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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Rangers Get Boost From Miller in Win Over Capitals

Posted on December 28, 2023 by Derek

The Rangers got off to a good start after the Christmas break. Following a methodical first period in which there was no scoring, the Rangers used a three-goal second period to defeat the Capitals 5-1 on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.

The win was their second straight and fifth over their last six games – dating back to Dec. 15. Combined with the Islanders’ 7-0 loss to the Penguins on Dec. 27, the Rangers lead the Metropolitan Division by eight points. Their 24-8-1 record is the best in the league. They’re tied with the Canucks for the most points with 49.

Through 33 games, it’s gone extremely well for Peter Laviolette. The .667 winning percentage is the best by a Rangers coach in franchise history. He’s done a great job so far. It’ll be interesting to see what develops when the New Year arrives. In a league where there doesn’t appear to be a dominant team, the Rangers have an opportunity to do something special. The true measure will come next spring.

Miller’s Big Night Keys Victory

On a night that didn’t start out too exciting, the Rangers used a big second period to push past the Capitals. After falling behind on an Amthony Mantha goal that beat Igor Shesterkin high glove, they responded quickly.

K’Andre Miller scored to tie the game less than three minutes later. It was part of a big night that was a key to the victory. On some sustained pressure from Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad, Miller made a good pinch to get open in front. He took a Zibanejad feed and beat Capitals goalie Darcy Kuemper with a backhand that snuck under his blocker to tie the score with 12:57 left in the second period.

Miller wasn’t done. After he lost defensive partner Jacob Trouba to an upper-body injury on an accidental hit by Tom Wilson on a follow-through, the 23-year-old defenseman added another goal and an assist in the third period – recording his third career three-point game. The multi-goal game was the second of his career.

For that effort, Miller was deservedly named the game’s first start. Previously, he’d gone six games without a point. However, four of his seven goals this season have come in December. He’s up to seven goals and eight assists for 15 points in 2023-24.

Panarin and Schneider Score 40 Seconds Apart

With the game tied and the Rangers on the penalty kill, Zibanejad drew a tripping minor on Capitals rookie Ivan Miroschnichenko to even things up. Eventually, that led to a power play.

On the five-on-four, Zibanejad and Vincent Trocheck combined to set up a Panarin power-play goal that put the Rangers ahead 2-1 with less than eight minutes remaining in the period. Panarin and Braden Schneider scored 40 seconds apart to suddenly put the Rangers up by two.

Following Panarin’s team-leading 19th goal of the season, the Rangers’ fourth line got involved. Assigned with the matchup of stifling the Caps’ top line of Alex Ovechkin, Dylan Strome, and Wilson, the trio of Barclay Goodrow, Jimmy Vesey, and Tyler Pitlick followed up with a good shift that resulted in Schneider getting his second goal in four games.

After Vesey put in some work down low to get the puck over to Ryan Lindgren, he moved it towards an open Schneider, who cut in and snapped a wrist shot that bear Kuemper to make it 3-1 with 7:12 left in the second.

It was a good response from Schneider after a tough game before Christmas that saw him benched in the third period of a 4-3 overtime win over the Sabres on Dec. 23. The Rangers needed him after Trouba exited the game. In 24 shifts, Schneider had a goal, two hits, two blocked shots, and went a plus-three in 18:40 of ice time. It was exactly the kind of performance he’s capable of.

Cuylle Physically Involved

Although he didn’t hit the score sheet in the win, rookie Will Cuylle was physically involved throughout the game. A strong forward who’s got six goals while continuing to lead all rookies in hits. Credited with three hits against the Caps, he padded his total to 85 in 33 games this season. The 85 hits rank 15th among all skaters.

For the game, Cuylle had two shots in three attempts and had three blocks in 16 shifts (13:29) while playing on the third line with Nick Bonino and Jonny Brodzinski.

Strong Third Ices the Game

With Shesterkin continuing to improve his play by making 26 saves on 27 shots, the Rangers iced the game with a strong third period.

Less than seven minutes into the third, Miller got his second of the game to give the Rangers a three-goal lead. On some good work from Blake Wheeler, he moved the puck up to Chris Kreider. Kreider then used his speed to back up the Caps and find Miller open at the left point. His wrist shot beat Kuemper through traffic to make it 4-1 with 13:06 remaining.

The assist gave Wheeler a four-game point streak (1-4-5). After a slow start, the 37-year-old American has hit his stride. He’s fit in well on the first line with Zibanejad and Kreider. In 33 games, he has five goals and nine assists for 14 points. The Rangers are finally getting production from the veteran.

Over the same four-game stretch, Kreider has seven points (1-6-7). He’s up to 14 assists on the season. That’s four less than his total in 2022-23. He ranks second on the team in goals with 17, and the 14 helpers give him 31 points in 33 contests.

With under nine minutes left in regulation, Alexis Lafreniere finished off a nice cross-ice pass from Adam Fox to pad the lead to 5-1. It was his 10th of the season.

Miller started the play by passing the puck over to Fox by the wall. He then patiently waited before making a perfect dish for a quick Lafreniere one-timer that beat Kuemper low to conclude the scoring.

Blueshirts Conclude Year in Florida

The Rangers will conclude the year in Florida. They’ll take on the Panthers on Friday night, Dec. 29 at 7 EST. After that, they’ll travel to Tampa to play the Lightning on Saturday, Dec. 30 at 7 EST. Facing two good teams who boast explosive offenses, it’ll be a good test for the Blueshirts.

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Rangers Give Fans An Early Christmas Treat In Overtime Win Over Sabres

Posted on December 24, 2023 by Derek

Christmas came early for fans who cheer for the Rangers. Following a disappointing 4-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Dec. 22, the New York Rangers rebounded by defeating the Buffalo Sabres 4-3 in overtime on Saturday, Dec. 23.

Mika Zibanejad faked out both Rasmus Dahlin and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to set up Chris Kreider for the overtime winner at 2:28 into extras. Kreider’s 17th goal of the season sent the surprising Rangers into the holiday break with a 23-8-1 record with 47 points. The 47 points lead the Eastern Conference after 32 games played. Only the Vancouver Canucks have more points (49) out West to lead the league.

Rangers Winning Without Chytil and Kakko

The Rangers have done this without Filip Chytil for most of the first half. The timetable for a return is uncertain due to Chytil suffering a concussion on Nov. 2. Chytil had six assists in 10 games before going down. He’s been skating on his own. Whether he can come back remains to be seen. Given his concussion history, the Rangers will be extra cautious.

Meanwhile, injured forward, Kaapo Kakko has begun skating on his own. He suffered a lower-body injury in a collision with Sabres defenseman Erik Johnson on Nov. 27. When the injury occurred, he had two goals and an assist in 20 games. There’s been no update as to when he could return. Considering the way he landed into the boards, it’ll probably be a while before he’s back.

Lindgren Gives Rangers the Lead

Early on, Ryan Lindgren got a good shot on a shaky Luukkonen, who gave up a rebound, which no Ranger could put in. That wasn’t the only scoring chance he’d get in the first period. A little bit later, Lindgren gave the Rangers the lead by scoring his second goal of the season. Both have come in December. The other was back on Dec. 2.

The goal was set up by Jonny Brodzinski and Nick Bonino. On the forecheck, they combined to get the puck up to Lindgren for a wrist shot that beat Luukkonen through traffic to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead with 12:41 left in the first period. Brodzinski is up to a goal, and seven assists for eight points in 13 games.

Panarin Scores Team-leading 18th on the Power Play

In a period where both teams generated chances, most of the play was at even strength. However, that changed when Sabres forward Jordan Greenway hooked Vincent Trocheck to put the Rangers on the power play.

Following some good puck movement around the Sabres’ zone, Panarin took a Zibanejad pass and scored his team-leading 18th on the power play to put the Rangers up 2-0 with 4:25 left.

With the Sabres’ penalty killers focused on taking away Zibanejad’s shot from the left circle, the top unit was very patient. After Zibanejad moved the puck up for Panarin at the right point, his wrist shot went top shelf on Luukkonen, who never saw it.

Sabres Respond Quickly

Before they could get to the locker room with a two-goal lead, the Rangers allowed the Sabres to get back in it. They responded quickly by getting a goal from Rasmus Dahlin 62 seconds later to cut the deficit to one with 3:23 remaining in the period.

An aggressive Greenway won a puck battle with Braden Schneider in the corner. He then made a nice feed into the slot for a Dahlin one-timer that beat Igor Shesterkin to make it 2-1. It was Dahlin’s 10th goal. That’s tied with the Canucks’ Quinn Hughes for most goals by a defenseman this season.

It was the beginning of a tough night for Schneider. He struggled mightily throughout the contest, finishing minus-three. On for all three Sabres’ goals, Schneider had his ice time reduced by Rangers coach Peter Laviolette. He took 15 shifts and played 10:59.

Following Casey Mittelstadt’s goal that tied the game with over 13 minutes left in the third period, Schneider never saw the ice again. It was his turnover that led directly to Mittelstadt tying it. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the only time a Schneider mistake resulted in a Sabres goal.

Quinn Draws Sabres Even

With the Rangers leading by one at the start of the second period, it was the Sabres who made their push to tie the score before two minutes elapsed. Jack Quinn scored his second goal in three games to draw the Sabres even at 1:42.

On a rush started by J.J. Peterka, he got the puck up for Dylan Cozens. After Cozens gained the Rangers zone, he dropped the puck for Quinn, who skated around Schneider and fired a laser past Shesterkin that tied the score.

It was a case of the Rangers being too passive. Schneider backed up to give Quinn enough room to fire a lethal shot that went far side on Shesterkin. After the goal, Laviolette wasn’t pleased at the Rangers bench.

Zibanejad Stays Hot

A couple of minutes after Shesterkin made a key save on Kyle Okposo, the Rangers re-took the lead thanks to Zibanejad, who stayed hot by scoring his seventh goal over the last seven games.

It was part of a big game in which he extended his point streak to seven straight. He had a goal and two assists last night. That gave him 13 points (7-6-13) over that span entering Christmas vacation.

Blake Wheeler set up Kreider for a shot that rebounded off Luukkonen right to Zibanejad, who put the loose puck in to make it 3-2 with 12:47 left in the second period.

Cuylle’s Hit Leads to Fight

Moments after Will Cuylle landed a big hit on Sabres defenseman Ryan Johnson, he answered the bell when Erik Johnson challenged him to a fight. Both exchanged blows near the boards with Cuylle getting the takedown with 7:12 left in the period.

Due to Johnson starting the fight, he received an unsportsmanlike conduct and a game misconduct that ended his night early. For whatever reason, the refs also gave Jeff Skinner a misconduct that cost him 10 minutes. He didn’t return until less than three minutes into the third period.

On the power play, the Rangers were unable to capitalize on the Johnson minor penalty. Alexis Lafreniere got the best chance when he was set up in front. However, Luukkonen robbed him of a goal. Lafreniere had a few great chances during the game. Luukkonen stopped him twice, and a diving block by Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson prevented Lafreniere from scoring. He had a strong game despite not having any puck luck. That included hitting the crossbar on another good opportunity.

Mittelstadt Ties The Game

Less than seven minutes into the third period, Mittelstadt tied the game. On a Lindgren reverse to Schneider behind the Rangers’ net, he coughed up the puck due to some forecheck pressure from Greenway. That allowed Greenway to pass the puck to an open Mittelstadt who tied the score with 13:50 left in regulation.

With the game still deadlocked, Brodzinski drew a tripping minor on Skinner. That gave the Rangers an opportunity to take the lead. Although they came close during the first part of the power play, a turnover by Vincent Trocheck nearly proved costly. Alex Tuch stole the puck and broke in for a shorthanded bid. However, his backhand was stooped by Shesterkin, who heard the familiar, “Ig-or, Ig-or” chants from the crowd.

The game remained tied late in the third period. Barclay Goodrow was sent off for high-sticking Tuch with 2:51 left. After the Sabres failed to get any shots on the first half of the man-advantage, some pressure from Zibanejad forced Dahlin to take a hooking penalty with 1:14 remaining. That led to some four-on-four.

Once the Goodrow penalty expired, the Rangers went to the power play. Luukkonen made a tough save on a tricky Panarin shot to send the game to overtime.

Kreider The Christmas Hero

On a four-on-three to start the overtime, the Rangers couldn’t get any shots through. Instead, it was the Sabres’ penalty killers who came through with some key blocks. Connor Clifton blocked a pair of Panarin shots. Then, Samuelsson blocked a Kreider attempt. Both Clifton and Samuelsson each had seven blocks. As a team, the Sabres blocked 26. They combined for 14 of the 26.

Before Kreider sent everyone home happy for the holidays, the Sabres had three great chances to win it. A Tuch takeaway led to Mittelstadt coming in on Shesterkin. This time, Shesterkin stopped Mittelstadt’s backhand to keep the game alive.

Following a Trocheck missed shot wide, the dangerous Mittelstadt got another opportunity. After Shesterkin stopped him, he then foiled a point-blank shot from Tuch with players scrambling. That clutch save allowed the Rangers to come out victorious.

Following an Adam Fox defensive play, he got the puck to Zibanejad. The hot hand all night, he patiently skated around a diving Dahlin and then faked out Luukkonen completely to set up Kreider for the overtime winner at 2:28. Zibanejad made a great play with the puck and caught Luukkonen out of his net to make Kreider the Christmas hero.

It was an exciting conclusion to a great game. Maybe it wasn’t perfect from a Rangers’ standpoint. But they found a way to go home for the holidays with another victory.

Rangers Host Capitals After Christmas Break

Following the Christmas break, the Rangers will host the Washington Capitals on Wednesday, Dec. 27. The Caps took the first regular season meeting 4-0 on Dec. 9. It was as uncompetitive as the final score indicated. The rematch is at Madison Square Garden.

After Wednesday’s home game, the Rangers end the calendar year with their annual two-game road trip in Florida. They’ll first take on the Florida Panthers on Dec. 29. That’ll be followed up by a back-to-back against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Dec. 30.

The Rangers lead the Metropolitan Division by six points over the rival New York Islanders. The Philadelphia Flyers are third in the division with 40 points. The Capitals are fourth with 39. The disappointing Carolina Hurricanes are fifth with 38, and the underachieving New Jersey Devils are sixth with 36. In seventh place are the perplexing Pittsburgh Penguins with 34.

At some point, there should be some separation from the pack. That won’t happen until next year.

I’d like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!! This is a special time of year. Enjoy it and appreciate it. 🎄✨️❄️☃️

Derek

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Devils’ roller coaster season hits another valley after going 0-3 to begin homestand

Posted on December 22, 2023 by hasan4978

Was it really still less than a week ago where the Devils beat Boston in an impressive 2-1 OT thriller, following that up with a fun 6-3 win at Columbus during fathers and mentors weekend? That was at least the second time this season I dared to think maybe the Devils had finally found their footing and would start to live up to expectations. And the second time I’ve been proven dramatically wrong in the space of a few weeks. 

I’m not even as upset as I could or should be at the moment, given the fact I was too annoyed at the end of my football team’s season to watch the Devils no-show against the Ducks in a listless 5-1 defeat on Sunday, and I thankfully had other plans last night during their woeful 6-3 loss to the Oilers which saw one goaltender (Akira Schmid) get pulled just 5:24 into the game, while the other (Vitek Vanecek) coughed up three goals in a sixty-nine second span early in the third period, turning a 3-2 lead into a 5-3 deficit before you could blink an eye. If any night was the nadir of New Jersey Devils goaltending this season, last night may well be it though I wouldn’t bet on the undynamic duo somehow topping that.

What’s particularly striking about the above is that we have the same two goalies this year compared to last year and the one guy – Mackenzie Blackwood – who was a bit of a drag on those numbers in 2022-23 is gone now. So what changed…are they both one-year flukes that somehow shorted at the same time? If it were just Vitek struggling, maybe you could attribute it to his playoff meltdown, but Schmid too after a solid rookie season and his great first round against the Rangers? This is why I’m loath to rip the goalies to the point of only blaming them for this team being a flat out underachiever this season.

Especially when you take into account Tuesday night’s game against the Flyers, where all three goals against were the result of either dumb decisions – Brendan Smith’s pinch on goal #1 – or dumb turnovers in the defensive zone (by Jack Hughes, no less) on goals #2 and #3. If any game threw the Devils’ season under a proper microscope it was that one, the Flyers proved once again they’re a team that’s everything we aren’t…a team, rather than just a collection of individuals trying to win on talent. Coaching, goaltending, structure and teamwork – all of those are reasons why the Flyers have surprised the league with their unexpected hot start, and the lack of all of the above in Newark are why the Devils are driving fans like me to our last nerve before the holiday season.

As much as I wanted to believe after the Boston game last Friday, I’ve still never bought fully into this year’s Devils team to be honest. How could I, when even most of this team’s wins aside from the aforementioned Bruins comeback have either been due to the power play or early-season Jack brilliance? But our power play has cooled off a bit (somewhat expected that they wouldn’t stay around 40% the whole year, especially once Dougie Hamilton went on the shelf) while Jack…looks a bit distracted, shall we say? Tuesday’s turnovers were bad enough, from what I read it sounded like he also lost his cool during Sunday’s game with the Ducks due to penalties not getting called on him, so he took two dumb penalties in the second period himself. Bear in mind this is the same Jack who got Lady Byng votes for taking two minor penalties all last season. He matched that total in one period on Sunday.

I mean if something innocuous like that is gonna set you off, maybe you’ve got other things on your mind right now. If it were just a matter of Jack not scoring a lot recently that’d be one thing – you can’t expect him to be AS dominant all the time as he was in many games early in the season, but don’t compound a scoring slump by either being petulant like on Sunday, or just flat out stupid like Tuesday. Turnovers in the offensive zone is one thing, at least you’re trying to make something happen and the defense has time to recover. But when you have two idiotic turnovers in your own zone leading to high-danger chances that wind up in the net, questions need to be asked. ’Make a save Vitek (or Akira)!’ only goes so far when you also have to overcome nightly nonsense like this. Jack is far from the only offender here, but when you’re in some ways the most important player, that kind of stuff coming from you is gonna stand out more.

Judging by the goals last night, there’s certainly a lot of stupid going around the locker room at the moment. For the second time this season Schmid was pulled before the first period was over, and unlike the Caps game a month or so ago where he gave up two clunkers, neither goal was really on him last night. You could claim that Lindy Ruff did it to provide a spark, and you can even make the case it worked for a while as the Devils scored the next three goals but really they were outshot 18-6 in the second period and 29-14 in the last two…some spark, goals or no goals. I almost wonder if they treat Schmid with kid gloves just because they know what kind of defense this is and don’t want to ruin him, but they don’t have another option in net at the moment given that Nico Daws just came back a couple weeks ago from major surgery.

Of course, now we get to coaching…if you are that worried about a second-year guy in Schmid, then maybe just maybe you should simplify this system and not try to go firewagon hockey all the time. Strangely, it seemed as if the Devils had tightened up the approach last week when they were on the road then playing the Bruins last week back at home. If you have a defense with kids and one kid goalie plus a fragile vet you would think you’d look for ways to take pressure off of them. Yet, too often we opt for this insane high-tempo, high-risk system that accentuates all our negatives and doesn’t really help our positives five-on-five. I haven’t even bagged on the new-look defense as much as I should, cause really the defensive woes are just indicative of the overall team woes at the moment to a large degree although vets like Jonas Siegenthaler and John Marino are on the clock as far as their own play deteriorating. But as we saw Tuesday, defensive breakdowns aren’t just caused by the defensemen on this team.

It’s not even just the system that you can slag the coaching for, but ultimately the coach has to be responsible for this team’s continuing to come out for game after game completely flat. As if they’re waiting for their great talent to win games alone. I really get the feel as if this team was young and hungry to prove a point last year, especially after getting booed off the ice on Opening Weekend, with chants of ‘Fire Lindy!’ echoing from the stands during intros. How Lindy handled that personally, and how the team bounced back from it was a feel-good story last year, and quite frankly is probably the only reason we haven’t heard similar chants at this point in the current season, fans don’t want to have egg on their face again. But this year they’re playing like a team that’s fat and happy over proving a point and beating the Rangers on top of it last year, as if they won a Cup and could coast now.

This season does feel like the beginning of the second Major League movie, where after the fictional Indians came out of nowhere to win the division against their hated rivals – then the next season their heads were in all the wrong places much to the exacerbation of manager Lou Brown.

Lou: You guys won last year, just to spite her! Maybe she’s just what we need

Jake: Aw skip, they were a different team last year

I’d referenced this movie in a couple prior posts thinking we’d already reached the point where the team had started to turn it around but nope, we’re still in the same old malaise we’ve been for much of this season and quite honestly we’re at the point where at least one big change needs to be made. Whatever that is, GM Tom Fitzgerald needs to do it asap…none of the sitting on your hands nonsense that Joe Douglas did to ruin the football Jets’ season. It’s getting early late in this division.

I was tempted to break out the old Wargames DEFCON 1 clip, except I’m paranoid we haven’t yet seen rock bottom at this point. With two more home games looming over the next few days around the Christmas break, I’m really worried about losing tomorrow and being in an ugly pre-holiday atmosphere. Ironically, we play the same Detroit Red Wings team that roasted us in the aforementioned home opener last season. Maybe we’ll hit rock bottom against the same team in the same building two seasons in a row, only hopefully this isn’t too late to have a turnaround. Especially with seemingly everyone else in the Metro winning against non-Metro teams, and having three-point games against each other.

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Rangers Get Revenge On Leafs in Rematch

Posted on December 20, 2023 by Derek

The last time they played, it was all Toronto Maple Leafs in a 7-3 win over the New York Rangers one week ago on Dec. 12. They dominated the first meeting by beating Igor Shesterkin six times on 29 shots to send him to a third consecutive defeat.

Since then, the Rangers have responded with three wins in a row – highlighted by Tuesday night’s 5-2 win over the Leafs to get a measure of revenge in the rematch up north on Dec. 19. That included Shesterkin turning in one of his best games of the season. He made 31 saves on 33 shots to earn his second straight victory. He followed up a 21-save performance in a 2-1 overtime win over the Boston Bruins with an even better game.

Related: Rangers Steal One From Bruins In Overtime

The best part is that after struggling during a recent stretch that saw them allow 17 combined goals in bad losses to the Ottawa Senators, Washington Capitals, and Maple Leafs, the Rangers have turned it around during their current three-game winning streak. They’ve outscored opponents 12-4.

That’s also included superb play from their goalies. Following Jonathan Quick making 29 saves in a 5-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Dec. 15, Shesterkin has stopped 52 of 55 shots to supply the kind of goaltending the Rangers have come to expect from the 27-year-old. It’s more in line with what the former Vezina winner is capable of.

In the win over the Leafs, Shesterkin came up with clutch saves at times against a dangerous opponent. That included timely stops against Auston Matthews, John Tavares, and William Nylander. Matthews got Shesterkin twice for his league-leading 24th and 25th goals of the season. Both came off sloppy plays that made it easy for one of the game’s best finishers to give the Leafs a chance. Similar to last week, he was dangerous throughout. He doesn’t need much real estate to score.

A Good Road Period

Unlike the bad start that they had a week ago in giving up four goals to fall behind 4-1, the Rangers played a good road period at Toronto.

There was more energy from the jump. Will Cuylle had an early point blank chance that Leafs goalie Martin Jones denied. It was created by Nick Bonino.

If there was a theme early, it was the physicality both teams demonstrated. In between each side generating chances, there were some big hits. That included Rangers captain Jacob Trouba flattening Leafs rookie Matthew Knies. Barclay Goodrow also had a good check on Matthews. The hitting made for an entertaining period, even though neither team scored.

The Rangers out-shot the Leafs 11-5 in the first period. They were more aggressive attacking the Leafs’ defense. In particular, Alexis Lafreniere was very noticeable during some strong shifts. One included him setting up Artemi Panarin in the slot for a shot that missed wide. Lafreniere was the best Ranger skater in the period, followed by K’Andre Miller, whose Mom attended the game.

Although they only had five shots, the Leafs created a few dangerous opportunities off their forecheck. The combination of skating and passing led to some wide open shots. But they missed the mark. That included Max Domi sending an early wrist shot just over the top. Tyler Bertuzzi missed the net wide a couple of times when he was left open.

Shesterkin also made a save on Marner that set the tone. He was much sharper than the previous matchup. He needed to be once the Leafs amped it up in the second period.

On the other side, Jones made a few good stops. That was highlighted by his denial on Cuylle one-on-one. He also stopped Panarin and Goodrow in a strong period.

Zibanejad Gives Rangers a Short-lived Lead

The second period was interesting. With both sides looking to get on the scoreboard, it was a bizarre play that led to the Rangers taking the lead.

After receiving a pass from Chris Kreider, Blake Wheeler skated into the Leafs’ zone and took an innocent looking wrist shot from the right circle that took a funny hop off of Mika Zibanejad past Jones to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead at 6:11. Initially, it was hard to tell if the puck banked off Zibanejad or not. Regardless, they got the game’s first goal.

However, the Rangers’ lead was short-lived. On another effective shift from Lafreniere in the Toronto zone, it went to waste when Panarin made a bad pass that sent the Leafs in the opposite direction. Following an Adam Fox neutral zone turnover, Bertuzzi got the puck to Morgan Rielly. He gained the Rangers’ zone and centered for Matthews, who scored his league-leading 24th to tie the game 81 seconds later.

Lafreniere Scores to End Drought

With the game tied, Tyler Pitlick drew a holding minor on Leafs defenseman William Lagesson. The best chance the first unit got was when Panarin fired a screamer that Jones made a nice glove save on.

In the second part of the power play, the second unit came out. It included Lafreniere, Wheeler, Jonny Brodzinski, Jimmy Vesey, and Erik Gustafsson. After Wheeler won a faceoff, Brodzinski moved the puck to Gustafsson. He sent it across for a Lafreniere shot in the left circle that banked in off of Rielly to give the Rangers their second lead with over 10 minutes left in the period.

The goal was Lafreniere’s first in 13 games. It allowed him to end his scoring drought. He hadn’t scored since Nov. 22. His ninth goal came at the right time. It was a good response to Matthews’ goal. Most importantly, Lafreniere deserved it. He had a good game and got rewarded.

Trailing by one, the Leafs kept coming. Nylander came out with the puck in front and was stoned by Shesterkin. His defense didn’t exactly play well in the period. They allowed too much space and left players wide open. Good thing the real Shesterkin showed up. He made 16 saves in a much busier second to keep the Rangers ahead.

Matthews Ties It

After the Leafs out-shot the Rangers 17-14 in the second, they came out quickly to start the third period. Shesterkin made a big save on Bertuzzi on the first shift. He got in behind the Rangers’ defense and was stopped by Shesterkin before 25 seconds had elapsed.

Following a Nylander takeaway, he passed the puck to Jake McCabe. McCabe then got the puck over to Matthews for another rocket that beat Shesterkin to tie the score. The goal came only 1:16 into the third. On the play, both Kreider and Wheeler got caught puck watching.

That allowed Matthews to do what he does best. He leads the league with 25 goals. A week after lighting the Rangers up for two goals and two assists for four points, he scored both the Leafs’ goals to give them a chance. The 26-year-old center has been on fire lately. He extended his goal streak to five. Matthews has nine goals along with three assists for a dozen points over that span. That includes four two-goal games. Dating back to Dec. 2, Matthews has 11 goals over his last seven games. He’s a great player.

Schneider Scores A Beauty

Following a Leafs’ chance that didn’t go, a faceoff won by Zibanejad in the neutral zone resulted in a highlight reel goal. Braden Schneider scored a beauty that proved to be the game-winner with 11:52 remaining in the third. It was his first goal in 23 games. His last one came on Oct. 26.

On the play, after Zibanejad won the draw, Wheeler moved the puck to Gustafsson, who passed it up for Schneider, who got behind the Leafs’ defense. He then broke in and beat Jones short side over the glove to give the Rangers their third lead of the game. This time, they wouldn’t relinquish it.

It hasn’t been the best first half for Schneider. In his third season, he’s been up and down. There are moments when he plays well like last night. There also are times when he doesn’t. Still only 22, he’s still learning. One thing to like is his skating. He is a strong skater with good instincts. That’s what allowed him to get the winner.

Panarin Adds Insurance

With less than seven minutes left in regulation, Leafs forward David Kampf took down Ryan Lindgren for a tripping minor. That gave the Rangers their second power play. They had the only two of the game. The refs let both teams play throughout what was a hard fought game.

On the five-on-four, Vincent Trocheck got the puck up to Gustafsson, who had come on to replace an ineffective Fox. The one-time Maple Leaf moved the puck over to Panarin, who snapped a wrist shot that went off a Leafs’ defenseman past Jones for a power-play goal that added insurance. His team-leading 17th goal came made it 4-2 with 4:52 left in the contest.

For Gustafsson, who Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe hardly used in last season’s playoffs after coming over from the Washington Capitals in a trade for Rasmus Sandin and a 2023 first round pick, it had to feel good. He recorded three assists and was named the game’s first star.

Zibanejad Ices It

With Keefe lifting Jones for an extra attacker, that gave the Rangers a chance to finish the game off. Somewhat allergic to empty nets, this time they managed to score to erase any suspense.

Zibanejad iced it when he got his second of the game into a vacated net with 3:13 remaining. Lindgren and Kreider picked up the assists.

Rangers Play Twice Before Christmas Break

With the win, the Rangers improved to 22-7-1 on the season. They lead the Metropolitan Division with 45 points. That’s six better than the second place Flyers, who got a big win in overtime on Tuesday night over the perplexing Devils. The Islanders are third in the division with 38 points. The Devils are sixth with 34.

After two days off, the Rangers will play twice before the Christmas break. On Friday night, they’ll host the Edmonton Oilers. The game doesn’t start until 7:30 EST due to it being on ESPN.

It’ll be a chance to see the game’s best player, Connor McDavid. He missed the first matchup, which the Rangers won 3-0 at Edmonton on Oct. 26. Fox, Panarin, and Lafreniere scored, and Quick made 29 saves for the shutout. The Oilers have played much better hockey since former Hartford Wolf Pack coach Kris Knoblauch took over. They’re 10-6-0 under him. They lost to the Islanders 3-1 last night.

The final game before Christmas is on Sunday, Dec. 23 against the Buffalo Sabres. Despite their disappointing 13-17-3 record that included a brutal loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night, the Sabres are capable of beating anyone.

They have beaten both the Leafs and Vegas Golden Knights. They also defeated the Rangers 5-1 on Nov. 27. The Rangers took the first meeting by the same score on Oct. 12. It’ll be the third and final meeting of the regular season.

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HARD HITS: Flyers A Holiday Surprise Under Tortorella

Posted on December 17, 2023 by Derek

By show of hands, who had the Philadelphia Flyers sitting in second place in the Metropolitan Division a week before Christmas? Unless you’re Gritty, the answer is probably nobody.

On a football Sunday in mid-December, the rebuilding Flyers are 17-10-3 with 37 points so far this season. After shutting out the Detroit Red Wings 1-0 on Dec. 16, they’ve won four of their last five games to put themselves in early playoff contention.

The Flyers’ rise is a holiday surprise under coach John Tortorella. Having won a Stanley Cup two decades ago in Tampa and a Jack Adams with the New York Rangers in 2011-12, Tortorella has done a great job with a younger roster.

While there are some vets sprinkled in, it’s mostly about core players like Bobby Brink, Joel Farabee, Tyson Foerster, Morgan Frost, Owen Tippett, Cam York, and the goalie tandem of Carter Hart and Samuel Ersson. They’ve evolved into key players on a roster that features captain Sean Couturier, leading scorer Travis Konecny, Scott Laughton, and Travis Sanheim.

Having Couturier back healthy has helped the Flyers improve from 2022-23 when they went 31-38-13 with 75 points to finish seventh in the Metropolitan Division.

A blessing is that a few teams passed up on selecting Russian prospect Matvei Michkov in the 2023 NHL Draft. That allowed the Flyers to grab him with the seventh pick. He’s having a good season for Sochi HC with 11 goals and 15 assists for 26 points in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Even if his arrival might not be until 2025-26, Michkov will be worth the wait for the Flyers.

Konecny Leading The Way

A player who’s excelled since Tortorella arrived last year is Konecny. Following setting career highs in goals (31), shorthanded goals (3), and points (61) to lead the Flyers in scoring during 2022-23, the 26-year-old right wing is well on his way to besting that output. In 30 games, he leads the Flyers with 16 goals and 25 points and has already matched the three shorthanded goals he had last season.

His strong start comes in a contract year. Konecny is earning $6 million this season with an average cap hit of $5.5 million. If he reaches free agency, he can test the open market. The bigger question is, can the Flyers keep this up? Konecny was expected to be a likely candidate to get moved before the NHL trade deadline on Mar. 8, 2024. There won’t be a definitive answer until things play out. There’s still two and a half months for the Flyers to make a decision on Konecny, who’s their best scorer.

Whatever they decide, Konecny is going to be due a significant raise from what he currently makes. Will it be in Philadelphia or another city? Only time will tell.

Farabee Emerging

If there was a player whose status was uncertain entering 2023-24, it’s Farabee. At times, he wasn’t a factor last season. The one-time 20-goal scorer had 15 goals in 82 games in 2022-23. Despite some frustration, he achieved personal bests in assists (24) and points (39) under Tortorella.

The 23-year-old former Flyers’ 2018 first round pick has come on lately. Following a six-game stretch in which he didn’t have a point with a minus-five rating, Farabee has three goals and an assist for four points over his last five games. The recent scoring has him ranked second on the team with 11 goals. All 11 have come at even strength to place him in a tie with Konecny for tops on the Flyers.

With 19 points in 30 games, the former Boston University product is trending in the right direction. That’s exactly why he’s signed through 2028 at a $5 million AAV. It’s a good sign for the Flyers. Tortorella is starting to develop some of the key pieces who are expected to be a bright part of the future.

Improved Goaltending from Hart and Ersson

Entering the season, there were questions surrounding the Flyers’ goaltending. Hart was coming off a tough 2022-23 that saw him post a 2.94 goals-against-average (GAA) and .907 save percentage in 55 games (54 starts). Despite rumors that he might get dealt, the Flyers kept Hart. It was a wise decision.

The improved goaltending from Hart and Ersson has been a big reason for the Flyers’ improvement in the standings. In 17 starts this season, Hart is 9-6-1 with a 2.42 GAA and .919 save percentage. Eleven of the 17 have been quality starts. Maybe the 25-year-old netminder has finally discovered the form he’ll need to get a new contract. He’s currently earning $4.47 million on a deal that expires following the season. He’ll turn restricted next summer a year away from unrestricted free agency.

Without Hart in the past three games, Ersson has stepped up to help the Flyers go 2-0-1 in that stretch. That included stopping all 33 shots versus the Red Wings for his second shutout of the season on Dec. 16. Although he’s not the starter, Ersson has won seven games. Solid work out of the backup.

If goaltending had been an issue before, it isn’t so far this season. The Flyers’ goalies have kept them in games, which has led to a winning record.

The Kids are Emerging

While the Flyers have gotten big contributions from Couturier and Sanheim, they’ve also received improved play from their younger players. The kids are emerging.

After a slow start, Tippett is up to 10 goals and eight assists for 18 points. The 24-year-old forward is trying to prove last season wasn’t a fluke. Acquired by the Flyers from the Florida Panthers as part of a package for former captain Claude Giroux on Mar. 19, 2022, he scored a career high 27 goals and added a personal best 22 helpers for 49 points in 2022-23. Tippett could emerge as that power forward for the Flyers.

Another player to watch is Brink. The 22-year-old former 2019 second round pick has made some strides in his rookie season. In 25 games, he has five goals and nine assists for 14 points. Not the biggest in stature due to being five-foot eight and 166 pounds, Brink makes up for it with his scrappy effort and skill. Tortorella recently went to Brink in a shootout win over the Washington Capitals on Dec. 14. He rewarded him with the winner.

A key part of the Flyers’ defense is York. A player they took with the number 14 pick in 2019, he’s taken on more responsibility on his third season. The skilled defenseman is a good skater who can create offense. His five goals pace all Flyers’ defensemen this season. York has 12 points and 54 blocked shots while averaging 22:27 of ice time. York will continue to be counted on by Tortorella.

Foerster and Frost are two players to also watch. Both are former first round picks. The elder Frost had a breakout second season in 2022-23 by posting 19 goals with 27 assists for 46 points in 81 games. It’s been a tough start to this season. The 24-year-old has three goals and five assists for eight points over 20 contests. More is expected from him.

As for Foerster, he’s a rookie. In 29 games, he’s totaled five goals and seven assists for a dozen points. He’s also managed to be a plus-seven. Tortorella hasn’t been shy about playing the 22-year-old right wing. He’s averaging 16:50 per game. That’s the kind of patience a coach must have with younger players.

Unexpected Returns from Veteran Defensemen

So far, the Flyers have received unexpected returns from veteran defensemen this season. Both Sean Walker and Nick Seeler have contributed to their promising start.

Walker has three goals and eight assists for 11 points with a plus-eight rating in 30 games. Acquired from the Los Angeles Kings on June 6 as part of a three-team deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets, the 29-year-old right defenseman has been a staple on the Flyers’ blue line – averaging close to 21 minutes a night. He has 46 blocks and 32 hits. A free agent following the season, there’s the possibility that the Flyers may look to extend him. His current salary is $3.35 million.

Seeler has seven assists and leads the team with a plus-14 rating and 75 blocks while averaging 17:22. He makes only $800,000. Interestingly, he had a good 2022-23 with the Flyers as well. In 77 games last season, Seeler had four goals and 10 assists for 14 points and 161 blocks, which ranked just behind former Flyer Ivan Provorov (162). He also had 126 hits to rank sixth on the club.

With injuries limiting Rasmus Ristolainen and Marc Staal to a combined 23 games, the Flyers have needed those contributions from both Walker and Seeler. They’ve been a big help on the back end.

Flyers visit the Devils

With another day off on Monday, the Flyers will travel down on I-95 to visit the New Jersey Devils on Dec. 19. It’ll be a big game against a classic division rival.

The Flyers lead the resurgent Devils by four points. They’ve played two more games. They’ll want to come out of Newark with two points. In the first meeting on Nov. 30, they rallied from a 3-1 third period deficit to force overtime, thanks to a pair of Foerster goals, including tying it on the power play with 51 seconds left. Luke Hughes won it in overtime for the Devils to hand the Flyers a 4-3 overtime loss.

Following the game, they’ll return home to host the Nashville Predators on Dec. 21. Then, the schedule gets tough, with a five-game road trip beginning in Detroit on Dec. 22 before the Christmas break. They’ll conclude the calendar year with stops at Vancouver, Seattle, and Calgary. The road trip ends with a visit to Edmonton on Jan. 2, 2024.

If they are to challenge for the postseason, that stretch could be critical. Counting the Devils game, that’s six out of the next seven on the road. We’ll find out where the Flyers stand. They’ve been a pleasant surprise so far.

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