be fully recovered from his lower-body injury at last, following that pre-holiday display up by scoring the OT winner against the Blue Jackets in the first game after Christmas…of course, then he suffered a ‘middle body’ injury a couple days later in Boston and is now out of the lineup again with an undetermined return date. Oh, and Ondrej Palat has also been out of the lineup the last few days, also with no return date…just to pile on more of an annoyance. So goes the 2022-23 season.

The aforementioned game against Columbus was yet another slog against a bad team at home. At least they managed not to lose to the last-place Blue Jackets this time, barely with Luke Hughes inarguably taking a lot of people off the griddle with his brilliant end-to-end rush late in the third period to save the Devils just when they were set to go down to defeat again down 3-2 with the net empty.

Even with that dramatic finish and Timo’s OT winner, this Devils team just leaves you unsatisfied on the whole, particularly with the play being even more skittish at home. It shouldn’t have even had to come down to that with a rested team, but the woes against bad teams at home and our goaltending woes are both seemingly coming to a head the last couple weeks. I was at that game barely a week ago and I can barely remember anything from it at this point to be honest, aside from Damon Severson getting a nice ovation from the crowd in his first game back at the Rock. This whole season has been a bit of a blur…bad start? Yeah, that usually happens at home. Bad game against a bad team? Yeah, that usually happens too. Crappy goals allowed? Almost a nightly occurrence. Do we win? Sometimes the talent takes over (usually on the road), sometimes it disappears (usually at home).

In fact, that Blue Jackets game did see a slight changing of the guard in net with Nico Daws taking the #2 spot for Akira Schmid…you knew what was coming next at that point, with Schmid being sent down after the Blue Jackets game. It’s hard to say he really did anything to deserve staying up with a 3.26 GAA and .893 save percentage – and his numbers haven’t been much better in three starts back at Utica so far – but inarguably those are still better stats than starter Vitek Vanecek’s. And it felt at times Schmid never got a fair chance, starting with being pulled twice midway through the first period (once his play merited it, once it didn’t) while Vitek almost never gets that treatment no matter how bad he stinks. Age and waiver priority played into Schmid being sent down as well, and even during the summer GM Tom Fitzgerald publicly stated his wish that he could get another goalie so Schmid would be in Utica to improve our depth. It seemed a funny thing to say then in the wake of his impressive playoff series against the Rangers and Game 5 against the Hurricanes, but not so weird in hindsight.

Of course, it’s not ideal to have Daws take a full load of starts barely a week or two after returning from major surgery but if they’re going to play more games like the road pastings in Ottawa and Washington, it might not even matter much. Daws played both and was at least okay-ish or better, which is an improvement from the goaltending we’ve had most of the season but almost any goalie, even ours should win games you get six goals in (exhibit A, Game 3 against the Canes last year when we scored eight and won comfortably – despite a poor Vitek game coughing up four of his own). And lo and behold, he actually stopped a breakaway in the latter game which has usually been a 100% goal against this year:

Vitek on the other hand…things just are not getting better for this dude. It’s easy to say the playoff meltdown broke Vitek, but really his stretch last year wasn’t all that impressive. His first fifty or so games are what made his season to be honest. Even as the team’s started inducing wins with intense labor pains, Vitek just keeps giving up mind-bogglingly bad goals by the game. In Boston on a back-to-back the Devils actually had a good start, getting out to a 2-0 lead but Vitek coughed up four goals in rapid-fire succession in the second period, with the last three coming in a four and a half-minute span. It wasn’t quite as bad as the Edmonton game where he gave up three in less than seventy seconds, but you really just can’t have periods like this where the bleeding doesn’t get stopped. This is where the ‘just make a save’ crowd has a point. 

I’ve always been one to not want to scapegoat the goalie for every little thing but I was on my last nerve with Vitek yesterday, especially with how emotional that game got. Predictably, the emotions got ramped up after a legal hit on Connor Bedard by Brendan Smith that got timed just right and unfortunately, took the rookie phenom out for the rest of the night. I lost any sympathy I might have had for the Blackhawks once they started predictably throwing cheap shots as a result, including one on Nico Hischier that took him out for the rest of the first period as he had to go get examined. Thankfully, it seems as if symptoms were nonexistent as he came back in the second period and played the rest of the night.

Yet it seemed like the refs were more willing to call penalties for us immediately after the Bedard hit, basically canceling out the double minor Nick Foligno took for going after Smith by giving him a minor as well, then calling back-to-back penalties on Jonas Siegenthaler and Colin Miller while the hit on Nico went unpunished. To their credit I think the refs decided early in the second period enough was enough as far as the Hawks getting a pound of flesh, especially after a sequence that saw Dawson Mercer and Ryan Donato get matching minors while Alex Vlasic took a game misconduct and an instigator on Nathan Bastian as a response to a boarding penalty from the latter. Then right after the next whistle, Nick Foligno took on Smith in the inevitable post-Bedard fight, especially once he got ruled out for the night. Ironically Foligno would later leave the game himself due to injury, putting the Hawks down a full forward line with Vlasic’s expulsion.

This is where the old joke ‘I came to a fight and a hockey game broke out’ really fits. Not that it was a great game by any stretch, in fact it was another frustrating one against a team with four road wins all year and without its phenom for much of this game. Our big-name players seem to like piling up stats in the odd game (re: the Senators and Capitals road blowouts), but they’ve been MIA in too many other games the last few weeks. To Jesper Bratt’s credit, at least he tried to put shots on net with a jaw-dropping nine…but none were even close to going in. It was that kind of night for over forty-five minutes, with our only goal by then coming midway through the second on a brilliant give-and-go executed by Simon Nemec and Alexander Holtz, with the latter scoring his ninth goal of the season in spite of some seemingly over the top ‘tough love’ from the head coach at times in terms of icetime this season.

If Holtz’s icetime has been the subject of debate among the fanbase for the last two years, there’s never been any concern about Nemec getting a fair shot. He got twenty minutes a night from his first game in December on, none of the typical ‘ramp up from the third pairing’ you’d typically expect from a nineteen-year old rookie. Makes you think that the decision to send him down after camp didn’t come from the coaching staff, since they already trusted him this much the minute he arrived in the wake of Dougie Hamilton’s injury. And he’s done nothing to un-earn that trust, playing with a poise and efficiency that belies his lack of experience at the NHL level. Nemec even pushed fellow rookie Luke into the background as the best player on the ice last night by far. More on that later though.

It did look like that Holtz goal was just going to be a blip of happiness in another dreary loss to a cream of the crap team. Jason Dickinson scoring a power play goal in the first period on a meh shot where the screen had already passed by Vitek was bad enough in the first period, but scrubini Boris Katchouk’s shorthanded wrister late in the second period (also unscreened) was a dagger that completely sucked the life out of the team and the arena. And Katchouk was all the more happy to revel in it, mocking Holtz’s goal celebration where he egged the crowd on for more noise by cupping his ears to mock the lack of it. A punk move to be sure, and by a third-pairing defenseman no less – but I’d expect nothing more from the Blackhawks organization.

Even then when texting my friend he wanted to blame the goaltending, I was like well, we’ve also only scored one goal in two periods against a crap team and likely would be on pins and needles waiting to blow the game even with a competent goalie stopping both. But by that point, if Vitek was even the slightest bit of a jerk or blase I might have tried to start a Fire Vitek chant after he gave up his second clunker of the night and about his hundredth on the season. That’s what makes this particularly tough, he isn’t…he isn’t Brian Rolston or Jamie Langenbrunner late in his career just giving off an ‘I don’t give a bleep’ vibe. He’s never blamed anyone but himself for his struggles and his play for most of last year inarguably helped us to our best regular season in franchise history. 

Not to mention the double annoyance that…we really don’t have another option at this point. Schmid’s been almost as bad, while Daws is at least seemingly getting a chance to win the starting job you can’t really count on it at this point long-term, and the goalie trade market is just stupid because there aren’t enough good ones to go around, so even the meh ones are getting marked up right now. And to be honest, I get just as frustrated with the underachieving skaters that I do with the underperforming goalies but the latter gets a disproportionate amount of the blame so I wind up pushing back against the skaters more. To be fair, I don’t think we were even that bad in anything but finishing last night for most of the first forty minutes…well that and a suddenly impotent power play which went 0-6 last night (really -1 for 6 given the shorthanded goal), has run out of ideas and misses Dougie for sure.

Still, it looked like everyone had given up at 2-1 from fans to players alike. Maybe if Nemec’s seemingly nothing shot didn’t go in almost six minutes into the third it would have been the dreary loss I’m sure most of us were expecting at that point. It’s nice to actually be the beneficiary of bad goaltending on the other end for once, though to be fair if anyone deserved that break it was Nemec who just continues to make you pinch yourself. Between him and Luke, the Devils should be well-set on D for the next decade, even given our issues with the vets at times this year. 

His goal roared the team and crowd back to life, then the Holtz and Mike McLeod connection struck again late in the third to give the Devils their first lead of the night after Holtz gained the zone and got the puck to Curtis Lazar, whose shot was deflected home by a suddenly lively McLeod. Holtz and McLeod being first-line quality at any point in 2024 I didn’t have on my bingo card, especially McLeod who scored a grand total of four goals in 80 regular season games last year and looked to be just another first-round pick who turned into a fourth-line grinder. Maybe that Game 7 goal against Henrik Lundqvist Igor Shesterkin really did turn something on in this guy. It’s certainly a nice salary drive for him going into another RFA year, hah.

Shockingly, Vitek held up in the third period – even making a brilliant split-second decision to come out of the net and skate almost to the center line to prevent a breakaway chance. And for twenty minutes I didn’t have to worry about helping run this poor guy out of New Jersey. Katchouk hopefully started eating crow for his mocking nonsense the minute Tyler Toffoli scored the clinching empty-netter. How dare you as a third-pairing defenseman on a bad team mock ANYone else’s crowd? Especially taking offense to Holtz pumping up his own crowd.

Of course, the Devils being the Devils they couldn’t even escape an otherwise drama-free end of the game without drama as Jack Hughes seemingly hurt his wrist and missed the last few minutes of the game. Another injury to worry about, yay. While Jack hasn’t even been playing that well as of late, we really can’t afford to be down three top six forwards. Even with the Devils’ improved record since early December other teams keep winning too, we aren’t off the bubble yet and things still need to get a lot better before we start planning for April hockey again.

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USA defeats Sweden to win gold at the World Junior Championships

Posted on January 5, 2024 by Derek

On Friday in Gothenburg, USA defeated Sweden 6-2 to capture gold at the 2024 World Junior Championships (WJC). The prestigious tournament featured many of hockey’s best prospects.

The Under-20 WJC didn’t disappoint. There were surprises throughout the marquee event that began on Dec. 26. That included Czechia eliminating Canada in the quarterfinals. They had a good roster that lost to USA in a shootout during group play. Czechia had a stirring comeback to shock Finland 8-5 to take bronze in a game they trailed 5-2.

Ultimately, USA had the best roster. They entered as favorites and backed it up with their play. After winning Group B, they coasted past Latvia in the quarters.

Then, Finland gave them a real test. The Americans fell behind 2-0 before coming back by rallying for an emotional 3-2 win in the semifinals. Cutter Gauthier got the game-winner on the power play with over three minutes left in the game. They advanced to the final to face Sweden in front of their fans. The Swedes edged Switzerland in the quarters and then triumphed over Czechia 5-2 to play for the gold.

Facing Sweden for the first time in the tournament, USA showed good composure early on. After forcing Swedish goalie Hugo Havelid into a good stop, it was the Swedes who applied some pressure on the American squad. Trey Augustine made a few key saves to keep Sweden off the scoreboard. He was calm in net to finish with 24 saves on 26 shots.

In the second part of the opening period, USA picked up their game. Their combination of skating, speed, skill, and grit was a team strength during the tournament. They were a deep team that could attack in waves. Particularly in transition. They used quick counters to do damage against opponents.

On a delayed penalty, USA got the extra attacker out for a six-on-five. During it, Rutger McGroarty moved the puck up top for Will Smith. His shot pass was tipped in by Gabe Perreault to give USA the lead with 3:04 left in the first period.

Early in the second period, Sweden put together a good shift to tie the score. After Elias Pettersson passed the puck up for a Mattias Havelid shot, Otto Stenberg redirected it past Augustine at 2:13.

The score remained tied until USA used their quick transition to retake the lead near the halfway point of the game. Drew Fortescue made a good lead pass for Isaac Howard, who broke in and went to the backhand to beat Hugo Havelid five-hole with 10:36 remaining in the second period. It was Howard’s first of two goals. For the tournament, he led all skaters with seven goals.

Less than five minutes later, Howard took a Gavin Brindley feed behind the net and came out with the puck. Tricking Havelid into thinking he was going to pass, he threw a shot towards the net that banked off a Swedish defenseman and in for a 3-1 lead with 5:41 left.

Before they got too comfortable, Seamus Casey went to the penalty box for tripping with less than a minute to go in the period. After they passed up an open shot, Sweden finally worked the puck around to get a big power-play goal with five seconds left. Noah Ostlund passed the puck up for Axel Pellikka Sandin at the right point. He then moved it across for a quick one-timer from tournament MVP Jonathan Lekkerimaki that deflected in front past Augustine to make it 3-2 USA headed to the third period.

With the Swedish contingent urging on their players, they couldn’t have loved what happened at the start of the third. Over a minute into the period, Perreault won an offensive draw to Will Smith. He then set up Zeev Buium for a one-timer that beat Havelid to give USA a 4-2 lead only 1:19 into the period.

A few minutes later, Ostlund was called for high-sticking. He drew blood. It was a double minor. USA could’ve put the game away. However, they were unable to get it done on the power play. There was one close call in front. But the tip attempt went over the net. Sweden did a good job killing off the four-minute penalty.

Despite getting the momentum, they weren’t able to solve Augustine, who had a strong game. He was very poised throughout and gave USA the edge they needed.

With under four minutes remaining, a great individual effort from Ryan Leonard resulted in a backbreaking goal that finished off Sweden. After receiving the puck from Perreault, Leonard kept his balance and maneuvered around two Swedish players before firing a wrist shot over the blocker of Havelid. That gave USA a 5-2 lead with 3:48 remaining.

The performance of the Boston College line got better as the tournament went on. The trio of Perreault, Leonard, and Smith were a factor in helping deliver the sixth gold medal in USA history at the WJC.

With Havelid on the Sweden bench for am extra attacker, Jimmy Snuggerud came out with the puck in the neutral zone and found McGroarty for the empty netter that put the exclamation mark on USA’s gold medal victory.

As time wound down, Sweden showed visible frustration. They went after some USA players during a scrum with 31 seconds to go. Both Ostlund and Anton Johansson got into it with Gauthier and Lane Hutson. A bloodied Hutson went back. Roughing minors and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties were assessed.

Once the dust settled, USA finally wound down the clock to touch off a big celebration. They’d already started earlier following the Leonard and McGroarty goals. It was a memorable scene for the jubilant Americans who mobbed each other after winning gold.

After an emotional Sweden were presented their silver medals, they went over and shook hands with USA. There was some discussion about what happened late. It was positive. They fought hard.

The Media All-Stars included Hugo Havelid (SWE), Theo Lindstein (SWE), Lane Hutson (USA), Jiri Kulich (CZE), Jonathan Lekkerimaki (SWE), and Cutter Gauthier (USA). Kulich led all skaters with 12 points (6-6-12). Gauthier led USA in scoring with two goals and 10 assists for 12 points. Both Howard and Lekkerimaki tied for the tournament lead with seven goals.

Other players who stood out that weren’t selected included Ostlund, Perreault, Brindley, Howard, Ondrej Becher, Filip Mesar, and Matyas Melovsky.

It was another successful tournament. One that brought the hockey world together. Hopefully, next year will include the return of Russia. That’s a whole other subject for another day.

Congrats to Team USA!

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Rangers Have Too Much for Bedard, Blackhawks

Posted on January 4, 2024 by Derek

On Thursday night, the New York Rangers bounced back by defeating the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1 at Madison Square Garden. They improved to 10-1 following defeats this season. The win vaulted them back ahead of the Boston Bruins for the most points (56) in the NHL.

The Rangers got key performances out of leading scorer Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck, and Alexis Lafreniere. The second line again did the heavy lifting – combining for a goal and five assists along with a plus-six rating.

Panarin scored his team-leading 24th goal and added an assist to hike his point total to 53 points. That tied him for third in league scoring with Connor McDavid. Trocheck recorded three assists in the victory. His 27 helpers trail only Panarin (29) on the Rangers. Lafreniere notched an assist when he set up Panarin’s goal in the first period.

Bedard Upstaged in MSG Debut

The game marked the MSG debut of Connor Bedard. The much hyped 2023 top pick was named as the Blackhawks’ only All-Star earlier today. He will represent them at the game in Toronto on Feb. 3.

Facing the Rangers, Bedard learned a valuable lesson. Although he was noticeable during shifts with a couple of close calls against Rangers’ All-Star Shesterkin, the 18-year-old phenom tried to do too much on one sequence.

He over skated and was forced into a turnover by Trocheck inside the Rangers’ zone. That led directly to Trocheck feeding Lafreniere for a quick transition into the Blackhawks’ zone. Lafreniere then set up Panarin for the game’s first goal with seven minutes remaining in the first period.

For the game, Bedard finished with three shots-on-goal and a minus-two rating in 18:54 of ice time. He showed some flashes of what makes him a very dangerous player. Ultimately, his team isn’t good enough. They got exposed by the more detail oriented Rangers.

Kreider Scores on The Power Play

With the Rangers still up by a goal in the second period, Adam Fox was sent off for interference on Boris Katchouk. Over a minute into the Hawks’ first power play, Jimmy Vesey drew an interference minor on Kevin Korchinski when he was picked off in his zone. That led to a four-on-four.

When it concluded, the Rangers went to the power play. With time running down, Mika Zibanejad got the puck in front for Trocheck, who had his shot ring off the goalpost. A driving Chris Kreider then had the puck go off his skate and in. Chicago goalie Petr Mrazek immediately protested. He felt the puck was kicked in. Even Kreider’s reaction indicated that he felt it wouldn’t count.

However, following a video review, the refs ruled that it wasn’t a kicking motion. To Kreider’s surprise, it was a good goal. His ninth power-play goal moved him into sole possession of fourth on the Rangers’ all-time franchise list with his 101st power-play goal. That passed Adam Graves (100).

Most importantly, Kreider’s 20th goal of the season gave the Rangers a 2-0 lead with 12:35 left in the second period. By getting that goal, it’s the ninth time in his career that he’s scored at least 20 goals. With goals in three straight, he’s heating up.

Othmann Comes Close in NHL Debut

Thursday’s game was also the NHL debut of Brennan Othmann. Called up from the Hartford Wolf Pack yesterday to replace the injured Tyler Pitlick, Othmann played with Nick Bonino and Jonny Brodzinski on the third line. He didn’t disappoint the fans.

A strong skater with a willingness to go to the net, Othmann played with confidence in his first game. He nearly had his first goal, but Mrazek denied him. He also missed putting in a rebound of a Bonino shot that Mrazek saved.

In 16 shifts, Othmann led all Rangers skaters in shots (5) and attempts (8). He registered three hits in 12:26. Not only was he aggressive with his shot. He also showed some nice hands by making a behind the back drop pass to Brodzinski during a shift in the third period. He doesn’t lack confidence.

Othmann made a good first impression in his debut.

Blackwell Burns Former Team

Even though they carried most of the play, the Rangers still only led the Blackhawks by two goals late in the second period. Letting them hang around made it interesting. As it turned out, a former Ranger got the Blackhawks right back in the game.

On a good stretch pass from Jaycob Megna to Katchouk, he fed Blackwell, who got behind both Jacob Trouba and K’Andre Miller for a breakaway. He then cut to the net and made a good fake to get Shesterkin to bite before tucking in a forehand for his first goal of the season. That cut the deficit to one with 2:57 remaining in the period.

Blackwell wasn’t done. On the next shift, he drew a tripping minor on Miller to put the Hawks on the power play. However, the Rangers held the Blackhawks to only one long shot that Shesterkin easily handled. They did a good job to kill off the penalty.

Before the period concluded, Blackwell had a deflection just miss. Lucky for the Rangers’ sake, it did.

Trouba and Vesey Strike Quickly in Third

With the Rangers nursing a one-goal lead into the third period, Shesterkin made a big stop to thwart Jason Dickinson on a wrap-around less than 30 seconds in. That was a big save.

On the next shift, it was the work of the second line that led to a Trouba goal. After Mrazek made saves on both Lafreniere and Panarin, they kept going. Eventually, Trocheck and Panarin combined to feed a pinching Trouba for an innocent looking wrist shot that went right by Mrazek to give the Rangers a 3-1 lead. It was a shot Mrazek should’ve had. Instead, Trouba got his third of the season at 1:31.

Over a minute later, Vesey finished off a nice pass from Will Cuylle to suddenly give the Rangers a three-goal lead with 17:19 remaining in the third period. The goals from Trouba and Vesey came 70 seconds apart. Their quick strikes really took the wind out of the Blackhawks’ sails.

Wheeler Battles Tinordi

Over four minutes into the third, Blake Wheeler decided to battle Jarred Tinordi. The two exchanged punches with Tinordi getting the takedown.

The fight came out of nowhere. It was just one of those things that sometimes happens in a hockey game. There was no loss of manpower. Each served five minutes for fighting.

Rangers Cruise Down the Stretch

As the third period went on, there wasn’t much to write home about. Outside of Rangers coach Peter Laviolette giving Othmann a look with Zibanejad and Kreider while Wheeler served his penalty, there wasn’t much happening.

There was another four-on-four after Fox negated a Ranger power play by taking down Nick Foligno. He didn’t have a good game. Fox hasn’t been as sharp recently. Most of his points have come on the power play. If he’s not fully healthy, it shows. He’s looked a bit out of sorts.

With less than three minutes left in regulation, Shesterkin stopped Bedard and a couple of other Hawks to prevent any late comeback.

The Rangers cruised down the stretch to get the win.

Rangers visit Canadiens

Next up for the Rangers are the Canadiens. They’ll visit Montreal this Saturday, Jan. 6 at 7 EST. Since it’s Hockey Night In Canada, it could start a little late.

Considering the weather that’s coming into the New York/New Jersey area this weekend, watching hockey between the Rangers and Canadiens sounds good right about now. Fire up the grill and grab a drink.

Although the Canadiens aren’t a playoff team, they’re a respectable 16-17-5 under Martin St. Louis. Captain Nick Suzuki has been playing well. He had two goals and two assists over his previous three games before the Habs lost 6-1 to the Sabres. Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Mike Matheson have been their best players.

Before they return to the city to host the Canucks on Monday, Jan. 8, the Rangers want to make sure they don’t take the Canadiens lightly. They have great crowds at the Bell Centre. It should be energized for a game on Saturday night.

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Rangers’ Othmann Recalled for NHL Debut

Posted on January 3, 2024 by Derek

A day following the 6-1 drubbing to the Hurricanes that closed their lead in the Metropolitan Division to five points, the Rangers recalled Brennan Othmann from Hartford.

The 20-year-old Rangers’ top prospect will make his NHL debut on Thursday night against the Blackhawks and former Canadian teammate Connor Bedard at Madison Square Garden. After teaming up with Bedard to win the gold medal at the 2023 World Junior Championships for Canada, Othmann will face the Blackhawks’ young star tomorrow. Bedard leads all rookies in scoring with 15 goals and 18 assists for 33 points.

A former Rangers’ 2021 first round pick that they selected number 16, Othmann will get an early start to celebrating his birthday. He turns 21 on Friday, Jan. 5. Playing for the Wolf Pack in the American Hockey League (AHL), Othmann has nine goals with 14 assists for a total of 23 points in 28 games in his first pro season.

After opening eyes with a good training camp that included him scoring a couple of goals during the preseason, Othmann was sent to Hartford to get valuable experience. That allowed him to play a more defined role with the Wolf Pack. Due to the Rangers’ depth at the start of the season, he wouldn’t have been afforded that opportunity. It was a wise decision to help further develop him.

Pitlick Injury Gives Othmann a Chance

The reason Othmann was called up is due to Tyler Pitlick suffering a lower-body injury on Tuesday night against the Hurricanes. He’s listed as week-to-week.

With Pitlick sidelined, that necessitated the Rangers’ move to bring up Othmann. While it’s a bit sooner than expected, it’s a chance for him to show what he can do. It’s a big step for the young forward. If he can step in and contribute, that could provide a boost to the Rangers, who don’t boast much secondary scoring.

Aside from Will Cuylle and veteran Jimmy Vesey, each having seven goals apiece, the reminder of the bottom six has a combined 3 goals. That excludes the injured Pitlick, who had one before headed to the injury list.

Given the combination of skating, skill, and grit he possesses, Othmann can bring a much needed spark to the Rangers. It’ll be interesting to see how coach Peter Laviolette decides to utilize him. A better option for the top nine, we’ll see how the coach uses him.

Whatever happens on Jan. 4, it’s the beginning of an exciting chapter for Othmann. One that will be worth watching.

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Rangers Must Improve at Five on Five

Posted on January 3, 2024 by Derek

By all accounts, the New York Rangers are having a good season. Entering last night, they led the NHL in wins (25) and points (51).

An exciting team that’s played well under coach Peter Laviolette, they’ve probably over achieved up to this point of the season. Even with star goalie Igor Shesterkin performing inconsistently, they have won a lot of games due to the brilliance of star Artemi Panarin, whose team-leading 23 goals and 51 points have him ranked in the top five among the league leaders.

By shooting the puck more, the 32-year-old forward is on pace to set a new career high in goals. His previous best came in 2019-20 when he scored 32 in his first season with the Rangers. Although he didn’t extend his goal streak to five in what proved to be a forgettable 6-1 blowout loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night, Panarin assisted on Chris Kreider’s lone tally in the second period. He has six goals and two assists for eight points over the last five games.

If the Rangers didn’t have Panarin playing at a high level, they’d be in trouble. His MVP caliber first half is the impetus for the Rangers’ hot start that has them near the top of the league. It’s been the play of the second line featuring Panarin, Vincent Trocheck, and Alexis Lafreniere that’s made a difference. Easily the team’s best line at five on five, the cohesive trio has combined for 27 goals and 40 assists for a total of 67 even strength points this season.

Panarin’s 15 even strength goals lead the Rangers. With a goal last night, Kreider ranks second on the team with nine. That’s followed by Lafreniere (8), Mika Zibanejad (7), and K’Andre Miller (7). Both Jimmy Vesey and rookie Will Cuylle also have seven goals at even strength. While it’s good for the team to be getting production from the supporting cast, that means that they need more from Zibanejad.

To his credit, Zibanejad’s picked it up. A strong December that saw him score nine goals and add 12 assists for 21 points in 14 games helped turn his season around. Four of those goals came at even strength. The other five included four power-play goals and one shorthanded goal. Despite the improvement, he still was a minus-one for the month. The 30-year-old center will need to improve at five on five in order for the Rangers to be successful over the long haul.

His sidekick Kreider actually has better numbers at even strength. With nine goals and 11 assists for a total of 20 even strength points, the longest tenured Ranger is performing better at five on five than on the power play. He is also tied for the team lead with Panarin in power-play goals with eight. Zibanejad ranks third with seven on the man-advantage. Each has done well on the penalty kill with Kreider and Zibanejad combining for all three of the Rangers’ shorthanded goals.

So far, Zibanejad and Kreider have totaled 16 goals and 21 assists for 37 even strength points. Counting Blake Wheeler, who’s been mostly playing on the first line since Kaapo Kakko’s injury, he has four goals and 10 assists for 14 points at even strength. That included an empty netter. Although he isn’t the fastest skater, Wheeler has played better recently. It might be asking too much of the 37-year-old veteran to produce in a top line role. An area that Rangers Team President and GM Chris Drury should address.

With the status of Filip Chytil uncertain due to the concussion he suffered versus Carolina on Nov. 2, there remains no timetable for his return. Recently, he flew back home to the Czech Republic to be with his family and continue recuperating. Chytil has had at least four concussions in his career. When it comes to head injuries, it’s a complicated process. Over a decade ago, the Rangers’ Mike Sauer suffered a concussion on a clean hit by the Leafs’ Dion Phaneuf. He never played another game in his career.

Nobody can predict Chytil’s future. However, it would be unrealistic to expect him to return this season. Even if all indications are that he’s still committed to returning, there’s no way of knowing if he’ll play another game for the Rangers. In 10 games, he had six assists. The team misses Chytil. But his overall health and well-being come first. This is his life that we’re talking about. Whatever happens, you hope he’ll make a full recovery.

Without Chytil and Kakko, who struggled by posting only two goals and an assist for three points in 20 contests, the Rangers’ bottom six forwards have been affected. It’s forced veteran center Nick Bonino into a top nine role. The grit and intangibles he brings are commendable. He’s a reliable checking center who can be counted on to take faceoffs and kill penalties. However, he doesn’t add much offense. Bonino blocks shots. He leads all Ranger forwards with 63 blocks. He’s better suited in a fourth line role.

By continuing to play Jonny Brodzinski with Bonino and Cuylle on the third line, there isn’t going to be much offense. Brodzinski is a good skater with a strong work ethic. He tends to shoot the puck when given the opportunity. He’s provided a boost with a goal and seven assists for eight points. But his offense has dried up lately.

Cuylle is the only consistent threat with all seven of his goals coming at even strength. He leads the Rangers with 90 hits. Three more than Jacob Trouba. If Cuylle had better players to play with, he could have double digits in goals. He isn’t shy about shooting the puck. He’s been a consistent player in his first season.

The fourth line has been anchored by Barclay Goodrow. He’s a player who’s more than the one goal and three assists he has in 34 games. Laviolette’s used Goodrow in a matchup role against opponents’ top scoring units. A bit of a pest who mixes it up between whistles, Goodrow is effective in that checking role. He’s been good on faceoffs and remains a key penalty killer.

Of the three Blueshirts on the fourth line that also include Tyler Pitlick, only Vesey has been productive with seven goals and four assists. For that reason, Laviolette’s moved him up during games when the team needs a boost. Vesey has been a consistent player who’s provided secondary scoring.

If there’s an area that they’ll need to improve on, it’s at five on five. The Rangers are now minus-one for the season at five on five. When the games get tighter and the playoffs roll around, there won’t be as many penalties called.

As good as they are on the power-play clicking at 30.1 percent to rank second in the league, the Rangers know that the postseason is different. Even though special teams are important, being able to dictate the terms at even strength is what usually decides the playoffs. After dominating the first two games last year against the Devils, they struggled mightily to lose in the first round.

Between now and the March 8 trade deadline, Drury has enough time to upgrade the roster. Especially if Chytil doesn’t return. Kakko is skating on his own. He’s expected back at some point. There’s a very good chance that the Rangers will have approximately $4.5 million in cap space to address their team needs.

That would appear to be a top nine forward who can add a combination of skill and sandpaper to a lineup that needs it. It also could mean finding another center to fill the void, assuming Chytil remains out.

It won’t be easy.

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Panarin’s Hat Trick Leads Rangers to Big Victory over Lightning

Posted on December 30, 2023 by Derek

In what amounted to two teams headed in different directions, the Rangers were too much for the Lightning, defeating them 5-1 in Tampa to end 2023 with a big victory on Saturdaynught. The win was a good response to a tough 4-3 loss to the Panthers on Dec. 29.

The all Russian matchup between Igor Shesterkin and Andrei Vasilevskiy failed to deliver. Unlike their previous history, it was Shesterkin who celebrated his 28th birthday by making 34 saves on 35 shots to earn the game’s second star. He had the better team behind him.

It showed in how the Rangers defended for most of the game. Unlike the Panthers’ loss, where Jonathan Quick had to make a lot of tough stops, it was much easier for Shesterkin. Even though he finished with 34 saves, he didn’t have to work too hard. The only goal that beat him came from the league’s leading scorer, Nikita Kucherov, on a power play.

Although he didn’t face as many shots, Vasilevskiy was hung out to dry by a weak defense that has been the Achilles heel of the Lightning. They played without Mikhail Sergachev, who was out injured. He’s had a brutal season up to this point. The Lightning still could’ve used him.

By the time the night concluded, Vasilevskiy allowed five goals on 21 shots. Almost every single one came on a Lightning defensive breakdown. Their defense is the biggest reason they’re sitting outside the playoffs. Unless it improves, the former Stanley Cup champs could be home by the spring.

Panarin’s Hat Trick Highlights the Victory

Artemi Panarin continued his brilliant first half for the Rangers. His hat trick highlighted the victory. He scored goals 21, 22, and 23 of the season to torch the Lightning.

Panarin’s career high in goals is the 32 he scored during 2019-20 in his first season as a Ranger. That came in 69 games before the pandemic ended the regular season. His new shoot first mentality is why he’s leading the Rangers in goals. It’s made him a much harder player to defend.

He opened the scoring less than two minutes into the game. Alexis Lafreniere sent a bank pass off the boards up towards the Lightning zone. It was there that Vincent Trocheck poked the loose puck by a diving Victor Hedman to create a 2-on-1 with Panarin. He fed Panarin for his first of the game to give the Rangers an early lead.

Trocheck wasn’t done either. In what proved to be a big game for the center, he scored the Rangers’ second goal of the first period when he was able to reach in and deposit a rebound past Vasilevskiy for his ninth of the season with 12:24 left.

On the forecheck, the trio of Panarin, Lafreniere, and Trocheck had the Lightning pinned in. After Trocheck passed the puck up to Jacob Trouba, his shot was redirected in front by Lafreniere. The puck went into Vasilevskiy’s pads, but he never had it covered. That allowed Trocheck to dig out the rebound and give the Rangers a 2-0 lead.

Laviolette’s Successful Challenge Overturns Lightning Goal

With the Rangers still leading by two with over five minutes remaining in the first period, the Lightning thought they had a goal. On a play around Shesterkin’s net, Tanner Jeannot battled Mika Zibanejad in front for position. After Jeannot bumped into Shesterkin, Michael Eyysimont put a wrap-around into the net, with Shesterkin unable to recover.

Initially, they ruled it a good goal. However, Rangers coach Peter Laviolette immediately called over the officials to have a discussion about the play. That initiated a coach’s challenge for goaltender interference. Following a lengthy review, the replay indicated that Jeannot contacted Shesterkin enough to prevent him from making a play on Eyysimont’s shot. Laviolette’s successful challenge overturned the Lightning goal.

On the same play, Zibanejad was called for hooking Jeannot to put the Lightning on a power play. But it was the Rangers’ penalty kill that got the job done. They blanketed the Lightning by taking away Kucherov and Brayden Point. Steven Stamkos had a couple of shots blocked by Trouba and Chris Kreider.

Shesterkin kept the Lightning off the scoreboard for the remainder of the period. He made two key saves on Anthony Cirelli before time expired.

Kucherov Breaks Shutout

For the majority of the second period, the score remained the same. Each goalie kept it that way. Vasilevskiy stopped Barclay Goodrow on a breakaway. Goodrow’s backhand was denied to keep the Rangers from going up by three.

Shesterkin made a good save on Erik Cernak during a 4-on-4. Cernak was left open for a shot in the left circle. But Shesterkin padded it away to keep the Lightning off the scoreboard.

Shortly after, Lafreniere made a good move to get into the Lightning zone and tested Vasilevskiy with a wrist shot that he handled. Lafreniere was flying during the game. He continues to play well. He had two assists in the game to give him four points over the last three games.

With the Lightning beginning to throw long shots on Shesterkin that he had no trouble with, they finally created something during a scrum. After Shesterkin froze the puck to get a stoppage, a feisty Kucherov drew some attention from Braden Schneider. For that, Schneider received the only penalty for roughing to put the Lightning on the power play.

After Shesterkin made three straight point blank saves on Stamkos, Nick Paul, and Point, the Rangers failed to clear the puck. That allowed Stamkos to easily find a wide open Kucherov for a power-play goal that cut it to 2-1 with 2:21 left in the second period.

Kreider Replies Back

Before the Lightning partisan crowd could get into it, a defensive lapse cost their team the momentum. On an innocent looking play by Blake Wheeler, in which he cleared the puck high in the air, it went past two Lightning players in the neutral zone. Suddenly, Trocheck and Kreider had a 2-on-1 rush.

Kreider replied back by getting his 18th of the season to restore the Rangers’ two-goal lead with 90 seconds remaining in the period. The goal came only 51 seconds following Kucherov’s power-play goal. That really quieted the building. That is, unless you were a Ranger fan. The Rangers had a lot of support from fans that live in the Tampa area.

Panarin Erases Any Doubt

In the third period, the Lightning tried to get back in it. However, Shesterkin had other ideas. He made timely saves to keep the Rangers ahead by two. With him doing his part, it was time for Panarin to do the rest. He erased any doubt by scoring twice over a 4:10 span.

On another Lightning defensive breakdown, Trocheck tapped a loose puck to Panarin in the neutral zone. He then skated by three Lightning players with ease before pulling around Hedman and fire a laser past Vasilevskiy for his second of the contest to make it 4-1 with 8:44 left in the third period.

Following a Shesterkin stop on Paul, there was only one thing left to answer. Would Panarin get the hat trick? When Stamkos went to the box for holding Adam Fox, Panarin gave an emphatic answer pretty fast.

After Zibanejad got the puck over for Fox during a 4-on-3, Fox had one thing in mind. He passed it up to Panarin, who fired a wrist shot upstairs to give him the hat trick with 4:34 left in regulation. That made it 5-1.

The play of Panarin has been the story for the Rangers as they get to celebrate the New Year. With his three goals, that gives him 23 goals and 27 assists for 50 points. He ranks third in league scoring, trailing only Kucherov (25-34-59), and Nathan MacKinnon (19-37-56). Clearly, an MVP candidate, due to his torrid pace, Panarin is playing at a very high level. If he can keep it up in 2024, it could be a very special year.

Even better, the line of Panarin, Trocheck, and Lafreniere combined for four goals and five assists for a total of nine points in the win over the Lightning. They dominated the game to finish a combined plus-10.

Rangers Host Hurricanes to Start New Year

After getting New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day off, the first overall Rangers (25-9-1) Rangers will host the Hurricanes to start the New Year on Tuesday, Jan. 2.

The Canes are finally playing better. Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho have caught fire. They’re winning with Pyotr Kochetkov as the starter. They defeated the Maple Leafs 3-2 on Saturday night. They’re up to 20-13-4 with 44 points to surge into second place in the Metropolitan Division. It should be a good test.

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year!!!!!

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Rangers Clawed by Panthers in Good Game

Posted on December 30, 2023 by Derek

All it took was a bad bounce to decide a good game. At least for the Rangers, they came up short due to a loose puck that went off of Barclay Goodrow right to Carter Verhaeghe, who scored the game-winner with 6:23 left in regulation to give the Panthers a 4-3 win on Friday night.

It was an exciting game played between two of the leading contenders in the Eastern Conference. It probably was more wide open than either coach would’ve preferred. But there was plenty of skating, speed, transition, and some edge.

Despite the teams combining for seven goals and 66 shots, the goaltending was good on both ends. Jonathan Quick got the start for the Rangers. Although he wound up on the wrong side, he was excellent against the very skilled Panthers. Quick made a highlight reel save in the early going that was phenomenal.

Quick made an acrobatic reverse scorpion save to rob Eetu Luostarinen of a goal. It was another example of the 37-year-old American not giving up on a play. For the game, he finished with 28 saves on 32 shots.

On the other side, former Vezina winner Sergei Bobrovsky was on top of his game for the Panthers. Sharp from the outset, he stopped all 10 shots from the Rangers in the first period. Bobrovsky turned aside 31 of 34 for the game. That included Bobrovsky getting over to deny Alexis Lafreniere on a one-timer off an Artemi Panarin feed. It wasn’t the only close call for Lafreniere.

Rodrigues Gives Panthers the Lead

Late in the first period with the game still scoreless, the Panthers applied some pressure in the Rangers’ zone. Following a good Quick stop on Aleksander Barkov, the Panthers kept the puck in.

Niko Mikkola moved the puck down to Barkov, who slid it over to Evan Rodrigues. He then beat Braden Schneider and caught Quick by surprise by beating him on the short side with 75 seconds left in the period. Rodrigues gave the Panthers the lead.

Rangers Start the Second Strong

Trailing by one, the Rangers started the second period strong. Dictating play, they got the first six shots of the period.

Bobrovsky made a couple of good saves, including on a tricky deflection by Nick Bonino. He also stopped Jimmy Vesey and Panarin. That allowed the Panthers enough time to get going.

On a dominant shift by Barkov, he controlled the play in the Rangers’ zone. Shortly after Quick stopped him, Barkov spun off a check behind the net and set up Sam Reinhart to put the Panthers ahead 2-0 with 12:18 remaining in the second. Reinhart found just enough room to beat K’Andre Miller for the tap in.

Panarin and Cuylle Tie It

Following a couple of key stops from Quick to keep the deficit at two, the Rangers finally found some offense. Earlier in the period, Panarin had Lafreniere in front, but he hit the crossbar. This time, a great keep in by Ryan Lindgren led directly to Lafreniere, setting up Panarin for his team-leading 20th goal to cut it to 2-1.

The Panthers nearly went back up by two. However, Quick made a big save on Sam Bennett moments after Panarin’s goal. That allowed the Rangers to draw even. Will Cuylle scored his seventh of the season to tie it. The goal came 1:13 after Panarin had cut it to one.

A takeaway by Miller in the neutral zone allowed him to start a quick transition with Cuylle. He passed the puck up for Cuylle, who made no mistake by beating Bobrovsky top shelf with 5:24 left in the period.

After a Panthers’ turnover, Vesey came in on a breakaway. But Bobrovsky stopped him to keep the game knotted. That was a critical save in the game. It stopped the Rangers’ momentum.

Schneider Penalty Hurts

With over four minutes left in the period, Schneider was sent off for interference on Barkov. His penalty hurt. Ultimately, it led to the Panthers surging back ahead on the power play.

Moments after Lindgren made a good block to deny Reinhart in the slot, the red hot Reinhart parked himself in front and tipped in a Barkov shot for his 23rd goal to give the Panthers a 3-2 lead with 2:53 remaining in the period. It was his second of the game.

The Rangers created a couple of scoring chances late in the second. But Bobrovsky made good stops on both Lafreniere and Panarin to keep the Panthers in front.

With 10 seconds left, Quick made a tough stop on a tricky deflection from Matthew Tkachuk. Tkachuk hasn’t been the same player this season. He only has five goals. He’s still not fully recovered from a cracked sternum that he played with last postseason. It forced him out of Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals when the Panthers lost to the Golden Knights on June 13, 2023.

Although he wasn’t as noticeable on Friday night, Tkachuk caught Blake Wheeler with a thunderous open ice hit during the game. It was the kind of clean check that could be appreciated. For once, there was no response to a good hit.

Laviolette Makes a Change

For most of the game, Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider were quiet. They couldn’t establish anything at even strength. Being matched up against Barkov had a lot to do with it. He’s one of the game’s best two-way centers for a reason. His line stifled the Zibanejad line for two periods.

Rangers coach Peter Laviolette decides to make a change for the third period. After initially keeping Wheeler on the first line for the opening shift of the third, Laviolette opted to double shift Panarin with Zibanejad and Kreider. Right away, it led to a good Zibanejad shot right on Bobrovsky. That was the first time he was noticeable.

On their next shift, Panarin got a chance that Bobrovsky stopped. The Panthers came in the opposite direction and nearly had a goal. But Carter Verhaeghe had his slap shot clank off the crossbar.

It was a rare night when Adam Fox hardly did anything. He tested Bobrovsky with a wrist shot that he swallowed up. Fox wasn’t on his game. There have been a few instances when he’s been a little off since returning from an upper-body injury he suffered on Nov. 2. He’s been back since Nov. 29. The point production has been there. He has 13 points (all assists) in 14 games.

Zibanejad’s Shorthanded Goal Ties It

Throughout the first part of the third, each team had opportunities to score. Both Quick and Bobrovsky continued to make saves. It was a diving block by Miller that prevented a sure Verhaeghe goal. Following some ragged play from the Rangers, he was wide open. But his one-timer was blocked by Miller, who was in the right spot.

With under nine minutes left in the third period, Lafreniere banged into Barkov, knocking him down. Originally, they called Lafreniere for a major penalty. But the replay showed that he inadvertently hit Barkov with his right shoulder into Barkov’s helmet.

The review took a while. Once they concluded the conference with Toronto, they correctly ruled that Lafreniere had a two-minute minor for an illegal check to the head.

While there was much discussion coming from both Laviolette and Panthers coach Paul Maurice on the play, it really wasn’t debatable. Even if accidental, that’s a penalty. Fortunately, Barkov was okay to return after going to the locker room.

As fate had it, that’s when Zibanejad made an imprint on the game. On a good play by Kreider out of his end, he passed the puck over for a Zibanejad slap shot that beat Bobrovsky with 7:45 left. Zibanejad’s shorthanded goal tied it.

Verhaeghe Gets The Winner

Moments after a successful penalty kill, the Rangers didn’t get the puck out of their zone. Instead, a strong shift from Tkachuk allowed Verhaeghe to get the winner.

A make shift line of Bonino, Lafreniere, and Barclay Goodrow couldn’t escape trouble. The Panthers were effective on the forecheck for most of the game. It gave the Rangers problems.

On what was a broken play created by both Tkachuk, Gustav Forsling had his shot bank off of Goodrow right into the slot. That allowed Verhaeghe to retrieve the puck, turn, and fire a seeing eye shot that beat Quick to give the Panthers a 4-3 lead with 6:23 left in regulation.

Afterward, the Panthers completely shut down the neutral zone. With the exception of one mistake that gave Vincent Trocheck a great opportunity to tie the score with over two minutes left, they limited the Rangers to one shot over the final seven minutes.

A takeaway by Erik Gustafsson created the missed chance by Trocheck. He came in on an odd man rush and had Trocheck open in the slot. But Trocheck missed the shot wide. It didn’t even come close. If there’s one thing that’s frustrating about him, it’s his penchant for firing blanks that miss the mark. He’s been one of the Rangers’ best players this season, ranking near the top of the league in faceoffs. But sometimes, Trocheck can’t hit the net. If he had, there would’ve been overtime.

That blown opportunity essentially ended the game. The Panthers did a great job blanketing the Rangers. They couldn’t even get anything set up. It was similar to a power play they had earlier in the contest. The Panthers took everything away by standing up at the blue line and being aggressive.

Compared with the Bruins and Maple Leafs, the Panthers play a heavier style that’s made for the playoffs. They can score and have the goaltending to compete seriously. It’s possible that the Rangers might see the Panthers in late May. There are two more regular season meetings. If they’re anything like Dec. 29, it’ll be worth watching.

Rangers visit Lightning

The Rangers will visit the Lightning to conclude the year later tonight. That means having to deal with the league’s leading scorer, Nikita Kucherov. He’s been on fire this season. He has 24 goals and 34 assists for 58 points in 35 games.

Without him and Brayden Point, the Lightning would be sunk. They aren’t good defensively. Most of the key players are minuses. However, they’ve played better lately. The return of Andrei Vasilevskiy has something to do with it. He’s one of the game’s best goalies for a reason. When the Rangers hit the ice, it’ll be an all Russian matchup between Igor Shesterkin and Vasilevskiy.

Hopefully, it delivers. All the Rangers want to do is get a win so they can celebrate New Year’s Eve tomorrow night.

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