Devils’ second Canada sweep runs winning streak to a dozen

Posted on November 20, 2022 by hasan4978

How many superlatives and different stats would it take to do justice on what the Devils have done over their twelve-game winning streak and 15-1 stretch overall? Probably not enough, though it is hard to believe we still aren’t even a quarter of the way through the season yet. There’s still a lot of hockey to go before we print out tickets for the franchise’s second playoff appearance since 2012. That said, I don’t think even the most wild-eyed optimists would have had us at 15-3 at this point before the season, and certainly not after our 0-2 start brought out the boobirds and Same Old Devils fears.

Who would have thought Same Old Devils in this case would eventually be referring to the REAL old Devils, the throwback version of the ’90’s who can clamp down on teams defensively early and often while scoring more goals than your reputation would suggest? When you’re third in goal-scoring and second in goals against, you’re doing a lot right at the moment. Especially in comparison to last year where the Devils were nineteenth in scoring and twenty-ninth in goals allowed. Of course there is no one reason for such a drastic turnaround…perhaps the closest you can come to a singular reason is to start with praising third-year GM Tom Fitzgerald for remaking the coaching staff, defense and goaltending pretty significantly in a short period of time, and even adding to the young core up front in free agency last offseason with Ondrej Palat.

Ironically the Devils have achieved the entirety of their winning streak without Palat, who went on the shelf with hernia surgery after the first six games. Although the Devils had done a good job by then to get out of their 0-2 hole, you still didn’t think anything special was on the horizon after a disappointing home loss to the Caps dropped them back down to .500. Almost like a baseball team the Devils have engineered four straight sweeps…after beating Detroit on the road and coming back home to beat the Avs and Blue Jackets came the first Canada sweep of Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary. After sweeping a homestand of Calgary, Ottawa and Arizona, the Devils went back up north to sweep the Habs, Leafs and Senators.

This team can win any way you want, from the 1-0 low-event clampdown of the Cup champs a month ago to the wild comeback in Edmonton a couple weeks ago. From OT winners against the Oilers, Flames and Leafs to blowouts of the Blue Jackets, Habs and Senators. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about a long winning streak is you need to not have letdowns to maintain the streak. Only the Calgary game at home could qualify as a quasi-letdown after the first Canada swing – and the Devils still found a way to win it thanks to Vitek Vanecek’s thirty-three saves and just enough scoring over the last forty minutes to ensure win number seven.

Perhaps this recent Canada sweep was most telling, with the winning streak now at nine you’d figure the inevitable letdown or off night was on the way at some point. This team means business however, and showed as much by thumping the Habs and Senators by matching 5-1 scores in between a tough 3-2 OT win over the Leafs, which was one of the rare occasions where the Devils couldn’t clamp down late in the third period this season – but they still managed to come out of Toronto with their eleventh straight win thanks to Yegor Sharangovich’s putback of a rebound. Even his celebration looked all business.

As the Devils shockingly are just one win away from tying the team record of thirteen straight (set during the franchise’s most dominant regular season in 2000-01), it’s a little more satisfying that they haven’t needed a shootout to extend the run at any point. In fact, they haven’t even so much as gone to a shootout at any point this year…so maybe we haven’t quite proven we can win every way yet. Obviously, you didn’t have three-on-three OT’s in 2000-01 either, but both teams also have the same chance to get a quick winner and end the game after all. Fabian Zetterlund and Nico Hischier scored their own OT winners earlier throughout the streak, and overall this offense is finally starting to show the promise many had forecast for it at ‘some’ point in the near future led by Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt and captain Hischier. Maybe the future really is now.

If the offense’s growth was somewhat hoped for – if not this year then soon after – the defense’s emergence has been nothing short of eye-popping. It’s nice to know that Dougie Hamilton’s poor second half last year really was the result of injury concerns and not the start of a downturn a la PK Subban after we acquired him and that certainly helps, but he was also here and playing well early last year too when the defense was still a tire fire. You have to start by crediting the new coaching staff for a more streamlined, simpler system that’s reduced killer mistakes and overall traffic in front of the net. And as I alluded to before, you also have to credit Fitz’s talent procurement – though even he admitted he didn’t think John Marino was as good as he’s played so far this season – after trading to get him from Pittsburgh this offseason. Adding Marino to Hamilton and last season’s breakout Jonas Siegenthaler (a 2020 deadline acquisition) is nothing short of spectacular, and he did it for merely the cost of a few mid-round picks, Ty Smith – still holed up back in the minors for Pittsburgh – and some salary cap space.

Even those additions on defense wouldn’t have meant as much without also trading another couple of picks for Vitek Vanecek to help stabilize the goaltending. Despite losing presumed 1A Mackenzie Blackwood to injury (again) early in the season, Vanecek is showing that he’s capable of being a #1 for a prolonged stretch. Even young injury fill-in Akira Schmid has chipped in with three wins during this stretch, just more proof of how much better this D can insulate a young goalie this year than they did last season with a different system and different personnel.

Just as important as acquiring all these pieces, is acquiring them at cost control for long periods. Hamilton’s still got five more years left on his free agent contract after this year, Marino is still on the books for another four years at $4.4 million per, and Siegs’ five-year extension at $3.4 million per doesn’t even kick in until after this season. Even Vanecek is signed at a friendly $3.4 million deal through the end of the 2024-25 season, and after that it’s not unreasonable to suggest Schmid or last year’s young emergency fill-in goalie Nico Daws could be a 1A/1B tandem and/or challenge for a #1 spot by the time Vanecek’s contract runs out. When you add in the fact that Hughes and Hischier are both signed long-term at $8 million and $7.25 respectively for at least the next few years, this team is not only in good shape for the immediate future but in the long-term as well. Of course some of that is pending Bratt’s next negotiation either in-season or early next offseason, but you couldn’t really ask for more going forward, especially from a first-time GM.

And wither Lindy Ruff? Unlike most of the key players, his contract expires at the end of the season. Barely a month after the Fire Lindy chants rained down from the heavens at the Prudential Center, now the Jack Adams speculation is on full blast. How would he not be a prime candidate for Coach of the Year if the Devils really were able to improve 30-40 points and make the playoffs? You wonder how much job security that would buy him, but assuming there’s no collapse then I can’t see Fitzy letting him walk off a good season after he gave him a vote of confidence off two poor ones. Presumed replacement Andrew Brunette might have to go elsewhere for his next job, or wait a little longer here.

That’d be just fine by me…it’s nice to only worry about how long the winning streak will last as opposed who we need to replace and how much longer this rebuild is going to take. Our offensive, defensive and shot total numbers all suggest this winning is at least somewhat sustainable although I can’t exactly see us lapping the field in the Metro forever either. At least we’ve already made progress in that the season isn’t almost over by Thanksgiving, and perhaps we’ve gone a couple of steps beyond that in the rebuilding pyramid – thank goodness.

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

Deserving Hall Of Fame class inducted, Jackie Redmond drives home the point on Mogilny omission

Posted on November 19, 2022 by Derek
Another year has gone by without Alexander Mogilny inducted into the Hockey Hall Of Fame. Although this year’s class were all deserving, it’s about time Mogilny gets recognized in 2023. AP Photo via Getty Images

Another class was inducted into the Hockey Hall Of Fame on Monday night. All were deserving.

Former Canucks teammates Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin and Roberto Luongo went in together in a nice two-hour ceremony up in Toronto. Along with former Senators star Daniel Alfredsson, they headlined a strong Class Of 2022 that included Riikka Sallinen and the late Herb Carnegie.

The speeches were excellent. I particularly enjoyed Henrik Sedin making a wise crack at twin brother Daniel Sedin about scoring more goals when he missed a month due to an injury. Maybe he could’ve been a 45-goal scorer instead of a brilliant two-way play-making center who won the Hart Trophy. An award brother Daniel nearly won during the best era in Canucks history under former coach Alain Vigneault.

If that was a joke that resonated with the audience, they definitely loved the always entertaining Luongo. He had many great stories and made certain to thank everyone dating back to his bantam days. The fourth winningest goaltender of all-time, Luongo did it mostly with the Panthers and Canucks. He was also presented by the legendary Dominik Hasek. The man affectionately known to fans as Lou admitted he was blown away because it was the first time he ever met Hasek.

Luongo made sure to mention his brothers who he played and competed with growing up. Both were emotional when the camera panned to them. You could see how much it meant. Seeing the classy Luongo pay tribute to his family including his grandparents who were there for him with both parents busy working, exemplifies what a great person he is. That includes his wife, daughter and son.

While it was well done, it still doesn’t make sense that one deserving player hasn’t been inducted yet. Alexander Mogilny has been eligible since 2009. I’ve echoed over and over again how he’s been omitted by the HHOF Committee. It’s extremely disappointing that such former legends Lanny McDonald and Mike Gartner continue to overlook the credentials of Mogilny.

The first ever player drafted by an NHL team to defect from the Soviet Union during an era when it was very risky, Mogilny was brave enough to leave his home country behind and make it safely to North America. His defection lead to more Russian players coming over.

The list included former World Junior line mates Sergei Fedorov and Pavel Bure. Alongside Mogilny, they formed one of the best scoring lines. They won gold at the 1989 World Junior Championships and ’89 World Championships. All three would have brilliant NHL careers. Bure was inducted into the Hockey Hall Of Fame in 2012 and Fedorov joined him in 2015.

Meanwhile, Mogilny still is waiting to take his deserving place in Toronto. It’s a mystery why he hasn’t been recognized yet by the committee. A Triple Gold Club member who won a Stanley Cup with the Devils in ’99-00, he topped 30 goals in eight different seasons. If not for injuries and the shortened ’95 season, it could’ve been more.

At 20, Mogilny defected to North America following the World Championships. A phone call to Don Luce on May 2, 1989 put into action the first ever player to defect the Soviet Union. It was his agent Sergei Fomitchev who represented him in the discussions to escape the USSR and relocate to Buffalo.

The previous year, the Sabres took a risk by selecting Mogilny in the fifth round of the 1988 NHL Draft when it was considered blasphemy to waste a pick on a Russian player. They selected him 89th overall. Then Buffalo GM Don Meehan knew it would be met with criticism. However, he felt it was worth it. He envisioned Mogilny coming over and proving he could produce in the NHL.

Mogilny had achieved everything possible back home. The line he played on with Bure and Fedorov is considered by many to be one of the greatest scoring lines in hockey history. Maybe not quite KLM Line. But the idea of three electrifying future Russian stars in Bure, Fedorov and Mogilny playing together in their teens is enough to wonder what they could’ve done had they played on the same team in the NHL.

When he debuted, the then 20-year old Mogilny scored in his first game for the Sabres against the Nordiques in a 4-3 victory. In 65 games during ’89-90, he registered 15 goals and 28 assists for 43 points as a rookie. He was just getting started.

Over the next five years including four with Buffalo, he was well over a point-per-game. It started in his second season when Mogilny went 30-34-64 in 62 games at 21. After being even better during ’91-92 when he totaled 39 goals, 45 assists and 84 points, he reached the pinnacle at 23.

It was during the ’92-93 season that Mogilny flat out dominated. Playing with Pat LaFontaine, he scored 76 goals with 51 assists for a career best 127 points in 77 games. The 76 goals tied Calder winner Teemu Selanne for the league lead. A remarkable 49 goals came at even strength while the other 27 were on the power play. He led the league with 11 game-winners. He followed that up by torching the hated Bruins for six goals in a first round sweep best remembered for Sabres legendary voice Rick Jeanneret’s May Day call for Brad May winning the series in overtime.

It was a memorable year. Mogilny’s former teammate Bure put up 60 goals for Vancouver in his second season. Fedorov had 87 points for Detroit. He’d win the Hart Trophy the following season when he went for 56 goals and 64 assists for 120 points with a plus-48 rating. Bure would help lead the Canucks on a great run to the Stanley Cup Finals in ’94. They were all established stars.

After ’93-94 and ’95 where he still went over a point-per-game with 126 points (51-75-126) in 110 contests, Mogilny was traded to the Canucks for Mike Peca, a first round pick (Jay McKee) and Mike Wilson on July 8, 1995. Just like that, his brilliant career with the Sabres was over. He finished it with 211 goals, 233 assists and 444 points in 381 games.

Although his number 89 was never retired, there will never be another dynamic player like him to wear that jersey. Currently, Alex Tuch wears the number for a new batch of Sabres. He’s a good player who could become the future captain. One wonders if one day, the Sabres will have a change of heart and honor Mogilny. He deserves it.

Teamed with old friend Bure in ’95-96, Mogilny had to do it mostly without the Russian Rocket. Bure tore his ACL 15 games into the season. It was the beginning of the end for him in Vancouver. Astonishingly, Mogilny had a great first season with the Canucks. He scored 55 goals and added 52 assists for 107 points. That included a team high five shorthanded goals and three hat tricks.

They still made the playoffs due to having a good enough roster which included captain Trevor Linden, Cliff Ronning, Russ Courtnall, Martin Gelinas and Jyrki Lumme. They lost to the Avalanche in the first round in six games. That Colorado team won the Cup.

Sadly, that was the only year the Canucks made the playoffs when Mogilny played there. Even after Bure got back to full strength going for 51 goals and 90 points in ’97-98, changes were coming. Mark Messier had arrived along with Mike Keenan in a huge miscalculation by the organization that set them back.

They did steal future Canucks great Markus Naslund from the Pens. They also traded for Todd Bertuzzi and Bryan McCabe from the Islanders in an unpopular deal that sent Linden to Long Island. At least Brian Burke flipped McCabe and his first pick to the Blackhawks to wind up altering the franchise’s future by scooping up the Sedins.

Injuries limited Mogilny to 32 combined goals and 90 points in 110 games between ’97-98 and ’98-99. By the time ’99-00 rolled around, Bure had been sent packing to Florida for Ed Jovanovski in a seven player deal that included Kevin Weekes and Dave Gagner coming over while Bret Hedican joined the Russian Rocket in the sunshine state.

Mogilny’s days were numbered. After going 21-17-38 in 47 games, he was acquired by the Devils on March 14, 2000 for Brendan Morrison and Denis Peterson. The Devils were going for it. They also brought back former Conn Smythe winner Claude Lemieux. Although he played a secondary role on a strong Devils team that featured A Line members Patrik Elias, Jason Arnott and Petr Sykora, Mogilny helped them win a Cup with three goals and four assists at age 30.

As fate would have it, he was on in place of the injured Sykora when Elias set up Arnott for the memorable Stanley Cup winning goal in sudden death to dethrone the Stars. The Devils proved to be the best team thanks to future Hall Of Famers Martin Brodeur, Scott Niedermayer and Scott Stevens. They also had Brian Rafalski on the blue line and featured Bobby Holik, Lemieux, Mogilny, Scott Gomez, Randy McKay and John Madden in support of the A Line. It was a deep roster.

After playing a minor role the previous Spring, Mogilny was instrumental in helping the Devils to a first place finish in the old Atlantic Division when they dominated for 111 points under Cup winning coach Larry Robinson. While Elias, Arnott and Sykora continued their assault on the league, it was a healthy Mogilny who paced the Devs in goals with 43. He added 40 assists for 83 points. His highest total in six years.

He did it playing with second-year pivot Gomez and Sergei Brylin. They both benefited. Brylin set personal highs in goals (23), assists (29) and points (52). Gomez followed up a 70-point Calder campaign with 63 points. That cohesive second line sometimes acted like the top line during games in ’00-01. Mogilny recorded a hat trick versus the Islanders. For his brilliant career, he finished with 18 hat tricks including a pair of four goals games with the Sabres.

The Devils again played for the Cup during the 2001 Playoffs. Although he performed better tallying five goals and 11 helpers for 16 points tying Holik for fourth in team scoring that postseason, it ended in bitter fashion. They blew a three games to two lead against the Avalanche, falling in seven to lose the Cup. It was the last game Mogilny would play for that team.

He became an unrestricted free agent and signed with the Maple Leafs that summer. He still performed well in Toronto over three years. In ’01-02, he had 57 points (24-33-57) in 66 games and added eight goals and three helpers for 11 points during the postseason. Thanks to some clutch goals from Mogilny in two deciding Game Seven’s during the first two rounds, the Leafs went to the Conference Finals before getting upset by the surprising Hurricanes. Detroit won the Cup over Carolina in five.

Mogilny went over a point-per-game in ’02-03. At 33, his 33 goals placed second on the Leafs behind captain Mats Sundin. He paced Toronto in assists (46), points (79) and game-winners (9) over 73 games. Despite a good season, the Leafs were ousted by the rival Flyers in seven during a back and forth first round. Mogilny led the Maple Leafs with five goals and seven points. But they lost in the deciding Game Seven badly to get eliminated.

His final year in Toronto was limited to 37 games due to major hip surgery. However, he returned and recorded career point 1,000 against the Sabres. A game the Leafs came back in to pull out. A Mogilny assist on a Gary Roberts’ game-tying goal was Mogilny’s 1,000th career point. He also set up the overtime winner by Tomas Kaberle.

Despite another good season that included a first round triumph over Ontario rival Ottawa, the Maple Leafs ultimately were eliminated again by the Flyers in the second round. This time, Jeremy Roenick broke Toronto hearts by scoring in overtime to oust the Leafs. It took six games.

Instead of completing the fourth year of his contract with the Maple Leafs, Mogilny was forced to sit out due to an ugly labor dispute that forced the cancelation of the entire 2004-05 season. It was a black eye for hockey. Even baseball didn’t lose the whole season in 1994. But the players strike ended a special year on Aug. 12, 1994. The NHL joined MLB as the only two major sports to not have a champion due to a canceled season. Sad.

Instead of retiring, Mogilny decided to take Devils GM Lou Lamoriello up on his offer to return to New Jersey for ’05-06. He actually didn’t want to leave the first time. But the Devils couldn’t match the Leafs’ offer of $22 million over four years.

In returning to Jersey, the hope was that the veteran Russian still had enough left to help the Devils compete. Although he was still productive putting up 12 goals and 13 helpers for 25 points in 34 games, his hip wouldn’t allow him to stay healthy. Eventually, Lamoriello bit the bullet and asked Mogilny to play for Albany in the AHL. He agreed. He only lasted 19 games.

The original contract he signed was for $7 million over two years. Due to his hip issues, Mogilny couldn’t get medically cleared to return for ’06-07. He was eventually placed on long-term injured reserve (LTIR). He retired after the season concluded.

It’s unfortunate that he couldn’t go out on his own terms. However, Mogilny had an outstanding career. He finished with 473 goals, 559 assists and totaled 1,032 points in 990 games. Among the highlights were the 76-goal season which led the league with Selanne in ’92-93. The first ever Russian hockey player to pace the NHL in goals.

He hit 1,000 points before Fedorov joined him as the first two Russians to achieve the feat. Of the 18 hat tricks, seven came during ’92-93. He managed to score three in a game on all four teams he played for. Over a point-per-game for his career, it’s unbelievable that Mogilny hasn’t gotten the call from the Hall Of Fame. He is so deserving of the honor.

It’s ridiculous that Alexander The Great isn’t in. He was that guy before Alex Ovechkin. When you consider what he did internationally combined with his NHL career, it’s nuts that Mogilny is still waiting. But they can induct Guy Carbonneau because he was a checking center for the Canadiens and Stars. Nothing against Carbonneau. But he isn’t in the same stratosphere as Mogilny. Neither is Kevin Lowe, who won plenty of Cups with Edmonton and then was instrumental in helping the Rangers finally win.

I could go on. NHL Network host Jackie Redmond went on a mini rant about Mogilny on her Instagram earlier this week. It was one of the best things I’ve seen. Kudos to Jackie on making all the valid arguments for why Mogilny belongs. She is excellent at her job and always has interesting things to say with her daily Top Five. A must watch if you follow her.

There’s nothing else to add. I’ll always view Alexander Mogilny as one of the most exciting star players I ever saw. I’m glad I got to see him light it up with the Devils during ’00-01 at the old Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford off the old Exit 16W on I-95. It was a pleasure.

It’s time for them to right a wrong. And while they’re at it, add Stan Fischler as well. He deserves the honor. Maybe that’ll be my next hockey column.

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

Nothing good about latest frustrating loss to Kraken for Shesterkin, Rangers

Posted on November 18, 2022 by Derek

When you lose the way the Rangers did last night to the Kraken 3-2 in overtime, it’s frustrating. The 71-second postgame interview Chris Kreider gave at his locker indicated that disappointment.

He spoke of how they get away from what they’re doing in the first period. Second periods have been a problem. After controlling most of the play in a strong first where they held a 14-6 edge in shots even though they came out only tied thanks to Mika Zibanejad’s league-leading seventh power play goal which tied Connor McDavid, a lethargic second period saw the Kraken storm Igor Shesterkin’s net for 16 shots. They out-shot the Rangers 16-5.

If not for some brilliance from Shesterkin during the Kraken onslaught, the Rangers lose the game in regulation. He made some great saves to give them a chance. That included stoning Morgan Geekie and Daniel Sprong in succession on a break ins.

Both got open behind poor Rangers defense. Geekie’s opportunity followed Alexis Lafreniere getting taken off the puck inside the Kraken zone. All Shesterkin did was make the big glove save. Then, a quick up for Sprong as the Rangers were changing allowed him to break in and fire a pea at Shesterkin who again snapped it away to keep the game tied.

After facing only six shots in the first, Shesterkin was at his best turning away all 16 Kraken shots in a hectic middle stanza. How bad were the Rangers? They looked sleepless in Seattle. They were penalized three times during the nightmare period. That included a bench minor and two offensive zone minors on Vincent Trocheck and Artemi Panarin.

Fortunately, the penalty kill was the only team strength. They easily killed all three Seattle power plays. In fact, it was the very aggressive Blueshirts who created the better opportunities shorthanded. The best came when Kreider quickly skated into the Kraken zone and had his wrist shot clang off the far goalpost. That close to stealing the lead.

The penalty kill certainly gave them a lift. Why they couldn’t pick it up at full strength was puzzling. With the exception of a Lafreniere lead pass that sent Kaapo Kakko in on Jones where the rejuvenated journeyman stuck out the right pad to rob him of a goal, the Rangers did nothing at five-on-five.

As for Kakko, he made a strong move going forehand deke, but got beat by Jones. That’s how it goes for Kakko, who despite overall improvement remains stuck with three goals in his fourth season. He has seven points in 18 games. So does Lafreniere, who looks to have lost his confidence. How else do you explain the two goals and few shots he gets in Year Three. He was a number one overall pick.

Both Kakko and Lafreniere must improve their production for the team to be successful. It can’t keep being the same five or six top players. At least Filip Chytil has shown signs. He didn’t have a particularly strong night. He was caught on for all three Kraken goals against including Schultz’ winner with 1:21 left in overtime.

If not for the top power play which basically is coach Gerard Gallant’s recipe for most of the offense, they get shutout by Jones. A goalie who not long ago looked done. The former Sharks netminder has been rejuvenated this season. He made 28 saves on 30 shots to improve to 8-4-2 with a 2.34 GAA and .912 save percentage. Jones was the backup behind currently injured starter Philipp Grubauer.

The game didn’t start off well. The Kraken struck first less than three minutes in. Jared McCann had a Will Borgen point shot deflect off him by Shesterkin to put them ahead. Jordan Eberle set up the play.

In a period where they controlled most of the play, Jones made some good stops to keep the home side ahead. It wasn’t until Barclay Goodrow drew a second power play on Brandon Tanev (hooking) that the Rangers vaunted top unit was able to get even.

Earlier in the period, an uninspired two-minutes by the five-man unit of Trocheck, Mika Zibanejad, Kreider, Adam Fox and Trocheck only lead to one shot. A late set up for Zibanejad that didn’t get past Jones. If they’re going to play for two straight minutes, there needs to be more urgency. An issue that has plagued the team so far.

At least on the second power play, they moved the puck around well until a Trocheck soccer style pass for Kreider allowed him to slip the puck just by Adam Larsson for a Zibanejad finish into an open side for his team-leading 10th at 14:58. All five players touched the puck. Fox started it with a pass to Panarin. He then tried for a Trocheck redirect which he was able to kick towards Kreider, who set up the Zibanejad tying goal.

The second was a nightmare. Right away, Lafreniere was checked off the puck leading to a great chance for Geekie. But Shesterkin denied his bid. Then in came Sprong on a horrible broken coverage. But Shesterkin reached back to make the glove save.

When the Kraken weren’t peppering Shesterkin, they were on the power play due to undisciplined play from the Blueshirts. Whether it be too many men which Sammy Blais served, or a ridiculous trip Trocheck had on Matty Beniers, or even the lazy Panarin takedown of Yanni Gourde, it was ugly.

At least the penalty killing unit got it done. They went 4-for-4 only allowing three Kraken power play shots while attacking shorthanded. Kreider came close with a speed burst up the left wing. But his wrist shot drew iron. There were other looks due to Seattle sloppiness. On one, Vince Dunn recovered to break it up.

After getting out-shot 16-5, the Rangers blew a power play after Carson Soucy elbowed Fox in the offensive zone. A ridiculous penalty. But the first unit could do nothing. Believe it or not, the little used second unit came out for a rare shift. A Kakko retrieval up to Jacob Trouba over for a Lafreniere shot on Jones that he stopped. For some reason, he wasn’t credited with a shot. Jones made a good save too due to traffic.

Following a successful kill, the Kraken got into the Rangers zone and went to work. Andre Burakovsky and Jaden Schwartz combined to move the puck up top for Schultz. His point shot took a favorable bounce off of Braden Schneider to put Seattle back ahead 2-1 with 10:33 remaining.

There were a couple of scary moments during the game for Libor Hajek. Playing for a sixth consecutive game for Zac Jones, he twice let Kraken players get to the net where Shesterkin had to make tough saves. Hajek was better in the third, making a few subtle defensive plays. He was okay paired up with Schneider.

The question is when will Jones get back in. It seems like he’s been the scapegoat for one mistake. Not a lot of trust from the coaching staff. What would you expect when Lafreniere looks lost and Kakko had less than 13 minutes of ice time on Thursday? Chytil also had similar even though it wasn’t his best game.

A Zibanejad bad tripping minor in the offensive zone nearly cost the Rangers a point. Beniers hit his second goalpost when his shot rang off the crossbar. Fortunately, it didn’t go in. Otherwise, that lazy penalty with 7:19 left would’ve been more discussed. Especially from the top forward this team has.

Although he didn’t play a lot, Julien Gauthier made the most of his 10 shifts (7:09). As usual, his hustle lead to another bad penalty from Soucy. When Gauthier drove towards the Seattle net, Soucy hooked him to hand the Rangers their fourth power play with 2:56 remaining.

This was it. Do or die. After Jones made one good save on a tricky shot, finally the Rangers showed some urgency. Rather than handle the puck like a grenade with extra passes, they were simplistic. Fox took a low wrist shot with Trocheck in the vicinity and Goodrow in front. Trocheck found a loose puck and banged it in for a huge tying power play goal with 1:54 left. Of his six goals, four have come on the power play.

Goodrow was the extra attacker after Gallant finally lifted Shesterkin for a six-on-four. He picked up a secondary helper and was the net front presence on Trocheck’s goal that forced overtime.

In OT, there was a baffling decision by Gallant that had people talking. He had Goodrow with Jimmy Vesey and Trouba for a three-on-three shift. If the point was to have Goodrow win a face-off and Trouba deliver a check, fine. But why is Vesey being overused? Why is he getting more minutes (15:38) than Chytil, Kakko or Lafreniere? Even the Devils didn’t use him like that last year.

Luckily, Gallant got away with it. At the last split second on a Kraken rush, Vesey recovered. It definitely raised some eyebrows. Vesey has worked hard and been a solid penalty killer with a shorthanded goal. But he’s playing out of place on the top line. This is where they are. Until Vitaly Kravtsov gets back from his latest issue (toothache), there isn’t much balance. Playing both Vesey and Goodrow in the top six isn’t exciting anyone.

It’s kind of sad that Gauthier gets so little time despite busting his ass every shift. They talk up Blais and he barely plays. That Pavel Buchnevich trade just looks worse and worse. But Andrew Copp was here for a run. The salary cap error doesn’t help. But Chris Drury no longer looks like a genius when you think about the OFF-season he had.

The overtime goal Seattle scored was every bit to do with how putrid Panarin and Miller are. After Eberle went around Panarin, he wasted Miller to force Shesterkin into a tough save. The loose puck bounced to Schultz, who fired a shot from an angle that just beat an incensed Shesterkin short side for the winner at 3:39.

While it’s easy to say he should have had it, maybe if Miller stayed on his feet and didn’t screen his own goalie, Shesterkin makes the save. Miller continues to log big minutes (24:35). But his inconsistent defensive play remains an issue. He was minus-two in the game.

Partner Trouba played much better finishing even with three shots, five attempts, four hits and two blocked shots over 21:36. His game is coming back. The same cannot be echoed for Miller, who’s never held accountable. Why shouldn’t he sit out a game for Jones? They are afraid to do it due to the negative PR.

They only got the point due to Shesterkin and the top unit connecting late. Once again, they couldn’t score at even strength finishing 0 for 22 shots. The Kraken managed to get 3 on 29 to earn their ninth win. They’re much improved. The same cannot be echoed for the Blueshirts, who are going backwards.

It is very frustrating to watch them. The over passing and turnovers combined with lazy penalties are hard on the eyes. At least the power play did their part. So did Shesterkin, who finished with 29 saves on 32 shots. He showed his frustration by banging the wall near the locker room. Gotta be careful. They can’t afford to lose him for a stretch.

Next up are the Sharks late tomorrow night at 10:30 EST. They don’t win a lot. But Erik Karlsson continues his return to elite status. His goal and three assists came in a 7-4 loss to the Red Wings last night. He’s up to 11 goals and 28 points which pace all defensemen. The 28 points are now tied for second in scoring with Leon Draisaitl behind league leader Connor McDavid.

The Rangers already lost once to the Sharks. It was some Karlsson overtime magic that gave David Quinn his first win over his former team at MSG. Another example of a lost point. They need two points on Saturday. The competition picks up out West with the Kings next Tuesday.

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

Fox’s star shines brightly in Rangers win over Coyotes on Broadway

Posted on November 14, 2022 by Derek

When you’re struggling to get out of a slump, sometimes you need your best player to life everyone up. Adam Fox is that star who shines brightly on Broadway. He continued his remarkable play with a goal and assist to highlight a much needed Rangers 4-1 win over the Coyotes.

Now 24, Fox looks to be chasing another Norris Trophy. Although it’s early in the season, he’s been brilliant despite the 8-6-3 record. After playing over 29 minutes in a frustrating one-goal loss at Nashville, all he did was log over 26 minutes and score a big goal that followed up a gift to Barclay Goodrow late in the second period.

The two goals came 78 seconds apart to break open a scoreless game. Buoyed by the penalty kill that forced Arizona backup Connor Ingram into three tough shorthanded saves, the Rangers finally raised their energy. It had been severely lacking in a flat first period that saw the ‘Yotes out-shoot them 17-4. At one point, Arizona lead in shots 12-1.

Unable to beat Ingram in a more inspired second, they got an early Thanksgiving dessert from the backup goalie. On a risky back pass by his own defenseman Juuso Valimaki that caught him by surprise, Ingram panicked and gave away the puck right to Goodrow for an easy goal into an open side at 15:05.

That misplay opened things up. On an Artemi Panarin forecheck, he passed back for a cutting Filip Chytil. His first attempt was blocked. Then, his second deflected right out to a pinching Fox, who drove home his fifth to suddenly make it 2-0 with 3:37 left.

It was the kind of skilled play fans come to expect from Fox. A player who it’s hard to believe went 66th overall in the third round of the 2016 Draft to Calgary. It’s a good thing he wanted NYC. He had no intention of signing with the Flames or the Hurricanes. That allowed the Rangers to steak him for two conditional second picks nobody’s ever heard of.

Let’s face it. It’s not like the Rangers could produce this kind of superstar player on their own. They haven’t seen the likes of such a stud defenseman since Brian Leetch. By posting a goal and assist in the team’s 17th game, Fox is up to 19 points (5-14-19) so far. Last season, he had 74 (11-63-74) in 78 games.

The way he’s going, it looks like Fox has a good chance of going over a point-per-game. Something a New York Rangers defenseman hasn’t done since Leetch in ’95-96. The greatest defenseman in franchise history scored 15 goals and tallied 70 assists for 85 points in 82 games that season. Previously, it was Sergei Zubov who lead the club in assists (77) and points (89) during their Stanley Cup season in ’93-94.

After going without a point versus the Flyers on Nov. 1, Fox has caught fire with 10 points (3-7-10) over a current six-game point streak. At least after playing a combined 55 minutes this weekend, the Rangers’ most valuable skater can get a few days of rest before they embark on a four-game Western swing. They will travel to Seattle to face the improved Kraken on Thursday before making stops in San Jose, Los Angeles and Anaheim between 11/17 to 11/23.

Imagine where they’d be without him. Nobody else on the blue line is even in the same stratosphere as Fox. It’s Foxy returns for the bright American star who’ll be competing with Cale Makar, the reborn Erik Karlsson and possibly the surprising Hampus Lindholm of the unbelievable Bruins. As brilliant as Karlsson has been for the Sharks, you have to think Fox will pass him with Makar probably catching up.

Of course, none of this stuff matters. What does is that the Blueshirts got in the ‘W’ column. They didn’t play close to their best game against a Coyotes team who also played the night before. They lost to the red hot Devils 4-2. The Devils have won nine in a row. Hasan has you covered there.

It’s more important for the Rangers to build on this win. For over 35 minutes, nothing happened of note against the Coyotes. A team that plays an honest game built on a surprising number three ranked power play. They move the puck quickly and look for shots with traffic in front. A more simplistic approach than the home team.

If not for Igor Shesterkin, it could’ve been a different result. He more than held his own in a lopsided first period. It was the more aggressive Coyotes who had better skating legs and carried the play early. Shesterkin came up large on an abbreviated five-on-three that lasted a dozen seconds. He really was the difference in stopping all 17 shots including a few tough ones on the consecutive Arizona power plays.

Although I questioned Gerard Gallant going with Jaro Halak on Saturday night and holding out Shesterkin for the second game, that proved to be the right decision. They sure didn’t lose in Nashville due to Halak. That was already covered. He was just unlucky again. Yet you have some yo-yo’s who blame him. Do yourselves a favor and watch with your eyes open.

If there was a disappointing aspect, it was Gallant’s refusal to bench K’Andre Miller. He hasn’t played close to good enough. Honestly, he deserved to sit after his latest bad game. Instead, the Rangers PR face continues to escape unpunished.

Instead, Zac Jones sat for a third consecutive game in favor of Libor Hajek. Why is anyone’s guess. They still use Jacob Trouba on the second power play. It’s moot the way Gallant relies on the top unit. He better hope they don’t run out of gas by next March. They sure get a lot of minutes. The problem is every player except the defense optional Panarin plays penalty kill. That’s one way to run your top players into the ground.

While everyone realizes the importance of making up for some bad losses by starting to bank points which they should have the opportunity to do on the road trip, Turk must avoid over-playing the stars. It’s not even the quarter mark. Use common sense. He was able to get away with mostly shortening the bench to three lines for most of the third due to the off days.

It helped matters that Fox again helped set up a Chris Kreider power play goal less than give minutes into the third which sealed the victory. Kaapo Kakko drew a tripping minor on Nick Bjugstad. Even though it was again the third line who did the grunt work, out came the first unit.

They had the puck for almost the entirety of the third power play. After an Arizona clear down ice, they got it set up. With time growing short, Fox finally made a good pass in the left circle for Mika Zibanejad. He then made an even better play, sending a shot pass towards Kreider that took a funny carom off the shaft of his stick past Ingram top shelf for the beautiful power play goal.

All Kreider could do was chuckle. He obviously didn’t get the part of the blade on it that he wanted. But it wound up looking like he took a half swing like in baseball and got rewarded with a base hit. It gave him goals in three of his last four games. Following an off night against the Preds, he picked up his 10th point over the last nine games. Ever since he said they’d start going in, they have.

In what was a penalty marred game where the refs handed out Zibanejad a ridiculous interference minor for banging into Ingram after he made a save outside the paint where the Rangers center had nowhere to go, they had a make-up call with five seconds left in the second for a phantom trip on Nick Ritchie. That’s how it was called. When you have both coaches shaking their heads and one laughing, you know it wasn’t a good night for the stripes.

The linesmen also missed an offside on a Coyotes entry. Even Sam Rosen pointed it out during the broadcast on MSG. Good thing nothing happened during the ‘Yotes zone time. It’s astonishing how frequently they miss it. No wonder you have offsides coach’s challenges. The league has a two referee system with two linesmen, but have to cover their own asses. It’s more and more like the NFL every day.

With his team ahead by three, Ryan Lindgren took down Christian Fischer behind the Rangers net. Of course, he protested because no player ever thinks they committed a penalty. It was an obvious hooking minor.

After some real struggles with their last three in which it was the Rangers penalty killers who generated better shorthanded opportunities due to their aggressive puck pursuit, the Coyotes finally made it count.

With time winding down, Travis Boyd worked the puck over to Ritchie. He then made a nice pass across for an open Clayton Keller, who made no mistake snapping a wrist shot up top with a slow recovering Shesterkin still down. He didn’t look right on the goal. He previously had skated over to the bench during a stoppage. Hopefully, it’s nothing too serious. He stayed in the game.

However, the Coyotes took a bad penalty only 30 seconds later. Rookie forward Mattias Maccelli came up and caught Kreider with a high stick to go off for two minutes. Although they didn’t score on the man-advantage, the momentum from it allowed the Rangers to put the game away.

After the penalty expired, Gallant actually sent out Ryan Carpenter. Playing for the first time in three games, he was able to redirect a Braden Schneider point shot by Ingram for his first goal of the season. It came with 8:17 remaining. That restored the three-goal lead.

As tough as I’ve been on Carpenter who’s an hard-working player that can take face-offs and kill penalties, there’s nothing wrong with having him as an extra forward. That’s likely what he’ll be if Vitaly Kravtsov can recover from the stomach flu. Good for Carpenter. He only played 7:48 including 39 seconds on the penalty kill and the last few on the final power play. It’s nice to see him get rewarded.

Although it wasn’t a Picasso or Renoir, they’ll take it. It’s the final home game until after Thanksgiving. The Oilers will visit on Saturday, Nov. 26 followed by those Devils on Monday the 28th. Those should be good tests.

Hopefully by then, they’ll be playing better. It really shouldn’t be any worse than taking three out of four on the upcoming road trip. All four games are winnable. But expect it to be competitive. Especially in Seattle, San Jose and LA.

They can thank both Fox and Shesterkin for getting the victory tonight. It wasn’t as easy as the final score indicated. Finally a few days off. Enjoy the week.

THEEE STARS OF GAME

3rd 🌟 Barclay Goodrow, NYR goal (4th), 5-10 on draws, +2 in 16:10 incl. 5:39 shorthanded

2nd 🌟 🤩 Igor Shesterkin, NYR 31 saves on 32 shots incl. 17/17 in 1st, 22/22 ES & 7/8 SH

1st 🌟 🤩 ⭐️ Adam Fox, NYR goal (5th) plus 🍎, 2 SOG, +1 in 26:43 incl. 12:24 on special teams

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

Rangers might need to shake things up

Posted on November 13, 2022 by Derek

When the final buzzer sounded last night in Music City, Nashville fans saluted their team for doing a great job protecting a one-goal lead in defeating the punchless Rangers 2-1.

Why not? The Predators blocked 22 shots and stifled the Rangers in a tight checking third period to get a much needed win at Bridgestone Arena.

They did it by winning most of the 50/50 battles and making it difficult for the Blueshirts to get clean looks on Juuse Saros. He made 34 saves on 35 shots. But didn’t have to make any spectacular ones.

What exactly does that say? Shots favored the Rangers 35-18. Total attempts were 73-45. They had the puck more. It didn’t matter because this is the gang that can’t shoot straight. They had 16 shots miss completely. Plus 22 get rejected by the scrappy Preds, who took a page from the old Black and Blueshirts.

It wasn’t easy on the eyes. Not with the overrated power play (top unit only) taking the collar in five chances including a critical four-minute five-on-four that started with 6:19 left in the third period. Even with poor backup Jaro Halak lifted for a six-on-four with 3:01 to go, they never could find a way to tie the game.

To their credit, the Predators took away almost all the passing lanes. That’s how predictable the power play has become. They aren’t scoring enough on it. Of course, Gerard Gallant rode his big unit. They got the whole first half and produced not a single shot.

He couldn’t wait to change again for the little used second unit that includes two-goal Alexis Lafreniere and three-goal Kaapo Kakko. Two former high picks who are wasting away thanks to how the coach runs things.

Win at all costs is hurting this team. If you don’t agree, maybe you didn’t notice Adam Fox catching his breath on the bench as time was winding down. He was exhausted. Fox played 28:17 including 7:42 on the power play. He also received 3:24 of penalty kill time. Not one other defenseman reached 20 minutes.

If the plan is to run his best players into the ground, then Gallant is an expert. Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck all played over 21 minutes. That’s how the coach uses them when there are power plays.

He doesn’t trust Lafreniere, Kakko and lone goalscorer Filip Chytil enough to play them more minutes. Nobody received more than Chytil’s 13:28. He was the best forward scoring his fourth goal from Fox and Kakko to make it 2-1 with 8:04 left in the second.

Maybe it’s time for Chytil to be used as a second line player. He plays the right way. Able to utilize his size and speed to get the puck in on the cycle with Lafreniere and Kakko, it’s the elder statesman at 23 who continues to evolve. In 10 games, he has seven points. That included career point number 100 last night. A nice finish off a great pass from Fox.

It’s a bit frustrating that his younger line mates don’t shoot the puck enough. Despite showing improvement, Kakko continues to hang onto pucks and skate around. He still looks pass too much. Lafreniere isn’t shooting at all. He looks like he’s lost confidence. He doesn’t resemble a former top pick.

Is it the system? Or is it how he’s used. This was a consensus first overall pick who dominated the QMJHL and then won MVP for Canada putting up 10 points in the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championships. In 151 career games, Lafreniere doesn’t have a single power play goal. How is that possible? A look at who’s ahead of him is part of the explanation.

However, would it hurt Gallant to use Lafreniere like a real top pick? How stubborn can he be? It’s not like the power play is lighting it up. All they do is look for the perfect play. That’s what happens when you have Panarin out there. All we hear from the broadcast is how wonderful he is. Explain his minus-9 rating. When the top scorer has over half his production on the power play, it doesn’t say much for his play at five-on-five.

Most fans would agree that you’re not bumping Panarin, Zibanejad, Kreider or Fox off PP1 for Lafreniere. But what about Trocheck? He plays his role well. This isn’t a criticism. But how many more shots do we need to see the new number 16 send wide or off the goalpost? It’s my opinion that Chytil is more than capable of replacing him on the top unit and scoring on those wide open looks. He hits the net.

The idea of moving Trocheck to the second unit would help provide more balance. He is good on face-offs and strong on the boards. It doesn’t make sense for PP2 to continue to get the leftovers. They don’t receive enough time to make a difference. That can’t be helping the confidence of Kakko or Lafreniere.

Can anyone explain why Jacob Trouba remains on the point of the second power play? He doesn’t belong there. That’s not the only problem. When Zac Jones doesn’t play, Gallant is very limited in options to man the points. Though he could try K’Andre Miller, who has more offensive skills. Defense is another issue.

Miller was caught up ice on the first goal that was scored by Juuso Parssinen. A Finn who made his NHL debut on Saturday night and was used by Nashville coach John Hynes the way a high pick should be used. The difference being he was taken in the seventh round. He led all Predators forwards in ice time (17:49) while playing center and blowing past a defenseless Lafreniere for the game’s first goal.

Why is it so hard for the Rangers to do that with their young players? It’s almost like that run to the Conference Finals has blinded the organization. They got lucky. They beat a third string goalie and a rusty Tristan Jarry. If Sidney Crosby doesn’t go down for a game, they lose the first round to AHL goalie Louis Domingue. They didn’t play well in that series. Neither did Igor Shesterkin. Credit the team for having enough resolve to take advantage and come back.

At least in the second round win against Carolina, the Rangers played better. Shesterkin was Shesterkin. The Rangers beat Antti Raanta, who for the most part held up until the final game. That run was due to key additions Andrew Copp, Frank Vatrano, Tyler Motte and Justin Braun. Without those valuable acquisitions, there is no Eastern Conference Final. They came close against the Lightning, but lost to a championship team who had the better players. Experience matters.

The consensus was that losing the way that team did would make them stronger. They’d be hungrier this season. Maybe subtracting all four additions and Ryan Strome hurt more than most thought. Even Kevin Rooney is missed. He was a good fourth line player who was an asset on the penalty kill.

It’s hard to replace what Copp and Vatrano brought. They added the key ingredients to the top two lines. It’s going to continue to be a struggle. Right now, training camp addition Jimmy Vesey is on the top line. He’s working hard. But should he be there? At the moment, it’s anyone’s guess who will play alongside Panarin and Trocheck. Vitaly Kravtsov finally had a good game and then came down with the stomach flu. So, he could be out tonight against the Coyotes for a second straight game.

If Chytil is really going to center Lafreniere and Kakko, they need more shifts together. Not less. Of course, special teams dictate things. It’s that cohesive trio who are the most effective line at even strength. They are able to forecheck, recover pucks and generate opportunities. However, it’s imperative that both Kakko and Lafreniere start finishing. Five combined goals isn’t cutting it. They have excellent chemistry with Chytil, who I would extend after the season.

The checking line wasn’t as effective with Ryan Reaves back. Sure. He had six hits with the last one on Tanner Jeannot causing a fight. Give Jeannot credit. He handled himself well against one of the game’s toughest customers. In terms of forecheck establishment, there was little with Reaves back. Barclay Goodrow between Sammy Blais and Julien Gauthier is better. But Gauthier had to move up to the second line.

There weren’t enough bodies in front of Saros. He didn’t have to sweat. He made the saves. His teammates took care of the rest. That is an indictment of how the Rangers play. They don’t get dirty enough. Even in a physical game where the Preds took liberties, they still left something to be desired. Where was Kreider? You couldn’t find him. They also missed him a couple of times on one of those mindless power plays.

Ryan Lindgren got wasted by Jeremy Lauzon. The much bigger Lauzon took up for Ryan Johansen. Lindgren is too small to go up against that behemoth. It was foolish to and he paid for it. Lindgren had to go for repairs before returning in the second period. The Rangers need him on the ice. Not in the penalty box.

Vesey had the misfortune of getting pelted by a Zibanejad slap shot behind the Nashville net. It was one of the missiles that went wide. He somehow didn’t miss a shift. Hockey player. Credit former teammate Ryan McDonagh for calling attention to it and asking for assistance.

There’s nothing wrong with playing a close to the vest physical game against a struggling opponent. In such contests, mistakes are glaring. On the winner scored by Mark Jankowski, Miller was completely out of position to watch him put in a Roman Josi feed for what proved to be the winner.

Miller is frequently out of position, gets caught up ice and hasn’t distinguished himself. Four assists and a minus-5 in 16 games isn’t up to par. The way he’s played lately, he deserves to sit. I’d dress Jones in his place and play him with Jacob Trouba, who looked more like himself last night despite being sacked with a minus-2 due to his partner.

There’s nothing wrong with scratching Miller and letting him watch a game from the press box. If that means Libor Hajek stays in and plays again with Braden Schneider, fine. He has been okay so far. Does the coach have the guts to sit Miller? We know how the organization feels about him. It’s total PR. They talk as if he’s the second coming of Brian Leetch. He’s a third-year player who’s clearly struggling.

There’s no reason for Jones to be the odd man out. He’s a good enough skater and adds value to the second power play. They should be willing to play him. You have to let kids make mistakes. That’s another issue with how things are run. There’s not a lot of trust. Kids get punished. The Kreider demotion was an eye opener because it was a rarity under Gallant.

I could care less what the possession and corsi numbers are at five-on-five. If you can’t score, then you’re not good enough. They aren’t the Devils. They depend too much on their top guys due to the coach. He throws all his eggs in one basket.

In order for them to get out of mediocrity which is exactly what 7-6-3 in the first 16 games is, things must change. Gallant must be willing to play his young players more. He can’t keep burning out the established players. They’re not even a quarter through. There needs to be more trust.

It isn’t like they can call in reinforcements. This is the roster. That’s how poor an off-season Chris Drury had. He didn’t have a lot of wiggle room. We knew Copp, Vatrano and Strome were gone. Could he have been more patient and kept Motte? I believe so. He signed late with Ottawa. He has seven points while playing a third line role with Shane Pinto. A young player who can score goals in this league.

Isn’t it about time the Rangers find out if their young guys are capable of more? If not, then the rebuild was a lie.

Posted in NYRangers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Devils’ jaw-dropping win streak continues with a homestand sweep

Posted on November 13, 2022 by hasan4978

It all still feels so surreal…I’m really about to write a blog on a Devils team with a nine-game winning streak and twelve out of thirteen overall?!  The same Devils who’ve finished last or next to last for seven of the last eight seasons and missed the playoffs nine out of the last ten?  If I didn’t know better I’d swear it was the late ’90’s last night with how the Devils managed to put the clamps on Arizona from midway in the second period on after getting the lead back at 3-2.  If it wasn’t for the ‘Schmiiiiid’ chants young Akira Schmid was getting from the crowd last night every time he so much as touched the puck, I might have forgotten who was in net the last thirty minutes of the game.

Of course to be fair it isn’t entirely the same old Devils…pretty much all of Tom Fitzgerald’s additions to the lineup have been making a positive contribution in some form or other (including a few draft picks), many of whom I’ve commented on in previous blogs but after last night’s game I’ll start with a guy I haven’t really given a lot of praise to over his year plus until now – Tomas Tatar.  He was signed as essentially a veteran stopgap last offseason to a two-year deal, and had a poor season statistically last year with fifteen goals, thirty points and a -22 in 76 games.  I never really flogged him as much as some other guys cause you could always tell he was trying, being as physical as you could expect a guy listed at 5’10 173 to be, competing in the dirty areas of the ice, etc…but it looked like he was washed up last year and would probably be finishing out his career overseas by this offseason. 

Ignoring talk he could be a cap casualty or bypassed for younger players, Tatar had a strong preseason and has carried it over into the regular season with eleven points in his first fifteen games (and a +11), with a deserved first star last night after contributing points on the team’s two goals in the first period – including a high-skill team goal to open the scoring – a play started by some impressive work by Nico Hischier in the defensive zone to break up a scoring chance, then get back into the offensive zone quickly to start this electrifying play:

Tatar also had a primary assist on Jack Hughes’ nasty wrist shot goal later in the period to regain the lead after the Devils’ PK lost it, for the first of two times last night.  Special teams was the only downer early against the Coyotes as the PP took a while to get going, while the PK gave up the only two goals Schmid allowed yesterday.  It was going to take more than a couple of unfortunate goals to quiet the sellout(!) crowd last night though, especially given the eight-game winning streak the team came into the game with.  If the early-season angst the first couple of home games represented a fan base on edge tired of losing, the…apologetic mood the crowd was in last night represented a fan base appreciative of any sustained level of success at all.

I’m referring of course, to the chant upstairs that happened a couple of times last night.  Less than a month after booing coach Lindy Ruff during introductions and chanting for his firing in at least two different games, the winning streak sufficiently chastened at least some in the crowd: 

Classy as he was when he was the target of derision, I’m not surprised the coach took the high road last night as well when told of the chant.

Downstairs in the clubs for one of my upgrade games, I couldn’t even hear the chant properly so I’m not surprised Lindy didn’t hear it well either.  If I’d known what it was the first time before going onto Twitter to find out after the fact, I would have probably joined in.  And I’m not one of the ones who was booing the coach or chanting for his firing but make no mistake, after two poor seasons and a bad start to the third I did think the time had come for a parting of the ways, I made no bones about that here.  As someone who’s always been a fan of Lindy Ruff personally I’ve seldom been more glad to be wrong.  While yes I’m sure the newly minted assistant staff has a lot to do with how structured the team has been this season, it’s not like Lindy didn’t have a certain amount of success as a coach before coming here.

Admittedly I wasn’t crazy about the second chant last night, especially coming early in the third period…it seemed a bit self-serving to do it again, plus at some point you’d at least rather they have waited until the win was locked up before doing it at the end, but that’s probably nitpicky.  Especially since I had no real fear that the team would louse up the third period, other than when they went on the PK again with five minutes to go, still up two after a pair of second-period goals put New Jersey back on top.  Fortunately that PK only lasted thirty seconds before a Coyotes penalty canceled that out and pretty much ended their chances of winning, given the eighteen shots we allowed last night, nine total in the last two periods of the game.

You have to give a tip of the cap to everyone for how well the defense has played as a whole though, even with some PK hiccups.  While the Devils’ goalie woes last season were well-documented and having Vitek Vanecek leave Thursday’s game against Ottawa (and missing tonight for ‘precautionary reasons’) just before Mackenzie Blackwood was also officially placed on IR wasn’t exactly ideal, I was kinda anxious to see how this new and improved team structure would be able to protect a kid goalie this year.  So far the early returns on that front are promising…just look at Schmid’s record last year and this year:

Last year: 6 GP, 0-4, 4.83 GAA and .833 save percentage

This year: 2 GP, 2-0, 1.63 GAA and .920 save percentage

His two wins this year included a critical relief outing on Thursday in the Devils’ topsy-turvy OT winner against Ottawa that extended the streak to eight.  Not as if Schmid came in with much margin for error given that it was already a 3-3 game in the middle of the third period either, but he made seven saves including three on the power play to give the team a chance to win, which Nico did with one of his many big goals on the season thus far:

Make no mistake, there’s an excitement level at the Rock again.  Even I’m starting to see home wins live again, hah.  A catty reference to the fact I had to miss three home wins last month due to circumstances beyond my control and another due to bad timing, but I was at the games Tuesday (a sloggish win over the Flames but critical nonetheless) and last night – you could practically sense the good vibes growing with every win.  You literally can’t ask for more from this team than you’ve gotten since that ill-fated home opener against Detroit almost a month ago.  The last time the Devils went on a 12 of 13 type streak was probably the insane 15-game winning streak in 2006 to close the regular season by stealing a division title, right on through their first-round sweep of the hated Rangers. 

While I’m certainly not exactly counting my playoff tickets before I get to use them, I have to admit in a season of astonishing things I never expected to see us in ‘first’ place, clear of every team by five points either.

As the song says, let the good times roll!

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

Rangers erupt for six-goal third period in easy win over Red Wings, Fox leads the way with four points, Goodrow makes a difference

Posted on November 11, 2022 by Derek

That was badly needed. For two periods, the Rangers outplayed the Red Wings for stretches, but could only come away even on the scoreboard. However, a six-goal outburst in a decisive third period lead to an 8-2 win over the Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena to avenge Sunday’s 3-2 overtime loss.

By erupting for six goals including a ridiculous four over a 2:57 span to break open a tie game, they delivered their most dominant period of the season. The offensive explosion put an end to a three-game winless streak (0-2-1). It was am important victory for a fragile team that needed it for their confidence.

The Rangers got big performances from Adam Fox and Barclay Goodrow. They keyed the huge win by combining for seven points. Fox scored the game-winner and added three assists for a statement game from the offensive leader on the blue line. Goodrow notched a goal and two helpers including his third of the season coming 1:21 after Fox converted a Filip Chytil back pass to make it a two-goal lead.

This time, they didn’t let up. Mika Zibanejad got his second of the contest (team-leading ninth) 50 seconds later. Then, Goodrow stole a puck and had his centering feed bank off Julien Gauthier for four consecutive goals in less than three minutes to break it open.

Libor Hajek would add his first on a fluky play and Jimmy Vesey put the exclamation point on the triumph by converting shorthanded to make it six unanswered for the Blueshirts.

The offensive fireworks were all in support of Igor Shesterkin, who for once had an easy night by stopping 18 of 20 shots to pick up his seventh win. He’s accounted for all seven wins so far. Though backup Jaro Halak has deserved better in a couple of starts. Hopefully, he gets a win next time out.

In what felt like a must win game despite it only being the 15th game of 82, coach Gerard Gallant adjusted his lineup once more. This time, he wisely reunited the cohesive First Round Pick Line. That meant putting together Filip Chytil between Alexis Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko. They played well throughout contributing four assists while playing strong at five-on-five.

As expected, Artemi Panarin was back with Vincent Trocheck and Vitaly Kravtsov added to the second line. It was the best Kravtsov’s looked. He picked up his first point of the season by helping set up the Goodrow goal. A dazzling pass made by Panarin, who remains one of the game’s best passers.

Gallant decided to go back to Zibanejad and Chris Kreider on the top line. Vesey got the nod on the right side and performed well. He was in on the second Zibanejad goal. It was a strong game for Vesey, who finished with a goal and assist. Welcome production from unlikely sources on a night it bounced their way.

Goodrow anchored the checking line between Sammy Blais and Gauthier, who returned to the lineup after missing Tuesday’s game versus the Islanders. Unlike most of the first 14 games, the fourth line was a factor. They forechecked and created two goals. The way Gauthier and Blais have played lately, there’s no reason for Ryan Reaves to play. Ryan Carpenter also looks like an extra center with Chytil finally back.

Ryan Lindgren also returned from a two-game absence due to what he termed a ‘minor injury’ from the David Pastrnak blindside hit. He helped stabilize the back end by reuniting with Fox on the top pair. He played 16:51 including 2:46 on the penalty kill while posting a plus-three rating with two blocked shots.

As expected, Hajek stayed in the lineup and paired up with Braden Schneider while Jacob Trouba and K’Andre Miller remained together. Of the three pairings, it was again the key second tandem that got caught on for a goal against to make it interesting. An errant Miller pass lead to Dylan Larkin setting up Lucas Raymond to make it 2-1 Red Wings.

Fortunately, the Rangers responded to being behind. Kakko drew a slashing minor on Oskar Sundqvist. Kreider would tip home a perfect pass from Panarin for his second straight game with a power play goal. A brilliant play from Fox that included a spin-a-rama at the point to pass over for Panarin is what allowed for the big tying goal with 9:01 left in the second period.

Despite a huge edge in play where they made the Red Wings play a lot in their end, the score remained tied. Detroit starter Ville Husso made some key saves. He stopped nine of 10 shots. On the flip side, Shesterkin only faced four with one getting past him. That wasn’t his fault.

In the first period, it was the reconstructed Blueshirts who had the edge. However, they weren’t able to break through until Zibanejad buried a Fox pass in the slot for his first even strength goal at 15:40. Playing in his 700th career game, he beat Larkin on an offensive draw. Then, got open where Fox set up a one-timer past Husso to make it 1-0.

Following some more pressure from the top line with Kreider getting a shot on Husso, the Red Wings responded 3:06 later to knot the score. On a play where nobody picked up Veleno in the slot, he beat Shesterkin on a shot off a feed from rookie Jonatan Berggren to tie it with 1:14 left.

It was another late goal allowed that tarnished a good road period. Even with a better effort, they only had six shots compared to the Red Wings’ seven. They came on late.

Off some sustained pressure, Chytil earned a Rangers power play when Adam Erne hooked him early in the second period. The Red Wings did a good job on the penalty kill taking away the blue line. When the Rangers finally got set up, the best chance came on a Kreider pass for a Trocheck shot that missed wide.

After the man-advantage expired, Kravtsov had two chances to score. His first shot was blocked. The second one was denied by Husso. On both, he was directly in front.

The Red Wings came back with a strong shift. After Shesterkin stopped Seider, Miller had time behind his net to make a play. Instead, he forced a pass that had no chance for Kravtsov. Instead, Larkin picked up the loose puck and centered for Raymond who scored his sixth to put Detroit ahead at 7:33.

At the halfway mark, Chytil came back on the back check to help break up a Red Wings rush. After getting out of their zone, Kakko was slashed twice by Sundqvist to draw a key penalty.

On the power play, the Rangers got set up quickly. After another Trocheck chance that Husso made a good kick save on, Fox spun around at the point and passed for Panarin in the circle. He made a diagonal feed across for a Kreider tip-in to tie the score at 10:59. It gave him a seven-game point streak (4-5-9). He’s definitely responded since the fourth line demotion this past Sunday. Kreider is now up to six goals and seven assists for 13 points.

A few minutes later, Kreider drew another power play behind the Detroit net when Ben Chiarot tripped him. For two full minutes, the top unit had the puck in the offensive zone. However, Husso made two saves on Zibanejad and Trocheck. He got help from his penalty killers who blocked shots and did just enough to prevent more.

On an offensive shift for the second line, Kravtsov was stopped by Husso in the slot. He then gave chase behind the net. Seider had the puck, but fell down. Penalty called on Kravtsov for a phantom trip. He was right when he gestured to the ref that he didn’t take Seider down because he was already falling to the ice.

Before the period expired, Larkin fired wide. Good thing he did. It was a rocket. Old friend Andrew Copp also missed as time wound down. He didn’t have a good night finishing minus-three.

The game was still tied as they entered the all important third. After some early pressure from the Red Wings where Shesterkin made a couple of saves, the Rangers picked it up.

It took a David Perron miss to send the third line in transition. On a good rush started by Lafreniere to Chytil, the latter tried a back pass intended for a trailing Kakko. It went right to a pinching Fox, who fired a quick wrist shot past Husso for a 3-2 lead at 6:02.

That goal sparked a six-goal outburst. On the forecheck with Goodrow on for Trocheck, Kravtsov recovered a puck behind the net. After his first pass was blocked, his second came to Panarin in the corner. He made a great feed to a cutting Goodrow, who maneuvered around Husso to tuck a backhand in for a 4-2 lead.

Then, the first line had a dominant shift. Following Husso stops on Vesey and Zibanejad, a face-off win saw Lindgren fire wide. But they kept coming. On a strong drive from a determined Vesey, he forced Husso into two tough stops. The second rebound came to Zibanejad who put it in for his second of the game, giving the Blueshirts three goals in 2:11.

On a strong cycle from the checking line, Blais got the puck for Goodrow. He then sent it towards the net in the vicinity where Gauthier was. Initially, it looked like it banked off a Red Wings defenseman for another Goodrow goal. But replays showed that the puck also bounced off Gauthier for his second of the season with 11:01 to go.

With the game suddenly a rout, everything that could go their way did. On another positive shift from the third line, Hajek took a Chytil pass and let go of a shot that went off a Red Wings player past Husso to make it 7-2. Lafreniere also added a second helper. Both he and Chytil had two apples. They were very effective at even strength along with Kakko. That line shouldn’t be broken up. Keep them together.

With the game out of reach and Chytil off for cross-checking Seider, a Detroit mistake allowed the Blueshirts to come the other way for a shorthanded goal. The plat was started by Fox. He got the puck to Goodrow; who lead Vesey for a breakaway. He beat Husso with a good shot for his second of the season at 16:31.

That’s the kind of period it was. By far the best of the season. One this team needed desperately. They couldn’t afford another disappointment. This was the opposite.

The Red Wings helped the cause by falling apart. They melted down on home ice. Most of it was attributed to the Rangers. They played like it mattered. After the game, when he was given the Broadway Hat, Zibanejad told teammates to keep playing this way and they’ll turn the season around.

Next up is Nashville. They’re really struggling. Expected to be a serious contender, they’ve looked out of sorts. It didn’t help that they began the year playing in Europe against San Jose twice. Those games need to go.

The Predators aren’t defending well. In a lopsided 5-1 loss to the surprising Kraken, they gave up four goals on six shots early to send Juuse Saros to the showers. Ryan McDonagh was responsible for three goals against. He was supposed to solidify a good blue line that features Roman Josi, Mattias Ekholm and Dante Fabbro.

A look at their roster and it’s chalk full of minuses and disappointing numbers for key stars including Josi (3-5-8/-11), Filip Forsberg (5 goals), Matt Duchene (3 goals), Ryan Johansen (8 points) and Tanner Jeannot (3-1-4). Saros is 3-6-1 with a 3.46 GAA and .892 save percentage.

Nashville is seventh in the Central Division with a 5-8-1 record for 11 points. They trail Winnipeg and Dallas by six points for first. Colorado has 15 points after winning 5-3 over the Preds on Thursday night. Despite their struggles, Nashville is a tough place to win. At any moment, they are capable of turning it around.

All the Rangers want to do is play a good road game and come out with two points. Get off to a quick start. Maybe get an early lead. Nashville doesn’t have much confidence. If they fall behind, maybe they fall apart like they did against Seattle. We’ll see what happens tomorrow night. The game is at 8 EST.

https://twitter.com/BattleOfHudson/status/1590899089717497861?t=u3Xq6xS3wdNr-iWGp3FgSQ&s=19

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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