Rangers Have Strong Response in Win Over Kings

Posted on December 11, 2023 by Derek

Coming off a disappointing 4-0 shutout loss to the Washington Capitals on Dec. 9, the New York Rangers had a strong response in an impressive 4-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday, Dec. 10 at Madison Square Garden.

Having lost two straight games in which they were largely outplayed, the Rangers needed a good performance against one of the league’s best teams. The Kings entered last night without a regulation defeat on the road. They had their perfect road record snapped by the New York Islanders in a 3-2 overtime defeat on Dec. 9. They still were 11-0-1 away from home before Sunday night’s game.

Little Offense in Tightly Contested First Period

Facing the league’s best defense, the Rangers found it difficult to generate anything early against the Kings. There was little offense in a tightly contested first period. In fact, the Rangers only mustered five shots on LA netminder Pheonix Copley. He could’ve had a lounge chair with a book during the opening period.

While the Kings at least tested former Stanley Cup hero Jonathan Quick with nine shots, the Rangers refused to shoot the puck. Instead, they tried too many passes that went right into the teeth of the Kings’ defense. The reluctance to take shots made it a very dull period. At least Quick kept his former team off the scoreboard.

Inspired Second Leads to Two Goals

After not accomplishing much in the first, the Rangers put that behind them. A more inspired second period led to two goals. It was a bit of a role reversal with the Rangers playing more aggressively in the Kings’ end.

Able to attack better while limiting the Kings to just two shots, the Rangers together a good second to take control of the game. After Artemi Panarin drew a slash on Kings defenseman Drew Doughty, the Rangers went to work on the power play.

Panarin started a nice passing play that led directly to Mika Zibanejad, getting his seventh on the man-advantage. Panarin moved the puck over to Vincent Trocheck, who sent a perfect pass across for a lethal Zibanejad one-timer that beat Copley for the game’s first goal at 8:27.

Zibanejad’s seventh goal gave him 11 points (4-7-11) in the last 10 games. Following a slow start, he’s been on a roll lately. He’s up to seven goals and 14 assists for 21 points on the season.

Laviolette’s Matchup Pays Off

Due to the Rangers’ attention to detail, the Kings found it challenging to get anything going in the second. That included coach Peter Laviolette opting to match up his fourth line against the Kings’ top line.

With Barclay Goodrow back after missing one game due to taking a puck to the face in a 6-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Dec. 5, he centered the checking line with Jimmy Vesey and Tyler Pitlick. They more than held their own against the future Hall of Famer Anze Kopitar, Quenton Byfield, and Adrian Kempe.

On a counter, thanks to diligent checking, Pitlick drew a slashing minor on Kempe. Although the Rangers didn’t connect on the power play, some hustle from another key secondary player would lead to their second goal of the period.

On a play where the Kings tried to go up the middle of the ice, a hustling Nick Bonino leaped up to knock down a clearing attempt inside the LA zone. He quickly led Vesey in for a one-on-one with Copley. Vesey went to the backhand, going five-hole to beat Copley for the crucial second goal that came with 2:33 left in the period. It was his sixth of the season.

Refs Lose Control

For at least two periods of play, there wasn’t much to complain about. For the most part, the officiating had been good up til that point. The third period saw the refs lose control of the game.

After Adam Fox went off for tripping Carl Grundstrom, the chaos began. A few seconds before the Fox penalty expired, Pierre-Luc Dubois was taken off for interference with Ryan Lindgren, who also went off for embellishment.

Where things started to unravel was when refs Garrett Rank and Ghislain Hebert decided to give a misconduct to Zibanejad at 5:26 after they made the right call by taking Trocheck off for interference with Doughty on a pick play. The misconduct to Zibanejad was unnecessary. It wasn’t the only one, either.

With the Kings still on a power play, Byfield fished for a rebound on former teammate Quick, who had the puck covered up. That led to both getting into it. After Byfield was sent off for slashing, Quick earned a roughing minor to even it up. K’Andre Miller served the minor. It was again another misconduct assessed. This time to Kevin Fiala. Like the previous one on Zibanejad, it felt unnecessary. Neither side was happy with the officiating.

Any time two key players are forced to sit out for 10 minutes in a hotly contested game, it’s counterproductive. There have been plenty of instances where the officiating hasn’t been up to standard this season. There are worse examples. At some point, the league needs to hold their officials accountable.

Following those calls, the Kings finally got back in the game with a power-play goal from Phillip Danault. After some good hustle from Doughty stopped a Bonino shorthanded rush, the Kings transitioned up the ice. Kopitar fed Kempe down low. He then passed between a sliding Braden Schneider for a tap-in from Danault that made it 2-1 with 13:23 remaining in the third period.

Brodzinski Scores on The Power Play

In a period that became heated due to the chaos, Alexis Lafreniere got into it with Kempe during a scrum. With Kempe being assessed an extra minor for roughing, that put the Rangers back on the power play.

Without Zibanejad, who was still serving his misconduct penalty, that allowed Jonny Brodzinski to replace him on the first unit. On what was a beautiful scoring play, Fox and Trocheck combined to get the puck across to Brodzinski for a one-timer past Copley for his first of the season. After he connected, he went flying in the air like an acrobat as the goal was scored. It made for a nice celebration.

It was the first power-play goal of Brodzinski’s NHL career. Ironically enough, it started with the Kings. In his 108th career game, he got his first power-play goal. A well-deserved reward for a hard-working player. In seven games this season, Brodzinski has a goal and five assists for six points while going 19 and 9 on faceoffs.

He’s more than replaced Kaapo Kakko, who never established himself before the lower-body injury he sustained versus the Buffalo Sabres on Nov. 27. At this point, the Rangers are better off with Brodzinski, who continues to make the most of his opportunities.

Trocheck Sets Up Cuylle

Following a couple of nice saves from Quick, including reaching back with the glove to rob Grundstrom to cheers from the crowd, the Rangers put it away. It was another play that involved Trocheck.

The do everything center has flourished under Laviolette. On a good play in transition that Brodzinski started, Trocheck centered a backhand feed to set up Will Cuylle for his fifth goal that made it 4-1 with less than five minutes remaining.

For the game, Trocheck had three assists while going 16 for 21 on faceoffs in 25:32 of ice time. He played more due to Zibanejad not being able to return until there were less than five minutes left. Trocheck is up to six goals with 19 assists for 25 points – ranking second on the Rangers in team scoring behind Panarin (16-22-38). His 63.6 faceoff winning percentage leads the league.

An accountable player who called out the team for a lack of commitment in Saturday’s 4-0 loss at Washington, Trocheck has been the Rangers’ most important player. While not Panarin, who’s running away with Team MVP, he does so many things well that it’s hard to fathom where the team would be without him. His consistency has been a key factor in the Rangers’ 19-6-1 record. There’s no better early candidate for the Steven McDonald Award than Trocheck. He’s done it all.

Quick Beats Kings

It had to be extra sweet for Quick to beat the Kings. A two-time Stanley Cup champion, who won the Conn Smythe in 2012, Quick faced off against his former team for the first time.

He made 25 saves on 26 shots to earn the win. That included 14 in a busier third where Quick proved why he’s off to such a good start with the Rangers. He improved to 8-0-1 with a 2.22 goals-against-average (GAA) and .922 save percentage on the season.

Next Up Are the Maple Leafs

Next up for the Rangers are the Maple Leafs. They visit MSG tomorrow night on Dec. 12. It’s the first of three meetings between the Original Six clubs. The Rangers will visit Toronto on Dec. 19. The final regular season meeting is Mar. 2 at Toronto.

It’ll be a good test for the Rangers. Anytime you can face a quality opponent that features Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and John Tavares, it should be an intriguing matchup. Keep an eye on Leafs’ rookie Matthew Knies. He plays on the top line with Matthews and Marner. Nylander leads the Leafs in scoring with 32 points in a contract year. It should be a good game.

Posted in Column, NYRangers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Rangers Fall Victim to Brady Tkachuk led Senators in Loss

Posted on December 6, 2023 by Derek

On Tuesday night, the New York Rangers had a forgettable game when they visited the Ottawa Senators on Dec. 5. They fell victim to the Brady Tkachuk led Senators in an ugly 6-2 loss up north – ending a three-game winning streak.

Playing for the third time over four days, the Rangers weren’t sharp throughout the contest. They frequently turned over pucks that led to the Senators using their skill and speed to get in transition. While Ottawa entered the match in last place in the Atlantic Division, it was only their 20th game of the season. Fewer than anyone else in the league.

Slow Starts Becoming an Issue

In come from behind wins against the Nashville Predators on Dec. 2 and the San Jose Sharks on Dec. 3, the Rangers fell behind early. The slow starts are becoming an issue.

For the third consecutive game, they gave up the game’s first goal. On some sustained pressure down low, Claude Giroux passed the puck up for an Artem Zub point shot that Tkachuk got in position to tip in to give the Senators a 1-0 lead at the 11-minute mark.

On the scoring play, the Rangers couldn’t get out of their zone. A turnover allowed Erik Brannstrom to push the puck behind the Rangers’ net for Tkachuk. He then moved it around for Giroux, who fed Zub for his shot that Tkachuk redirected past Igor Shesterkin for the game’s first goal.

Neither Braden Schneider nor Erik Gustafsson handled Tkachuk, who’s a load around the net. He continued to have success against the Rangers. He entered the game with five goals and eight assists for 13 points in the previous 12 games versus the Rangers. By night’s end, Tkachuk added two more goals, giving him seven goals and eight assists for 15 points in his 13th career game against the Blueshirts.

Later in the first period, it was a physical battle between Tkachuk and Rangers’ captain Jacob Trouba that resulted in the Senators’ second goal. After they played to a standoff behind the net, Tkachuk wisely kicked the puck loose to teammate Josh Norris. He then centered for a wide Jacob-Bernard Docker shot that took a carom off the back boards right to Giroux. He then slipped around and banked the puck in off Shesterkin for a 2-0 lead with 1:26 left.

They fell behind by two after one period for the second time in three games. It also happened against the Predators. They were able to mount a rally to prevail 4-3 on Dec. 2.

Panarin Scores on The Power Play

With just 16 seconds left in the first, Senators’ forward Dominik Kubalik took an undisciplined goaltender interference minor to hand the Rangers a power play that carried over to the second period.

With still 1:44 remaining on the five-on-four to start the period, Artemi Panarin stayed hot by scoring a power-play goal to cut the deficit to one early. Mika Zibanejad and Adam Fox combined to get the puck over for Panarin at the right point. Surveying the traffic in front created by both Vincent Trocheck and Chris Kreider, Panarin wisely took a wrist shot that Senators’ goalie Anton Forsberg never saw. It whizzed by him to give Panarin his fourth goal over the last two games.

That gave Panarin his team-leading 16th goal of the season. Continuing to be more aggressive with his shot, he’s on pace for a new career high. The most goals he ever scored was 32 in the Covid interrupted 2019-20 season. His first as a Ranger saw him total 95 points in 69 games. Panarin finished the second runner-up for the Hart Trophy.

In the Rangers’ first 24 games, Panarin leads them in goals (16), assists (21), and points (37). His 12 even strength goals and 96 shots-on-goal also pace the team. It could be another special season for Panarin.

Tarasenko Burns Former Team

Entering play, former Ranger Vladimir Tarasenko had been ice cold in the goal department. He had gone 13 straight games without lighting the lamp. Maybe seeing his former teammates was the elixir he needed to snap that goal drought. Tarasenko burned his former team with a big goal that put the Senators back in front by two in the second period.

On a sloppy turnover by Gustafsson in the neutral zone, Tim Stutzle and Drake Batherson quickly transitioned the puck up for Tarasenko. He gained the Rangers’ zone and blew a wrist shot past Shesterkin’s glove for his first goal in 14 games. That made it 3-1 at 5:13.

Miller Replies Back

Lately, K’Andre Miller has found his offense. He’s been scoring recently to help the Rangers win games. Following the Tarasenko goal that put the Senators up by two, he followed up an Alexis Lafreniere rebound to put home his third goal over the last four games. Miller’s quick reply back came only 22 seconds later to pull the Rangers within one.

However, that goal would be the last of the game for the Rangers. Ultimately, they were done in by poor puck management and lackluster defense that resembled last season. That was the story of the game.

Uncharacteristic Play Leads to Rangers’ Demise

For too much of Tuesday night’s game, the Rangers were their own worst enemy. While they certainly created a lot more opportunities in a wide open second period that saw the teams combine for five goals and 31 shots, they got into the wrong kind of style with the Senators, who boast plenty of talent. The firewagon hockey favored the Ottawa hosts.

Uncharacteristic play led to the Rangers’ demise. There were moments when the Senators came with plenty of speed to make life tough on Shesterkin, who didn’t get much help from his teammates. On the flip side, the Rangers certainly had their chances. However, Forsberg was strong, making some clutch saves en route to 33. He also had help from defenseman Jakob Chychrun, who made a diving save to rob Will Cuylle of a goal.

When the Senators weren’t bailing out Forsberg, they were taking advantage of Rangers’ mistakes to pull away. On a forecheck behind the Ottawa net, Panarin forced a backhand pass to a vacated point that led directly to a Senators goal.

Ryan Lindgren got caught, allowing Tarasenko to come two-on-one with Batherson. Tarasenko wisely shot low for a rebound off Shesterkin right to a hustling Batherson, who beat Trocheck for the fourth Senators’ goal, which restored a two-goal lead.

With over two minutes left in the second, a fluky play led to Tkachuk getting his second of the game. Brannstrom made a pass to Zub at the right point. He broke his stick on the shot, which took a funny carom right to Tkachuk for an easy finish that put the Senators up 5-2.

Sloppy Power Play Sums it Up

Trailing by three in the third period, Rangers coach Peter Laviolette wasn’t giving up. He didn’t replace Shesterkin with Jonathan Quick, who’s been nothing but brilliant so far. He still felt they could come back against an opponent not known for their defense or discipline. The latter could’ve swung the momentum in the Rangers’ direction.

Following Panarin drawing a high-sticking minor on Norris, Stutzle took down Trocheck 35 seconds later to give the Rangers a five-on-three for 1:25. With Laviolette opting to stick with his top unit, a sloppy power play summed it up.

Rather than move the puck quickly and take shots, they reverted to 2022-23. It was abominable. The lack of killer instinct should’ve resulted in Laviolette benching that top unit in favor of the second unit. He never considered sending them out. Lafreniere was their most effective player. He was robbed a couple of times by Forsberg, and his rebound led to Miller’s goal. It didn’t make sense.

The only shot the Rangers could muster was a weak Fox wrist shot that missed Kreider for an easy glove save by Forsberg. Zibanejad had a one-timer miss wide on the short side. That was it.

It was a poor display by one of the league’s best power plays. They over passed the puck and made it easy on the Senators.

Gustafsson Sticks Up for Schneider

A tough hit by Kubalik caught Schneider from the side and knocked him down. Not particularly pleased with the hit, Gustafsson stuck up for Schneider by going after Kubalik. He actually landed a few punches to get the decision.

Since he initiated the fight, Gustafsson received an extra two minutes for roughing. That handed the Senators a power play. They didn’t score on it, but Shesterkin had a bad giveaway that he could’ve been burned on. His frustration showed.

Tarasenko Ends It

With it clearly not their night, the Rangers still lifted Shesterkin for an extra attacker with over four minutes remaining. The old Patrick Roy rule didn’t pay dividends for Laviolette. Instead, Tarasenko ended it with an empty netter that came with 2:50 left to conclude the scoring. He was the game’s second star with two goals and an assist.

No Update on Goodrow

During the first period of the contest, Barclay Goodrow took a puck to his mouth that forced him to go to the locker room. He lost a tooth but didn’t return.

After the game, Laviolette provided no update on Goodrow. It was just the usual upper-body injury. Hopefully, he should be ready to go for the Rangers’ next game. If not, they’ll have to recall someone from Hartford. Considering that he’s a hockey player, I’d imagine Goodrow will not miss any action. Laviolette called him an important part of the team during his postgame interview.

Rangers Off Until Saturday

Following a busy part of the schedule, the Rangers finally have three days off until Saturday, Dec. 9 when they’ll visit the Washington Capitals. That’ll be followed by a second straight game at home on Dec. 10 against the overlooked Los Angeles Kings. The Toronto Maple Leafs will visit Madison Square Garden on Dec. 12.

Posted in Column | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Panarin’s Hat Trick Highlights Rangers’ Third Consecutive Win

Posted on December 4, 2023 by Derek

It was a successful weekend for the New York Rangers. They swept a back-to-back over the Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks to win their third game in a row.

Artemi Panarin’s hat trick highlighted the Rangers’ 6-5 win over the Sharks on Dec. 3. It was his third hat trick as a Ranger and fifth of his career. Despite a four-point night from Panarin, it didn’t come easy. Neither win did.

Laviolette’s Line Changes Spark Comeback

Facing the Predators for the second time this season on Dec. 2, a lackluster first period that saw the Rangers fall behind by two goals led to coach Peter Laviolette changing all four lines. They responded by outscoring the Preds 3-1 in a much more inspired second period.

A few days removed from Kaapo Kakko suffering a leg injury in a 5-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Nov. 27, he was placed on long-term injured reserve. That meant the Rangers recalled forward Jonny Brodzinski from Hartford.

A high-character depth player who’s served the Rangers well when called upon, Brodzinski rewarded Laviolette’s trust by recording a pair of two assist games for the first time in his career. He helped set up Jacob Trouba’s goal 31 seconds into the second period against Nashville to set the stage for a comeback.

Trocheck Delivers On the Power Play

Even following Colton Sissons’ shorthanded goal, Chris Kreider answered back with his 14th goal of the season right after the power play expired.

Awarded a second straight power play due to Jusso Parssinen boarding Nick Bonino, the Rangers wasted little time drawing even. Following some nice work from Adam Fox and Mika Zibanejad, Vincent Trocheck tipped in a Zibanejad shot for a big power-play goal to tie the score. The tying goal came 19 seconds after Kreider’s goal.

Brodzinski’s Hustle leads to Lindgren’s Winner

With the game tied in the third period, some hustle from Brodzinski allowed Fox to get the puck over to partner Ryan Lindgren for a shot that bounced off a Predator for his first goal of the season. It was a nice reward for the battle tested warrior who played well without Fox.

Lindgren did a good job when he was paired with Erik Gustafsson, who’s been one of the Rangers’ best recent signings. He has provided offense from the blue line while being dependable defensively.

Igor Shesterkin preserved the come from behind 4-3 victory by making 37 saves, including a lucky 13 in the third period. The win improved him to 10-4-0 on the season with a 2.58 goals-against-average (GAA), and .916 save percentage. It was his 109th career win.

Rangers Hold Off Sharks

Entering Sunday night’s home matchup with the Sharks, the Rangers were looking to take over the Eastern Conference lead for the most wins so far. Facing an opponent with the league’s worst record coming into play meant very little.

The Sharks proved that they meant business when they visited Madison Square Garden on Dec. 3. After surprising the Devils to pick up their first road win of the season on Dec. 1, they looked to make it two in a row on Sunday night.

Related: Devils Back At A Crossroads After Devastating Loss To The Sharks

Following some early Rangers’ pressure that led to Sharks’ goalie Mackenzie Blackwood robbing Trouba, Kyle Burroughs made a nice lead pass that sent former Ranger Anthony Duclair in for a breakaway goal on Jonathan Quick. After receiving the pass, Duclair made a nice adjustment before faking out Quick with a forehand deke for a sweet finish less than four minutes into the game.

Panarin Ties It Up

After Jimmy Vesey was high-sticked by the Sharks’ Jacob MacDonald, the Rangers went to work on the power play. The league’s third ranked man-advantage didn’t get anything done on the first one. However, Brodzinski was taken down by Sharks’ rookie William Eklund to go right back up a man.

On their second straight five-on-four, Fox and Zibanejad combined to get the puck up top for Panarin. With both Trocheck and Kreider screening Blackwood in front, Panarin let go of a wrist shot that banged in for a power-play goal at 8:44. Blackwood never saw the puck.

The goal was the start of a big night for Panarin. Under Laviolette, he’s taken his game to a new level. It’s not only about skill, but about will. That was on display later in the game.

Zibanejad Extends Point Streak to Seven

When he assisted on Panarin’s tying goal, it allowed Zibanejad to extend his point streak to seven. He wasn’t done. The Rangers’ number one pivot is finally playing like the star player he is. With him going along with Trocheck, the Rangers have a pretty good center duo for opponents to deal with.

After former Ranger Ryan Carpenter put the Sharks back ahead with less than eight minutes remaining in the first period, the Rangers went back to work thanks to their one-two punch.

Trailing by one, it was the cohesiveness of the second line that struck back to even things up. On a nice two-way passing play between Trocheck and Alexis Lafreniere, Trocheck circled around the Sharks’ net for a wraparound that Blackwood got a piece of. However, Panarin was there to put home the rebound for his second of the game with 7:05 left.

Less than four minutes later, some good work from both Brodzinski and Kreider allowed Zibanejad to score his sixth in front. His running mate Kreider made a perfect centering pass that he buried to give the Rangers their first lead. They carried that 3-2 lead into the locker room.

Cuylle Scores On a Breakaway

During the second period, the play wasn’t as wide open. Both sides focused more on defense and checking. However, there were moments when both Quick and Blackwood came up with some key saves. Quick made his biggest stop when he got across to deny Mikael Granlund earlier in the contest.

The Sharks were relentless throughout the game. It explains why they’ve been winning more games lately. Sent on the power play due to a Zibanejad trip on Tomas Hertl, they hooked up for a power-play goal to tie the score before it expired.

Mike Hoffman and Kevin Labanc combined to set up a MacDonald one-timer that banked off the goalpost and by an unsuspecting Quick, who never picked it up.

A little past the halfway mark, Matt Benning took down Lafreniere from behind to deny a breakaway opportunity. Lafreniere was awarded a penalty shot with 9:44 left in the second period. He tried to beat Blackwood with a forehand. But the former Devil was patient enough to shrug it aside. That kept the game tied.

With less than four minutes to go in the second, Trouba got the puck up for Nick Bonino in the neutral zone. He made a nice touch pass that sent Will Cuylle in on a breakaway. The rookie made no mistake – beating Blackwood with a good wrist shot top shelf to give the Rangers a 4-3 lead. It was Cuylle’s first goal in 11 games, ending a 10-game drought.

When asked about Cuylle following the game, Laviolette indicated how pleased he is with how consistent the 21-year-old forward is game to game. Effort has never been an issue for the former 2020 second round pick. That’s why he’s established himself as a dependable top nine forward that Laviolette can trust.

Panarin Gets The Hat Trick

A little less than five minutes into the third period, Panarin got the hat trick. On a rush started by Brodzinski, he got the puck in front for a Trocheck stuff-in attempt that Blackwood stopped. However, a hustling Panarin was able to scoop up the loose puck and put it in for his third goal of the game and fourth point.

Panarin overtook Kreider for the team lead in goals with 15. His 35 points ranked fourth in league scoring, entering Monday night’s slate.

Later in the period, he made a couple of extra efforts to keep a play alive in the offensive zone, which led to Panarin feeding a pinching K’Andre Miller for his third goal in the last five games. That put the Rangers ahead 6-3 with 6:56 remaining in regulation.

That should’ve been enough to put the game away. Nobody told the Sharks. They never quit.

Sloppiness Makes it Too Close For Comfort

Instead of closing it out, the Rangers took their foot off the accelerator. Sloppiness made it too close for comfort.

A Zibanejad lazy turnover in the Sharks’ zone allowed them to quickly counter in transition for a Fabian Zetterlund goal. On the play, Duclair moved the puck across for a low Granlund shot that Quick kicked out to Zetterlund for an easy finish that made it 6-4 with 5:22 left.

Over a minute later, it was a Lafreniere giveaway inside the Sharks’ blue line that again fueled another goal on the rush. Hertl moved the puck up for Calen Addison, who made a perfect centering feed that Alexander Barabanov finished in front for his first of the season to cut it to one with 4:10 remaining.

Furious with his team’s let up, Laviolette took his timeout to regroup at the bench. After laying in a few words into the players, the message was received. Although the last few minutes weren’t perfect due to the pesky Sharks having a couple of close calls, ultimately, the Rangers came out victorious.

They hung on for a wild 6-5 win against an opponent that proved they’re improving under former Rangers coach David Quinn. They might not have much of a roster with captain Logan Couture still out. But the effort they gave was similar to how the Rangers played during Quinn’s tenure.

It might take some time for the Sharks to get back on track. But they boast Team USA forward Will Smith, who was named to the Under-20 World Junior Championships roster earlier today. It’s all about the future in San Jose.

Rangers Visit Ottawa on Tuesday

On Tuesday night, Dec. 5, the Rangers visit Ottawa to face the Senators up north. It’ll be their third game over four days.

While the Rangers sit atop the Metropolitan Division with an East best 18-4-1 record with 37 points, the Senators are a disappointing 9-10-0 with 18 points to rank last in the Atlantic Division.

Although they’ve played fewer games than the rest of the league, the Senators have to start winning consistently. This was supposed to be a different season where they competed for the playoffs. Instead, they find themselves eight points out of the wildcard while looking up at several teams.

The one thing about the Senators is that you can bank on Brady Tkachuk driving opponents cuckoo, and Tim Stutzle being a dangerous player to keep track of. They have the talent. The Rangers can’t take them lightly.

Posted in Column, NYRangers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Devils back at a crossroads after devastating loss to the Sharks

Posted on December 2, 2023 by hasan4978

Mea culpa…I thought the Islanders game on Tuesday night would be the start of the Devils getting back to being the Devils circa last season’s version. Instead it seems to have only been a pit stop on the way back to being the 2021-22 Devils, the team with no leadership, no goaltending, no defense and an offense that for all its talent can go into prolonged shooting slumps. Thursday in Philly was bad enough, albeit they got two points in the end but only after blowing a late two-goal lead in a game where they allowed close to fifty shots against a team that shouldn’t have anywhere near that kind of offense. You’re not going to have Luke Hughes in a three-on-three situation winning a gimmick OT game in the playoffs – if there are even playoff games to worry about.

Yes I’m now at the point where the playoffs are back to being an if rather than an expectancy. Way to go boys, you ramped down expectations again! Really this team should have the talent to make the playoffs, even after the unfortunate injury to Dougie Hamilton that seemed to come out of nowhere Thursday night but ultimately resulted in pec surgery that’ll put him out for at least the next few months. I figured the injury news wasn’t good with Dougie when the Devils called up 2022 #2 overall pick Simon Nemec yesterday, it seemed as if they didn’t want to use him at this point unless there was a long-term injury, well here we go.

At least for his part, Nemec was calm and cool in his NHL debut, even after his first shift ended in a nightmare goal against. He managed to put up two assists including one on the power play and actually led the blueline in icetime (by six seconds over Luke) last night. Afterward, he joked – maybe – that the most nervous he was came on his rookie lap in warmups. If you’re looking for positives from last night…Nemec was pretty much it.

As for the rest of the game…it was total rubbish. I thought it couldn’t get worse than that shambolic loss to the Blue Jackets a couple weeks ago, or both home losses to the Caps – clearly I was wrong. Losing to the Sharks at home is just flat-out inexcusable (even if they have played a bit better since their back-to-back ten goal embarrassments earlier this year led to GM Mike Grier having some words with the roster). You’re talking about a Sharks team that had six goals on the road ALL YEAR – ten games and two months into the season. They had six goals in those ten road games and matched that in a mere sixty minutes last night, that’s pretty much all you need to know.

I don’t want to hear about a 47-18 shot advantage, that’s nonsense. You need to convert more than three of those chances against the backup goalie for the San Jose Sharks. We don’t score when the PP or Jack Hughes doesn’t get involved and sure enough, the PP and a Jack breakaway goal accounted for two of the three last night. Of course with only two total power play chances in the game and Jack on the whole being just as sloppy as anyone else on the team last night, we weren’t going to get many more continuing to play the way we have most of the year.

Put Timo Meier at the front of the list, yes he was just coming off the injured list if you want to find an excuse for a poor game against his former team last night but what’s been the excuse the rest of this year as his plus minus has gone down at about the same rate as our goalies’ save percentages? He really does remind me of Ilya Kovalchuk during his first year here, getting empty points but overall not living up to the contract – hopefully the next couple years are better like the Kovalchuk cause it can’t get much worse right now. Timo, and defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler were both culpable on the first goal with sloppy play that was a harbinger of the rest of the night, and fitting cause they’ve been among the biggest underachievers this year.

Not that they were alone in brain-dead plays last night. Even Luke had a non-sensical turnover on goal #2. It’s one thing to turn the puck over in the offensive zone when you’re trying to make a play, it’s another just turning it over being sloppy in the defensive zone. Luke’s turnover there was sloppy and again, was a harbinger of things to come. His big brother got pickpocketed in the neutral zone leading to goal #3, a one-timer from none other than Anthony Duclair (I didn’t realize he was still in the league hah). Probably not a great goal for Akira Schmid to allow, as he looked like a statue getting over for the one-timer but it just goes to show how bad judgements up the ice and bad goaltending have become symbiotic this year.

Of course, what was Schmid doing even playing the night after a nearly 50-shot game in Philly? After an entire season where we continually looked for ways not to play Schmid, NOW we push the envelope on a back-to-back coming off a three-game winning streak?! Almost seemed like we were setting him up to fail. Of course it’s also possible they could have just been afraid of the crowd reaction the minute Vitek gave up a goal last night given how bad he’s been. Consider that even after Schmid coughed up five goals on eighteen shots last night, his season numbers are still clearly better than Vitek’s.

If they wanted to avoid a crowd mutiny last night, mission not accomplished. Last night produced the loudest non-ref or opposition heel boo I’ve heard in quite some time from the end of the second period to the final horn, about thirty seconds’ worth, or so it seemed to me. You can scapegoat the goalies all you want – and I was as annoyed as anyone when Schmid coughed up quick goals each time in the third period we did get it back to one goal, albeit one on a breakaway where Kevin Bahl pinched for no reason and John Marino getting abused but the other came on a rebound that he created with poor puck handling.

Both goalies have been awful, I make no bones about that. But to be honest, it’s the general sloppiness and arrogance of the rest of the team that annoys me more than one kid and another middling vet being over their heads in net. The rest of the team is supposed to be a strength, other than Jack most of the time they don’t play like it. Especially against the garbage of the league, we’re only a quarter way into the season and already dropped basically double-digit points just at home against junk like the Blue Jackets, Sharks, Coyotes, over the hill Capitals, etc.

With a four-game road trip coming up this is a pivot point. If we return to the road warriors we were last year, great – maybe last night will truly be a blip in our return to form. If we continue with the sloppy play and can’t find an answer to dumpster fire goaltending, then this season is going to go right alongside 1995-96 and 2010-11 in terms of massively underachieving Devils years.

Posted in Devils | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Devils’ wild comeback evokes visions of last year and ends Isles’ unbeaten streak

Posted on November 28, 2023 by hasan4978

After the Devils’ humiliating Black Friday home loss to the Blue Jackets (a game I fortunately wasn’t able to attend), I was at about my low ebb with this year’s team, even more than blowing the Rangers game in the third period two weeks ago. After eighteen games, this year’s Devils team hadn’t in my view given a full sixty-minute effort once this season. Even more than our crappy goaltending, that was the underlying reason I really wasn’t feeling this year’s team. From our undefeated preseason, it looked as if maybe we had started believing our own hype. When you respond to a dead as a doornail performance two nights earlier in Detroit by having a team meeting, then just delivering much of the same against one of the league’s worst teams, alarm bells start to go off. A too little, too late rally in the third came up deservedly short.

Almost every game followed the same pattern – start slowly, come on with a mad rush and hoped that some Jack Hughes magic and a dominant power play would be enough to sneak points out. Which to be fair it was some of the time, but even winning games early before our recent skid this team felt like a shadow of last year’s regular season juggernaut. Even our dominant win over a scuffling Sabres team that just lost Tage Thompson to injury on Saturday wasn’t enough to get me out of my disillusionment. It was the most meh feeling 7-2 dominant blowout I can remember being at – I barely celebrated most of the goals, and all I could think was ‘geez boys, where was this kind of sixty-minute effort all year?!’ My atitude was basically cool, now show me that kind of sixty-minute effort again.

I’d sold my ticket for tonight’s game a while back cause I wasn’t sure if I was going to have plans tonight or not (the answer turned out to be no) but could have gotten in the building cheaply if I’d really wanted to go. I thought about it, but my lack of belief in this year’s team pretty much compelled me not to go. And after the better part of two periods it certainly looked like the wise decision as the Devils again were the victim of bad goaltending and dumb plays, going from 2-1 up to 4-2 behind almost in the blink of an eye. I felt like Randy Quaid in Major League 2 in my cynicism.

To be fair, the Devils’ goaltending is evoking comparisons to New York Jets quarterbacks with how bad they – and specifically Vitek Vanecek – have been for much of the season. Look I love the guy personally just like I adored Cory Schneider, both are affable, standup people who take responsibility for their own poor play and take it to heart. But this organization has to face the facts, it’s just flat out over for Vitek here. I’m sorry…maybe last year’s playoffs broke him, or maybe his slump down the stretch even before the postseason was a warning sign that this was coming anyway. Either way, you can’t keep running out a guy with numbers like this indefinitely.

While I’m not a big fan of xG…no matter what numbers you want to give – analytical or traditional – Vitek’s been god-awful in all of them. There’s only so much you can slag the defense for stuff like a Matt Barzal breakaway on goal #2 where he was so clear of anyone he looked like a striker in soccer beating the offside trap. Yes, the defense has been bad this year but at some point you need your goalie to make saves for at least a full game here. Giving up a one-timer shortside on goal #1 and a greasy goal #3 might not be too bad if you’re playing well but when you’re not, you kind of lose patience for anything that isn’t a clear one-on-one goal.

Not that Akira Schmid has been much better this season to be fair, but still he needed to come into the game at 4-2 with things slipping away yet again and after his brutal October he seems to be straightening out a bit in November, but you wouldn’t know it with how infrequently he’s played though. He’s had just three starts in the month – all losses, though to be fair he only allowed two goals on two of them. Vitek only allowing two goals or less happens once in a blue moon now, like when you dominate a bad Sabres team on Saturday and only give up two power play goals among like a dozen total shots in the game.

Even at this point though, I started to get visions of our comeback win late last season against the Capitals. Why that game? Because Schmid came in relief of an ineffective Mackenzie Blackwood, steadied the ship and the team rallied from 4-1 down to win in a game that likely got Schmid put on the playoff roster in place of Blackwood. For some reason, even as negative as I was down 4-2 tonight in the back of my mind I was thinking, if we could just come back tonight maybe this’ll be the game that finally gets Schmid some real run as a starter a la how game #82 last season changed our playoff fortunes in the long run. Who really believes the Devils would have come back from 2-0 down if it was Blackwood and not Schmid skating out for Game #3 against the Rangers?

Of course, Schmid had to do his job and did so stopping all eight shots he faced including a couple of high-danger chances but when you’re down two goals, steadying the ship was only half the battle. You also need someone to help turn it around…enter our two franchise centers, both finally healthy (after Nico Hischier’s return on Saturday) and producing again. First, it was Jack rifling home a one-timer to draw the Devils closer. Then it was Nico Hischier tapping home a rebound to tie the game on a 4-on-3 – yes, another power play goal! For Nico, it was his second goal in two games since returning from his still undisclosed injury and after a scoring slump late last season extended to early this season, it’s been a doubly welcome sight to see.

Before I get to the finish tonight, a word on Nico’s return on Saturday against the same Sabres team that injured him – specifically defenseman Connor Clifton (who’s so insignificant I thought his name was Kyle before looking it up). Boy if you could write a get even script, that game would pretty much be the dream scenario…Nico scores on his return with Clifton on the ice, Brendan Smith wrestled him to the ice as he ran away from a fight and Clifton proceeded to go -4 on the night. Not everyone likes being the heel, and I’m sure our booing him every time he touched the puck was a stark reminder he was a marked man.

Anyway, back to the wild finish tonight. A finish made more improbable by the fact the Devils lost Dougie Hamilton for the third period to an undisclosed injury which was a bit of a double whammy, forcing us to move Smith back to defense after (quite honestly) he looked far more at home at forward than he ever has as a defenseman. Maybe his obsessive need to play in the offensive zone as a defenseman was a tell. He’s certainly looked the part in his pair of games as a winger so far. It is getting frustrating as we seem to lose one or two players every time we gain one back – case in point, Erik Haula going out to injury once Nico returned on Saturday and missing tonight’s game as well. Timo Meier’s return date is still up in the air, but it did make a difference having our top two centers reunited the last two games.

As all winning teams can attest however, you don’t just need your stars to do the job but you also need your role players to pinch in. Perfect case in point, Curtis Lazar’s dramatic last-minute goal which turned out to be the winner that not only ended the Isles’ six-game unbeaten streak in regulation but also truly gave me the first 2022-23 Devils type feeling I’d had all year, after all our dramatic late goals and comebacks in the previous season:

After my negativity toward the Devils this year, tonight’s game really felt like it could be the start of a sea change. Yeah they weren’t great throughout but they at least competed and fought back as a team. Akin to that point in the movie Major League 2 where the Indians get big heads from the previous season, start the next with all sorts of on and off-field problems but finally get over their crap and start playing together again.

All I wanted from this team is…like the point of this scene, for the Devils to show marbles and fight with consistent effort throughout. Indeed, they did so tonight. Now with winnable games coming up, the Devils need to use this game as a springboard just like the fictional Indians used this Cerrano home run to get back to the land of the living.

Posted in Devils | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Rangers’ Top Line Comes to Life in Win Over Flyers

Posted on November 24, 2023 by Derek

It was a good Thanksgiving for the New York Rangers. The day after enjoying the American holiday, they had enough left to earn a 3-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Nov. 24.

Less than two days removed from a 1-0 shutout over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Nov. 22, the Rangers got a big game from their top line. After showing some signs on Wednesday night, the top line came to life in Friday’s win at the Flyers.

They were responsible for all three Rangers’ goals. It was the kind of game they needed from Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, and Blake Wheeler. The trio followed up a good game with an even better one to ruin the Flyers’ Black Friday.

Zibanejad Erases Eight-Game Goal Drought

Entering play, Zibanejad had only two goals in the Rangers’ first 17 games. However, he turned it around in a big way by scoring twice versus the Flyers. He erased an eight-game goal drought less than a minute into the contest.

On a Kreider outlet up for Wheeler, he came into the Flyers’ zone with speed. Despite being defended well, he was still able to get a nice pass around a Flyer in front for a sweet Zibanejad finish that made it 1-0 at the 45-second mark.

It was some excellent teamwork from all three forwards on the scoring play. Kreider started it with a smart defensive read that allowed Wheeler to cruise in and set up Zibanejad for the game’s first goal. It was his first goal since Oct. 30. Having also picked up the only assist on Alexis Lafreniere’s breakaway goal on Nov. 22, that gave Zibanejad points in consecutive games.

Kreider gets a Thanksgiving Gift

The holiday treated Kreider well. He got a Thanksgiving gift for his team-leading 11th goal to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead before two minutes elapsed.

On a faceoff won by the Flyers, defenseman Travis Sanheim made a bugaboo by passing the puck right in front of his own net. Kreider easily intercepted Sanheim’s pass and fired a quick shot by a helpless Carter Hart for the Rangers’ second goal over 68 seconds.

The goal was the 277th of his career. Currently, Kreider ranks fourth on the Rangers’ all-time franchise goal scoring list. He trails Adam Graves by three goals for third all-time.

A bit later in the game, he had an apparent shorthanded goal overturned due to a successful coach’s challenge by the Flyers’ John Tortorella.

Cuylle Defends Lindgren

Following the Kreider goal that put the Rangers ahead by two, the Flyers started to play chippy. In particular, bruising forward, Garnet Hathaway was finishing checks. One of those hits later in the first period led to Will Cuylle defending Ryan Lindgren. Before that occurred, there were some fireworks.

On one sequence, Hathaway just missed Rangers’ captain Jacob Trouba. Trouba declined a challenge from Flyers’ tough guy Nicolas Deslauriers. Barclay Goodrow got into a brief skirmish with Hathaway that saw each receive five minutes for fighting. Rangers coach Peter Laviolette voiced his displeasure at the refs, feeling that Hathaway started it. He had a good point.

Following a successful penalty kill of a Wheeler tripping minor, Hathaway caught a leaning Lindgren with a clean hit against the boards. With the Rangers’ warrior down, Cuylle responded immediately by going after Hathaway. The fight was mostly a wrestling match with 2:41 left in the first period.

Since Cuylle jumped in, he received two minutes for instigating and misconduct that kept him out past the halfway point of the game. Hathaway got five for fighting to give the Flyers a power play. Unlike their first one, they couldn’t generate anything. The Rangers did a good job killing off the penalty to take a two-goal lead to the locker room.

Wheeler sets up Zibanejad Again

A few minutes after killing another penalty – this time on K’Andre Miller – Wheeler set up Zibanejad again to give the Rangers a three-goal lead at 7:41 of the second period.

Taking a lead pass from Erik Gustafsson, Zibanejad moved the puck to Wheeler. After entering the Flyers’ zone, he used his speed to create a two-on-one. He waited before making a perfect pass across for a cutting Zibanejad, who tipped in the puck with one hand for his second of the game. It was an outstanding play by two skilled players.

Wheeler picked up his second assist of the game. It was his first multi-point game as a Ranger this season. He’s quietly been playing better. The hard work finally paid off.

Shesterkin Has a Strong Game

After getting the last game off, Igor Shesterkin was back in the Rangers’ net against the Flyers. He had a strong game, finishing with 36 saves on 37 shots.

That included some stellar work when the Rangers were shorthanded. He made 13 saves on six Flyers’ power plays. A few were high quality to keep them off the scoreboard.

Shesterkin made a couple of tough stops on Flyers’ captain Sean Couturier. Eventually, he did find a way to score by tipping in a Nick Seeler shot that cut the Rangers’ lead to 3-1 with 2:41 remaining in the second. That set up an interesting third period.

In it, it was the brilliant play of Shesterkin that prevented the Flyers from drawing any closer. He stopped all 14 shots in a busy period to pick up his eighth win of the season. With another 1 PM game on Saturday, Nov. 25 versus the Bruins, it’s that kind of goaltending the Rangers will need to be victorious in Boston.

Assuming Laviolette goes back to him, his performance in the Rangers’ win over the Flyers should provide a confidence booster.

The Fourth Line Contributes in Win

Throughout Friday afternoon’s game, the Rangers got plenty of contributions out of the fourth line in the win.

When they weren’t helping kill penalties, the trio of Goodrow, Jimmy Vesey, and Tyler Pitlick were effective on the forecheck. They spent quite a few shifts keeping the puck inside the Flyers’ zone. That led to collective groans from the Philadelphia crowd.

That line provided good energy during their shifts. Both Vesey and Pitlick had scoring chances. Alexis Lafreniere sent Vesey in for a rocket that went over the top. Pitlick later snuck in and was turned away by Hart.

Goodrow provided strong work defensively. He logged 5:53 shorthanded and 15:19 overall. He also won 3 of 5 faceoffs. Although he doesn’t have many points, Goodrow has picked up his play. Since shifting to center, he’s been more noticeable. Whether it’s winning a key draw or blocking a shot, he’s done it.

Panarin Empty for Third Straight Game

After a hot start by setting a new franchise record with a 15-game point streak to begin the season, Artemi Panarin was empty for the third straight game. However, that’s no reason to panic.

He’s still been very active over the last two games. They’re just not going in for him or linemates, Lafreniere and Vincent Trocheck. Lafreniere made two nice passes that created scoring chances. On one, Hart made a great stop to deny Trocheck of a goal. It’s gonna happen.

That line has carried the Rangers up to this point. It’s encouraging to see other key players step up. With Zibanejad finally looking more like himself, that bodes well for the team.

Rangers Conclude November

The Rangers host the Boston Bruins on Saturday afternoon. They conclude November by returning home for a game against the Sabres on Tuesday, Nov. 27.

They can finish the month with only one less in regulation. Their record is 6-1-1 in November, including an impress 5-1-1 without Adam Fox. He’s getting closer to returning.

The Rangers remain atop the Metropolitan Division with a 14-3-1 record. There’s a lot to like about where they are. It’s been a good start to the season.

Posted in Column, NYRangers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Rangers Have Plenty to Be Thankful For

Posted on November 23, 2023 by Derek

It’ll be a good Thanksgiving for the New York Rangers. Following a 6-3 loss to the Dallas Stars on Nov. 20, they responded with an impressive 1-0 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night, Nov. 22.

The Rangers have plenty to be thankful for this holiday season. By bouncing back with a victory over their old Patrick Division rival, they improved to 13-3-1 for the season. They lead the Metropolitan Division with 27 points.

A good start to the season has them five points up on both the Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes. With no games on Thursday due to Thanksgiving, the Rangers can enjoy their turkey and cranberry sauce with a lot of smiles. They then will visit the Philadelphia Flyers on Black Friday, Nov. 24 for a special 1 PM game. That’ll be followed up by their first game against the league-leading Boston Bruins on Nov. 25.

Quick a Key to Early Success

When they signed Jonathan Quick on July 1, 2023, it was with the intention of filling the backup goalie role that Jaroslav Halak occupied. While many questioned the signing of what appeared to be a 37-year-old veteran in decline, the former Stanley Cup champion answered those critics by performing better than anyone could’ve imagined. Quick’s been a key to the Rangers’ early success.

Entering Wednesday night’s match versus the Penguins, Quick brought in a 4-0-1 record with a 1.98 goals-against-average (GAA) and .928 save percentage. After Igor Shesterkin returned to make the last two starts, Rangers coach Peter Laviolette went back to Quick to face the Penguins in Pittsburgh. He made Lavolette look smart.

Quick stopped all 32 shots to post his second shutout of the season. With the Penguins desperate for the tying goal late, Jake Guentzel made a blind pass for a wide open Sidney Crosby in the slot with 14 seconds remaining. Pens fans could only shake their head in disbelief as Quick robbed Crosby with a clutch save to clinch the victory for the Rangers.

That’s how well he played throughout an entertaining game when only one goal was scored. It was an old-fashioned goalie duel between Quick and the Pens’ Tristan Jarry. Both were on top of their game. Quick .add some early stops to keep the Pens off the scoreboard. Jarry was particularly strong in the second period when he made 17 saves to give his team a chance.

Quick had a few close calls on some dangerous Pens’ chances. He robbed Guentzel of a goal with a little help from defenseman Erik Gustafsson. He would later deny Guentzel again on what looked like a sure goal.

Rangers Successfully Challenge for Offside to Overturn a Goal

The one time the Pens thought they beat him came in the second period when Alex Nylander tipped in a shot. However, the Rangers successfully challenged for offside to overturn the goal. Even more puzzling was that a Pens’ player accidentally knocked Quick’s glove off. It was in the corner when Nylander believed he tied the game. It didn’t make sense. Quick had an interesting explanation following the game.

“I asked them to look at it in between periods if he thought it would’ve been goalie interference. He said because my glove was outside of the crease, even though my feet were inside of the crease, the goal probably would’ve stood,” Quick told reporters.

Apparently, the league gives the refs some leeway when it comes to goalies in relation to the crease. However, it definitely felt a bit confusing. The more you try to understand the rules of the game, the more you can’t. Nothing makes any sense. There are puzzling calls in almost every game. It might be time to rewrite the rulebook.

Lafreniere Gets The Only Goal

Early in the first period, a Mika Zibanejad takeaway in the neutral zone led to him sending Alexis Lafreniere in for a breakaway. Similar to the goal, he scored in a 4-3 shootout win on Nov. 12, Lafreniere moved in and froze Jarry by whistling a backhand past him for the only goal of the game at 5:10. It was one for the highlight reel.

Lafreniere now has eight goals on the season. That ranks third on the Rangers behind co-leaders, Panarin and Chris Kreider. Seven of Lafreniere’s eight goals have come at even strength. That trails only Panarin, who leads the team with eight even strength goals.

Asked about his confidence level following the game, Lafreniere said, “It’s pretty good. “But I can still, I think, play better.”

While there’s always room for improvement, it’s safe to say that Lafreniere has taken a big step in the right direction. He’s excelled while playing with Panarin and Vincent Trocheck. That’s been the Rangers’ best line so far. Without the key contributions of all three, who knows where they’d be in the standings.

Penalty Kill Shuts Down Penguins

If there’s been an area that’s improved under Laviolette, it’s been the play of rhs special teams. Most of the hoopla surrounds the Rangers’ fourth ranked power play that’s clicking at 30.9 percent. However, their ninth rated penalty kill has been part of their success. That penalty kill shut down the Penguins on Wednesday night.

The Rangers took some undisciplined penalties against the Pens. However, their diligent penalty kill blanked the Pens on five power plays. When the gritty duo of Nick Bonino and Barclay Goodrow weren’t blocking shots, the Rangers limited Pittsburgh to five shots in five power plays. They frustrated them by keeping the shots outside.

When the Pens forced the action, the aggressive Rangers’ forwards intercepted pucks and went the other way for shorthanded chances. They consistently outworked a Pens five-man unit that featured Crosby, Guentzel, Evgeni Malkin, Erik Karlsson, and Kris Letang. They heard boos from dissatisfied Pens fans.

Credit the Rangers’ penalty killing unit for doing an outstanding job. They were disciplined and defended well in front of Quick.

Zibanejad Has a Good Night

Entering Wednesday’s game versus the Penguins, Zibanejad had struggled recently. He had only one point over his previous eight games. Playing against a division rival, he had a good night.

Zibanejad was more noticeable throughout the game. A key takeaway led to him making a touch pass that allowed Lafreniere to go in and score the game’s only goal at 5:10 of the first period. It was the kind of play he’s capable of making when he’s sharp. That was the case on Nov. 22.

Unlike recent games where he wasn’t visible, Zibanejad was around the puck more against the Pens. He had four shots-on-goal along with three takeaways and a blocked shot in 20:45 of ice time. His strong showing included winning 12 of 21 faceoffs (57 percent) to lead the Rangers.

It was exactly the kind of game they needed from their number one center. Hopefully, this can be the start of a turnaround for Zibanejad.

Successful Without Adam Fox

The Rangers have continued to be successful despite an injury that’s kept Adam Fox out since Nov. 2. Despite missing their top defenseman, they improved to 5-1-1 without him.

Both Jacob Trouba and K’Andre Miller have played extremely well. The key defensive pair have been very consistent overall while logging key minutes to help the Rangers continue to win games. Each defenseman logged over 23 minutes in the win over the Pens. Trouba and Miller had a combined five shots, 11 attempts, eight blocks, and five hits on Nov. 22.

Trouba had 23:52 of ice time while Miller led all Rangers skaters with 24:40.

Since Fox went down, Gustafsson has been an unsung hero by providing the Rangers with offense from the blue line while playing steady defensively. He’s adjusted well to working with Ryan Lindgren. Both were good against the Pens, highlighted by a hustling Gustafsson helping Quick keep a Guentzel shot out of the Rangers’ net.

Although they didn’t play as much as the top four defensemen, Zac Jones and Braden Schneider rebounded from a subpar showing in the loss at Dallas on Nov. 20. They were better defensively and on for the Lafreniere goal. Schneider finished with two hits and a block in 14:24. Jones was a plus-one in 11:06.

Laviolette Running A Good Bench

If there’s been one noticeable difference with the Rangers this season, it’s been the way Laviolette runs the bench. He’s made several smart moves during games that have led to good results.

The way he’s utilized Trocheck is a prime example of why the Rangers have been successful. By leaning on him for key faceoffs and trusting him defensively, Laviolette has found the right balance for the veteran center to have an impact on games.

His versatility has helped the Rangers overcome the loss of Filip Chytil to a suspected concussion. He’s more than made up for Chytil by fitting in perfectly with Panarin and Lafreniere. Remarkably, Chytil hadn’t even been missed thanks to Trocheck’s performance. With Bonino able to move up and center the third line, Goodrow has shifted to center the fourth line.

Laviolette’s patience with Lafreniere has paid early dividends. He has unlocked the former 2020 top pick by continuing to play him with Panarin. Both have found chemistry and work well together. The gritty style of Trocheck has meshed well to form the Rangers’ best line.

Even when Shesterkin went down, there was no panic from Laviolette. He rode Quick, who’s responded well when called upon. By implementing a real defensive system that limits odd man rushes and protects the house, Laviolette has created a much better work environment for the Rangers. They play more like a team, which explains why they’ve been winning consistently even without key players.

It’s a credit to how Laviolette coaches. He’s done a great job so far. With plenty of the season remaining, it’ll be interesting to see how things play out. Right now, the Rangers have been one of the league’s best teams. With back-to-back afternoon games coming up against the Flyers and Bruins on the road, it’ll be another good test to see where they are.

Posted in Column, NYRangers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Slumping Devils need to regroup over Thanksgiving break

Posted on November 22, 2023 by hasan4978

Perhaps the only good thing that’s happened in Newark the last couple of weeks is this announcement that franchise icon Sergei Brylin will be placed in the team’s Ring Of Honor, which to date only had one member – original owner John McMullen – but will look to add more favored personnel in the coming years. Brylin is just one of five players in franchise history who played on all three Devils Cup-winning teams, with the other four all having their numbers retired along with Patrik Elias, who played on the latter two champions.

To be fair, all of those other individuals were clearly Hall of Fame level players – except in the case of Ken Daneyko, a very good player who will always be an amazing icon – while Brylin wasn’t close to number retirement worthy. After all, Brylin only had one season of 20+ goals and 50+ points (both in 2000-01)…but make no mistake, he certainly deserves this type of recognition. People talk about glue guys in hockey all the time, you could put a picture of Sergei next to the definition of glue guy and it wouldn’t be out of place.

Brylin was the type of guy who could play any role in any situation and not look out of place. Center, winger, power play, penalty kill – he would do whatever was asked and put in a good shift – and he was universally respected to such a degree that he hasn’t gone anywhere even after his playing career ended (apart from some time in the KHL after his NHL playing career ended), spending some time coaching in the AHL once he finally retired as a player before moving up to the NHL staff. Letting him know in front of the whole team that he’ll be honored before January 20th’s home game against Dallas was a particularly nice touch.

Where the team will be in the standings by then is another matter, as their up-and-down start has clearly hit a valley after losses in five of their last six games, including melting down late in the third period against the Rangers on Saturday with a seven and a half-minute stretch, which turned a 3-2 lead into a 5-3 defeat. After a three-day break they followed that up with a top-to-bottom no-show tonight in Detroit, a 4-0 blanking at the hands of Alex Lyon which was our first shutout against in over a hundred games dating back to the end of 2021-22.

I honestly didn’t know Lyon was even on Detroit, last time I heard of this dude he was on the Panthers. Not that it would have mattered if you even played a pee-wee goalie (or even a Devils goalie) with all the resistance the team put up tonight. Thankfully I didn’t see any part of the game until it was after 4-0 but from what little I did watch later on, it wasn’t pretty. And unlike the game Saturday, which was at least against a team that looks like a Cup contender under a proven winner in Peter Laviolette, tonight’s game was against a Wings team that had lost eight of their last eleven and looked to be crashing down to earth after an early season five-game winning streak. Despite our own slump, they were clearly the more desperate team, a fact coach Lindy Ruff didn’t shy away from in his short and sweet postgame presser.

At least he took responsibility for the team’s no-show, as did Tyler Toffoli who put two of the goals allowed on him. Of course, there was plenty of blame to go around and has been for a long time. I don’t even have any appetite to talk about arguably the biggest problem right now, which is clearly the goaltending, I almost feel like it gets beaten into the ground too much at this point as a mechanism by fans to hide all the other issues around the team, but there’s no denying that both Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid have been rubbish this season with nearly identical GAA and save percentages (3.38 and .886 for Vitek, 3.46 and .885 for Akira).

Vitek in particular seems unsalvageable at this point, which is unfortunate but let’s face it – he was bad down the stretch last year, worse in the playoffs and has been dreadful this year. It seems like his first 50 or so games last year was the outlier rather than a new norm. He’s still under contract through next year at a meh amount of money and there aren’t exactly a lot of goalie options out there, but it feels almost like we’re torturing him by continuing to throw him out game after game at this point. Especially since it seems like they’d rather protect Akira by not playing him at all, after some of Tom Fitzgerald’s comments in the offseason all but admitting he’d rather have Akira down in Albany. Despite their numbers being similar, Vitek has started twelve games this year to Schmid’s five and it doesn’t even feel that close after Akira got blistered in his first two starts of the year, they’ve only played him in back-to-back situations since.

Although I would have certainly rather have played Schmid against the Rangers Saturday given how last year’s playoff series went, I was resigned to them sticking with Vitek after one of our few wins during this stretch – typically a get-well game in Pittsburgh. Us beating the Pens no matter what the record is or how well both teams are playing is almost as predictable as losing to teams like the Jets and Capitals come hell or high water. Goaltending is about the one thing I don’t blame the coaching on at this point, although you do wonder if goaltending coach Dave Rogalski might be the first to walk the pike if it’s too soon to talk about canning the head coach following his offseason extension. It’s hard to envision any other actionable change to the goaltending at this point, even returning alum Keith Kinkaid is struggling in the AHL, so he doesn’t look like a viable option at this point.

Of course I don’t want to just fall into the same trap I frequently accuse other people of in just blaming everything on the goaltending. Although to segway here, it would be nice if the coaching actually attempted to (gasp) adjust the system given both the fact we’ve had such shaky goaltending and the fact we’ve had two top forwards out for the last few weeks – first it was Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier, now that Jack’s back, Timo Meier’s missed the last few games with Nico only returning to practice in the last week and…hopefully back in the lineup Friday? You would think with a good chunk of your scoring out and with problems at the back end all year you would tighten things up a little bit but no, we still see the same issues allowing two-on-ones and breakaways galore with the end of the first period in Detroit being the perfect example of everything going to crap:

You can’t even blame Vitek on three of the four goals tonight imo…goal number two was bad, as he somehow lifted his leg off the ice on a backhand chance in close with little chance of Dylan Larkin roofing a shot there but goal number one was on a two-on-one, goal number three was wide open off a rebound and goal number four was a power play goal against our below-average PK, who always seem to have one of their major cogs in the box for the actual penalty kill – this time it was Kevin Bahl, who has regressed a bit since being injured a few games ago. Then again it’s fair to say the whole defense has regressed…or maybe the rest of the league has just figured out how to beat our pond hockey system.

Despite being shutout tonight, the offense is the least of the problems right now behind goaltending, coaching and defense but let’s be fair – the overall offensive numbers have been propped up both by a Hart-worthy start by Jack pre-injury, and an insane power play which has been over 35% for almost a quarter of the season. Taking off our twenty-three power play goals, we only have thirty-six other goals in the first seventeen games of the season. So when you do shut down the power play (or more often, have the refs just not call penalties on you) then it becomes that much tougher to win. Especially with goaltending that leaks one or two bad goals a game and a D that more or less does the same.

Despite the Devils embarrassingly being in seventh place only ahead of the pitiful Blue Jackets, the standings are still bunched up enough where the Devils aren’t in a major bit of trouble…yet. But it could get there pretty quickly, especially if the Devils fail to make hay in their upcoming stretch of games against so-called lesser teams, starting with the Black Friday special against Columbus. A game which I won’t be at, partly cause I’ll likely be getting off work at the time the game starts and partly because there’s another home game against the Sabres (struggling and now without star Tage Thompson for a while) the next night anyway. I’d probably go as far as to say if they don’t sweep the weekend it’s at least DEFCON 2 time in Newark. I don’t want to go full DEFCON 1 yet…but just like the early part of the season set us up for a big year last year, this year the early part of the season could be the downfall in the other direction if the team doesn’t start shaping up soon.

Posted in Devils | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Rangers’ Zibanejad Must Get Going

Posted on November 21, 2023 by Derek

On Monday night, the New York Rangers fell apart in a 6-3 loss to the Dallas Stars on Nov. 20. A promising start that saw them grab a two-goal lead halfway through the contest completely turned around. It was their first regulation defeat since Oct. 19. That ended an 11-game point streak.

After playing a good first period by getting a Vincent Trocheck power-play goal and outshooting the Stars 16-7, the Rangers got some pushback from their opponent. Although they fell behind 2-0 on Kaapo Kakko’s first goal since Oct. 21, the Stars were more aggressive on the forecheck. They created scoring chances to force Igor Shesterkin into some tough saves in the second period.

Following Kakko having his centering pass bank in off a Dallas player to put the Rangers ahead by two, some sloppiness allowed Stars’ captain Jamie Benn to finish off a nice passing play between Roope Hintz and Joe Pavelski to cut the deficit to one less than a minute later.

Braden Schneider passed across for Jimmy Vesey, who forced a back pass that resulted in a turnover inside the Stars’ blue line. That allowed the Stars to quickly go in transition on an odd man rush with only Zac Jones back. Hintz and Pavelski combined to set up Benn for an easy finish with 5:37 remaining in the second period.

Although they still held a one-goal lead into the locker room, the Rangers weren’t as sharp. They allowed the Stars to push the pace and force turnovers. Their style caused issues for the Rangers, who wilted in a brutal third period. They were outscored 5-1 and out-shot 19-10.

Shesterkin Allows a Pair of Bad Goals

Following a Pavelski goal on a rebound of a Miro Heiskanen that tied the game 61 seconds into the third period, Barclay Goodrow took an ill-advised high-sticking minor on Stars’ forward Mason Marchment. The lack of discipline by Goodrow proved costly.

With the Stars on the power play, Marchment got to a juicy rebound of a Wyatt Johnston shot and poked the loose puck past Shesterkin at 7:06 to put the Rangers behind for the first time. Initially, refs Ghislain Hebert and Kevin Pollock waved off the goal, citing illegal contact with Shesterkin.

However, the replays clearly showed that Shesterkin didn’t have control of the puck. That allowed Marchment to put in the rebound. Once the video review confirmed it, the call was changed to a good goal. It was a shot Shesterkin should’ve had for a whistle. Instead, the Stars went ahead 3-2.

Shesterkin’s issues continued over a minute later. On another Stars’ rush, Marchment drove to the Rangers’ net and got a backhand on Shesterkin that he couldn’t control. Tyler Seguin got a piece of the rebound and pushed it towards the net. With the loose puck sitting there, it looked like Shesterkin put it into his own net. Regardless, that unassisted goal made it four straight goals for the Stars.

For some reason, Rangers coach Peter Laviolette decided to challenge for goaltender interference on the play. There was no contact from any Dallas player that would’ve overturned the call. Chalk it up to a bad challenge, which put the Stars back on the power play. At least the Rangers killed off the delay of game bench minor.

Missed Chances Seal Fate

Still trailing by two, the Rangers had a couple of opportunities to make it interesting. They had two consecutive power plays with less than eight minutes left in regulation. Those missed chances sealed their fate.

The first power play was drawn by Kakko, who kept moving his feet until the Stars’ Evgenii Dadonov grabbed him. But the Rangers’ top unit was unable to capitalize. In fact, they kept missing the net. The closest they came was an Artemi Panarin pass for a Chris Kreider tip-in that just missed. Both Mika Zibanejad and Panarin fired high and wide.

Alexis Lafreniere drew a tripping minor on Johnston with 4:06 remaining. After the TV timeout, Laviolette went for it by pulling Shesterkin for an extra skater to make it a six-on-four. But another Panarin blank missed the mark. Following a Lafreniere miss, Erik Gustafsson gave away the puck to Sam Steel, who scored into the open net for a shorthanded goal with 3:30 left.

The Stars would add another empty netter from Hintz to make it 6-2. With time winding down, Goodrow got his first of the season from Schneider and Jacob Trouba.

Zibanejad Struggles Continue

If there’s one concern, it’s been the play of Zibanejad. Despite a strong start that has the Rangers in first place in the Metropolitan Division with a 12-3-1 record, Zibanejad’s struggles continue.

A reliable two-way center who the Rangers lean on to play in any situation, Zibanejad hasn’t been able to get going this season. The 30-year-old from Stockholm isn’t a stranger to slow starts. A streaky player who’s capable of getting hot, the puck hasn’t gone in much for Zibanejad.

In 16 games, he has only two goals with eight assists for 10 points. His last goal came on Oct. 30 against the Winnipeg Jets. In fact, Zibanejad’s only two goals came in consecutive games highlighted by a three-point outing in an overtime win over the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 28.

Since the end of October, Zibanejad has only one assist in November. He’s without a point over the last four games. Making matters worse is his inability to hit the net. Too many of his shots are going high and wide. With him unable to score, there have been some wide open chances that he’s passed on. Case in point, Panarin made a good pass for him near the end of a power play. Rather than shoot, he made a low percentage pass back to Panarin, which led to a turnover.

At this point in the season, Zibanejad has only three points at five-on-five. His issues haven’t helped Kreider, who’s still tied with Panarin for the team lead in goals with 10. At least Kreider has six of his 15 points at five-on-five. At some point, the Rangers will need Zibanejad to snap out of it. He’s too good a player for this to continue.

Laviolette Tweaks Lines

Due to the Rangers’ poor showing in the third period against the Stars, Lavolette made some tweaks to the lines. He tried Panarin and Lafreniere up with Zibanejad for a shift. Kakko was also moved up to the first line for a shift.

With Laviolette mixing and matching, there were some different combinations over the final part of Monday’s game. It might’ve just been due to how poorly they played.

A Tough Night for Jones

It wasn’t a good game for Jones. A player who’s shown some positives during the Rangers’ recent play, However, he had a tough night against the Stars.

Jones was caught on for three goals against to finish minus-three in 13:22 of ice time. On the Stars’ first goal, he was left by himself due to both Schneider and Vesey making bad reads. That allowed Pavelski to pass across for an easy Benn goal.

On the Pavelski goal that tied the game, both Jones and Schneider were out of position in front. Jones was unable to take Pavelski on the Stars’ goal.

With the Rangers trailing 4-2, Marchment was allowed a free drive to the net by both Schneider and Jones. After a scramble in front, both were late on the Seguin tally that put the game away.

Adam Fox Skating

More encouraging news is that Adam Fox is skating. The Rangers’ top defenseman hasn’t played since going down with an injury on Nov. 3 versus the Carolina Hurricanes. He’s skated the past two days.

Even better, Fox is traveling with the team on the road trip. The Rangers visit the Pittsburgh Penguins on Nov. 22 before Thanksgiving. It’ll be another good test. They’ll visit the Flyers on Nov. 24 before returning home to host the Boston Bruins on Nov. 25.

Posted in Column, NYRangers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Rangers’ strong finish gives them comeback win over Devils

Posted on November 19, 2023 by Derek

The New York Rangers overcame a one-goal third period deficit to come back and beat the New Jersey Devils 5-3 on Saturday night in Newark. On goals from Artemi Panarin and Jimmy Vesey, they spoiled the return of Devils superstar Jack Hughes.

If the first of four regular season meetings was any indication, the Hudson rivalry should heat up. Even with the teams playing without key stars, it lived up to the expectations. There were big goals, key saves, and pivotal moments during an action-packed game.

Hughes Scores In Return for Devils

The biggest storyline for the Devils was Hughes, making his return to the lineup. He hadn’t played since tumbling into the boards against the St. Louis Blues on Nov. 3. True to form, Hughes played well by scoring in his return. He also set up an Erik Haula goal that gave the Devils a 3-2 lead in the third period.

If they missed their best player, the Devils got a boost from the explosive Hughes. He didn’t miss a beat. Flying all over the ice during shifts, he was dangerous throughout the game, finishing with eight shots-on-goal in 22:40 of ice time.

Shesterkin Battles Rust for Rangers in Victory

On the flip side, the Rangers finally got starting goalie Igor Shesterkin back. In his first game since experiencing soreness following a win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Nov. 2, Shesterkin battled rust in the victory for the Rangers.

After Panarin scored a power-play goal to put the Rangers ahead at 8:37 of the first period, Shesterkin gave it back when he was unable to hold onto a Hughes shot from a sharp angle 48 seconds later. Initially, there was confusion due to the refs blowing the whistle as Hughes’ shot appeared to be covered by Shesterkin.

However, the puck squeezed through his pads into the net. As the Devils started to celebrate, the officials got together and talked it over with Toronto. The original call was a goal on the ice due to continuation. After a quick confirmation of the video review, the goal stood to tie the score.

Despite the whistle blowing, Shesterkin never had the puck, which is why Hughes’ goal counted. It wasn’t one he should’ve had. He also allowed a late power play goal to the Devils’ Ondrej Palat in the final minute of the period to tie the score again. It was another shot he could’ve had.

The good news is Shesterkin got better as the game went on. He finished with 30 saves on 33 shots. The biggest save came when he denied the Devils’ Jesper Bratt on a breakaway with the Rangers trailing 3-2 in the third period. If Bratt converts there, it could’ve been lights out. The clutch stop kept the Rangers alive to rally late.

Panarin Sets Rangers’ Franchise Record to Start Season

Six days removed from matching Rod Gilbert’s franchise record of 14 straight games with a point to start a season, Panarin set a new Rangers’ franchise record by extending his point streak to the first 15 games in 2023-24.

With the Rangers on an early power play, Panarin was the recipient of a great pass from Vincent Trocheck to score into an open net for his ninth goal of the season. Panarin moved the puck up top to Erik Gustafsson, who then got it to Trocheck. He then found a wide open Panarin for the game’s first goal.

Panarin would later add to his team record by scoring a clutch game-tying goal off a Trocheck faceoff win with under nine minutes left in the third period. For the season, he’s up to 10 goals and 16 assists for 26 points to lead the Rangers in scoring.

He continues his excellent start to the season by dominating games. It’s the best hockey he’s played as a Ranger. If he can keep it up, Panarin could find himself in the Hart discussion.

Vesey Delivers A Big Game

On a night when the first line centered by Mika Zibanejad was nonexistent, the Rangers got a big game out of Vesey. He delivered by scoring twice, including the clutch game-winner with 2:49 left in regulation.

Earlier in the game, he converted a rebound of a Braden Schneider shot to beat Devils’ goalie Vitek Vanecek for a 2-1 lead. On the play, Vesey put himself in the right position to score his first goal since Nov. 4.

With the game tied late in regulation, Vesey drove to the Devils’ net and put in a backhand rebound of a Tyler Pitlick shot to give the Rangers a 4-3 lead with 2:49 remaining. It was another example of the 30-year-old veteran being in the right spot at the right time.

Although they haven’t gotten much production, the fourth line has been good this season. They find ways to contribute by forechecking and playing solid defensively. It was a nice reward for Vesey, who earned the game’s third star.

Trouba’s Big Hit ends Nosek’s Night

During a shift in the first period, Rangers’ captain Jacob Trouba delivered a big hit that left Devils forward Tomas Nosek down on the ice. After turning over the puck in his zone, Trouba recovered to finish a check on Nosek in front of the Rangers’ net.

With Nosek in pain, he was helped off the ice. He left the game with 6:09 left in the first period. In a game where they dressed 11 forwards and seven defensemen, the Nosek injury forced the Devils to play 10 forwards for the remainder of the night.

Trouba finished a few other checks, leading to boos from the Devils crowd at The Prudential Center. He had another strong defensive game – recording four hits and three blocked shots in 21:40 of ice time. Since Adam Fox went down, it’s been the steady play of Trouba that’s led the way.

Jones and Schneider Contribute in Win

The Rangers got contributions from their third pair of Zac Jones and Schneider in the win. With the game tied in the first period, Jones passed across for a pinching Schneider, whose shot went off Vanecek right to Vesey for a goal that made it 2-1 with 5:49 left.

Each had good games. Schneider made a good defensive play to stop Hughes on a rush. Jones made an outlet pass up for Trocheck that led to Vesey’s winner. Each defenseman had an assist while logging over 14 minutes.

Trocheck Faceoff Win leads to Panarin’s Tying Goal

In a game where he wasn’t required to take many faceoffs, Trocheck won a crucial one that led to Panarin’s tying goal. He won an offensive draw back to Panarin for a quick shot that beat Vanecek to tie the score at three with 8:56 left in regulation.

For the game, Trocheck went 5-for-9 on faceoffs. He had three assists, including a secondary helper that helped lead to Vesey’s game-winner.

Trocheck has four goals and 10 assists for 14 points on the season. It’s been his consistent play that’s helped the Rangers win games without getting much from Zibanejad. Without Filip Chytil, Trocheck had fit in well playing with Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere on the Rangers’ best line. He should remain there if Chytil returns.

Wheeler Seals It

With the Devils lifting Vanecek for an extra skater, Blake Wheeler sealed it by scoring into an open net with 1:33 remaining. It was his second goal of the season.

Although he hasn’t produced much, Wheeler has played solid for the Rangers. He can be trusted in late game situations to help protect leads. He’s been a steady presence on the forecheck and defensively.

Rangers Continue Road Trip

The Rangers continue their four-game road trip when they visit the Dallas Stars on Monday, Nov. 20. They’ll then take on the Pittsburgh Penguins on Nov. 22 before Thanksgiving. They’ll conclude the trip by visiting the Philadelphia Flyers on Black Friday, Nov. 24.

Posted in Devils, NYRangers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment