Lineup changes for struggling Rangers who visit Red Wings tonight

Posted on November 10, 2022 by Derek

Coming off a second straight game where they blew a two-goal lead, the Rangers are winless in three with only one point that Jaro Halak earned in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Red Wings.

The latest disappointment came at the hands of the bitter rival Islanders, who scored three unanswered goals in a third period comeback to prevail 4-3 on Tuesday night. It marked the fifth consecutive win at MSG for the Isles.

Set for a mini two-game road trip that begins tonight in Detroit with a stop at Nashville on Saturday, it’s imperative for the Rangers to right the ship. With the surprising Devils continuing to win games along with the surprising Flyers, Islanders and Hurricanes all ahead in the standings, they can ill afford to fall too far behind.

At the very least, the 6-5-3 record has still produced 15 points. Five behind the first place Devils who go for their eighth straight win when they host Ottawa. All the teams above in the Metropolitan Division are in action later. So, it’ll be a busy night.

Facing an improved Red Wings team that brings a 7-3-3 record into play, it’s a chance to avenge the recent loss at home. A game where they let an early 2-0 lead slip away due to a lackluster second period that resulted in Gerard Gallant switching up his lines. Without Halak stopping Filip Hronek late in regulation, they don’t get a point. He played well in defeat making 33 saves.

Considering that the schedule allows for an off day before they take on Nashville this weekend, it would make sense for Igor Shesterkin to get his second consecutive start. Obviously, he needs to be better. He hasn’t made too many game changing saves like last year. He still has a 2.58 GAA. But the .910 save percentage isn’t indicative of the goalie he is.

With the team struggling to score at five-on-five, it’s time for Shesterkin to emulate Henrik Lundqvist and go on a run. Lundqvist used to carry past teams that weren’t the best offensively when they needed a jolt. The rating Vezina winner is certainly capable. If he has to make the difference for now, so be it. That’s part of the job description.

Goalie is the least of the concerns. It’s mostly about the roster performing more consistently. They don’t score a lot at even strength. Mika Zibanejad remains without a goal at five-on-five. That’s despite having seven including a team-leading six on the power play. Both Zibanejad and Chris Kreider must start producing.

Despite playing well for two periods the other night due to line changes Gallant made which was highlighted by Kreider playing with Filip Chytil and rookie Vitaly Kravtsov, it looks like the lineup will have a different look for the Red Wings in an Original Six rematch.

For starters, key defenseman Ryan Lindgren returns after missing two games due to being injured on a blindside hit from David Pastrnak. He was missed. However, the Rangers should’ve won both the games he didn’t play in. They have nobody to pin it on. Every team has injuries.

With Lindgren back in to pair up with Adam Fox, that means a defenseman will come out of the lineup. Judging from the morning skate, it looks like rookie Zac Jones is the odd man out. He took part in the bag skate with Ryan Carpenter and Ryan Reaves. Despite playing a better game on Tuesday, he’ll likely sit in favor of Libor Hajek.

That means Hajek will likely pair with Braden Schneider while the disappointing second pair of K’Andre Miller and Jacob Trouba are together for a second game in a row. Unless both key defensemen improve, there could be more issues.

In particular, Trouba has made a lot of glaring mistakes that’s seen the captain on for many goals against. Miller hasn’t been consistent either. That must change moving forward. Regardless if Trouba is playing through something.

With the possibility of Chytil being reunited with Alexis Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko, that would put the three former first round picks back together. Having strong chemistry due to familiarity, the trio is effective at forechecking and creating scoring chances.

If they are back intact, it could mean better balance. Zibanejad with Kreider and probably Jimmy Vesey, who’s played well lately. Kravtsov possibly with Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck. The checking unit would be Sammy Blais with Barclay Goodrow and Julien Gauthier, who appears ready to return.

We’ll have to wait and see what the actual lines are in a few hours. Either way, there must be a full effort. Not just two periods. That’s the only way for them to get out of this slump.

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Islanders third period comeback shows how soft the Rangers are, Gallant makes excuses, players give up on winning goal due to missed call, Trocheck stands out

Posted on November 9, 2022 by Derek

Alright. It’s time for a rant. I’m officially fed up with this team. As the best player Vincent Trocheck basically indicated in the postgame of a humiliating 4-3 loss in which the Rangers pissed a two-goal lead away to the Islanders in an abysmal third period, they’re clearly fighting it.

Fourteen games in, it’s very apparent that this isn’t even close to the same team from last season. They’re a fragile group who lack confidence to put together 60-minute efforts. It’s obvious that where things stand currently, the Rangers are playing too soft. That’s why their record is a mediocre 6-5-3.

Regardless of ref Kelly Sutherland blowing an obvious call on Oliver Wahlstrom which led directly to Islanders captain Anders Lee netting the game-winner with 5:30 left in regulation, this is bigger than pinning a brutal loss on the officials.

They played two good periods. Then, as Trocheck also said in the locker room, sat back a little too much. Facing a good third period opponent who just pulled out a game on Monday night by scoring three unanswered goals to beat Calgary in overtime, they let their guard down.

How else do you explain Trocheck warning of the lackadaisical finish to the second period, and then only 14 seconds into the third, Adam Pelech had cut it to 3-2 on a stoppable wrist shot Igor Shesterkin allowed? On the same play, Jacob Trouba lost a battle to Zach Parise by ducking a check that allowed the goal to happen.

S-O-F-T. That’s where the Rangers are. Nobody seems to be able to explain away these losses that are becoming too common. Every time he’s asked about their play, the new captain Trouba repeats the same standard line about how they must fight through it. At what point does a locker room leader call out the lack of consistency?

I’m also getting a little sick of the coach pretending that everything is okay. Gerard Gallant thought they played well and deserved to win the game. Did he watch the third period? He really sounded like a clown. The excuses are not going to fly. Call out the lackluster effort from some of the key players.

Both Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad were next to invisible playing together at five-on-five. While Panarin did chip in with assists on power play goals from Chris Kreider (more assertive) and Trocheck (his best game), he didn’t have any chemistry with Zibanejad, who looked out of sorts. I’d immediately break them up and put Panarin back with Trocheck.

The disappointing aspect is they wasted a 3-1 lead by letting the Islanders off the hook. The Long Island rival is more capable of scoring under new coach Lane Lambert. They proved it again on goals by Pelech, Brock Nelson and Lee to steal the two points. Grand larceny was committed at MSG. It was due to the home team with the blue liberty jerseys forgetting to finish the job.

After a slow start that saw a Jimmy Vesey tripping penalty in the offensive zone lead to Kyle Palmieri somehow beating Shesterkin on a rebound for an Isles power play goal, the Blueshirts did a lot well. They used their skating legs to generate better scoring chances against backup Semyon Varlamov.

The reconstructed third line finally connected to tie the game. On a dominant shift in which all five skaters were involved, Vitaly Kravtsov was robbed in front by Varlamov. A hustling Kreider kept the play alive for Adam Fox. He passed it to K’Andre Miller, who patiently skated in and then found an open Filip Chytil for a one-timer past Varlamov at 11:36.

The goal was the first one Varlamov allowed in 251:36 at MSG. During that dominant stretch, he made 112 consecutive saves. A ridiculous statistic for the veteran netminder.

After that tying goal, the third line again buzzed in the Islanders zone. Looking for more, they almost had it. Kreider passed for another Chytil shot. But this time, Varlamov made the stop. There definitely is chemistry between the trio of Kreider, Chytil and Kravtsov, who returned to the lineup after missing the last four games due to getting crunched by Stars defenseman Jani Hakanpaa.

Kravtsov received 13 shifts at even strength and played 10:06 with just the one scoring chance that helped lead to Chytil’s goal. He looked okay. There are still things he must work on to become an NHL regular.

Near the end of the first, a missed icing allowed the Rangers to get set up off a face-off win by Trocheck. Casey Cizikas got his stick up on Alexis Lafreniere, who drew a penalty with 6.5 seconds remaining. It would carryover to the next period.

At the start, they finally got some puck luck on the power play. In transition, Panarin sent a centering feed towards Kreider that he redirected off the heel of his stick. The puck still managed to slip past a fooled Varlamov inside the far goalpost for a 2-1 lead 22 seconds into the period.

It was only the second power play goal for Kreider. When asked on Monday about his early struggles, he said they haven’t been going in. But also noted that he’d start scoring. Even in what amounted to a bad loss, this was the blueprint for Kreider to have more success. He was all over the net front and got great opportunities to score more. A goalpost off one of those tip-ins prevented another PPG.

The second was one of the better periods they played. Able to use their team speed and moving the puck well, they were all over the Islanders. That included drawing more penalties to get on the man-advantage. Vesey drew a hooking minor on Anthony Beauvillier following the Kreider goal.

The best chance came when Zibanejad had what looked like a wide open look. Instead of shooting it or even walking in on Varlamov, he tried a low percentage pass across for Panarin that never got there. Joe Micheletti was very critical of Zibanejad. It’s those kind of plays that leave you staring at the wall.

It was the Islanders who got the next five-on-four. Barclay Goodrow cross-checked Lee behind the net to go to the box. Following a Varlamov save on a Zibanejad long try shorthanded, the Isles had a couple of chances. Shesterkin only made one save stopping Nelson. Then, Ryan Pulock fired wide near the end.

Almost immediately when they were back at full strength, Wahlstrom shoved Zibanejad down hard. It followed a Matt Martin check. The puck was nowhere in the vicinity. Prior to Wahlstrom going off for interference, Lafreniere got in his face.

Afterwards, they came close to scoring. Early in the third power play for the Blueshirts, Adam Fox passed up a shot. When the puck was moved back around, he got one on net. Then, Panarin decided to test Varlamov, who made a nice glove save. On the second part of the five-on-four, Panarin had Kreider for a deflection. But his redirection rang off the bar.

Kreider would continue to have some close calls. He had another tip-in that Varlamov stopped. Considering all the looks he had, he could’ve had a hat trick. Last year, it probably is along with a win.

With Cizikas again in the box for a trip on Sammy Blais, who was noticeable throughout on a new fourth line with Goodrow and Ryan Carpenter, Panarin nearly set up Kreider again. They thought he’d scored. The puck was redirected and put underneath Varlamov, who got help from Pelech.

A lengthy video review would follow. MSG showed several replays. But every single one appeared to show that despite most of the puck being over the goal line, there was no conclusive evidence that it was only white. Pelech probably saved a goal by making a hustle play to push the puck that was on edge back into Varlamov.

Still on their third power play of the period, the Rangers managed to make it count. This time, Varlamov mishandled a Panarin shot for a bad rebound that Trocheck pounced on for his first goal in five games. He also picked up an assist on the Kreider goal in the first. It was by far the best he’s looked. He had a goal, assist, a team high eight shots and dominated on face-offs winning 19 of 22.

After controlling play for almost the entire period, they started to turn pucks over. Twice, the Islanders came close to scoring. First, Wahlstrom had a shot graze off the crossbar. Then, Pelech hit the post following a sloppy turnover. That’s all Trocheck felt like talking about during intermission. His words proved prophetic.

As if to prove a point, the Islanders scored just 14 seconds into the third to cut the deficit to one. On a Parise forecheck behind the net, Trouba coughed up the puck. What followed was a Palmieri pass for a Pelech shot right past Shesterkin glove side.

Despite settling in, the Rangers were too passive. They didn’t go for the kill. Against a team that’s playing with confidence, that proved costly. It really was very infuriating to watch.

https://twitter.com/BattleOfHudson/status/1590165795799453696?t=6LNliJlJm5XgrHwPFqD9Lg&s=19

Kaapo Kakko came close to scoring after putting on a couple of strong moves down low. Only the stick of Pulock prevented him from tucking a backhand past Varlamov.

In an evenly played third, it was the Islanders who were rewarded for sticking with it. Lee sucked Chytil into a hooking minor with 8:18 left. It was one of those calls you always see. I don’t like it because while Chytil did get his stick into Lee, he grabbed his stick to sell it. It should’ve been four-on-four.

Regardless, the Rangers had a chance to kill the tacky penalty off. Following a tough save from Shesterkin to stop Noah Dobson, Nelson was able to score his sixth on a shot that had Lee parked in front to tie the game with 7:14 left. Yet another lead blown.

Before you could even vent, Wahlstrom got away with taking down Kakko in the Rangers zone. While the other four skaters basically stopped playing, they watched Alex Romanov send a shot towards the net that a wide open Lee backhanded in for one of the easiest goals of his career.

Game. Set. Match. Even with 5:30 left, anyone with a pulse knew it was over. The Islanders are a very hard team to come back on when leading by a goal that late. That’s always been their biggest strength. Now, you can add their suddenly improved offense where the defense chips in.

The Rangers only managed three shots the rest of the way. Meanwhile, both Zibanejad and Panarin each turned over pucks that are symbolic of how this team has played. Not together.

With Shesterkin on the bench with 2:06 remaining, they never were able to set up anything. The Islanders defended it perfectly and made one clear.

Trocheck got one last shot with under nine seconds left that Varlamov stopped. The Islanders killed the remainder to win the game. Yet another loss at MSG to the bitter rivals with Varlamov in net. Sadly, he outplayed Shesterkin (4 GA on 26 shots). That simply can’t happen. Varlamov finished with 37 saves on 40 shots despite being shaky.

This was the worst loss of the season. It’s only 14 games. You can keep telling yourself that. Or make excuses like Gallant did in his ridiculous postgame. I’m not buying it.

Simply put. The result was unacceptable.

https://twitter.com/BattleOfHudson/status/1590178382901579776?t=AQ9LuVkc1TSfmYBafvygsg&s=19

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Wings Have Rangers Seeing Red in awful loss, Gallant shuffles the deck, Kreider demoted to fourth line, Halak shows frustration after overtime defeat, Kakko plays well

Posted on November 7, 2022 by Derek

On football Sunday, the Rangers hosted the Red Wings in an Original Six match-up at The Garden. Instead of making it a very good day following the Jets’ huge upset of the Bills, they suffered an uninspired 3-2 overtime loss to the Wings.

What really made it a an awful loss was that they played a team who traveled the day before and was playing the second game of a back-to-back. The Red Wings were on short rest compared to the Rangers, who had plenty of time to digest Thursday’s 5-2 loss to the Bruins. A team that further humiliated itself by releasing Mitchell Miller from a contract following predictable outrage from the hockey community.

https://twitter.com/BattleOfHudson/status/1589453321169178624?t=HdAfRXI9X-r_hP7nj6aiRA&s=19

In regards to what transpired at MSG, there’s a lot to say about the second straight defeat. The Rangers were fortunate to get a point. They can thank backup Jaro Halak for that due to him making a couple of gigantic saves late in regulation just to force the contest to overtime.

He fell to 0-3-1 in four starts. It wasn’t his fault. Halak played well making 33 saves on 36 shots. That included nine of nine while his team was shorthanded during regulation. There was a highlight reel pad save where he robbed Lucas Raymond on the full stretch. He’d also deny Filip Hronek’s bid to win it late in the third period.

Halak deserved better than what he got. None of the three goals he allowed were on him. But rather the lack of focus from his teammates. A few were put on notice by a displeased Gerard Gallant. Chris Kreider was demoted to the fourth line for the third period. When asked why, Gallant said, “He deserved to be where he was at. He wasn’t alone.”

Nobody would argue that point. As the coach noted during a brief postgame conference that lasted less than two minutes, it’s been coming. The lack of effectiveness by last season’s 52-goal scorer at five-on-five while playing with Mika Zibanejad is self-explanatory. More is expected out of Kreider. He took his shifts with Ryan Carpenter and Julien Gauthier during the third before getting a reprieve by starting overtime with Zibanejad.

To be honest, I’m not sure I’d have even sent Kreider back out for the three-on-three. But I understand why Gallant made the decision. He went with his best tandem with Adam Fox to try to steal the extra point.

I would’ve liked to have seen Kaapo Kakko get an OT shift. He was by far the best forward for the Blueshirts. The 21-year old Finn had one of his finest games. He scored his third goal to start the scoring and finished with a team high five shots in six attempts while also making a good defensive play to break up a Red Wings chance. This was the most confident he’s looked as a Ranger.

So, it wasn’t all negative. Seeing Kakko hold onto the puck longer and get more shots is a good sign for the team. He is an important player who’s in his fourth year. He seems to be figuring it out while playing on the top line with Zibanejad. It’s where he should stay when the Islanders visit town on Tuesday.

Will Artemi Panarin remain on the first line for that big rivalry game? That’s where he finished up in the third period. Panarin then took a shift with Vincent Trocheck in overtime. Trocheck sure seems to miss the net a lot for a player who replaced Ryan Strome. Is it the number? He missed the net three times. His 16 place third behind Kreider (20) and Zibanejad (28). Somewhat curiously, Strome only has missed the net three times for the dreadful Ducks. Maybe it’s the jersey.

After jumping out to a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Kakko and Zibanejad, who connected on the power play off a terrific two-way passing play from Fox and Panarin, the Rangers forgot to show up for the second period. They were lethargic and out of sync while the Red Wings improved their neutral zone play and picked up the intensity.

The combination of the teams trending in opposite directions led to predictable results. With the Rangers leading by two thanks to 14 saves from Halak in the first, Moritz Seider intercepted a pass and gained the Ranger zone. On the cycle, Seider moved the puck across for a Ben Chiarot point shot that Matt Luff tipped in at 2:56 to cut the deficit to one.

On the play, neither Braden Schneider or Carpenter were able to tie up Luff, who was isolated in front to deflect the shot home for his first of the season. It was a gritty goal for the journeyman who played sparingly on the fourth line under new Detroit coach Derek Lalonde.

Skating without Ryan Lindgren, the Rangers had revised defense pairings. As expected, Miller teamed up with Fox on the top pair. That left Zac Jones to play with Jacob Trouba. The third pair was originally Libor Hajek with Schneider. Things would change later following the second period malaise.

Filip Chytil returned after missing six games with a concussion. Anyone knew that following his setback that kept him out for recent games. He originally was between Goodrow and Jimmy Vesey. That lasted until the third period when Gallant shuffled the deck. Encouraging is that Chytil looked alright in his 13:39 of ice time. He definitely was missed.

With Gauthier sliding down to the checking line with Sammy Blais and Carpenter at least initially, Ryan Reaves was a healthy scratch. Considering what Gauthier brings in energy and skating, that should remain. I don’t care if it’s the Islanders in two days. Reaves shouldn’t play much anymore. The lineup has more balance without him. We’ll see what Turk decides.

In fact, it was the fourth line that drew two penalties in the first period. First, Gauthier drove hard to the net to force Alex Nedeljkovic into a save. Hronek slashed him on the play. Although they didn’t score on that power play, the Rangers capitalized on their second chance following Blais drawing an interference minor on Chiarot.

Already leading by one thanks to Kakko converting his third off a broken play for his first goal in nine games, the Rangers’ top unit got it done. On a long shift that stayed in the offensive zone, Fox made a nice back pass for Panarin. With the four Detroit penalty killers exhausted, he sent a perfect pass across for an easy Zibanejad finish past Nedeljkovic at 16:58. It was the sixth power play goal for Zibanejad (7th overall). That tied him with Connor McDavid for first in the league.

Despite having the better of the play at full strength, the Rangers were out-shot 14-11 in the first period. That’s because the Red Wings had two strong power plays where they really moved the puck well and forced Halak into some tough saves. That included him getting enough of one shot to push it off the far goalpost. He’d deny David Perron and Dominik Kubalik. They also helped by missing shots wide with Chytil off for hooking late in the period.

Then came the second. It started off poorly. Following an early Nedeljkovic save on Kakko, Seider had the key takeaway in the neutral zone that allowed him to set up Chiarot for a shot that Luff redirected less than three minutes in.

It didn’t get better. While the Red Wings made the necessary adjustments by defending better, the Rangers couldn’t mount a consistent attack. Instead, it was the more aggressive Wings who were more dangerous at even strength. Following a Halak stop on Perron, who was his usual feisty self throughout, it was just a matter of time.

Following a good offensive shift by the top line that resulted in Kakko having a shot blocked from the slot, the Red Wings quickly transitioned the other way. With all three Rangers forwards going off for a bad line change, that left only Jones and Trouba back to defend an odd-man rush.

After consecutive saves from Halak on Dylan Larkin and Hronek, Suter was allowed too much time by Jones to slam in a rebound to tie the score at 8:37. It was the pits. While Jones didn’t do a good job on the play, the real blame lied with the forwards for not recognizing the situation. They hung minuses on Lafreniere, Trocheck and Panarin for their poor change.

On the next shift, Trocheck had an open shot in the slot, but missed wide. Well, he does wear number 16. Strome’s old number. Maybe he’s trying to replace him in more ways than one. He has to hit the net more. He has had some great opportunities both at five-on-five and on the power play. Trocheck remains stuck on four goals. Since his two-goal, assist effort at Dallas in a 6-3 win, he’s without a point in four straight.

With Fox in the box for interference, the Rangers penalty kill did a stellar job. They didn’t allow a single shot on the third Detroit power play. The only attempt by Larkin went wide. Good efforts from Goodrow and Schneider kept the Red Wings from getting anything.

Right after the successful kill, Kakko put a low shot on Nedeljkovic that he handled. It was only the fourth shot of the period for the Rangers. They were being out-shot 8-4 and 22-15 overall.

A bad pinch from Schneider allowed Elmer Soderblom to skate down and get a shot on Halak, who handled it. Soderblom is 6-8. He isn’t exactly that fast. But he had a couple of good shifts for the Winged Wheel in less than 10 minutes.

At that point, I concluded that it wasn’t fun to watch. The Rangers were skating in quicksand. They didn’t have any sustained pressure. The only players who looked interested were Kakko, Lafreniere, who kept looking for tips. Is that all Gallant wants from the former top pick? Plus the hard-working types like Goodrow, Blais, Vesey and Carpenter. I’ll give Chytil a passing grade too. His line wasn’t invisible.

By the final shift, Gallant had seen enough. He sat Kreider and had Goodrow take his spot with Zibanejad and Kakko. A clear sign that he wasn’t happy. The Red Wings led in shots 10-6 for the period and 24-17 after two.

By the third, Gallant had rearranged all four lines. Panarin was with Zibanejad and Kakko. Vesey and Blais were with Trocheck. Lafreniere was back at his natural position of left wing with Chytil and Goodrow. Kreider was banished to the fourth line with Carpenter and Gauthier. The D pairs outside of Miller and Fox, were mixed up.

It was well deserved. This team better understand one thing. It isn’t last season anymore. There are no easy nights. They found that out already with bad losses to the Blue Jackets and Sharks on home ice. The losses to the Jets and Islanders were acceptable due to the effort. But those are games they need to win. Plus you’ve had Gallant vocal about ugly victories against the Wild and Ducks. Even the 1-0 shutout of the Flyers last week was a struggle due to the offense.

They aren’t scoring enough at five-on-five. The secret is out. Opponents know this isn’t the same team as the one that went to the Eastern Conference Final. They are feeling the losses of Andrew Copp (who returned tonight), Frank Vatrano, Tyler Motte and Justin Braun. Even Strome is missed because he had better chemistry with Panarin. It isn’t an easy adjustment for Trocheck, who adds more on face-offs and on the penalty kill.

Don’t forget that last year, the Rangers beat most of the bad teams. The competition might be improved. However, when you see an opponent that isn’t as good, those are the ones you have to win. They’re not banking two points in these games. It isn’t automatic. You still have to play up to standard.

The third period was better. With the exception of Jones, who took one shift before Gallant went down to five defensemen, he rolled all four lines. He really leaned heavily on Miller (27:05) and Fox (29:38). With the schedule allowing for it, he can afford to do that. However, it’s not wise to do it often.

It was nice to hear both Sam Rosen and Joe Micheletti pay tribute to the late Peter McNab, who lost his battle with cancer. He was 70. I really liked McNab, who was a good color analyst for the Devils before Chico Resch replaced him. He moved onto the Avalanche. McNab was not only entertaining, but is remembered for a great hockey career in which he scored 363 goals and totaled 813 points in 954 games. He’s a member of the US Hockey Hall Of Fame. He’ll be sorely missed.

If there was a theme for the third period, it was get shots on Nedeljkovic. With a simpler approach, the Rangers tested the backup more. They just didn’t get much traffic. If he saw it, he stopped it. At least Lafreniere looked more comfortable playing where he belongs on the left side. He also has good chemistry with Chytil and Goodrow, who’s played with them before.

Not surprisingly, that was the best line. They had a great shift where they had strong puck possession with the Red Wings on their heels. But a key block of a Miller shot allowed the Wings to survive. At the end of his shift, an over aggressive Fox turned the puck over, causing a Kubalik chance. But Halak made the big save by getting a piece of it with the shaft of his stick.

Late in regulation, a slight misread from Miller allowed the Red Wings to nearly set up a pinching Hronek for the winner. However, Halak got across in time to make the tremendous save. Without him, no point. He was superb.

In overtime, Miller tried to make a play at the Red Wings blue line. It was close to the end of his shift. Instead of getting the puck deep, he skated with it only to have the gritty Perron make a good defensive play. He took away the puck and Miller grabbed hold of his stick for a penalty.

https://twitter.com/BattleOfHudson/status/1589417846492532737?t=_bWkWHT_nz41JNhYxopSTQ&s=19

Penalties like that usually cost you. Even though they asked Gallant what he thought of the call (like duh), it was the correct call. On the four-on-three, Seider got the puck over to Perron in the right circle. Always a shooting threat, this time he made a perfect backdoor pass for an easy Kubalik tip-in to give the Red Wings the win at 2:43.

Both Trouba and Halak showed their frustration by breaking their sticks. Neither were happy. On the play, Trouba took Perron, but he still snuck the pass through for Kubalik, who Fox never switched over to.

It was very frustrating. You could feel the disappointment for Halak. Asked if he played his best game, he wisely said, “We didn’t get a win. So no. It’s about winning and we lost the game again.”

He gets it. He’s been around the block. This isn’t about him. He was the biggest reason the Rangers got their brownie point. I don’t say that lightly. Overall, this was a step backwards. They better kick it into gear tomorrow night. No excuses. If they don’t, that could be problematic.

THREE STARS 🌟 🤩 ✨️

3rd 🌟 Kaapo Kakko, NYR 3rd goal of season, 5 SOG in 6 attempts, +1 in 16:02

2nd 🌟 🤩 Dominik Kubalik, DET scored PPG overtime winner at 2:46, 6 SOG

1st 🌟 🤩 ⭐️ Jaro Halak, NYR 33 saves on 36 shots including 9/10 down a man

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Devils complete astonishing Western Canada sweep with comeback in Edmonton and OT winner in Calgary

Posted on November 6, 2022 by hasan4978

Six…wins…in a row. The last time this franchise won six in a row Martin Brodeur was still in net for most of those games and Zach Parise(!) was our captain. That’s right…the end of the 2011-12 season was the last time the Devils had won six in a row before these last two weeks. In that season, the Devils’ hot finish portended a fun playoff spring that finally ended in LA after a five-minute major boarding penalty called on Steve Bernier and the resulting three goals from it took them out of Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals almost before it started, and derailed what could have potentially been a historical comeback. If this Devils team comes anywhere close to that kind of spring, it’ll be an astonishing season indeed.

At the very least, it looks like this team may have some staying power and be playing meaningful games in April for the first time since 2017-18 when Taylor Hall’s transcendent season led the way to the franchise’s only playoff berth since 2012. Of course it’s still too early to book playoff tickets, but winning three in a row in Western Canada (and nine out of ten overall) is impressive no matter what point in the season it comes.

Even just winning games is one thing, it’s how they’re winning that’s opening eyes. A business-like dismantling of a bad Vancouver team was followed by a wacky game in Edmonton where the Devils fell behind 3-1 after two periods and lost goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood for a still-undetermined length of time to a lower body injury in the middle of the second, just before the Oilers’ third goal came on a power play. It’s unfortunate, but not unexpected at this point…whatever you may think of Blackwood as a person or as a goalie you just cannot count on him to post. It’s unfortunate for both him and the team, but this is now likely the second straight season he’ll be on the shelf with a long-term injury and he’s never started more than 43 games in any pro season. I’ll get back to the long-term outlook on the goaltending later.

It did look as if the winning streak would finally end Thursday when they got behind against the high-powered Oilers but Miles Wood’s second goal of the night early in the third kept the Devils in the game, long enough for an astonishing turn of events that started with just 3:15 remaining, when Ryan Graves took a drop pass from Tomas Tatar, deked out two Oilers and somehow beat Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner five-hole with a weak shot. They all count the same on the scoreboard right? This one even more so cause it tied the game, though it wouldn’t be tied for long…seven seconds to be exact.

It was an astonishing skill goal, with John Marino’s outlet pass off of Nico Hischier’s faceoff win finding Jesper Bratt in stride. Bratt not only scored what proved to be the game-winner, but set a franchise record for most games with a point to start the season. New Jersey also set a bit of an odd NHL record with the quickest amount of time to go from trailing to leading a game in the final four minutes of regulation. I’m not gonna say what I thought the record could have been beforehand (cough 2009 Game 7 cough).

As if the Edmonton game wasn’t thrilling enough, then you had the Devils nearly falling victim to the reverse in Calgary, jumping out to a quick 3-1 lead after an impressive first period with all the goals coming from somewhat unlikely sources (Nathan Bastian and Fabian Zetterlund with just their second of the year each, Wood with a surprising fifth of the year). However, Darryl Sutter teams usually don’t get blown out of the barn and true to form they mucked their way back into the game, tying it at three early in the third. It would stay tied going into OT, the team’s first of the season. That – and an Elias Lindholm interference penalty – only served to set up more heroics from first star of the night Zetterlund:

Perhaps even more puzzling to me than the ghosting of prospect Alexander Holtz when the team was struggling to score is why Zetterlund spent some early-season games in the scratch box after an impressive finish to last year. It’s even more baffling to me now that Zetterlund has shown his late-season play might not have been a fluke, as the rookie 2017 3rd rounder has five goals and eleven points in twenty-one career NHL games to this point. Not bad for a back six player with at least middle six upside, who can add some physicality our forward group desperately needs.

I can’t say there’s too much else to criticize the coaching on at this point, though I was surprised Blackwood started the first two games of the trip after Vitek Vanecek was working on a three-game winning streak. Guess there won’t be much question who’s starting the bulk of the games going forward, especially with Vanecek’s winning streak up to five now after a solid relief appearance in Edmonton and doing just enough in Calgary to give the team a chance to win. Which is really all you can ask from just about any goalie that isn’t Andrei Vasilevsky or the reigning Vezina winner across town haha. Especially with the Devils’ team playing as well as it has territorially and defensively for the most part this season.

As well as Vanecek’s played so far, right now his best ability is his availability given that Blackwood will likely be on the shelf for some time and Jonathan Bernier still hasn’t even gone out on rehab after major hip surgery last year. And who knows what he’ll be when he finally does come back after a year or so on the shelf on the wrong side of thirty? Fortunately there aren’t any back to backs until after Thanksgiving so the Devils can ride Vanecek for a bit if they need to, provided nothing happens to him. All bets are off with one more injury at the goaltending position though.

At least for the moment we don’t have to cross that bridge until we come to it. Right now it’s just a clear sky of sunshine and rainbows, one we haven’t seen above Newark since the Hall and Keith Kinkaid-led playoff surge in 2018.

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HARD HITS: Mitchell Miller fiasco not worth it for Bruins

Posted on November 5, 2022 by Derek

On the ice, the Bruins have been the class of the NHL. Winners of seven in a row and boasting a league best 10-1-0 record entering Saturday’s game at Toronto, they have lit it up so far.

After erupting for four third period goals in a 5-2 win over the Rangers on Thursday night, they’ve outscored opponents 50-28 for a league best diferential of plus-22. They rank first in offense with a whopping average of 4.46 goals-per-game. Their 2.55 goals allowed a game is tied for fourth best.

The Bruins also are tops in penalty killing with a remarkable 94.9 percentage down a man. They’re 37 for 39 with a shorthanded goal. So, they’ve allowed permitted one more power play goal than they’ve scored on the kill. They’re only 13th on the power play (22.5 pct) and have allowed two shorthanded goals.

That speaks to how well they’ve played at five-on-five. So far, so good for new coach Jim Montgomery. He’s done a masterful job despite not having defense anchor Charlie McAvoy. They also didn’t have Brad Marchand for the first eight games. David Krejci missed the last three. He will return tonight. The veteran hasn’t missed a beat with eight points in eight games.

Leading the way is star David Pastrnak. Off to a spectacular start with 19 points (8-11-19), he’s among the league leaders in scoring. Without McAvoy, Montgomery has turned Hampus Lindholm loose. The former Ducks defenseman is showing newfound offense. A dependable player in his end, his 13 points are third among all NHL defensemen. He also has a plus-12 rating.

Linus Ullmark remains the story in net. He’s a perfect 8-0-0 with a 2.17 GAA and .929 save percentage. He had to replace Jeremy Swayman in a recent game due to the second-year goalie leaving with an injury. With journeyman Keith Kinkaid up as the backup, it’s safe to say the B’s will be riding Ullmark for now.

With a balanced attack that includes Patrice Bergeron, Taylor Hall, Jake DeBrusk with even Nick Foligno and Pavel Zacha contributing, the Bruins are clicking on all cylinders. At least the on ice NHL product is.

So, why then did GM Don Sweeney decide to sign free agent defenseman Mitchell Miller to a contract? The backlash from signing a controversial player with a checkered history dating back to his teens makes no sense.

It was at age 14 that he bullied a black kid with a disability in the eighth grade. The disturbing part is according to the victim’s Mom, it wasn’t the first time Miller bullied her son. It dates back to the second grade. Even worse, the gross details of what he did are too much to repeat. That a teenager would do what Miller did to another teen with a disability is mind-numbing.

Somehow, throughout all this time, he never showed remorse for what he did. An Instagram message isn’t the same as publicly apologizing for his despicable actions. It really makes no sense. Then again, the Coyotes took Miller in the fourth round of the 2020 NHL Draft. When the red flags were raised, they rescinded the pick.

Even worse, the Bruins didn’t bother to reach out to the family. Joni Meyer-Crothers gave her permission to reporters to inform them how she felt about the Bruins signing Miller without any communication whatsoever.

Kudos to Guy Flaming for going the extra mile to clarify the situation. It is very sad that the Bruins didn’t consider getting in touch with the Mom. The pain and grief Miller caused her family over the years is unforgivable. What the heck were they thinking?

Doesn’t that information above sound hypocritical? On one hand, they didn’t contact the victim Isaiah Meyer-Crothers or his family. But the Bruins organization were ‘involved in the process’ of Mitchell Miller reaching out and talking to Meyer-Crothers. That comes off weak.

When they have even some of their leadership including captain Bergeron questioning the move, that speaks volumes.

“I had my concerns,” Bergeron said in an article that appeared in The Athletic.. “I shared my opinion. In a way, I was not necessarily agreeing with it. To be honest with you, the culture that we’ve built here goes against that type of behavior. We’re a team that’s built something about character, character people and individuals. What he did, obviously, is unacceptable. We don’t stand by that.

“For me, I know for myself anyways, in this locker room, we’re all about inclusion, diversity, respect. Those are key words and core values we have. We expect guys to wear this jersey to be high-character people with integrity and respect. That’s how they should be acting.”

Bergeron isn’t alone in his views on the idea of signing Miller. Both Marchand and Foligno voiced their strong opinions as well. They understand the dynamics of the locker room and what they stand for as a team.

It doesn’t matter what Mitchell Miller’s numbers were for the Tri-City Storm in the USHL. At 20, he’s hoping to put his awful past behind him. It comes down to whether a player with his issues that include racist and hateful actions should be given a second chance. Why didn’t he show more remorse and reach out to Isaiah Meyer-Crothers and his family over the years? Why did he wait until just recently when an opportunity presented itself to play hockey?

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman made himself clear on where he stands on Miller. For the foreseeable future, Miller shouldn’t expect to be allowed to play in the NHL until several hurdles are cleared. Good for Bettman. He has principles.

When even Bruins fans are upset by what the organization decided, that should send a clear message of what they stand for. This isn’t going over well. It shouldn’t. Sweeney, Cam Neely and owner Jeremy Jacobs will feel the heat over such a controversial decision. Where it goes from here remains to be seen.

BODY CHECKS

Who had Erik Karlsson rediscovering what made him the league’s best defenseman on a rebuilding San Jose Sharks under David Quinn? A recent hat trick and four-point game followed up by a three-point (1-2-3) effort in consecutive shootout losses highlight the return of Karlsson to the game’s elite. He has a four-game point streak in which he’s totaled a ridiculous 12 points including seven goals over that dominant stretch.

It’s the 32-year old Karlsson who leads all defensemen in scoring with 18 points (10-8-18) in 13 games. That includes a league-leading nine even strength goals and three game-winners. Remarkable stuff for a player who hadn’t been the same since 2017 after playing hurt for the Senators during their run to the Conference Finals.

It’s a great story for the two-time Norris winner. The Sharks need it. Ironic how it happened after they unloaded Brent Burns to the Hurricanes.

A look at the Devils roster and you’ll notice a lot more players with pluses than minuses. Thirteen skaters are in the plus column including former Pen John Marino. He’s stabilized a blue line that struggled badly last year. A good player who can play his end, Marino is plus-10 with six points. So far, so good on the trade that sent former first round pick Ty Smith to the Pens. He’s currently in the AHL. That’s an early win for GM Tom Fitzgerald.

Jesper Bratt is at the center of the Devils renaissance. Betting on himself by taking less money coming off a career season of 26 goals, 47 assists and 73 points, the 24-year old former sixth round pick has set a new franchise mark to start a season with a record 11-game point streak.

He’s been terrific posting five goals, 12 helpers and 17 points. His game-winner to stun Edmonton following Ryan Graves’ tying goal came just seven seconds later in a thrilling comeback win over the McDavid/Draisaitl Oilers. Making $5.45 million, can you say contract extension?

Captain Nico Hischier is healthy having missed only one game early. He’s at a point-per-game clip with 11 points in 10 games followed by Jack Hughes (4-6-10), who hasn’t exploded yet. That bodes well for the Devs, who are winning without key addition Ondrej Palat (groin surgery). That’ll keep him out a while.

After losing their first two including a home opener they were never in which Miles Wood called a “must win” due to being “sick of losing,” the Devils have stormed back under Lindy Ruff. They bring a five-game win streak into Calgary tonight. Wood is also healthy having scored four goals including twice in the 4-3 win over the Oilers. Talk about backing it up.

With 12 goals and 13 assists for 25 points already, just how many points will Connor McDavid wind up with? He had a helper earlier in a 6-2 loss to the Stars. It looks like 60 goals is attainable for electrifying superstar. How many assists? Between 80 and 90 is possible. Yes. The 90’s era before the trap decreased scoring.

Even with a good record of 7-5-0 after today, Jack Campbell isn’t doing well in the Defense Optional Edmonton system. Stuart Skinner has been the better goalie. Will the Oilers ever figure out how to tighten it up? With Vegas much improved and the Flames sure to be in the mix, the Pacific Division isn’t going to be as easy.

The Canucks outscored the Ducks 8-5 in a game that didn’t have any defense. Neither team plays any. Just ask Thatcher Demko and John Gibson. At least Demko wasn’t in for that? As for Gibson, he must be praying for a miracle. That’s how bad Anaheim is in its end. It doesn’t help that they lost Jamie Drysdale for almost the rest of the season. It doesn’t look like it’ll get better.

If Ryan Lindgren has to miss time due to the blindside hit Pastrnak put on him as retaliation for a clean check Lindgren delivered moments earlier the other night, how does the league not at least have a phone hearing with Pastrnak? It doesn’t matter if he’s a big star. Those are exactly the kind of dangerous hits they must legislate out of the game.

Brock Nelson remains underrated playing for the Islanders. It’s been his stellar play that’s helped them turn it around. Not goalless Mat Barzal. Nelson is an important player for the Isles. At $6 million through ’24-25, he’s a bargain.

Martin Necas is making the Hurricanes fans forget Vincent Trocheck. On fire to start the season, the former 12th pick in 2017 is finally getting to show why he was taken so high. With seven goals and 17 points, he has been excellent. Trocheck has nine points in a dozen games on the Rangers.

Rookie Watch:

Logan Thompson VGK

Matty Beniers SEA

Shane Pinto OTT

J.J. Peterka BUF

Matias Maccelli ARZ

Calen Addison MIN

Owen Power BUF

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Pastrnak cheap hit on Lindgren creates more injury issues for lacking Blueshirts

Posted on November 4, 2022 by Derek

In case you missed it, there was a game last night at the World’s Most Renovated on 33rd and 7th. If you are subscribed to ESPN Plus or can somehow still find a way to watch like my brother, then you learned that the Rangers don’t quite measure up to the Bruins yet.

A dozen games into the season, they find themselves in the middle of the pack. Considering the injuries to key players, the 6-4-2 record is fine. They haven’t dug a hole for themselves. While both the Devils (4-3 stirring win at Edmonton) and Islanders are hot, each still must prove their recent play is sustainable. The Devs appear much improved. We’ll see.

Featured on ESPN Plus again, the Rangers ran into a buzz saw on Thursday night. Even without top defenseman Charlie McAvoy and second center David Krejci, the Bruins can do no wrong.

On a night neither Brad Marchand or Patrice Bergeron did anything, Boston still put four shots past Igor Shesterkin. They tacked on an empty netter to put a stamp on a four goal third period where they dominated the Rangers for a 5-2 win.

Entering the match, the Blueshirts had won three in a row. The best of the three wins came at Dallas over last weekend when they put up a touchdown in a 6-3 victory. An outlier for a good Stars team that currently sits atop the Central Division. Then, there was the 3-2 win over the Coyotes at Mullett Arena. Finally, Chris Kreider won Tuesday’s goalie duel between Shesterkin and Carter Hart in the final minute of overtime to give his team a 1-0 shutout over the Flyers.

So, they came in playing better hockey. However, the Bruins are on a different level right now. Under new coach Jim Montgomery, they’re scoring at a high clip. All while getting stellar goaltending from Linus Ullmark, who has yet to lose a game. They’ll ride him with Jeremy Swayman out. He made the necessary stops last night on what was a paltry effort from the Rangers, who were severely outplayed in the third period. They were out-shot 17-4 and only totaled 20 shots.

It was back in the first period that star David Pastrnak didn’t take too kindly to a clean hit from Blueshirt warrior Ryan Lindgren. The rugged defenseman who once was a Bruins draft pick, absolutely leveled Pastrnak with a good shoulder to chest thump against the glass that knocked the bigger scorer down.

Pastrnak responded by catching Lindgren with a cheap hit that caught him from the side. He received a two-minute minor for interference. Hardly enough punishment for a dangerous hit that came from the blind side.

Lindgren took two more shifts before leaving the game for good. That left coach Gerard Gallant with just five defensemen to rotate. Not ideal when you’re facing stiff competition. He leaned heavily on former Norris winner Adam Fox (25:07) and K’Andre Miller (26:20). Zac Jones and struggling captain Jacob Trouba each received over 23 minutes while Braden Schneider got 16:19.

Of course, Gallant didn’t use the Lindgren injury as an alibi for the defeat. But when you lose one of your most trusted defensemen, who plays the game the right way, it certainly doesn’t help the cause. Especially when he and Fox have been the most consistent players on the back end so far. Both Jones and Trouba saw time with Fox as Turk mixed and matched.

An inspired second period saw Jimmy Vesey score his first goal as a Ranger since March 29, 2019 to tie the score. Then, Schneider laid an absolute monstrous hit on Trent Frederic that drew a quick reaction from A.J. Greer. He took up for Frederic and lost a fight to the bigger Schneider. Frederic fought Barclay Goodrow in an entertaining scrap that brought the Garden to life.

Despite Greer getting the instigator to hand them a power play, the Rangers did nothing on the five-on-four. They went 0-for-2. When the man-advantage doesn’t click, it’s a struggle for them to score consistently at even strength. There’s a lot of pressure on the top six to produce. When Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider don’t, it’s a problem. You can include Vincent Trocheck, who’s only a point better than Ryan Strome despite playing with much better line mates.

Every night, Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafreniere get chances. They aren’t going in for either. Their improvement is noticeable during shifts. You see a more confident Kakko possessing the puck and being harder to take off it to the point where he’s had some quality looks. He did his part yesterday setting up the Rangers’ two goals. Lafreniere is always doing grunt work in front looking for tips and rebounds. He is tough on the wall. The goalpost hasn’t helped his luck.

The bottom line with the pair of 21-year olds is they’re getting better. Through 12 games, they have identical 2-3-5 lines. That ties them for sixth in team scoring behind the top five of Panarin (5-11-16), Zibanejad (6-8-14), Fox (3-7-10), Kreider (4-5-9) and Trocheck (4-5-9). There’s plenty of season left for the former 2019 second pick and 2020 top pick to increase the scoring. It’ll come.

When you look closely at the third and fourth lines, there isn’t much offense. Without Filip Chytil, who’s badly missed due to his unique combination of speed, skill and willingness to forecheck, there is a huge drop-off. Goodrow has two goals and two assists. He brings an honest approach. But it’s much harder to contribute on the score sheet playing with Julien Gauthier and Vesey. While both play hard, there isn’t enough skill.

The third line basically is another fourth line. Speaking of which, Sammy Blais is finishing checks. His play has improved. However, he can’t be on a checking line with Ryan Carpenter and Ryan Reaves. They are purposely bringing him along slowly due to the recovery time it takes for a player to get back to full strength from ACL surgery. At 26, it’s an important season for him. He turns unrestricted next summer. Hopefully, he can continue to make progress.

As much as Vitaly Kravtsov has struggled to stay in the lineup due to injuries and inconsistency, the Rangers will need him to figure it out. Whenever he returns, the only way for Kravtsov to regain his confidence is to play. Although I thought a conditioning stint as NY Post columnist Larry Brooks suggested sounded logical, there simply isn’t enough scoring depth to help the team’s best players.

Are we really putting our trust in Gauthier over one hustle play that saw him hit an open net? Vesey finally scored. I like him more than Gauthier due to his ability to kill penalties. I also still believe Vesey is more capable of contributing even if it’s in a fourth line/checking role.

If they need to recall a player, Jonny Brodzinski certainly knows the Gallant system well enough. While he’s not a big player, he’s a good skater who isn’t afraid to make plays with the puck. I know they want him just for Hartford due to his leadership. But Brodzinski is still someone I’d consider bringing up if the situation allows for it. Being near the salary cap upper limit doesn’t help.

With the defense not playing to capability, it becomes a problem if Lindgren has to miss any time. You hope it’s not a head injury. Of course, Pastrnak won’t face any further discipline from George Parros. Such retaliatory hits shouldn’t be part of the game. Neither should the need to respond to a clean hit with a fight.

When they say the game’s never been better, I disagree. It’s become softer. Such good open ice hits didn’t have that response in the old school era. While the game can be enjoyed by fans due to the elite talent that’s on display with scoring way up, I’d like to see more respect return.

Hitting is a big part of the game. Not one Flyer ever went after Scott Stevens the next year for laying out Eric Lindros. What about the elbow Derian Hatcher put on Petr Sykora during the Stanley Cup Finals? Was there ever retribution?

Unless it’s a cheap shot like we saw with Tom Wilson or a questionable hit that injures a player, there really shouldn’t be any fighting if it’s a clean check. We’ve heard many broadcasters including legendary Sam Rosen groan over what the game’s become. That’s because he and Joe Micheletti are right. It’s ridiculous.

Do I feel Pastrnak should be held accountable? Yes. I know he isn’t a player who drops the gloves. But maybe a skilled Blueshirt like Kreider should go after him next time. The Rangers and Bruins don’t meet again until January 19 at MSG. I doubt it’ll happen.

In terms of Sunday when the Rangers host the Red Wings following the Jets and Bills, we’ll see if Lindgren is available. They could always dress Libor Hajek and play him for Lindgren. Hajek has been okay so far. He does need to get into the lineup again. It would make sense.

Whether he does miss time or not, Lindgren has proven his value to the team. We saw what he meant last playoffs when he played through the pain to help the Rangers come back to beat the Pens and edge the Hurricanes. He’s the Dan Girardi of this generation of Blueshirts.

It’s time for both Trouba and Miller to pick it up. Neither have been particularly good. Each continue to be caught out for goals against. Trouba for three more against Boston. He can’t keep making costly mistakes. Otherwise, questions will start to surround the captaincy. He’s got a lot of character and remains the most indispensable defenseman they have. It’s not easy to replace what Trouba brings.

If they felt Schneider was further along, he’d be getting more shifts. He’s only in his second year. First full season. There are going to be ups and downs. We’ve seen it in Detroit with Calder winner Moritz Seider. It isn’t always easy the second go round for young players.

Despite not being as sharp so far, the numbers are fine for Shesterkin. All things considered, 6-1-2 with a 2.41 GAA, .916 save percentage and one shutout are still good on a team that hasn’t hit its stride. Yes. He’s given up some iffy goals like the one to Pastrnak where he somehow flipped a backhand high short side from an impossible angle in the first period.

It’s asking a lot for a repeat of last year. That was a historic season. Igor won’t be the reason if the Rangers falter. He is the rock. The most valuable player they have. If he went down for a period, they’d be screwed. Jaro Halak doesn’t inspire much confidence. A downgrade from current Avalanche starter Alexandar Georgiev.

With the Red Wings visiting on Sunday and the Islanders coming this Tuesday for the second of a preposterous three regular season games between the bitter rivals, there’s an opportunity to finish this home- stand strong. They can still take the necessary steps to get it done.

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ESPN Plus exclusive for Original Six rivalry irks viewers

Posted on November 3, 2022 by Derek

Normally, a big early game highlighting the Bruins and Rangers would have me excited. Unfortunately, I’m not the only one who won’t be watching the classic Original Six rivals do battle at MSG.

https://twitter.com/Tucker__93/status/1588237785089167360?t=1P1Sfcp9Rbd_vK-szAsBFA&s=19

Due to ESPN Plus having an exclusive window for tonight’s 7:30 PM game, you must be subscribed to their app to watch. Unless you have a ticket to go see the Rangers take on the number one overall Bruins, it won’t be televised.

This is what the NHL signed up for when they agreed to have ESPN as a partner starting last season. Unlike TNT which airs every game on national TV, ESPN picks and chooses select games to air on their networks.

That also means depending on other sports programming, they will stick games on ESPN Plus. In doing so, it benefits ESPN only. Not fans. The more subscribers to their app, the more money made. It also applies to other sports and pay per views they air including boxing, tennis and UFC. The NBA hasn’t yet suffered the same fate. One day, that could change.

In today’s modern world of technology and streaming games and select shows, the future of television is going to become like the newspaper business. That’s why print copies cost so much more as compared to even a decade ago. Online editions of the paper are easy to access. Now, most publications will charge a monthly fee just to survive.

While some suckers fans will pay up to watch the exclusive content to see their favorite teams on ESPN Plus, a good majority won’t. It feels like they’re being conned. Between how much cable costs and other bills due to inflation, not everyone has the money to watch these games.

It isn’t like you have much choice. But with a pivotal Game Five of a good World Series on for free between the Astros and Phillies along with a busy slate of NHL games including area locals the Devils and Islanders on MSG and MSG Plus, there are plenty of options for viewers.

So, if I opt to check out the surprising first place Devils at the Oilers after 9 EST, excuse me for wanting to see a game that’s on for free. Not on a ridiculous app. I will tune into the radio to listen to some of the game that begins at 7:30 PM. I can also catch the baseball on TV.

There’s also the other absurd streaming with the mind-numbing NFL TNF game between the undefeated Eagles and awful Texans on Amazon. Most of those games have been an eyesore. Who would want to watch a likely blowout anyway?

It really insults fans’ intelligence. It’s about as dishonest as the lousy political campaign lies ads being run repeatedly with the election a few days away. Talk about a nightmare.

So, if you are either at The Garden or do have ESPN Plus, enjoy the game. Many fans won’t be tuning in.

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Devils’ dominant four-game winning streak has them in first(!) place at the ten-game mark

Posted on November 2, 2022 by hasan4978

While admittedly part of me is annoyed that I haven’t been able to watch or attend as many of these first ten games as I’d have liked to (for various reasons), part of me is also finally starting to be hopeful that…maybe this is just the beginning? To be clear, I know all too well this franchise’s recent history – their 6-3-2 start in the post-COVID shortened season followed by a crash and burn, along with last year’s 7-3-2 start followed by a similar crash and burn. And other than the Caps who we got clowned by, and an injury-plagued Colorado team, the Devils’ schedule this year in their 7-3 start has been Gonzaga college basketball type soft…one patsy after another.

And yet…it’s one thing to merely beat bad teams – but it’s another to completely eviscerate them as the Devils have done throughout their most recent winning streak, scoring a combined nineteen goals against Detroit, Colorado, Columbus and Vancouver – which includes the 1-0 shutout against the Avs. So in the other three games the Devils ‘averaged’ six goals a game, a seemingly unheard of run of scoring in franchise history. Most of my skepticism over the first few games of the season where the metrics weren’t resulting in goals has been swatted away with the force of a Scott Stevens bodycheck.

It’s not just the Devils scoring that gives fans reason for hope going forward though, in fact you have to give perhaps even more credit to our stifling defense, which has allowed only 21.8 shots per game (an NHL low) through ten contests. In comparison, the Devils allowed 30.98 shots per game last year. If you were going to list the differences between last year and this year so far it’s hard to rank them, but I’d say perhaps changing over the staff and simplifying their ‘unique’ system a little bit has helped. Also you have to credit GM Tom Fitzgerald for his adds of John Marino and – to a lesser degree – Brendan Smith to the blueline. Marino in particular, has been a revelation although you could argue maybe he shouldn’t have been given his icetime this year was remarkably similar to his last two seasons in Pittsburgh at just under 21 minutes a night, but his impact and adding another reliable d-man to the top four can’t be overstated. You also have to say good health is factoring in too, specifically with Dougie Hamilton who was never the same last year after multiple injuries in January derailed his season. Now he’s once again become the top-pairing defenseman that everyone expected him to be.

Perhaps the best part about our D is that three of our top four (Hamilton, Marino and Jonas Siegenthaler) are locked up for quite a few seasons after this, and our top two prospects in Simon Nemec and Luke Hughes should both shore up the blueline long-term even more, ideally starting next season. While Fitzy clearly put us in good position with the D, the goaltending was a question mark for the third straight season. However, this is starting to look like it’s not going to be a rerun of the previous two. Indeed, both Vitek Vanecek and Mackenzie Blackwood have been solid in the last eight games after a rocky beginning for both in the first week of the season. Of the two, Vanecek has more financial security – having inked a three-year extension soon after the Devils traded for him this offseason, but clearly Blackwood is still in the team’s immediate plans as well given the fact he started last night’s game in Vancouver after Vanecek won three start in a row. Heck, even Jonathan Bernier returned to practice last week, so who knows what happens with him. At least they won’t have to go through cap gymnastics if he is ready to return soon, although the roster gymnastics with three goalies would be interesting, especially given both starting goalies each have three-game winning streaks to their name on the young season.

Unfortunately the reason we won’t have to go through cap gymnastics with Bernier has to do with the recent groin injury to Ondrej Palat, which has put him on the IL for an indeterminate length of time (likely at least weeks, if not months). If the Devils can survive the next few weeks without Palat though, maybe it’ll prove to be a blessing to miss some time in the long run after all the games he’s played the last three years in deep playoff runs for Tampa. Of course, that’s still a big if – the Devils aren’t yet in a position where they can take anything for granted, despite the at least temporary nirvana that’s resulted from seeing New Jersey on top of the Metro standings this late in the season for the first time since probably 2017, when the Devils 9-2 start helped lead the franchise to their one and only playoff berth since their trip to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2012. Palat’s already missed all the games in this recent stretch, so as impactful as he was starting to become maybe this team’s forward corps is deep enough to sustain even that kind of a loss.

If the Devils’ defensive shot total has been impressive so far, their offensive shot total of 39.1 per game over the first ten is almost unheard of, especially for this team. Everyone who you would want contributing to the start of the season has, starting with Jesper Bratt, whose 16 points in ten games jump off the page even with franchise cornerstones Jack Hughes (ten points) and Nico Hischier (nine points in nine games) off to fine starts themselves. To say Bratt is pulling an Aaron Judge in betting on himself with a one-year deal isn’t completely accurate though there are some similarities. For one, he’s not a UFA until after next season – although everyone knows another big year will probably see him get his big extension either here, or somewhere else if he’s obstinate. And there’s probably no league record Bratt is going to set this year, though a team record for points isn’t exactly out of the question right now. Maybe a Mitchell Marner deal isn’t exactly out of the question if Bratt has that kind of year.

Of course his contract is still next offseason’s problem barring an in-season extension…for the time being, the Devils’ big three of Bratt, Hughes and Nico have finally all been healthy and living up to expectations at the same time and the resulting offensive explosion has been the product of that. Not surprisingly, Hamilton also leads the blueline in scoring with seven points in ten games, which is good enough for fourth on the team behind the big three. That old adage of the best players needing to be the best players has so far proven true for this Devils team, although they clearly have other contributors as well. Dawson Mercer and Yegor Sharangovich have rounded out our top six nicely with six points apiece in their first ten games, and a combined seven goals while Palat had three goals of his own in his six games before going on the shelf. While Erik Haula hasn’t produced offensively yet in a middle six role, his all-around game has lengthened the lineup and his faceoff prowess is the biggest reason the team has gone from poor at the dot to one of the best teams in the league at it.

Finally, you have to give a tip of the cap to coaching. Given the results, you can’t really argue with many of Lindy Ruff’s decisions so far starting with the surprising decision to roll with Blackwood last night (though given his career record against the Canucks maybe it wasn’t that surprising), as well as the controversial 11-7 lineup during the team’s first three-game winning streak. Our special teams and D have been improved, so you have to give everyone including the new assistants credit for that. You also have to give coach Ruff props for his classy response when asked about the fans booing during the first few games of the season. Whatever my issues with his record or his coaching since going behind the bench as a Devil – as a person he gets it and always has, for lack of a better term. Which is why it was tough for me to criticize him not that long ago. Just look at this quote about having a certain assistant coach speak to the team before Ken Daneyko was honored for forty years as Devil last Sunday:

While this team still has a ways to go to even think about championships, it’s nice to see some evidence of a substantive turnaround perhaps, at long last.

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Kreider’s exciting overtime goal allows Shesterkin to get shutout in a great goalie duel with Hart

Posted on November 2, 2022 by Derek
Best Buds: Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider celebrate Kreider’s overtime winner in an exciting Rangers 1-0 shutout win over the Flyers. AP Photo by New York Rangers via Getty Images

If you love goaltending, then tonight was your kind of hockey game. For over 64 minutes, nobody could score on either goalie. It was indeed an old fashioned goalie duel between Carter Hart and Igor Shesterkin at MSG.

For most of the game, it was the brilliant Hart who stole the show. Playing for John Tortorella’s Flyers, he stood on his head for long stretches.

That included a lopsided second period where the puck never seemed to leave the Flyers zone. It literally stuck to Rangers sticks where they pressed the attack after a ho-hum first that was sleep inducing.

Despite a huge edge in territorial play that produced 14 shots to just the Flyers’ four, they couldn’t solve Hart. If he wasn’t stopping everything sent his way, he had plenty of help from his best friend, the goalpost. The Rangers hit four posts during regulation. That included Chris Kreider having his shorthanded rush get denied by the clanking sound of the iron.

It also happened to Vincent Trocheck, Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafreniere, who played a very assertive game as did Kaapo Kakko. Neither had much puck luck with Hart, who was a brick wall until the final frantic minute of overtime.

In what probably felt like a well deserved reprieve for a player who’s been snake bit, Kreider got a do-over. On a Zibanejad pass forward that sent him in one-on-one with Hart for the game, Kreider scored the exciting overtime winner to send the Rangers to a much deserved 1-0 win over the Flyers.

As amazing as they were in controlling most of the play, they still needed two enormous saves late in regulation from Shesterkin to even reach overtime. Both times, he robbed Kevin Hayes. First with the glove and then by making a last ditch sprawling save to deny Hayes of a certain goal with 71 seconds left in the third period.

Even though he wasn’t too busy, you have to give Shesterkin plenty of credit for staying focused long enough to get the reward. When Kreider faked forehand and went backhand finally beating Hart with 53 seconds left, it gave Shesterkin his first shutout of the season. He only needed 19 saves to earn his ninth career shutout. He had six last season.

On his overtime heroics, Kreider told NY Post beat writer Mollie Walker, “Mika, I thought he was going to come with me, little panic set in when I saw he was just giving it to me and letting me take it.

Zibanejad playfully replied: “That’s pure trust right there.”

It made sense that Zibanejad was tired. It was the end of their shift. Kreider was behind all three Flyers skaters and had enough left to make a sweet move and deke to get his fourth of the season.

Entering the match off a successful 2-0 road trip with wins over Dallas and Arizona, the Rangers looked to keep it going against the surprising Flyers. Coached by Tortorella, who preaches team defense and could care less about analytics which have his team way down giving up the third most shots allowed in the league along with the third fewest shots for, they entered with a 5-2-1 record good for 11 points.

As long as Tortorella gets maximum effort from his players in all three zones, he doesn’t care. He even has offensive defenseman Tony DeAngelo buying in by blocking shots. He’s never been known for his defense. But throughout this game including an extended shift over two minutes for him and partner Ivan Provorov, he made subtle plays defensively.

At the start, there wasn’t a whole lot happening. You had the Rangers getting some shots from the outside. Hart made the saves on all nine he faced in what amounted to a mind-numbing period. The Flyers backed up and clogged the neutral zone and hardly gave up anything.

Lafreniere nearly had a cutting Adam Fox for what would’ve been an easy goal late in the first. But his pass didn’t work, hopping over Fox’s stick. Hart was out of position. Ironically, the closest call came when Ryan Lindgren bailed out an over committed Shesterkin on a wrap-around with a well timed block in front. Lindgren had a strong game.

Following a sleep inducing period where the shots favored the Rangers 9-7, they really turned up the heat in the second. From the very first shift, Hart had to contend with a Miller wrist shot and then deny a tricky Kakko backhand in tight.

That set the tone. The ice would be tilted for almost the rest of the period. It included Lafreniere getting a takeaway and missing a deflection wide. Quite a few Blueshirts missed the net. They couldn’t shoot straight. If they had, they might’ve reached double the 14 shots they were credited with.

“Shot wide,” seemed to be the theme as called by Sam Rosen. Part of it was how the Flyers defended. They went into a cocoon, taking away most of the inside. Lafreniere would get another good chance in front, but sent a backhand wide. It was frustrating.

Despite all the dominance, Scott Laughton came on a counter due to a Julien Gauthier turnover. Owen Tippett sent him the other way. But his wrist shot was easily handled by Shesterkin, whose net must’ve sounded like a library. All the action was at Hart’s end.

An attacking Kakko drew a tripping minor on Wade Allison. The top unit did everything but score. Both Zibanejad and Kreider were denied twice with Hart getting across to stop the heavy one-timer from Zibanejad. He would also deny a Kreider tip-in.

By the time the second unit came on, there was barely any time left to do anything. That remains a gripe for me. I think you need two units to be successful in the playoffs. As lethal as the top unit is, they can’t always do it. Especially when they over pass and become predictable.

Sometimes, Gerard Gallant has to trust the second unit. Maybe whenever Filip Chytil is cleared, that finally happens. I’m tired of seeing Lafreniere and Kakko get the leftover crumbs. That philosophy has hurt both production wise. At least they’re each playing in the top six and creating opportunities.

At the halfway mark, you had the Rangers all over the Flyers. For two minutes, they had puck possession. The Flyers couldn’t clear the puck. They hardly had it. All period, they kept forechecking. But Hart kept stopping the puck as if he were a programmed robot. It felt like he was a cyborg from The Terminator. Or the T 1000.

While DeAngelo and Provorov were stuck out for a long shift, the Rangers even changed players. The closest they came was when Zibanejad rang one off the far goalpost on a nice set up from Kakko. K’Andre Miller then fired wide on a follow-up. A bit later, Lafreniere had another tip-in miss.

The only momentum for the Flyers came when Artemi Panarin knocked former Ranger Justin Braun’s helmet off in the offensive zone for roughing. A ridiculous penalty. He takes some bad ones despite not being penalized much.

Instead of doing something on the power play, the Flyers proceeded to lose the puck at the point. Following a desperation DeAngelo keep on a dive when he wasn’t getting booed, Lindgren sent Kreider alone for a shorthanded breakaway. He made the right play, but had his wrist shot go off the goalpost.

The penalty kill continued to create the better chances. Hart made a shorthanded save on a Miller bid from distance. Back at full strength, the Blueshirts continued to search for a way to beat Hart. He came up with a tough stop on a tricky Zibanejad deflection.

Frustration started to boil over late in the period. During an active shift, Lafreniere exchanged slashes with Provorov which got the crowd going. He would later get into it with former Islander Kieffer Bellows during a scrum. You also had Travis Konecny exchange pleasantries later on with Jacob Trouba. He’s feisty.

As the period concluded, a huge scrum behind the Rangers net ensued. All ten skaters were involved. You had Gauthier taking up for Fox and an incensed Lindgren going after Konecny and Kevin Hayes. Lindgren got the extra minor to put the Flyers on the power play to begin the third.

https://twitter.com/BattleOfHudson/status/1587604089055186945?t=wGL0_HcAnzojVt0IhBu68Q&s=19

To their credit, the penalty kill came through to keep the Flyers off the scoreboard. Shesterkin only had to make two saves including a tough one on a low DeAngelo shot with traffic. Braden Schneider took care of the man in front and cleared the puck.

Not long after, this time Braun took down Trocheck to go to the box. Trocheck got the best chance early into the power play. But on a perfect Kreider centering feed, he sent a one-timer high and wide. It was ridiculous. Thirteen feet out and he can’t hit the net. Is he suffering from Ryan Strome syndrome? Just checking.

A bit later, it was actually Lafreniere who got a great opportunity with the second unit. But his backhand hit the post. The fourth such instance that happened. Puck luck was on Hart’s side.

During a stoppage, the Garden cheered when they showed Giants head coach Brian Daboll on the video board seated next to GM Joe Schoen. They deserved it. Nobody had the Giants 6-2 at basically the halfway point.

One of the only things that bothered me was Panarin’s predictability. He doesn’t shoot the puck enough. When he at least looks shot, it can open up the lanes for his East/West passes. The Flyers got their sticks on an awful lot of them. That’s how this team plays. They could easily have had 50 shots on Hart. Maybe they win in regulation.

With time winding down, DeAngelo accidentally cleared a puck just over the glass. After a conference, the on ice officials made the proper call for delay of game. Finally, Panarin shot and Hart made a good save to stop him. Panarin also had another attempt blocked.

During the five-on-four, it sure looked like a Flyer cleared another puck straight out. They batted it. But they thought it made contact with a Ranger. Instead of a possible five-on-three, the Rangers couldn’t muster anything else.

Right after, Trouba turned the puck over at the Flyers blue line. Here came Hayes the other way. But his shot was denied by the quick glove of Shesterkin with 2:27 left. A huge save that bailed Trouba out. He’s definitely struggling. The captain has to cut out the mistakes.

On an even more dangerous chance created by a Tippett steal, Hayes had the game on his stick. With Shesterkin down, it looked like he’d score. But at the last moment, Shesterkin managed to rob Hayes on a backhand that would’ve made it 1-0 with 1:11 remaining. That save allowed the Rangers to reach overtime.

During the three-on-three, it was all Blueshirts. Despite some good chances to end it, Hart kept making saves. He denied a Miller bid in tight and padded away a tough Kakko shot. It really felt like both goalies would share a shutout with it going to the shootout.

But on a Konecny miss, he got trapped along with Hayes and Provorov. Zibanejad simply pushed the puck ahead at center ice for Kreider to skate into. He did the rest to send the Rangers home winners. In doing so, that’s three in a row. That’s a winning streak. It has happened before. That line will never get old.

While the media gave the third star to Hart which was ridiculous, I had him the game’s first star. He made 35 saves. So, here were my three stars. Same players. Just a different order.

https://twitter.com/BattleOfHudson/status/1587621232152875009?t=2GRUeUGrmYRG_nEJwZhCgQ&s=19

Up next are the unbelievable Bruins. How good are they? They fell behind the Pens 5-2 before coming all the way back to win 6-5 in OT at Pittsburgh. They really have it all going. David Pastrnak is on fire now. Taylor Hall is scoring again.

So is Jake DeBrusk, who once wanted out. Even Pavel Zacha is contributing. Hampus Lindholm had four points including the winner last night. Even without Charlie McAvoy, they’re winning. Brad Marchand also returned early and hasn’t missed a beat.

They will be a handful on Thursday night at MSG. A 7:30 PM start time on ESPN Plus. If it’s not on TV, I’ll just tune in on ESPN Radio. There is no more way to stream games without getting the ESPN Plus app. Oh well. Either way, we’ll see how it goes.

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Solving the five-on-five issue

Posted on November 1, 2022 by Derek

Coming off a good weekend with consecutive wins over the Stars and Coyotes on the road, the Rangers are feeling better about themselves. They enter tonight’s match versus the Flyers at MSG with renewed confidence.

Even though he hasn’t been able to match his remarkable play from last season, Igor Shesterkin is 5-0-2 in seven starts. That means he’s largely responsible for the 12 points the Blueshirts currently have. They have yet to post a win or even a point in Jaro Halak’s three starts.

Playing for the third time in four days, it would seem that Gerard Gallant should stick with Shesterkin. He was pretty good against Dallas and Arizona, stopping 48 of 53 shots. The 26-year old Russian netminder has a 2.55 GAA and .913 save percentage. Riding him against the division rival Flyers and old nemesis Boston makes sense. Neither is a back-to-back.

While the play of last year’s Vezina winner has been satisfactory, it’s been the hot start by Artemi Panarin that has provided much of the offense. Buoyed by a three-point game to become just the third Ranger to record three points on a birthday, the just turned 31-year old leads the team in scoring with 16 points (5-11-16).

Half that production has come on the power play. He’s 1-7-8 on the man-advantage and 4-4-8 at even strength. The second line which comprises new center Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafreniere playing the off wing have been the team’s best at five-on-five so far. Of his nine points, six have come at even strength for Trocheck. All five of Lafreniere’s points are even strength.

However, that scoring line has also been caught on the ice for several goals against. Astonishingly, Panarin and Trocheck are minus players despite good starts. Lafreniere is even. Attention to detail remains an area that can improve. They aren’t the only players who’ve been guilty of not back checking.

By now, we know how lethal Mika Zibanejad can be on the power play. Possessing a lightning quick one-timer from the left circle, he can get it off at warp speed. Since starting the season with a beautiful shorthanded goal against the Lightning, his other five goals have come on the power play. In fact, eight of a dozen points are via the five-on-four.

While that’s great production, it also means that Zibanejad isn’t getting it done at even strength. With no goals and three assists through 10 games, that’s an area he must pick up. Sidekick Chris Kreider is 2-1-3 at even strength and 1-3-4 on the power play. Kaapo Kakko has scored both his goals at even strength and added a helper. He plays on the little used second power play unit.

If they’re to be successful, the Rangers need more production at five-on-five. Even though they’ve improved due to better face-offs leading to more puck possession, they haven’t been consistent. Over half of their 21 goals at five-on-five have come in wins over the Wild, Ducks and Stars. They totaled 19 goals in the three wins. One goal came during four-on-four and another on a six-on-five situation during a delayed call.

The Blueshirts have converted nine times out of 38 on the power play for 23.7 percent. Half a dozen came in the three victories mentioned above. Mika Zibanejad got the game decider on a five-on-four advantage in the one-goal win over the Coyotes.

Of the seven defensemen who’ve played including third pair sub Libor Hajek, who’s gotten into three games for rookie Zac Jones, it’s been the second pair of K’Andre Miller and Jacob Trouba who have struggled the most. Each have been caught on for 11 goals against at even strength.

A key defensive tandem Gallant relies on for match-ups, both Miller and Trouba have had issues over the first ten games. Miller has been pushed off the puck behind his net and been caught out of position, leading to either goals against or penalties taken. Trouba also has had trouble getting caught on pinches and not being where he should be on several goals.

While that has also been an early issue for Ryan Lindgren and Adam Fox on the top pair, they have been steadier than Miller and Trouba. When there are glaring mistakes from the top four Gallant leans on while limiting five-on-five minutes for his third pair (Jones/Hajek-Schneider), it’s been noticeable.

If there is an area they want to tighten up, it would be the back checking of the forwards. Whether it’s been the second line caught puck watching or flying the zone, or players not coming back in time to help out the defense, those are lapses that can be corrected. Hopefully, they can improve their coverage with the Flyers visiting later followed by the surprising first overall Bruins on Thursday. Discipline will be a key to success.

Of the 21 goals scored at even strength, the bottom six have chipped in half a dozen including one from former Ranger Dryden Hunt. Barclay Goodrow and the still missing Filip Chytil each have scored twice. It’s the latter who’s missed due to his straightforward approach where he can combine his speed and skill with the willingness to work below the dots.

Somewhat curiously, Adam Fox has seven even strength points (2-5-7) while only registering two power play points (assists). But his work on the point is pivotal to the man-advantage. It just so happens that most of the power play goals have involved the forwards with Zibanejad and Panarin leading the way with eight power play points.

The Rangers are tied for 17th in penalty killing. Despite not taking many penalties, they’re 23 for 29 (79.3 percent). They’ve allowed three power play goals each at home and on the road. Zibanejad has the only shorthanded goal getting it back in the first game versus the Lightning.

The power play is ranked 12th due to being contingent on the five-man top unit that features Fox, Panarin, Zibanejad, Trocheck and Kreider. They’ve given up a shorthanded goal.

The second unit isn’t used enough to make a dent. When Chytil returns, does that change? They’ll then have the Kid Line intact with likely Jones and Trouba manning the points. Although the idea of utilizing Vitaly Kravtsov (whenever he’s cleared) would make for a more interesting second unit without Trouba, who should be used primarily for five-on-five and penalty kill.

If you look closely at the current third and fourth lines, only Goodrow and recent Hartfield call-up Julien Gauthier have scored goals. At least Sammy Blais has tallied a couple of helpers recently to provide some offense. There isn’t much offense coming from Jimmy Vesey, Ryan Carpenter and Ryan Reaves. Of the three, Vesey is the most capable. He set up a Fox goal for his one point.

If they’re hoping for help eventually, Will Cuylle is off to a good start with the Wolf Pack. In six contests, he has two goals and two assists. Jonny Brodzinski leads the Pack with six points (2-4-6). Defenseman Matthew Robertson has four assists.

In case you’re already concerned about Halak, first-year pro Dylan Garand has posted a 2.68 GAA and .911 save percentage in three games. Journeyman Louis Domingue is 2.92 and .908 in his three appearances.

The real solution to possibly solving the lack of scoring depth is top prospect Brennan Othmann. The 19-year old former 2021 first round pick was just named OHL Player of the Month. He became the first Flint Firebird to ever receive the honor.

In October, Othmann posted 10 goals with 13 assists totaling 23 points to rank second in OHL scoring. His 10 goals ranked first along with 67 shots on goal. He recently became only the fourth player in Firebirds’ history to record his 150th career point. He set a Flint record in ’21-22 with 50 goals and 97 points. He led them to their first ever appearance in the Western Conference Finals.

Othmann will turn 20 next January 5. He won’t be eligible to play professionally until the Firebirds’ season concludes. He’s a left wing. Given that they’ve managed to play Lafreniere out of position on his off wing, what will be the plan once Othmann arrives? Let’s not worry about it right now.

The Flyers game is a 7 EST start. The Bruins game is 7:30 PM. Another ESPN Plus exclusive. I guess I won’t be able to watch since I don’t subscribe. It could be a radio night. They’ll have Friday and Saturday off before the Red Wings visit for one of those perplexing 5 PM games on football Sunday. At least the Giants are off.

Then, the Islanders visit on Election Day. So, that means the best rivalry will have already completed two of their three games before Thanksgiving. Good job NHL schedule makers. The balanced schedule is a disaster. Calgary and Edmonton have already played twice. They have one left. De-emphasizing rivalries makes no sense. Larry Brooks had a column on it, basically borrowing my six-games per division opponent idea that I’ve suggested repeatedly.

That’s gonna do it for now. Back later.

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