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

Rangers Show No Quit Under Laviolette

Posted on November 14, 2023 by Derek

The slogan, “No Quit In New York,” was a popular one for the Rangers in 2021-22. They epitomized that team slogan to push the Lightning to within two games of reaching the Stanley Cup Finals.

Last season, the running joke was that it became, “Quit In NY.” At least that’s how it looked for most of 2022-23. A two games to none series lead soon became a crushing seven-game first round defeat to the Devils last spring. The lack of killer instinct led to the dismissal of former Rangers coach Gerard Gallant.

After taking their time, the Rangers hired the proven Peter Laviolette as their new coach. At the time, it felt like Rangers Team President and GM Chris Drury had settled on a coach who seemed to be headed in the wrong direction following his ouster with the Capitals. Maybe Drury’s patience proved to be a virtue.

After a 2-2-0 start that included ugly losses to the Blue Jackets on Oct. 14 and the Predators on Oct. 19, the Rangers haven’t lost in regulation since then. Buoyed by a franchise record 5-0 road trip, they’ve become a successful team under Laviolette so far this season.

They find a way to hang around in games and pull them out. When things aren’t going well, which was the case against the Blue Jackets in a rematch on Sunday night, Nov. 12, the Rangers don’t quit. They scratch and claw their way back like the gritty 4-3 comeback win they had over the Jackets at Madison Square Garden.

Make no mistake about it. The Rangers weren’t their sharpest facing an opponent that was playing for the second straight night. They were far too loose with the puck, which led to turnovers that fueled the Blue Jackets’ transition that threatened returning goalie Jonathan Quick.

To his credit, he showed no ill effects from the upper-body injury that kept him out against the Wild on Nov. 9. Quick made several big stops in a wide open second period that saw the Jackets get two consecutive goals in 19 seconds due to lackadaisical play.

Following a controversial ruling that negated an apparent tying Will Cuylle goal where enough replays on MSG Network showed that the puck squeaked in past Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins, Quick made a huge save to deny Jack Roslovic with under a minute left in the second period to keep it a one-goal game headed to the third.

The Rangers saved their best effort for the third period. They out-shot the Blue Jackets 17-3. While they applied plenty of pressure to force Merzlikins into some tough stops, it looked like they’d fall short. Even with Vincent Trocheck winning every big faceoff on a night he went 22-and-7, the Rangers looked destined to lose again to the Blue Jackets.

That was until an Artemi Panarin shot in front went to Chris Kreider, who made a heads-up pass across for a clutch game-tying goal from Alexis Lafreniere with 11 seconds to spare. It was his second goal of the game.

Lafreniere has seven points (3-4-7) over his last four games. The former Rangers 2020 first overall pick has never played better. His confidence is at its highest. Give Laviolette credit for allowing Lafreniere to gel with Panarin and Trocheck.

Unlike his predecessor, who never had enough patience to keep lines intact, Laviolette has shown full trust in his younger players. That includes Cuylle, who both the incompetent refs and Toronto robbed of a goal earlier in the game.

It shows a lot of character for the Rangers to not show frustration after such a bad call. They also had every reason to be upset earlier in third period when Blue Jackets’ center Sean Kuraly decked Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren with an elbow that ended his night. Originally, the call was a boarding major. After the video review, they decided to reduce it to a single minor. Laviolette voiced his displeasure after the game.

Lafreniere The Shootout Hero

After an ugly overtime that decided nothing, the game went to a shootout. Similar to regulation, when both goalies shined by making some good saves, it was the play of both Merzlikins and Quick that kept dangerous shooters like Panarin, Johnny Gaudreau, Mika Zibanejad, and Patrik Laine off the scoreboard.

In the top of the third round, Laviolette rewarded Lafreniere with the Rangers’ third shot. With the crowd behind him, he made a great move by coming in down the middle and whipping a backhand upstairs on Merzlikins to give the Rangers the lead. It was the kind of skilled play that made Lafreniere a top pick.

Quick had to stop one more Columbus shooter to preserve the win. He did when he got just enough of a tricky Alexandre Texier one-handed attempt to push it on top of the net. That gave the Rangers their third win in a row to go 3-0 at home.

They’re 11-2-1 through the first 14 games, with their 23 points leading the Metropolitan Division. Nobody else has played as consistently as the Rangers. That’s why they sit atop the division. They continue to win games without Adam Fox, Filip Chytil, and Igor Shesterkin, who might be back by the next game at the Devils on Nov. 18.

The five-day break allows Laviolette to get Shesterkin extra rest. He hasn’t played since Nov. 2. Shesterkin was one of three goalies who practiced on Sunday prior to last night’s game. He and Louis Domingue worked at one end while Quick prepared for the Blue Jackets. It all worked out for the best.

Panarin Ties Gilbert

Among the highlights of the Rangers’ come from behind win over the Blue Jackets was Panarin extending his season-opening point streak to 14 straight. By recording two assists, he tied Rod Gilbert for the best start to a season in Rangers’ franchise history. For the season, Panarin has eight goals and 16 assists for 24 points during the 14-game point streak.

At the start of the 1972-73 season, Gilbert recorded a point in 14 consecutive games to establish the Rangers’ franchise record. The all-time Ranger registered 11 goals with 12 assists for 23 points over that stretch.

Gilbert is the Rangers’ all-time franchise leading scorer with 406 goals and 615 assists for a total of 1,021 points.

Zibanejad and Kakko Struggles Continue

As well as the Rangers have played, they haven’t gotten the expected production from Zibanejad. Over the last five games, he’s without a goal and only an assist. Making matters worse, he has barely done anything at even strength. Of his 10 points (2-8-10), Zibanejad has just three even strength points (1-2-3) in 14 games.

Lately, the Rangers top center has had issues hitting the net. He gets plenty of opportunities from the slot but keeps firing his shots over the top. Zibanejad seems to go through these struggles every year. At some point, they have to start going in. Regardless, he needs to be better at five-on-five.

While Zibanejad has had his issues, Kaapo Kakko continues to struggle at the start of the season. Once given the keys to the first line right wing job by a very patient Laviolette, the 22-year-old Kakko has been moved to the Rangers’ third line. Although he’s looked a little better playing with Cuylle and Nick Bonino, it’s been nine games since his last point.

Kakko scored his only goal of the season in a Rangers’ 4-1 win over the Kraken on Oct. 21. In 14 games, he has only a goal and an assist for two points. That’s hardly what’s expected from the fifth-year pro who set career highs in goals (18), assists (22), and points (40) last season.

Playing in the final year of a two-year contract with an average cap hit of $2.1 million, Kakko is at a crossroads in his career. Either he starts to contribute offensively, or the Rangers might start to consider the possibility of moving him for a different top nine forward who can fill the role.

As strong a player as Kakko is at puck possession, that’s how disappointing he’s been at getting inside against opponents. He isn’t the most physical player. At some point, that must change. In order for him to become successful, Kakko has to do a better job of driving towards the front of the net. He’s not incapable. The clock is ticking.

Rangers Hit The Road

After this week’s break, the Rangers will hit the road for four games. That’ll start this Saturday at the Devils on Nov. 18. It’s the first regular season meeting since being eliminated from the playoffs on May 1, 2023. Even if the Devils are still without Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier, it’s a big game.

The Rangers will then travel to face the Stars on Nov. 20 followed by the Penguins on Nov. 22. They’ll conclude the four-game road trip at the Flyers on Nov. 24.

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

Devils’ troubles on full display in second straight loss to Capitals

Posted on November 11, 2023 by hasan4978

While I did not stay up late on a weeknight for the sour end of the Devils’ road trip (a 6-3 defeat in Colorado), there was no getting away from Friday’s home game against the Caps – even though I did have a bad feeling about the game all day. Mostly because it seemed obvious the Devils haven’t quite learned the lesson that they can’t play the same way without their two star centers that they play with them, and to be honest they weren’t even playing all that well at even strength when Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier were in the lineup anyway. When my co-worker asked whether I was going to the game he could sense my angst when I grunted yeah…unfortunately the game pretty well confirmed my negativity before faceoff as the Devils once again came a cropper against a Caps team partying like it’s 2018.

To be fair, even I didn’t think the game would get out of hand in the first period AGAIN after our previous home game against the Caps was 3-0 before you could blink with Akira Schmid getting pulled after the first intermission. This time it was Vitek Vanecek starting, and he didn’t even last for the whole first period after two brutal goals allowed in a fifteen second span. Which of course is problem number one for the Devils right now – goaltending.

When both your goalies have a GAA above 3 and a save percentage below .900 then you have issues, unless you time transported back to the 1980’s when there was no defense and shots routinely went in from off the boards. While Schmid started the season poorly in his first two games, he was at least trending up after a good performance in St. Louis while Vitek has been trending down – even given the fact you couldn’t actually blame him for much in Colorado when we got pumped for three unanswered goals in the third period. It should have been a sign that game was going to crap when Miles Wood of all people scored a shorthanded breakaway though.

Still, with the schedule the way it was Schmid would have sat for almost two weeks after the Blues game if he hadn’t played last night – what happened to the so-called 50-50 split it was proported to be early? And why are we so quick to lose confidence in Schmid but then just run Vitek into the ground when he isn’t even playing well? That leads to problem number two right now – coaching. Lindy Ruff, like all old-school coaches is automatically going to default to playing vets when the crap hits the fan. Which manifests itself in overplaying Vitek, or even more maddeningly underplaying recent top ten pick Alex Holtz. You would have hoped this wouldn’t be as much of an issue this year now that the coach has a little more job security (not to mention the team’s good start thanks to their all-world PP), but clearly it will always be an issue with an old-school coach.

What’s going on with Holtz is mind-numbing though….you’re down your top two centers needing offense down two goals middle of the first and three goals by the middle of the second, and you play him seven minutes?! And it’s not like he was playing poorly, he created a couple of good scoring chances but oh no we can’t have that, he needs to hold onto the puck more (yes this was the actual explanation when the coach was pressed on why Holtz was benched for the likes of Curtis Lazar in the third period)! Like Jesper Bratt in the third period when a great scoring chance died on his stick? That’s just indicative of the organization’s larger issue with Holtz going on two years now, if you don’t believe in him then he should have already been traded. If you do then he should be playing, especially now when you need other sources of offense! This isn’t 1985 where you can just play guys five minutes a night till they’re 23, you have cap and free agency concerns now.

It’s not like the goalie and coach are the only concerns right now either…although I guess you can sort of blame concern number three on the coaching too, which is this team’s continued penchant for only giving effort some of the time in games. Sure, Vitek gave up two crappy goals in the first period last night but there’s no excuse to basically quit for the next thirty-five minutes after that! And only down 2-0 at the time, with Schmid stopping every puck except the one where we gave up a two-on zero with Timo Meier and Brendan Smith (who continues to think he’s Bobby Orr) both pinching forward, and Kevin Bahl not seeing that and trying a desperate shot which was blocked, leading to the almost automatic goal breakaway.

Sadly, that goal wound up hanging last night’s loss on Schmid which is about as dubious as it gets considering Schmid stopped the other twenty shots on net last night which weren’t two-on-zero breakaways. Nor could he do anything about Kuznetsov’s seeing-eye empty-netter late, which was a fitting end to the game. Or so I thought before Tom Wilson went after Timo, who’d legally checked Rasmus Sandin earlier in the period, and he pretended he was badly hurt (after looking around to see if there was a whistle) for long enough to stop the play and get carried off, only to return heroically for the next shift. I was walking out after the empty-net goal and saw the brouhaha immediately figured we were engaging in sore loser crap until I realized to my disbelief we were the ones on a power play.

Of course, nothing came of that which in itself was a fitting end to the night. In the end, we got too little, too late from our underachieving forwards. For all the talk about Jack and Nico missing, you should still be able to find offense from the likes of Bratt, Timo, Dawson Mercer and Tyler Toffoli up front and Dougie Hamilton plus Luke Hughes in the back. Not all these players are underachieving but too many have been MIA without our big guns. Timo reminds me of the Ilya Kovalsuck days in 2009 where yeah you’re seemingly getting enough points for his defenders to point to (a lot of assists on Jack goals accounting for a good chunk of Timo’s ten points) but you’re not exactly getting the dominant player we paid through the nose for. With four goals and a -11 in thirteen games, his numbers are actually comparable to Fabian Zetterlund who has four goals and a -10 in fourteen games for the Sharks. As much as I like Zetterlund and wish we could have kept him, that’s not exactly the company you want your star winger to be keeping.

It’s difficult to get on Bratt because of his start to the season, but you’d like to see better than one assist in his last four games, or one shot on goal in his last two. Bratt is really the guy who should be carrying the offense right now, or at least facilitating everyone else to make it go. Mercer in some ways has been the most disappointing of all throughout the season with one goal and zero assists in his first twelve plus games before finally getting a second goal in the third period last night…yippidee doo dah. And when talking about disappointments up front, let’s not let Ondrej Palat slide. He has a mere four assists with a -7 to go along with a big fat goose egg in the goal column so far this year. I know some of us joked that his Game 7 shift paid for his whole contract last year, but I don’t want that to literally be his only highlight as a Devil barely a year into a five-year deal and he’s also one of the guys you should be counting on to not let the effort continually sag time and again.

I haven’t even touched on the defense yet, which at times has its own issues. They’ve actually been fortunate in that their top six have remained healthy to this point but that doesn’t mean everyone who’s currently in the top six needs to stay there. I don’t think GM Tom Fitzgerald is willing to stand pat on the D either, judging by the rumors of them being in on disgruntled Flames d-man Nikita Zadorov.

Clearly the D was going to have growing pains with younger players in Luke and Bahl taking regular shifts this year but you’re also not counting on having to play Brendan Orr every game, or stupid decisions by the forwards leaving the D even more exposed than they need to be – exhibit A the aforementioned Kuznetsov goal. You’d also like to see better five-on-five play in general from this group and it’s been a problem since the start of the season – Jack and Nico or no Jack and Nico.

Yes we’re still ‘fine’ at 7-5-1 and Jack will probably be back in a couple of weeks, and no we’re not at any kind of DEFCON 1 level yet – but sooner or later the team needs to pick it up before their five-on-five and goaltending issues come back to bite them and they spiral downhill, putting a playoff spot in sudden peril. Which would not be acceptable by any metric. At least hopefully the message has finally sunk in that you can’t play like the freaking ’80’s Oilers without two of your main cogs.

My only question is, what took you so long coach? I could have told you this weeks ago and I don’t have 1500 games or whatever it is of NHL experience!

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

Rangers’ Lafreniere has Big Night in Win over Wild

Posted on November 10, 2023 by Derek

Entering the season, there was a lot riding on the line for Alexis Lafreniere. After signing a bridge deal worth $2.325 million per year, the pressure was on the former Rangers’ 2020 top pick to perform up to expectations.

After a quiet preseason, the 22-year-old forward has come in and started the season well. He scored the Rangers’ first goal of the season in a win over the Sabres on Oct. 12. It proved to be a harbinger of things to come.

Lafreniere scored in three straight games during a perfect five-game road trip out West. Since going without a point in three games, he’s playing the best hockey of his career. After putting in the grunt work to set up linemate Artemi Panarin in a win over the Red Wings on Nov. 7, Lafreniere had a big night that highlighted a 4-1 win over the Wild on Thursday night.

Lafreniere Records First Career Three-Point Game

For the first time in his career, he recorded a three-point game. Lafreniere was front and center during last night’s rematch with the Wild at Madison Square Garden. Before four minutes had elapsed, he took an Erik Gustafsson feed and found Vincent Trocheck alone in the slot for the game’s first goal.

Since Filip Chytil went down with an upper-body injury, Lafreniere has found good chemistry with Panarin and Trocheck, who’s been a key factor to the Rangers’ early success. They play well off each other during offensive shifts. With Trocheck picking up three more points following a two-goal game against the Wings, there’s a strong case to be made for keeping the second line intact when Chytil returns. With only one game coming up on Sunday against the Blue Jackets before a five-day break, that decision can wait.

Following a dismal second period that saw the Rangers get out-shot 15-3 by the relentless Wild, the game was tied headed to the third period. Brandon Duhaime tipped in a Brock Faber shot with less than eight minutes left in the second to tie the game. If not for some superb goaltending from emergency starter Louis Domingue, it could’ve been worse. More on him later.

Panarin and Lafreniere Team Up

With a chance to play a better third period to win the game, the Rangers got exactly what they needed from Panarin, Trocheck, and Lafreniere. They were largely responsible for a three-goal period that led to the victory on home ice.

Early in the third, Trocheck started a play in transition by passing up for Panarin. Flying into the Wild zone, he created a two-on-one that allowed him to pass across for a Lafreniere finish that gave the Rangers a 2-1 lead. On the play, Lafreniere cut to the net and was the recipient of a perfect feed from Panarin. They teamed up for the go-ahead goal.

It was Lafreniere’s fifth goal of the season. His first in six games since Oct. 26 versus Edmonton. The assist allowed Panarin to extend his point streak to start the season to 13. He would later add an empty netter to put the exclamation mark on the win. He’s one shy of Rangers’ legend Rod Gilbert’s franchise record 14-game point streak to start a season.

Wheeler Scores His First

It’s been a tough start to the season for Blake Wheeler. He entered the game with only one assist in the Rangers’ first 12 games. However, he was playing better hockey. More noticeable on the forecheck and responsible defensively, the former Jet finally scored his first goal as a Ranger.

With the Wild pressing for the equalizer, a diving Wheeler made a key block of a Faber shot. That led to Joel Eriksson Ek taking down Jacob Trouba to put the Rangers on a power play with 7:20 left in regulation.

After the top unit struggled with an aggressive Wild penalty kill that forced Domingue to make a shorthanded save, Rangers coach Peter Laviolette sent out the second unit. They made him look smart by getting a crucial insurance marker.

Lafreniere started the play with a shot off a K’Andre Miller pass that was blocked in front. Will Cuylle got to the rebound and fired a shot off Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury that came right to Wheeler for an easy put away in front for his first goal as a Ranger. That put them ahead by two with 5:21 left in the third period.

It was a nice reward for Wheeler. He blocked two Wild shots by being in the right position. He deserved the goal. Hopefully, that’ll provide a confidence boost for the veteran.

The assist for Lafreniere gave him his first career three-point game. He was named the game’s first star.

Domingue Hears It From The Crowd

Making his first regular season appearance since Apr. 24, 2022, Domingue fared well in a big start versus the Wild. Called up by the Rangers due to injuries to Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick, the 31-year-old veteran goalie made 25 saves to get his 60th career NHL win.

After hardly having to do anything in a first period controlled by the Rangers, Domingue was called upon in a busy second period. He bailed out his teammates with 14 saves on 15 shots. The only one that beat him was a Duhaime redirection for the Wild’s only goal.

Domingue heard it from the crowd. After every crucial stop, the fans serenaded him with “Lou, Lou!”, chants. He made nine more saves in the third to earn his first win of the season.

“It’s amazing. It was fun to have them on my side for once. It was hard enough when I played in the playoffs here. They were booing me, not Louing me,” an appreciative Domingue told reporters after the game

For his efforts, Domingue was selected as the game’s second star. A well-deserved reward for a likable player who was excited to play on the Rangers’ side at The Garden. Hopefully, he was given a spicy pork dinner by the team.

Gustafsson Continues to Contribute

In the Rangers’ victory, Gustafsson continued to contribute. Brought in as a late addition for the defense. He’s done a good job since Adam Fox went down with a lower-body injury.

A player who knows Laviolette well from having success in Washington last season, Gustafsson has fit in nicely on the Rangers’ blue line. He’s proven that he’s more than just an offensive defenseman. Able to move up and play with Ryan Lindgren, he’s been a defensively responsible player for the Rangers.

In Thursday night’s game, Gustafsson picked up a secondary assist on Trocheck’s goal that opened the scoring. He made a nice pass for Lafreniere that led to the tally. For the game, Gustafsson finished with a plus/minus rating of +1 in 20:25. He has three goals and six assists for nine points on the season.

Bonino Steps Up

Without Chytil, Nick Bonino has filled in nicely on the Rangers’ third line. A gritty player who wins faceoffs and blocks shots, he’s been a good addition to the team.

Bonino won 8-of-14 faceoffs and had two shots-on-goal in 16:33 of ice time. That included a point-blank chance in front of a Kaapo Kakko pass. He came close to scoring his first goal as a Ranger. Only a quick reacting Fleury prevented it, leaving Bonino to shake his head in disbelief.

For the season, Bonino has an impressive 57.9 percent success rate on faceoffs (81 and 59). His 37 blocks rank second on the Rangers behind Jacob Trouba (48).

What’s Ahead

With the Rangers sitting in first place with a 10-2-1 record in the Metropolitan Division, they have only one game coming up. On Sunday night, they’ll host the Blue Jackets at 7 EST.

Although they won’t indicate anything, they’ll be looking to avenge an ugly 5-3 loss at Columbus on Oct. 14. That was the second game of the season. Since then, they’ve only lost once in regulation. The Rangers are 8-0-1 over their last nine games. They’ll look to continue that trend in two days.

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

Rangers Continue to Face Adversity with Latest Goalie Conundrum

Posted on November 9, 2023 by Derek

By show of hands, how many of you had both Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick on the shelf for the Rangers after the first dozen games this season? If you did, you’d be able to predict the future. Gray’s Sports Almanac not withstanding.

When the Rangers take the ice to face the Wild on Thursday night, they’ll skate without both Shesterkin and Quick. Each is banged up with injuries. Shesterkin has been out since making 26 saves in a win over the Hurricanes on Nov. 2. Quick will miss his first game with an upper-body injury. He’s listed as day-to-day.

It’s been the steady play of both goalies that has the Rangers off to a 9-2-1 start in first place. They lead the Metropolitan Division with 19 points. Not the most explosive offense in the league, they’ve gotten superb goaltending from Shesterkin and Quick, who has turned back the clock to his Kings’ days when he helped them win two Stanley Cups.

After Shesterkin went down with an undisclosed injury that the Rangers are being cautious with, Quick made the last two starts against the Wild and Red Wings. He was particularly strong at Minnesota on Nov. 4 making 36 saves to get the Rangers a point in a shootout loss that they weren’t particularly good in.

When the Red Wings pressed their dangerous attack in the third period on Nov. 7, Quick held firm to preserve a 5-3 win on home ice. That was a game where the Rangers were clicking on all cylinders. For two periods, they dominated the Wings by outscoring them 5-0 – taking advantage of an undisciplined opponent who didn’t look ready to play. But Detroit scored three consecutive goals in a much better third to make things interesting.

So far, the Rangers couldn’t have asked for a better start from Quick. When they signed him in the off-season, there were questions about whether it was the right move. After a shaky preseason, Quick has been outstanding – posting a 3-0-1 record with a 1.77 goals-against-average (GAA), .936 save percentage, and a shutout. He’s supplied the Rangers with consistency to provide them with a backup goalie they can count on.

Without both Shesterkin and Quick, that goaltending will be tested later tonight against the Wild. Instead, it’ll fall on the shoulders of Louis Domingue to get the job done. A journeyman who last played in the NHL with the Penguins during the Rangers’ first round series win in 2022, he’s played with the Hartford Wolf Pack in the American Hockey League (AHL) since then.

After winning 22 games in 2022-23, he’s 3-1-0 with a 1.75 GAA and a .934 save percentage in four games for Hartford this season. The 31-year-old will make his first start for the Rangers tonight. He’s appeared in 142 career NHL games for six different teams, including the Coyotes, Lightning, Devils, Canucks, Flames, and Penguins. The Rangers make it lucky number seven.

With both Shesterkin and Quick unavailable for the game, the Rangers also recalled Dylan Garand. The 21-year-old former 2020 fourth round pick is 3-1-1 with a 2.63 GAA, and .914 save percentage for the Wolf Pack in his second pro season. Given the situation, it’s wiser to go with the more experienced Domingue for now. He’s won 59 NHL games.

It isn’t known how much longer Shesterkin will be out. Hopefully, the Rangers can get their starter back sooner rather than later. They haven’t had to rush him due to the good start. That could bode well over the long haul. Keeping Shesterkin healthy is the key to a successful season. Especially if they’re playing meaningful games next spring.

With the Blue Jackets not visiting Madison Square Garden until Sunday, Nov. 12, that allows Shesterkin and Quick more time to recover from their injuries. The Rangers will have six days off before visiting the Devils on Nov. 18 over a week from now. With that window coming up, the logical decision could be to rest Shesterkin in preparation for a return against the Devils. That would give him over two weeks off.

As for the Rangers, they’ll want to play a more structured game against the Wild. In the first matchup, they jumped out to a 3-0 lead by getting to Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson early. However, a loss of discipline was their undoing. The Wild regained the momentum by using their game-breaking speed and heavy forecheck to dominate play on Nov. 4.

It led to four straight goals. Only a faceoff play that resulted in a Chris Kreider tip-in of an Artemi Panarin shot allowed the Rangers to force overtime. They lost in a shootout.

Rangers coach Peter Laviolette has emphasized stronger play at five-on-five. He was pleased with how his team responded against the Red Wings. Even though they didn’t finish that game well, he liked what he saw.

Laviolette moved Blake Wheeler up to the top line with Mika Zibanejad and Kreider. Kaapo Kakko played on the third line with Nick Bonino and Will Cuylle.

The Rangers are still without Filip Chytil. Vincent Trocheck has moved up to center the second line with Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere. They had some success at even strength on Tuesday, with Trocheck scoring his first goal and Lafreniere setting up Panarin. Trocheck also tallied on the power play, earning the game’s first star.

Barclay Goodrow returned after the birth of his son. He played on the fourth line with Jimmy Vesey and Tyler Pitlick. A key to the Rangers’ eighth ranked penalty kill (86.1 percent), Goodrow helped them keep the Red Wings 0-for-6 on the power play. He also won four of five faceoffs. His versatility comes in handy.

If there’s been a staple to their early success so far, it’s been the steady play of Jacob Trouba. The Rangers’ captain has played well defensively. He leads the team in blocked shots (44) and ranks second in hits (26). Trouba’s gritty play has been praised by Laviolette, who’s also gotten a good start from K’Andre Miller.

Trouba’s defense partner has a goal, and six assists with a plus/minus rating of +7 in 12 games. It’s been his improvement defensively that’s really helped the blue line. Miller has made some nice recoveries and has not been caught out of position as frequently. A welcome change that’s aided his play.

Under Laviolette, there’s more of a commitment to defense. Entering tonight, the Rangers rank third in the league in the fewest goals allowed per game (2.17) and are third in the least shots allowed per game (27.5). Along with a marked improvement in faceoffs (54.9 pct) that has them tied for second in the league, they’re a more detail oriented team that makes life harder on opponents.

For those reasons, that explains why they have 19 points. That’s tied for the third most in the league. With strong special teams that rank in the top 10 and big improvements overall, the Rangers are in a good place. That will allow them to get both their goalies healthy.

It’ll be a good test to see where they are. It’s better to have adversity now than later. Without Adam Fox, they’ll continue to learn more about themselves. It will measure the true character of the team.

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

Rangers Hold On For Good Win Over Red Wings

Posted on November 8, 2023 by Derek

For two periods, it wasn’t a contest. However, after getting the game’s first five goals, the Rangers were forced to hold on for a 5-3 win over the Red Wings last night. The victory was their seventh over the last eight (7-0-1). They improved to a division-leading best 9-2-1 for the season.

Entering Tuesday’s game, there was some curiosity about how they’d respond to a lackluster performance in a 5-4 shootout loss to the Wild on Nov. 4. Rangers coach Peter Laviolette was critical of the team for how they played. He liked what he saw last night. The players responded well by dominating the improved Red Wings for two periods by outscoring them 5-0.

Related: Rangers’ Shakeup Needed for Slumping Kakko

“I liked the game, we just got to put a little asterisk next to it and talk about a few things in the third period, we’ll take care of that tomorrow,” Laviolette emphasized after things got interesting in the third period. “I do think that the mindset was right. The approach was right. We hit the post four or five times. We had point-blank chances and a couple of breakaways, could’ve pushed even more.”

If Laviolette wanted to see better five-on-five play than what took place in Minnesota, he got it. The Rangers came out of the gate on fire. They jumped all over a flat Red Wings who were out of sorts. That included Vincent Trocheck scoring the first of two goals less than two minutes in when he took an Erik Gustafsson feed and surprised Red Wings goalie Ville Husso with a wrist shot that beat him to the short side for the game’s first goal.

The Rangers continued to press the attack. They got the game’s first eight shots. At one point, they led in shots 12-1. The Red Wings survived the first period onslaught thanks to Husso, who stopped 12 of 13 shots.

On the opposite end, Jonathan Quick didn’t have much to do. He was a spectator for most of the first period. When called upon, he made five saves as the Rangers took a one-goal lead to the locker room.

Power Play sparks Big Second

After killing off the first of two Blake Wheeler minors, the Rangers went to work on the power play. Even without Adam Fox, it was dangerous and opportunistic – going 2-for-3 in the game.

The Red Wings got themselves in trouble when they took consecutive penalties to give the league’s second ranked power play a pair of opportunities to extend the lead. That power play sparked a big second period.

Gustafsson drew a holding minor on former Ranger Andrew Copp. It only took a dozen seconds for the top unit to connect. On a nice play started by Artemi Panarin, he moved the puck up for Gustafsson, who then shot for a Chris Kreider tip-in for his league-leading sixth power-play goal.

Kreider leads the Rangers with nine goals. He recently passed Andy Bathgate for fourth all-time on the Rangers’ franchise goal scoring list. He has 274 goals. It won’t be long before he catches Adam Graves for third. He’s six behind.

Following Kreider’s goal, Red Wings defenseman Christian Fischer took down Braden Schneider to put the Rangers back on the man-advantage. This time, it took 28 seconds for the top unit to capitalize on the undisciplined penalty.

Mika Zibanejad kept a puck alive by forcing Moritz Seider into a turnover. Kreider retrieved the puck and moved it back for Zibanejad, who zipped a cross-ice feed for Trocheck to bury a one-timer by Husso for the Rangers’ second power-play goal over a 44-second span. That gave Trocheck his second goal of the game. A well-deserved reward for a strong five-on-five who’s been superb on faceoffs.

Panarin Extends Streak to 12

Panarin continued his hot start by posting a goal and an assist in the Rangers’ win versus the Red Wings. After helping set up Kreider on the power play, he scored his seventh goal of the season to make it 4-0 in the second period.

Alexis Lafreniere supplied most of the work by out-hustling the Red Wings behind the boards before centering a pass in front that Panarin finished. The two have worked well together since the start of the season. They’re becoming a reliable combo the Rangers can depend on.

For Panarin, he’s now registered a point in all 12 games this season. That leaves him two shy of Rangers’ legend Rod Gilbert’s franchise record of 14 straight to start a season. Panarin leads the team in scoring with seven goals and 13 assists for 20 points. The Rangers’ next two games are against the Wild on Thursday and the Blue Jackets on Sunday.

Laviolette praises Jones and Schneider

It was just the third game of the season for Zac Jones. After a less than stellar return to the lineup in Minnesota, he had a better game on Tuesday night while paired up with Braden Schneider. Both played well enough for Laviolette to praise them.

“I thought that pair was excellent. It’s unfortunate the second goal. I thought we could’ve gotten more help from forwards coming back into the zone. And Zac was kinda caught in front on the second goal,” Laviolette told reporters.

“But I thought that pair. Jones and Schneider. That pair was excellent. Through two periods and even into the third. It was just a couple of tough bounces for them. I thought they played a good game. At the end of two periods, I thought they had a major impact in the game.”

Laviolette was referencing a couple of strong shifts where both Jones and Schneider kept pucks alive in the Detroit zone to create offense. Twice, Jones came close to scoring his first goal of the season. After a near miss, he and Schneider kept going to finally set up Will Cuylle for his third goal with less than six minutes remaining in the second. Schneider passed it over for a Jones shot that Cuylle redirected in front for a 5-0 lead.

That kind of play will keep Jones in the lineup. He and Schneider were better last night than the previous two times they played together this season. Hopefully, that can be a confidence booster for the two defensemen to build off of.

Loss of Discipline Gets Rangers in Trouble

In the third period, the Rangers lost their discipline by taking two penalties to give the Red Wings a two-man advantage.

Following a Barclay Goodrow cross-checking minor on Seider, K’Andre Miller took a delay of game minor to put the Wings on a five-on-three. Although the Rangers did a good job killing off the penalties, that gave Detroit the momentum. They ramped it up to get back in the game by scoring twice within a 20-second span.

On a play started by Jeff Petry over to Ben Chiarot, they combined to set up Michael Rasmussen for a rocket that beat a screened Quick far side for the Red Wings’  first goal of the game. Moments later, they caught the Rangers in transition to set up Klim Kostin for a goal in front that made it  a three-goal game with under 12 minutes left.

With the Rangers unable to take care of the neutral zone, they played Detroit’s more wide open style, trading chances with them. It wasn’t a wise decision. With still over six minutes left in regulation,  Husso made a good outlet for J.T. Compher,  who then sent Copp in for a shot from the right circle that beat Quick that suddenly made it 5-3 with 6:11 remaining.

Quick Makes Critical Stops

After only facing 12 shots in the first two periods, Quick faced plenty of rubber in a much busier third period. When the game got dicey, he came up with some critical stops to help the Rangers hold on for the win.

With the Red Wings lifting Husso for an extra attacker with over three minutes left, they pressed for more offense. After a couple of close calls, Dylan Larkin was denied twice at point-blank range by Quick in the last 30 seconds. He also made a nice glove save on David Perron.

For the period, Quick stopped 13 of 16 shots. Overall, he made 25 saves to improve to 3-0-1 with a 1.77 goals-against-average (GAA) and .935 save percentage. It was his 378th career win. He ranks second all-time among American goalies in wins behind former Sabre Ryan Miller (391).

Bookkeeping Continues

Following the game, the Rangers assigned Jonny Brodzinski, Louis Domingue, and Connor Mackey to Hartford. They’ll likely be recalled for Thursday’s game against the Wild.

The bookkeeping continues so that the Rangers accrue more salary cap space. It’ll continue until Filip Chytil and Igor Shesterkin return. The status for Adam Fox remains sketchy. Hopefully, he won’t be out for an extended period.

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