Embarrassing blowout loss to Blues exposes Rangers’ flaws

Posted on March 11, 2022 by Derek

Last night was one to forget for the Rangers. Facing the Blues for the second time in eight days, they were no match in St. Louis.

The Blues backed up captain Ryan O’Reilly by blowing out the Rangers 6-2. It was last week that O’Reilly thought his team was better than the Rangers following a 5-3 defeat at MSG. One in which a good third period along with the brilliant play of Vezina and Hart candidate Igor Shesterkin allowed the Blueshirts to come back and win.

Maybe O’Reilly wasn’t wrong. The interesting part is unlike that game which featured the return of Pavel Buchnevich, the rematch didn’t. Buchnevich missed Thursday’s game due to being in concussion protocol due to an unpenalized dirty hit from Austin Watson who wasn’t disciplined for it. Of course not.

Even without Buchnevich, the Blues boast plenty of scoring depth. Led by O’Reilly who got the fourth goal just 15 seconds into the second period that chased Shesterkin for the first time when healthy this season, they humiliated the Rangers.

Twice, Robert Thomas was allowed to score easy goals. So too did Ivan Barbashev, whose goal that made it 2-0 in a three-goal first period was so wide open that you wondered if there were any Blueshirts on the ice aside from a helpless Shesterkin.

‘They should feel embarrassed,” is how coach Gerard Gallant put it to reporters in the postgame. Although he didn’t raise his voice regarding their second consecutive listless performance, you could feel the disappointment. His remarks which included the dreaded “soft” word to describe how they played were pointed.

It was true. The worst part is their best players were responsible. Once again, the top pair of Ryan Lindgren and Adam Fox had a forgettable night. How bad were they? Lindgren twice took minor penalties in another undisciplined first. Astonishingly, the team killed off three straight St. Louis power plays including a 67 second five-on-three.

Following the third successful kill, the Blueshirts melted down. The Blues got goals from Thomas and Barbashev 45 seconds apart to go up 2-0. Thomas would add his second to make it three straight goals over a 2:36 span.

On the Blues’ second and third goals, Fox and Lindgren were caught out for both. They didn’t defend either sequence well. There was no support from the forwards which included Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider on Thomas’s second tally. Both were culpable throughout.

In fact, those four players went a combined minus-15. Fox, Lindgren and Kreider each finished minus-four while Zibanejad was minus-three along with Alexis Lafreniere. At least he showed a pulse going after goalscorer David Perron during a scrum in the third period.

When your best players don’t show up, you’re not going to win on most nights. We’ll absolve Artemi Panarin and Ryan Strome, who at least had some chances against winning St. Louis netminder Ville Husso. He still came up with a couple of big saves on Dryden Hunt and Panarin that helped the Blues pull away.

The only time the Blueshirts scored was on the power play. Trailing by three late in the first, Strome took a Fox pass and beat Husso with a slap shot for his 13th at 18:37. It also marked the first assist for Shesterkin, who started the play with a nice outlet for Fox. The only good moment for the Rangers’ Team MVP.

Instead of bringing momentum from the Strome power play goal into the second, they lost the opening face-off and then stood around and watched O’Reilly beat Shesterkin from the slot high blocker. The goal came at 15 seconds. On it, Zibanejad fell down. It was another easy goal for the Blues.

At that point, Gallant had seen enough. He mercy pulled Shesterkin from the net. Obviously, it had nothing to do with him. He entered play with 28 wins a GAA below 2.00 and over a .940 save percentage. That changed due to allowing four goals on 17 shots in 20:04. When he returns to face Dallas tomorrow, it’ll be 28-7-3 with a 2.02 GAA, .939 save percentage and three shutouts.

It didn’t get any better. Alex Georgiev relieved Shesterkin. Following a 5-2 loss to the Wild in which he was very candid afterwards about needing to play more, he gave up two more Blues goals in 38 seconds. He fell down when Jake Walman made it 5-1. Then, Perron had a shot go off Patrik Nemeth past Georgiev to put the Rangers down five.

Pitiful. Most alarming is that all six Blues’ goals came at five-on-five. An area that isn’t a Rangers’ strength. They have relied on their highly rated power play a lot. In fact, K’Andre Miller scored his first career power play goal to close out the scoring yesterday. The two PPG’s last night pushed them to number two in the league.

The Rangers click at 26.3 percent (42-for-160). It’s mostly due to the lethal top unit. Featuring league leader Kreider (19 PPG) and Zibanejad (11 PPG), they’ve done damage on the five-on-four. In fact, 38 of the 42 goals on the power play have come from the foursome of Kreider, Zibanejad, Panarin (5) and Strome (3). The other four are from Jacob Trouba, Miller, Kaapo Kakko (top unit) and current Wolf Pack defenseman Nils Lundkvist.

That’s putting a lot of eggs in your basket. At least Miller got one. He was able to get behind and take a Panarin feed to beat Husso for his fifth. A play in which he showed off the superb skating and offensive capability that once made him a forward. Considering his overall improvement, there’s much to like about Miller. No longer a player I would part with.

One of the reasons for the five-on-five struggles is the lack of a consistent forecheck. Far too often, the Rangers are one and done. Opponents are finding it too easy to transition and gain the zone without much push back. Those are correctable areas Gallant can address in practice and by showing video.

It doesn’t help matters that the bottom six forwards aren’t getting it done. While Gallant remains steadfast in keeping the gritty Hunt with Panarin and Strome on the second line so he can keep Barclay Goodrow in a checking role, it isn’t helping. At least Goodrow has 12 goals and 23 points.

Hunt (4-7-11) is a good energy guy who plays hard. But he can’t be on the second line. At least he broke a long drought by scoring his fourth from Strome against the Wild. The trouble is that’s a rarity. He blew a great chance by shooting back into Husso’s pads when it was still close last night. The four goals and 11 points are a career high. Hunt also has 120 hits.

Imagine what Vitali Kravtsov could do if he’d been given a chance with Panarin and Strome. Of course, he was already behind Lafreniere and Kakko on the depth chart. Don’t forget that was before Lafreniere adjusted to being moved to the right wing on the top line. Kravtsov had two goals and an assist in a four-game sweep for Traktor in the first round of the Gagarin Cup.

It’s not like Kravtsov is a realistic option once his KHL season ends. Given his history with Team President and GM Chris Drury and the way he left without reporting to Hartford, it’s much likelier that Kravtsov is part of a package in a trade to upgrade the scoring.

I just can’t figure out how Hunt and Julien Gauthier are better options. The latter a player who routinely blows scoring chances that define logic. Gauthier has three goals in 44 games. His shooting percentage is 4.8 percent. He was a former first round pick.

Meanwhile now with the Kraken, Colin Blackwell is up to eight goals with eight assists in 36 games. Six points have come over the last five for a complementary player who had success with Panarin and Strome last season. Blackwell posted career bests with 12 goals, 10 helpers and 22 points in 47 contests as a Blueshirt. Seventeen of those 22 points came at even strength. Looks like they left the wrong player unprotected.

In a similar development, former Ranger Brett Howden has eight goals and 11 assists for 19 points on the struggling Golden Knights. He centers the fourth line. Some players aren’t always what you think. He is a checking forward and solid penalty killer. The Rangers thought Howden was more than that due to his surprising early success.

I’m not suggesting they should’ve kept Howden. He had a nightmarish ’21 where he only scored one goal with six assists over 42 games. Sometimes, a player needs a change. In his case, Howden did. Good for him on regaining his confidence.

What’s most disappointing is that Filip Chytil has had a similar forgettable year. He played in his 46th game yesterday. In 14:54 of ice time, the 22-year old had four shots and was denied by Husso on a mini break. He also drew a penalty.

While he’s looked better since returning, six goals and 14 points isn’t what was expected. It looks like another former first round pick will be sent elsewhere by March 21. He isn’t happy with how he’s been used.

Gallant noted that they’re missing some players. He was referring to Kakko and Kevin Rooney. The latter who also hasn’t scored since December. Sammy Blais is severely missed now. These days, when there’s hardly a semblance of a forecheck, the former St. Louis Blue who plays with the necessary edge would have fit in well. He was prior to P.K. Subban ending his season. Blais sure could’ve solved some of the issues.

With such a lack of scoring punch on the third and fourth lines, it puts more pressure on the top six to perform. They’ve gotten a special year from Kreider, whose 38 goals and 19 on the power play lead the team. His next point will be a new career high. In 58 games, he has 53 points. That was last reached in ’16-17 in 75 games. Without the true captain, the offense would be sunk.

While Kreider and Zibanejad have been the most consistent performers at even strength, Panarin has struggled recently. The 35 even strength points still pace the Blueshirts. However, he’s become too much of a one trick pony. There are too many instances where he passes up quality scoring opportunities for fancy passes that lead to turnovers. Combined with sidekick Strome, who also is very unselfish, they haven’t been as effective this season.

Not having a true right winger hasn’t helped. If Drury can go out and get a proven player better suited for Panarin and Strome, that would go a long way to fixing the problem. Then, when Kakko returns, there wouldn’t be as much pressure. He could play on the third line and still get second power play time. Who knows what to expect. There’s still no timetable.

It would seem Drury should target two forwards. One who can finish and one who isn’t offensively inept that can forecheck. There are some candidates that could be available. Cross Joe Pavelski off the list. He re-signed with the Stars for another year. A move that was expected. Dallas is in wildcard position right behind the Wild and Predators.

Whether they decide to move J.T. Miller remains to be seen. The Canucks are in the hunt. Miller is their best player and has one year remaining on a cap friendly deal. Vancouver could look to trade Brock Boeser instead. He has over a seven million qualifier this summer and turns unrestricted the following year. If I were them, I’d keep Miller and extend him.

We know the Rangers have interest in Miller along with other suitors. He sure would solve a lot of issues. Any team that acquires him would have Miller as a two-year rental. Unless they could reach an agreement on an extension. If the ask includes Braden Schneider or Brennan Othmann, that’s a pass. Schneider is a player Vancouver is rumored to be interested in. He plays with poise. It’s understandable. If you’ve seen Oliver Ekman-Larsson play, you know why.

If Nashville stays where they are, would Filip Forsberg really be available? I wouldn’t if I were them. They should show a commitment to winning. Nashville fans love their team and don’t want to see their top finisher leave. Especially when they boast an elite goalie in Juuse Saros and top defenseman in Roman Josi.

I’ve mentioned Phil Kessel before in this blog. He just became a Dad. Congrats. He’s been available for a while. The Coyotes are moving forward in their rebuild. They sure aren’t hurting offensively. Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz are filling it up.

The 34-year old Kessel can be had on the cheap. He’s a proven performer and Stanley Cup champion. While he’s struggled to finish this season, it’s not due to a lack of shots (117). His luck would probably change on a different roster.

I can see Drury getting on the phone with John Davidson, who’s back in Columbus. Max Domi is a hard-nosed player who is unrestricted this summer. With the postseason less of a possibility due to the Caps’ recent resurgence, Domi is likely to get moved. He could be a nice addition for a contender looking to bolster secondary scoring.

What about the Canadiens? Since Marty St. Louis took over, they’re winning games and scoring. The Habs have three potential trade targets including checking forward Artturi Lehkonen. He’s caught fire recently with six goals and eight points over the last five games.

The 26-year old Finn is a solid player who can add to a third line. Twenty-five of his 28 points have come at even strength. He also has two shorthanded goals. Lehkonen is restricted this off-season and unrestricted in 2023. He makes $2.3 million.

Veteran defensemen Jeff Petry and Ben Chiarot could be on the move. Chiarot has been heavily rumored. The Rangers could look to upgrade the third pair by adding a player of Chiarot’s caliber. Nemeth is currently on the left side next to Schneider. The 30-year old would be an upgrade. But at what cost? Jeff Gorton surely would want Drury to pay up. It might be too much.

Petry is a right defenseman who is very experienced. He was having an awful season before St. Louis took over. He’s been much better since. Unlike Chiarot who can walk, he’s signed through 2025 with a $6.25 million cap hit attached. At 34, that makes him unlikely for some teams.

It’s impossible to know what Drury is thinking. However, it’s better that the last two games happened now. They weren’t competitive in either loss to the Wild or Blues. Two good teams that play a heavy style.

Gallant’s reasoning for taking Lafreniere off the first line against Minnesota and replacing him with Ryan Reaves was due to them taking liberties. Something the Blues also did in last night’s rematch. It’s not like the Rangers back down from anyone. Under Gallant, they go back at opponents and stand up for each other.

However, when more teams are using the strategy to go after Fox in the corners, it could explain his unsteady play. This is his third season. He’s never played a full 82-game schedule. He also isn’t as equipped as Cale Makar for the physicality. Fox is smaller and elusive. But the ice tends to shrink as the games go on. That’s exactly what we’re seeing.

Tighter checking makes it harder on skill players. Especially Panarin. A great skater and playmaker, his East/West passes aren’t connecting as frequently. If he shot more, it wouldn’t be as predictable. He and Strome are also not strong defensively. They’ve been victimized on some goals against. That’s why they need a strong right wing to fill the void.

They still miss Jesper Fast. Why the old regime didn’t re-sign him I’ll never understand. He’s playing well for the first place Hurricanes. Of course, Fast is a good five-on-five player who’s defensively responsible. He also is strong at winning battles and loose pucks. Stuff the smaller Blackwell also did well while filling in last year.

There’s still time for the Rangers to make the upgrades. Adding players capable of contributing is much better than Gallant talking up Morgan Barron or Tim Gettinger. Jonny Brodzinski isn’t the answer either. Establishing a checking line that can forecheck is a must.

In the playoffs, it can’t be the same guys. That’s not a winning formula. It’s usually the players you least expect who step up and make a name for themselves. That’s exactly why they got Goodrow. He’s only one guy. They need more.

Addressing the lack of scoring depth is a necessity. The only question for Drury is how far is he willing to go with this roster. Is he all in? Or is it wiser to wait one more year when 2021 first round pick Brennan Othmann could be on the third line by 2023? So could Will Cuylle.

At what cost are they willing to risk this year when it looks more realistic to seriously contend next year? We’ll get the answer soon enough.

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Rangers not so Wild in ugly loss, Georgiev gives up five goal, Fox struggles, a tough homecoming for Miller

Posted on March 9, 2022 by Derek

How can one sum up the Rangers’ 5-2 loss to the Wild? In a word, ugly. It was probably one of their worst performances of what’s otherwise been a surprising season.

Sloppy turnovers and poor defensive coverage were themes in their second defeat to Mats Zuccarello and the Wild. They also got beat on Henrik Lundqvist Night over a month ago. At least that was close.

This wasn’t. Even following consecutive goals from Dryden Hunt (first since 12/1) and Mika Zibanejad (shorthanded) which briefly tied the score, they fell apart in epic fashion.

Kevin Fiala responded to the Zibanejad shorthanded goal with a goal on the same Minnesota power play 66 seconds later. That really took the wind out of their sails. Something both Henrik Lundqvist and Steve Valiquette discussed on the MSG postgame.

The Rangers were never able to seize back control. Instead, total breakdowns led to breakaway goals from Marcus Foligno and Fiala before the second period concluded. When you don’t play near your best against a better opponent (than Winnipeg as Lundqvist noted), this is the result you get.

They didn’t get away with it. It was the Wild who came with more energy and were able to maintain the frenetic pace to run away with a big win to boost their playoff chances. They’re locked in a tight race with the Stars, Predators and Oilers. Their urgency allowed them to pass Dallas in the standings and stay a point up on Nashville for third in a very competitive Central Division.

Sometimes, it’s as simple as the opponent being better. That was the case throughout the second game of four on the road for the Rangers, who didn’t seem to have their legs. They weren’t that good in any facet. A lack of cycle game and checking left little used backup Alex Georgiev out to dry.

It added up to a tough night for Georgiev. An easy culprit when things go wrong, the 26-year old goalie allowed five goals on 28 shots. Sadly, he has lost his last five starts dating back to Jan. 10 at LA. In each of the last four, Georgiev has permitted four or more goals.

It’s been tough to watch. Whether you want to point the finger in the direction of the goalie, I don’t think it’s entirely fair. Far too often, he hasn’t gotten much suppprt. It’s almost like they play worse with him in there. Is that due to a lack of confidence, or mere coincidence? You be the judge.

What is understood is that Gerard Gallant can’t play Igor Shesterkin every night. He knows it. The Hart candidate indicated to the coach that he was tired. So, Turk gave his best player a breather. Igor will be back for the rematch with the Blues. A team that’s also slumped since their loss last week to our team. What excuse will Ryan O’Reilly come up with if his team doesn’t win on Thursday?

Gallant said he wasn’t happy with how his team played. He felt it would be a different game. Instead, the Blueshirts didn’t give their best effort. The Wild did. They had slumped badly losing six of seven and eight of 10.

Minnesota got key gritty forward Jordan Greenway back. He isn’t the point producer Kirill Kaprizov, Fiala or Zuccarello are. But the big strong forward is an integral part of the Wild’s identity. Coach Dean Evason uses him on the big second line that features Joel Eriksson Ek and Foligno, who ironically snapped out of it with a three-point night to earn the game’s First Star.

The addition of Greenway with Matt Dumba, who just returned to stabilize a struggling blue line, definitely gave Minnesota a boost. They had an extra jump in their step.

At the start, it wasn’t lopsided. There was plenty of skating, open ice and zero penalties. With the game exclusively at five-on-five, you had few stoppages. It made for compelling action.

The most interesting aspect is that the teams combined for only four shots in the early going. Ryan Lindgren got a long shot on Cam Talbot, who made his first save. On the flip side, Georgiev started out okay by denying both Ryan Hartman and Kaprizov. Perhaps the lack of shots didn’t help his rhythm.

There was some hitting from Patrik Nemeth, who delivered a couple of thumps on one shift. His play has been night and day since the birth of his second baby boy. He and Braden Schneider are working well together on the third pair. That no longer is an issue. If they want to go out and add a veteran for security, fine. But it isn’t urgent.

At the halfway point of the first, Artemi Panarin had a good shooting opportunity in the high slot. All set up, he fanned on the shot. That would hurt. On the same shift, Kaprizov picked up the puck and blew into the Rangers zone, dropped for a Hartman wrist shot that went right through Georgiev to give the Wild a 1-0 lead at 10:38.

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It happened that quickly. Kaprizov is such an electric skater that once he gets going, you expect something to happen. The Wild fans definitely were out of their seats on a few of his rushes. Kirill The Thrill made a great dash to back up the defense and passed back for a Hartman shot that deflected off Georgiev’s blocker and in. It was a bad goal. One he should’ve had.

Following Hartman getting his 23rd, Georgiev then robbed Kaprizov after he was left alone in the slot for a good one-timer. That time, he was square to the shooter and closed up the five-hole to make a good save.

However, that stop didn’t spark the Blueshirts. Rather than swing the momentum, they did some puck watching on Eriksson Ek, who was able to redirect a Foligno wide shot over Georgiev for a 2-0 Wild lead at 14:41. Adam Fox was the closest on the play. He and Lindgren haven’t been the lock down pair since whatever was ailing him prior to the games he missed before the break.

There was some hitting after Eriksson Ek got his 17th. Both sides didn’t pass up an opportunity to finish checks. There also was the customary Julien Gauthier rush that turns into nothing. Back in the lineup for Libor Hajek, he skated into the Minnesota zone and tried a centering feed that missed completely.

Afterwards, Steve Valiquette had a good criticism. He said that Gauthier should shoot the puck more. He got the hint in the second period. The frustrating part is that as hard as he works, the former Hurricanes first round pick doesn’t contribute enough offense. I don’t see him staying in the lineup once Chris Drury decides to upgrade. At least Colin Blackwell has hands. He got his eighth for the Kraken last night.

The second had to be better. At least that was my prevailing thought. It started promising enough. After a Wild chance that Georgiev stopped, Panarin made a defensive play to move the puck out for Ryan Strome. This led to a two-on-one sequence where Strome got the puck across to Hunt for his first goal in three months at 5:03.

Predictably, on another shift Strome tried one of those dying quails for Panarin that was easily intercepted. Ugh. These two remain stuck on a combined 27 goals. Hardly enough production from the second line if this team is to make a run. What are they waiting for?

Astonishingly, there was just one penalty called. It happened when Nemeth took down Nick Bjugstad. That one Wild power play really determined the outcome.

On it, Zuccarello made a big mistake. Trying to reset by carrying the puck into his own zone, he lost control. That allowed Zibanejad to close quickly. At live speed, it appeared he hooked down Zuccarello before scoring a shorthanded goal to tie the game at 8:07. But the replay MSG provided later showed that Zibanejad lifted the stick and then made a great shot on Talbot for his 22nd. A great individual effort by the team’s best forward.

However, the Wild were still on the same man-advantage. They made the most of it. On a good play down low, Foligno was able to draw Miller to him with Jacob Trouba already in the vicinity. This left a wide open Fiala all alone for a tap in to put the Wild back up at 9:13. Credit Matthew Boldy with the pass. He’s a good rookie.

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The Rangers never recovered. Following that back breaking goal, not much happened. But an aggressive Kaprizov tried to go around Miller. Instead, Miller delivered a great open ice hit to knock the ultra talented Russian star down. It was impressive.

Miller used his body a lot more during this game. Although his homecoming playing in front of family and friends didn’t go the way he hoped, I liked the physicality. He’s playing with more purpose. Chalk it up to him trying to do too much.

Following a turnover, Dumba sent Foligno in on Georgiev where he absolutely abused him by going to the backhand for his 19th on a breakaway. Both Miller and Trouba got dusted on the play. That made it 4-2 Wild.

Things unraveled. A bad Fox pinch led directly to a Minnesota quick transition for another breakaway goal. This time, Fox lost control of the puck inside the Wild blue line. Zuccarello picked it up and sent Fiala flying in where he also was able to find room on the backhand to beat Georgiev for his second of the game.

Just like that, it was 5-2 Wild. They scored three unanswered over eight minutes. This was one team utilizing their speed, skill and grit to overwhelm the Rangers. Our side hardly got anything done on the forecheck.

Even with Alexis Lafreniere getting a couple of shots on Talbot, Gallant went away from that match-up. He opted for Ryan Reaves, who took the final two shifts of the period and started the third with Zibanejad and Chris Kreider.

Here’s the thing. As good as both have been, neither distinguished themselves in this game. Kreider and Zibanejad each had one shot on goal. Zibanejad scored shorthanded. Kreider had one of his quieter nights. I thought Lafreniere was the most noticeable of the three.

When asked why he made the switch, Gallant felt the match-up wasn’t good. But he also praised Lafreniere and said he’s very happy with him. This was a choice by the coach. It didn’t spark anything.

The third period wasn’t much to write home about. Lafreniere played with Filip Chytil and Barclay Goodrow. I was listening in the car when I caught Dave Maloney critiquing the passing part of Chytil’s game. It really sounded like an indictment of him as a center. He doesn’t make line mates better. I’ve said it for a while. He needs a change.

Although they got 12 shots through, Talbot stopped all dozen to earn the win versus his former team. He needed it for his confidence. It was the first time he allowed two goals or fewer since Feb. 12.

When it ended, a rare scene saw both teams go to center ice and shake hands with referee Brad Meier, who’s retiring. No matter what you think of refs, they’re good people. I thought this was extremely classy. Joe Micheletti also noted that this is it for Ian Walsh. A nice gesture following the game.

There isn’t much to take away here. The Rangers stunk. Far too many good players were ineffective. That included Fox, whose play has slipped at even strength. People are noticing. He had one lousy giveaway that led to a point blank opportunity Georgiev stopped. Very uncharacteristic.

Is it the injury? Who knows. Right now, i feel more comfortable when Miller is out with Trouba at five-on-five. They didn’t have a good game either. That’s how it went.

Next up are the Blues. They’ve been doing a lot of losing lately. They even were beaten by the Senators on Tuesday night 4-1. Pavel Buchnevich might not play tomorrow. He’s in concussion protocol.

You know St. Louis will be desperate. They’re not that far ahead of Minnesota, Nashville or Dallas. Four points separate second from fifth. A lot can change.

As for our team, they didn’t lose any ground. The Pens lost at home to the Panthers 4-3 in regulation. Both teams remain at 77 points with the Blueshirts having an extra game left. They’re each six ahead of the Caps, who won a third straight by coming back to defeat Calgary 5-4.

Alexander Ovechkin tied Jaromir Jagr for third on the all-time goal scoring list. His 764 trails only Gordie Howe and Wayne Gretzky. I have my own thoughts on Ovechkin and how Russian players are being treated by hockey circles. That’s for another day.

https://twitter.com/BattleOfHudson/status/1501404089527193605?t=7rDV8IPjmo1bN4mXnOwbXA&s=19

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Kreider continues great season with two goals to highlight a third straight win, Shesterkin makes 45 saves in Rangers’ victory over Jets

Posted on March 7, 2022 by Derek

When he gets going, Chris Kreider can turn on the afterburner literally. In tonight’s 4-1 win over Winnipeg, he turned on the jets literally. The Rangers won their third straight game by defeating the Jets before a very quiet crowd at Canada Life Centre.

Normally, Winnipeg is one of the loudest arenas. However, you barely heard a mouse for most of the game. That’s due to the disjointed play from their hockey team. The final stats might’ve read: Jets 45 shots, Rangers 22. But anyone who watched it knows how misleading the total shots were.

To be blunt, the game was pretty boring until the Jets finally converted on their third power play when Nik Ehlers beat Igor Shesterkin to pull Winnipeg within a goal at 13:34 of the second period. A rash of penalties threatened to change the game. But Shesterkin locked in and stopped 14 of 15 power play shots. Far too many.

For the game, Shesterkin stopped 45 of 46 shots. He improved to 10-0 when he faces 40-plus shots. The more busy he is, the harder it is to beat him. He upped his record to 28-6-3. When he wakes up tomorrow, his GAA will improve along with the save percentage that was at .940. There isn’t anything left to say. If he keeps this up, it’s an all-time season for a goalie.

As lopsided as the shots on goal were, most of the Jets’ shots were kept to the outside. Shesterkin dirty face much traffic either. This wasn’t like the heroic effort where he stole a game from the Devils. It was just him continuing to repel shots. Most of which he saw. His best one was an acrobatic desperation reverse stop that would’ve made Dominik Hasek proud. He also denied Pierre-Luc Dubois after he went around Adam Fox.

The biggest takeaway were the penalties. Gerard Gallant can’t be happy with them. They took some ill advised minors throughout. Particularly in the first two periods. Anytime you take three in a period, that’s not good. They did so in the first and still came out 2-0 up due to goals from Barclay Goodrow (12th) and Kreider (league-leading 19th PPG).

As strange a game as Winnipeg played, they still are a threat to score on the five-on-four. They boast some considerable talent in Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, Blake Wheeler, Dubois, Ehlers and Paul Stastny. It isn’t easy to keep killing penalties. They’re a good shorthanded team. But the lack of discipline can’t continue when they visit Minnesota Tuesday and then St. Louis for a rematch on Thursday. The four-game road trip concludes on Saturday at Dallas.

Winning hockey games is one thing. They do that quite well. In game 56 of 82, the Blueshirts got timely scoring from Goodrow, Kreider (37 and 38) and Mika Zibanejad to pass the idle Pens for second in the Metropolitan Division. Both rivals have 77 points, but the Rangers hold one game at hand. Don’t forget the remaining three games between the two. That’ll likely determine who finishes higher in the standings. Each trail the first place Hurricanes by six points. Carolina won 3-2 over Seattle.

Before getting into the particulars, Gallant made two lineup changes nobody could’ve predicted. Normally he doesn’t change anything after wins. But for tonight, out were Julien Gauthier and Morgan Barron. In were Tim Gettinger and forgotten eighth defenseman Libor Hajek. Neither played eight minutes. Strange.

Whatever the reason, this is what the lineup was. It basically featured 11 forwards and 7 defensemen. That allowed Gallant to double shift his better players while working in Gettinger and Jonny Brodzinski, who impressed enough on Friday night to stay in. He deserved it. Not only did he, but Soda Brodzinski received 15:21 of ice time in an expanded third line/penalty killing role.

Don’t forget they’re without Kevin Rooney. Maybe they like the way Brodzinski plays. I’ve never come away unimpressed when he has. He recently signed a two-year extension staying with the organization. It’s obvious why. He is a leader for the younger kids at Hartford. He also knows how to play the game. Kind of like former Ranger Colin Blackwell, who has seven goals on the Kraken. I wouldn’t mind a reunion with Blackwell if it’s to fill a 4th line role. But perhaps they’re taking a look at Brodzinski.

In regards to the defense, Hajek was worked in by Gord Murphy for 10 shifts all at even strength. As long as he doesn’t screw up, fine. He didn’t. The sad part is Hajek was credited with one more shot on net than Artemi Panarin.

The Bread Man is a mystifying star player who has become allergic to shooting. Sure. He picked up two assists giving him a team best 61 points. Lately, the fiddling around between him and sidekick Ryan Strome is driving me nuts. You can’t have two of your better players combine for two shots. Ridiculous. It’s also maddening watching them play with No Hands Dryden Hunt. A solid energy guy who belongs on the checking line. He finishes checks and is an honest player. That’s all.

A positive from this game was the play of the third line. Mostly made up of Goodrow, Filip Chytil and Brodzinski, they were on for the first goal. On a Chytil pass to Jacob Trouba, he drove the lane and found a wide open Goodrow for his 12th at 2:01 of the first period. Goody as Lightning fans call him, continues to close in on his career high in points for a season. He’s up to 23 (12-11-23) in Year One on Broadway. In ’19-20, he had a combined 26 (8-18-26) with the Sharks and Lightning where he won back-to-back Stanley Cups.

The bottom line is Goodrow is a good player. He can play wherever you need him. Whether it’s centering the third line or filling the void on the right side on the second line, he fits how Gallant wants to play. We’ve also seen Goody be effective with Ryan Reaves and Gauthier or Rooney on a checking line. Something we’ll probably see more of once Chris Drury makes a move for a scoring right wing.

Following the goal that opened the scoring, the penalty fest started. First it was Ryan Lindgren for tripping up Wheeler. Then, it was Chytil for holding Josh Morrisey. As they killed the first two minors with Shesterkin holding down the fort, the Jets returned the favor. After Lafreniere drew the first one on Dylan DeMelo (tripping), the second unit drew a second consecutive power play when Goodrow was interfered with by Logan Stanley. It was lazy.

Handed a second power play in a row, the Rangers made it count. After Panarin took an Adam Fox feed in the right circle, he tried to pass across for Zibanejad. However, it deflected off a Winnipeg skate right to Kreider, who lifted a backhand over the shoulder of Connor Hellebuyck for number 37 at 17:28. That made it 2-0.

It’s been that kind of season for Kreider. Everything is working for him. Whether it’s all the success on tips and deflections, or plays like that one where Panarin’s pass bounced right to him for a league-leading 19th power play goal, it has been a treat to watch our homegrown player be the finisher I always believed he could be. Maybe not to this level. But 30 goals always felt possible. He is now tied with Leon Draisaitl for second in goals (38). One behind Auston Matthews (39). Well deserved for the leader of this team.

Poetically, Trouba got a reaction penalty on Dubois, who got in a shot on partner K’Andre Miller. He didn’t like it. So, he got nabbed for taking Dubois down. Winnipeg finished the odd first period on another power play. When it concluded, they had 18 seconds left to start the second.

Naturally, the penalty kill got it done. Then, there actually was five-on-five play. It favored the Rangers. Not normally a strong even strength team, they controlled the puck and had Winnipeg on its heels for a good portion of the second. That included consecutive long shifts by the Panarin line where it looked like they’d draw a penalty or score. Instead, they did neither.

Strome also blew one of those scoring chances in front where he was all set up. How? Only Ryan Strome knows. At least he didn’t take one of his usual penalties. Now known as the Ryan Strome. I’m referring to one of those mindless offensive zone minors where the puck is in the opposite end.

When you don’t take care of business, things can get interesting. Even against inconsistent opponents like the Jets, who at times looked disinterested. I guess Paul Maurice wasn’t the problem. He thought they needed a different voice. Maybe they need to be blown up. If Andrew Copp is available, I’d be interested. He can help our lack of secondary scoring. He also throws his weight around.

Lafreniere hooked Stastny to hand Winnipeg their fourth power play. This time, they were able to convert. Instead of using their first unit, it was the second unit that got them on the scoreboard. Copp took a Neal Pionk feed and got the puck to Ehlers up top. After Kreider blocked his first attempt, Ehlers recovered it to go around Kreider and fire a shot that beat Shesterkin inside the goalpost at 13:34. It was his 14th in his 36th game.

Suddenly alive, the Jets began to skate better. They generated some chances which Shesterkin shutdown. On a forecheck in the Jets’ zone, Brodzinski went to play a puck and accidentally hi-sticked Pionk for the Rangers’ fifth minor of the game.

However, Winnipeg wasn’t able to draw even. Shesterkin made a couple of saves to prevent the Jets from turning things around. Had they scored, the crowd would’ve come alive. Instead, they still trailed by one after two periods.

If there was one message I’m sure was delivered by the coach, it was to stay out of the box. Even if you are a good team, you can’t keep taking penalties and expecting the goalie to bail you out.

In the third, Winnipeg came hard. Even as they got 17 shots on net, Shesterkin was unflappable. To their credit, the Rangers kept most outside and he was able to track most of the shots. That makes it easier on a goalie.

The Rangers got timely scoring to put it away. After a good defensive play from Lafreniere, who blocked a shot, the puck came to Zibanejad. All he did was send a bank pass off the side boards that led to a race won by Kreider over Nate Schmidt. The faster player, he made a nice move to get the loose puck and then caught Hellebuyck in between which allowed him to score on a backhand deke for number 38 at 6:21. Splendid stuff.

With the Jets reeling, some play behind their net allowed Panarin to set up a Trouba shot that took a funny hop inside the far goalpost. It looked like his ninth goal. However, it was changed to Zibanejad. He must’ve got a piece of it. Instead, it was his 22nd from Trouba and Panarin at 9:32.

SCORING UPDATE: The goal was changed back to Trouba. So, it’s Trouba’s ninth from Panarin. Braden Schneider originally got a secondary assist.

That made it 4-1. Too much for the Jets to overcome. They didn’t quit. But when you’re up against a hot goalie like Shesterkin playing the way he is, turn out the lights. Nothing else substantial happened. Even when the improved Patrik Nemeth took a Ryan Strome with a minute remaining, it didn’t matter.

This was exactly what I expected. My score prediction wasn’t far off. I had the Rangers winning 5-2. Right margin. They’re a better team than the Jets, who look like they’re headed for changes. I’m curious to see what they do at the deadline and in the off-season. They’re not making the playoffs. What a disappointment for Winnipeg.

Next up are the Wild. Minnesota isn’t winning lately. Despite the remarkable scoring of Kirill Kaprizov and splendid seasons from Ryan Hartman and old buddy Mats Zuccarello, they’re slumping. They lost 6-3 on Sunday at home to the hot Stars. Dallas has caught Minnesota in the standings. Jason Robertson had another hat trick. How did so many teams miss on him in 2017? Second round. Number 39.

Minnesota is a better team than how they’re performing. Kevin Fiala is a scoring threat. Matthew Boldy is another American rookie who has good upside. But they’re not getting much from Joel Eriksson Ek or Marcus Foligno lately. And the defense had trended down along with the goaltending. Especially Cam Talbot.

We’ll see what happens. St. Paul is a great place for hockey. Figure it to be exciting.

https://twitter.com/BattleOfHudson/status/1500660367567073283?t=TJaO4rvl0Fd_TZuO5jjXCA&s=19

3 Stars Corrections

3rd 🌟 Jacob Trouba NYR goal (9th), assist, +2 in 20:38

2nd 🌟 Igor Shesterkin NYR 45 saves on 46 shots to improve to 10-0-0 when facing 40+ shots

1st 🌟 Chris Kreider NYR 2 goals (37, 38) including league-leading 19th PPG, 5 SOG, +1 in 16:57

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Devils’ skating and skill make the difference in OT win over the Blues

Posted on March 6, 2022 by hasan4978

After losses to Columbus and the Rangers on the road, the Devils were looking to get back on the beam this afternoon against the Blues in a normally dreaded matinee game. While the Devils had beaten up on the Blues in St. Louis less than a month ago, they lost five of seven since then. Yet I was confident enough in the Devils to bother to get tickets for this game after I’d shockingly been able to sell all of my pairs for this week of home games, albeit at lower prices than I paid for them but something was better than nothing. I did want to go today though, in part because the mask mandate had finally been lifted from buildings in Newark, and partly because of the early Spring weather outdoors. Plus let’s face it, even a .500 month with some goalscoring qualifies as progress for the team.

While I normally pay zero attention to the Devils season ticket holder’s swap ticket option, I actually decided to use that last night. Given I had a pair of freebees for the Montreal game later this month, I was able to trade my normal pair for that game to get tickets today, nominally of equal value in the same price tier. It had been weeks since I’d been at a home game, to be honest I can’t even say with 100% certainty, but I think it was the Arizona fiasco in mid-January that was my last before today. As such today was the first time in weeks I’d watched the Devils fairly intently from start to finish, not counting games like the Blackhawks pond hockey extravaganza which I was only half listening to the game while it was on in the background.

It almost seemed like a lot of other people came out of the woodwork to go to the arena like me today, with an announced attendance just a hair under 15,000. Normally a full-ish crowd ready to roll on a matinee is followed by a flat performance but the first two periods this afternoon were anything but, as the Devils made the Blues look like they were skating in mud. While we weren’t able to translate that into many goals, the two we did score in the first two periods were both goals of high skill. Even though the scoreboard says that Ty Smith – returning to the lineup after a long-overdue week of healthy scratches – and Dawson Mercer scored in the first and second period, respectively, those goals were created by (who else?) Jesper Bratt and Jack Hughes’ speed, playmaking ability and puck skill.

Starting in goal for the fourth straight game was rookie Nico Daws, who despite two straight losses coming into this game has pretty much gained a foothold on the starting job for the moment. Especially with the latest reports on Mackenzie Blackwood being not promising in terms of thinking he could return this season. While I can’t really blame Lindy Ruff for leaning heavily on Daws after Jon Gillies’ last start in Chicago (and really his play the full season), I also don’t want to see us ask too much of the rookie. Four games in a week is a lot for a first-year player, especially one who had a long injury hiatus himself this season but so far the rookie’s been up to the challenge – or at least as much as you could expect considering he’s 2020 draft pick being pushed into service as a 21-year old rookie Daws’ two straight wins since coming back up to the NHL in late February is getting him some run, including a road back-to-back in Columbus, and the rivalry game against the Rangers on Friday night.

Throughout two periods, you got everything you could have wanted out of this game other than maybe a power play goal, which could have sealed it. Ironically the first couple of power plays actually looked pretty good – and I may well have jinxed it by texting my buddy this does not look like our 2021 power play – but after that, we saw shades of the early-season ineptness and a shoddy power play early in the third period was sandwiched in between two Blues goals, the first was one Daws would probably like back, an unscreened shot from Torey Krug that slithered through him. I didn’t even see the goal live as I was still getting back from the concession lines. Go figure, I was able to walk around both concourses (upper level and lower level) AND go to the restroom in the first intermission, but the second intermission wasn’t long enough for me to be able to get through a concession line several sections away. That’s one of the few things I don’t miss about sellout crowds.

Of course I’d prefer sellout crowds of almost all Devils fans. I was stunned at the noise after the Blues scored, especially not really noticing or thinking to notice crowd composition during the game. And the Let’s Go Blues! chant after they tied the game was a bit annoying. No offense, but I would expect a visiting fan presence if it was another local team (the two NY teams, the two PA teams or even Boston), or another fanbase with national/international appeal like Detroit or Toronto. But the Blues?! Even on a weekend with the Devils having a similar record to last year – 19-30-7 in 2021 compared to 19-31-5 going into today’s game, the 56th of the season – I was not expecting that. Needless to say I was annoyed to no end after the Blues tied the game, and even as the Devils stabilized it again midway through the third period I was still expecting the roof to fall in. Especially after the Blues got a late power play in the third, but fortunately the team just escaped danger when one of the defenseman (without seeing a replay I think it was Jonas Siegenthaler) saved a sure goal by swiping it off the line with his stick.

As much momentum as the Devils got with that late kill, they lost it again when they got one final chance on the power play in the final two minutes of regulation, but another failure completed our regression back to early-season form with the man advantage. Well almost back to early-season form since we didn’t actually give up a shorthanded goal. Fortunately the 3-on-3 OT has been better for us this year than special teams, and this time it was Dougie Hamilton who showed his skill by deking out Ville Husso after Pavel Zacha was able to spring the defenseman for a mini-break in the offensive zone. Perhaps apart from scoring seventeen seconds into the season, it was surely Hamilton’s most memorable goal as a Devil so far in just his sixth game back from a broken jaw, and for once sending me and another near-sellout crowd home happy, well the non-Blues fans anyway.

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The Igor Wall denies Devils, Shesterkin makes 32 saves in Rangers’ 3-1 win

Posted on March 5, 2022 by Derek

Tonight’s game can be summed up this way. IGOR SHESTERKIN. His stupendous goaltending was the difference in a 3-1 win for the Rangers over the Hudson rival Devils at MSG. Shesterkin made 32 saves on 33 shots to boost his emerging Hart candidacy.

If you don’t know by now, the Vezina is his to win or lose. In improving to a remarkable 27-6-3 for the season, Shesterkin has a 1.96 GAA and .940 save percentage in 36 games. The best goalie in ’21-22 is making the tough stops look routine. They’re not. It’s a combination of his calm demeanor and intense focus.

The Rangers held a 2-1 lead due to Filip Chytil scoring his sixth goal at 8:57 of the second period. The play was made possible by Ryan Lindgren. Victimized back in the first period by Devils lone goalscorer Nico Hischier, Lindgren made a good rush into the Devil zone and drop for a Chytil shot that beat rookie Nico Daws five-hole.

It’s been a tough year for Chytil. Between battling injuries and inconsistency, his fourth NHL season hasn’t been up to expectation. His scoring issues have even seen coach Gerard Gallant healthy scratch him three times. Playing for a second straight game centering the third line, the 22-year old Czech got the game-winner to help give the Blueshirts two points.

In 43 games, he has six goals and seven assists for 13 points. Hardly enough production from a young player who they expected more from. Without Kevin Rooney (week to week), Gallant inserted Jonny Brodzinski on the fourth line and Morgan Barron subbed in for Greg McKegg to play with Chytil and Julien Gauthier on the third line.

If he stays past the trade deadline, Chytil will have to continue to hit the score sheet. It isn’t enough to have a good game without production. For the team’s sake, he must contribute. The lack of secondary scoring remains a serious issue along with the forecheck. The Rangers don’t cycle the puck enough. It nearly cost them tonight.

The Devils had eight of the first nine shots in the third period. It was very lopsided. Half came on a power play where it felt like a shooting gallery. They must’ve attempted eight or nine with Ryan Strome off for a Ryan Strome (offensive zone- slashing). His specialty along with blowing golden scoring opportunities like the one Brodzinski put right on his stick.

That Devil power play was dangerous. For most of the two minutes, they had control of the puck and set up some great chances. The problem was Shesterkin, who turned them away at every turn. It had to be frustrating for Jack Hughes, who was held to only one shot and off the score sheet for the first time in nine games. He set up Yegor Sharangovich a lot. But he couldn’t buy one. He also missed the net high a few times. The Igor Factor.

Hischier had the most opportunities. He led all skaters with seven shots. The Devils captain was everywhere throughout. He easily could’ve had a hat trick. Shesterkin made two flat out denials earlier in the game including kicking out a tough backhand in tight.

There also was a flat out robbery from Shesterkin on Jesper Bratt. Another good scorer who entered over a point-per-game, Bratt got one shot. It was off a great extra pass from Hischier for a one-timer that forced Shesterkin to stretch out and make a great pad save. That’s how locked in he was.

Daws wasn’t bad either on the other side. Making his first appearance at The Garden in the big Hudson Rivalry, he finished with 29 saves on 32 shots. That included a busy first period in which he stopped 15 of 16 to keep the game tied at one.

At the start, the Blueshirts came out aggressively. They fired shots through on Daws, who was strong. It took an effort play from Mika Zibanejad to open the scoring by putting home a rebound of a Jacob Trouba shot for his 21st at 11:11. Trouba and Chris Kreider drew the assists. Alexis Lafreniere was involved as Trouba’s shot rebounded off Daws to Zibanejad to make it 1-0. He was also involved later on.

But with a one-goal lead, the Rangers fell asleep less than three minutes later. On a tentative play by both Zibanejad and Adam Fox, neither played a puck. With Lindgren also in the vicinity, Hischier picked it up and blew past Lindgren and whipped a perfect shot past Shesterkin high glove at 13:56 to tie the score. It was the eighth goal for Hischier over the last 10 games.

Ryan Reaves nudged Daws to earn a goaltender interference penalty. It was enough to hand the Devils their second man-advantage. Rather than take the lead or even gain momentum off of it, they were outworked and out-hustled by the Rangers penalty killers. That included Brodzinski, who was very effective in 9:28 with 2:39 coming shorthanded. I’d prefer to have him in the lineup over McKegg.

With under a minute to go in the first, things got heated between Barclay Goodrow and P.K. Subban. Sick of his shenanigans and remembering what happened to teammate Sammy Blais, Goodrow had enough. He finally got Subban to drop the gloves when it appeared he’d duck him. Goodrow got the decision with a takedown. Both earned five minutes off with 4:47 carrying over to the second.

Following a wide open first, the second was much more tightly played. Both teams played more cautiously. Even though they limited the Devils to just five shots, at times the Rangers struggled with their speed. Both Fox and Lindgren still are having issues in their end. Their play has become more choppy allowing opponents to get chances.

While the top pair hasn’t been totally in sync, that’s clearly not the case for Trouba and K’Andre Miller. Both are playing some of their best hockey. Whether it’s Trouba delivering a huge hit that energizes the team, or a more active Miller using his skating to jump into the rush, their chemistry is undeniable. It was a very strong game for Trouba, who made his presence felt.

The only penalty in the second came from Mason Geertsen when he knocked down Trouba from behind. However, the first Rangers power play was horrid. They couldn’t complete passes and never got anything set up. Credit the Devils for playing an aggressive penalty kill. Overall, the Blueshirts went 0-for-3 with only three shots. It just didn’t click.

Ironically, it was a good play from an on-rushing Lindgren that led to Chytil firing a wrist shot from the slot past Daws at 8:57. His sixth of the season gave them the lead for good. Lindgren made a good read in the neutral zone and backed up the Devils before passing back for the Chytil goal. One he desperately needed.

The Devils made a push late in the period to even it. But following the Shesterkin robbery on Bratt, he came out and challenged Ryan Graves, who ran out of real estate. Shesterkin’s mask came off. But he made sure to get back in net so they wouldn’t pull him from the game. He’s a very confident player.

After outshooting the Devils 9-5 in a much quieter and dull second, things picked up in the third. It was all New Jersey during a lopsided first half. They pressured continuously to generate some good chances. It didn’t matter. Shesterkin wouldn’t allow them to put a puck by him. He was a human brick wall.

That included consecutive stops on Sharangovich and Andreas Johnsson during the Devils’ power play. He also denied Hischier twice more. When they killed the penalty, Brodzinski came out two-on-one with Strome. He made an elevated pass that sat up perfectly for Strome to bury. Only of course he didn’t. So, the game remained 2-1.

Both Patrik Nemeth and Jimmy Vesey each got slashing minors during a scrum to lead to four-on-four. The Rangers got the better opportunities with Strome missing a tip-in and Trouba having a backhand stopped by a sliding Daws. He also missed wide on the rebound.

Did I mention Trouba was good? He was the best defenseman. Without him, this team would be softer than Ben Simmons. I’m pretty sure he could sponsor Hostess. I hope no Brooklyn Nets fans read this blog.

After a couple of saves by Shesterkin, the Rangers used a set play from their end to put the game away. Taking advantage of the Devils gap, Zibanejad skated freely into their zone and then waited for a driving Lafreniere to push the D back. He then dished across for a pea from Kreider that went in and out of the net quickly for number 36 at 11:37. Fox picked up the secondary assist with the perfect outlet that set up the play.

Leading by two, Lafreniere nearly made it 4-1. But Daws shutdown his low backhand to keep his team within striking distance. The more he plays with Zibanejad and Kreider, the more confident Lafreniere looks. He’s more aggressive and thinking shot more while knowing when to pass for open teammates. His growth as a player is why Pavel Buchnevich became expendable. They’re better off for the present and long-term.

A Johnsson roughing minor put the Rangers back on the power play. Johnsson showed frustration during a scrum by getting involved with Goodrow. Booing target Subban gave Chytil a shove after his shot was saved by Daws. That caused the extracurricular activity.

The third power play was the only one that had looks. In fact, Kreider was all set up for one of those tips in front, but just missed. That close to goal number 37. Leon Draisaitl leads the NHL with 38. One up on Auston Matthews and two ahead of Kreider.

The little used second unit got two good opportunities. Chytil had a shot denied by Daws. Then, a pinching Miller missed a point blank shot wide. It was nice to see them set up some chances. They hardly are used and rarely score. That’s an area that must be upgraded. You can’t rely on one great top unit when the playoffs start. It’ll become harder.

Following a good Lafreniere takeaway, Artemi Panarin put the moves on Subban who predictably stuck his leg out to take him down. At least it wasn’t like the horrible ACL injury to Blais. He got right up and started the power play which was two minutes off the clock.

When it was over, the players congratulated Shesterkin, who again stole the show. Although he wasn’t selected as the game’s First Star, he was in my book. Listening to Bryce Salvador talk on the Devils postgame, he had high praise for our goalie who stole the game. It’s been that special a season for Igor.

Now, it’s a four-game road trip that begins at Winnipeg on Sunday. The Blueshirts will also travel to Minnesota, St. Louis and Stars. All should be good tests. Exactly what you want at this time of year.

The Rangers are now 35-15-5 in 55 games. They have 75 points which rank third in the Metro. With the Pens blowing a 2-0 lead in a 3-2 overtime loss at Carolina, they are still in second with 77 points. But have played 57 games. The Hurricanes lead the division with 81 points. Like the Rangers, they have 27 games remaining.

Over the next two weeks, a lot will go into what decisions are made by GM Chris Drury. The lack of scoring depth remains problematic along with a lack of consistent forecheck. Staples you must have to compete in the Spring. Ryan Reaves and Goodrow are two of the players who will comprise a checking line. Who completes it? Is it Gauthier? We’ll see.

We know more scoring is going to be needed. The Rangers have been linked to J.T. Miller. But why would the Canucks trade their best player, who is signed through 2023? They could move Brock Boeser and possibly Conor Garland. That makes more sense. The Canucks are still in the wildcard hunt.

Whatever happens depends on how the team performs. This road trip will be interesting. By the time it ends next Saturday, it’ll be over a week from March 21. Let’s enjoy the ride.

Battle Of Hudson 3 Stars

3rd 🌟 Jacob Trouba NYR primary assist on Zibanejad goal, 2 SOG in 7 attempts, 4 hits, 5 blocks, +2 in 20:55

2nd 🌟 Mika Zibanejad NYR goal (21) plus 🍎, 4 SOG, 17-for-26 on draws, +1 in 19:53

1st 🌟 Igor Shesterkin NYR 32 saves on 33 shots, 9 for 9 PP, 11/11 in 3rd

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Inspired third period gives Rangers their 18th comeback win over Buchnevich and Blues, Kreider gets winner on power play, Shesterkin picked up by team

Posted on March 3, 2022 by Derek

Even the best players have off nights. For a 2:14 stretch late in the second period with his team leading 2-0, Igor Shesterkin became human. He allowed three straight Blues goals on three consecutive shots. The stunning turn of events quieted the home crowd.

It was a rarity for a great goalie who’s spoiled fans with his brilliant play. If you saw the three goals, it wasn’t only about Shesterkin. The Rangers stood around and watched including Adam Fox on a David Perron go-ahead tally with 16 seconds left in the period.

Suddenly trailing after two periods, they dug deep to put together an inspired third to pull out a 5-3 win over the Blues at The Garden. It was their 18th comeback win of the season. They’re tied with Columbus for the most in the NHL.

That’s this team. They never quit. Not under Gerard Gallant. On a night where former Ranger Pavel Buchnevich returned to MSG and got an acknowledgement on the video board followed by cheers, it was the Rangers who found another way to win a game.

They did it by showing heart. Even though they’re far from perfect as has been documented, the leadership on this team is good. Even without a captain, you know Chris Kreider, Jacob Trouba and Mika Zibanejad are going to keep them focused. It doesn’t hurt to have high character guys like Barclay Goodrow and Ryan Reaves either when things get tough.

Buchnevich was kept off the scoreboard in his first game versus the Rangers. It wasn’t for lack of scoring chances. He had a few including a close call on a breakaway that his friend Shesterkin got just enough of to keep it out. Both grinned afterwards. Captain Happy is in a good spot with his new team. He played with Robert Thomas and Vladimir Tarasenko. Not bad, eh?

For the game, Buchnevich wound up with five shots and finished minus-two. I’m sure that’s not what he had in mind. But it isn’t always the way you draw it up. He also set up some teammates for some opportunities and passed on a couple of more shots. He didn’t pass up the chance to deliver a good hit on former teammate Adam Fox early. Something he wouldn’t have done a few years ago.

That unique storyline aside for the NHL On TNT, you had two good teams facing off. Or as pal Sean McCaffrey termed it, the Emile Francis Cup. An astute observation considering Francis worked for both teams. It was his work behind the bench and upstairs that got him inducted into the Hockey Hall Of Fame. Ironically, he went in with all-time great Ranger Rod Gilbert. It’s definitely sad that neither are no longer around. They mean so much to the Rangers franchise.

The game was a tale of two. In the first part, you had a playoff style battle featuring strong goaltending from Shesterkin and Ville Husso. The second part saw it open up dramatically when the Blues got three in a row on Shesterkin to set up the strong Rangers’ third.

It wasn’t dull. I could’ve done without the dreadful finish to the second that turned a two-goal lead into a one-goal deficit. The bottom line is they showed a lot of character coming back to end the two-game losing streak. Now, we’ll see if they can build on it when Jack Hughes and the suddenly offensive minded Devils visit Broadway on Friday.

Early on, the Blues did a good job controlling play. They were able to sustain their forecheck in the first few shifts. Despite an early 3-0 lead in shots, the Rangers kept them to the outside.

Dryden Hunt boarded Brayden Schenn from behind for the game’s first penalty. That’s where the Rangers lifted their game. They had a strong penalty kill to keep the Blues at bay. It shifted momentum.

It was not long after that we heard from the Buchnevich replacement Alexis Lafreniere. A more confident player with and without the puck, he got to the front of the net to deflect a Fox shot off Husso and then put in his own rebound for his career high 13th goal at 8:55.

A determined play by a young player getting better. Lafreniere is up to three goals and an assist over his last four while playing with Zibanejad and Kreider on the top line. He still doesn’t get many shots, but he’s thinking it more. When Wayne Gretzky praises you during a national broadcast, that is a ringing endorsement.

Following the Lafreniere goal, Tarasenko got his stick up on Kevin Rooney, who took it near the eye. The Rangers’ first power play wasn’t able to convert. Rooney would later exit due to an upper body injury. He didn’t play in the second period. It might’ve been due to blocking a shot. Gallant had no update.

Taking a one-goal lead into the second, the Blueshirts went back to the penalty kill due to an unnecessary Reaves interference minor in the offensive zone on Ivan Barbashev. Even though it wasn’t a smart play, the penalty kill got the job done. Reaves then emerged from the box and led Kreider for a quick rush and shot that Husso covered.

There were some opportunities to increase the lead. Twice, Artemi Panarin had wide open looks in the high slot and didn’t shoot the puck. One was mystifying. Although he’d pick up his level and wind up with three points including a badly needed empty net goal for his 15th, he’s still not shooting enough. If Gallant is gonna continue to play Hunt with Panarin and Strome, the Bread Man needs to think shot more.

Personally, I think Phil Kessel would be a good fit for that line. He’s on an expiring deal and stuck in Arizona. Even if his shots haven’t been going in, the 34-year old two-time Stanley Cup winner is still producing on the Coyotes. He has 33 points (6-27-33). If you stuck him with Panarin and Strome, he’d get plenty of opportunities and bury a few. It also wouldn’t cost much.

In the second half of the period, St. Louis picked it up. That featured K’Andre Miller losing the puck at the blue line to allow Buchnevich to get a clean breakaway. One on one with Shesterkin, it looked like he would score. He had him fooled, but Shesterkin was able to get Buchnevich’s five-hole trick shot to just push the puck wide of the net. It was that close to being tied.

The funny part was you could see him grin afterwards. They definitely exchanged some playful words. It wasn’t the only chance Captain Happy had to beat Shesterkin who got the customary “Ig-or, Ig-or,” chants from the crowd.

There was also a strange sequence back in the first where a back checking Buchnevich broke up a Zibanejad pass, but accidentally put the puck on his own goalie. Husso calmly made the save. Imagine if that had went in.

That’s hockey. I laughed. It was easy to see the humor in it. Don’t forget the rematch with the Blues is in eight days. Given the commentary made from O’Reilly about the game, there should be some juice to that game in St. Louis.

While this drew the usual overreaction from some of our fans, I don’t mind. Big deal. He has a point. The Rangers gave up a lot of quality chances. They didn’t defend well enough. The suddenly struggling Fox included. At least he got involved offensively. I think he’s not fully recovered from whatever kept him out prior to the break. It’s affected Ryan Lindgren.

Aside from the Reaves minor earlier on, the second was largely played at five-on-five. That was edge Blues due to their superior scoring depth. Although it didn’t materialize until much later, they were the better team.

Strome didn’t seem to mind. On a subtle play from Panarin where he threw the puck in front, Strome redirected it in one motion past Husso at the near goalpost for his 12th goal at 16:36. It was a nice play. A bit surprising he scored on it.

Ahead 2-0 with 3:24 left in the second, the Blueshirts were in good shape. Right? Wrong. Before you could even relax, O’Reilly scored 54 seconds later on a good pass from Brandon Saad. They burnt both Lindgren and Fox on the play. Something that’s becoming an alarming trend. The top pair has to play better defensively.

Over a minute later, Jordan Kyrou sent Barbashev on a quick hitter up the ice. He moved in and beat Shesterkin high glove from the left circle to suddenly tie the score. It happened that suddenly.

The nightmarish finish wasn’t over. On a good forecheck from O’Reilly, he came out from behind the net and centered for a David Perron one-timer that surprised Shesterkin short side at 19:44. Three consecutive goals on three shots over a 2:14 span.

Just absurd. The game changed. Instead of taking the lead to the locker room, the Blueshirts trailed. It was shocking. But if you watched, you noticed them leaving Blues wide open. They could’ve had a couple of tap-ins. However, the passes didn’t connect.

Following the crazy end to the period, the Rangers responded with a strong third. They’re used to coming back in games. So, it didn’t faze them.

Most revealing is that the tying goal came from an unlikely player. Patrik Nemeth was back in the lineup after getting a few days off to be with his wife after she gave birth to a baby. He played fine with Braden Schneider on the third pair. Even more startling was him getting his first goal as a Ranger to draw even at 7:27.

The play was made possible by Hunt. Although I’m not crazy about him on the second line, he brings an honest approach. He was able to pass in front for Strome, who had Husso down at a tough angle. He wasn’t quite able to finish. But the loose puck came back to Nemeth, who caught a break when his soft wrist shot went off a St. Louis player and in tying the score. Call it fate. It was a nice reward for the new Dad.

A Colton Parayko delay of game put the Rangers on their second power play. After moving the puck around well which included a rare Panarin one-timer that Husso somehow kept out, Gallant opted for his timeout with 43 seconds left on the man-advantage. The refs let him use it late during the stoppage.

Initially, it looked like they drew up a play for a Zibanejad shot. However, Kreider lost the offensive draw and the Blues cleared the zone. Undeterred, the Blueshirts transitioned up ice and got set up. Panarin set up a Fox one-timer that Kreider tipped in for his league-leading 18th power play goal. His career best 35th gave the Rangers a 4-3 lead with 8:20 remaining. Clutch stuff.

On the next shift, Jacob Trouba leveled Kyrou with a clean hit. However, that’s not permitted anymore. So, Schenn defended his teammate. Trouba was ready and obliged. Although Schenn got the knockdown to earn the decision, I love how Trouba plays the game. He’s become the most important defenseman they have.

No disrespect to Fox, who is among the league leaders in defense scoring. It’s Trouba who plays with the physical edge necessary that goes a long way in long series. Without him, they’d be soft.

Anson Carter thinks they need to add one more tough defenseman. He could be right. But Schneider plays the game similarly and shows poise for his age. If they are in the market for one, Mark Giordano makes sense. What would it cost if Seattle makes him available?

With the Blues attacking, Lafreniere slashed Saad to hand them a power play. Their third of the game was the best one. Buchnevich had two good chances in tight. But Shesterkin wasn’t biting. He denied him twice. Shesterkin also made another save on Torey Krug.

When they needed a big stop, Shesterkin was there. He wasn’t going to give up another softy. The Blues put 13 shots on him in the third. None got by him. The Rangers got two past Husso and totaled 14 shots of their own.

It was enough to win. It sure helps when your goalie is so cognizant. In a sequence I’ve never seen before, a hurting Lindgren was down after blocking a shot. In obvious pain, he was helped by none other than Shesterkin who gave him a couple of pushes to get to the bench. Astonishing.

With Craig Berube lifting Husso for an extra attacker, a Fox clear for Panarin allowed him to put it away with 1:52 remaining. He didn’t smile. It looked like he was more annoyed with himself. He hasn’t been scoring. By the end of the night, he had three points including his 15th goal. Maybe that’ll get him going.

Next up are the Devils. I mentioned the play of Jack Hughes. He’s been on a major roll. The 2019 top pick is now a young superstar who scores and sets up goals. He does things at lightning speed. You have to know where he is at all times. Jesper Bratt is also over a point-per-game. Nico Hischier is hot too. It should be a good test despite their record.

That’ll do it for now. Stay tuned for something fresh. Enjoy your Thursday!

https://twitter.com/BattleOfHudson/status/1499226298920714245?t=ap5bsRDjgkkdXayL1-iaHg&s=19

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Buchnevich returns to MSG as Blues visit tonight, Lafreniere improvement, Kakko injury update, Panarin concerns, the Fast Effect, what Drury must address

Posted on March 2, 2022 by Derek

In a few hours, the Rangers will play host to the Blues at MSG. The game can be seen on TNT at 7:30 PM. That means face-off probably won’t be until 7:40 or so. Another reason to not be crazy about national broadcasts. They delay the second game of the doubleheader even more.

For the Rangers, they will look to snap a two-game losing streak. Following a lost weekend where they went over five periods without a goal until Alexis Lafreniere ended that drought, they’ll need a better start tonight. They don’t want to lose a third straight with the calendar now March.

If they plan to win, it’s advisable for them to score early against the Blues. Whether it’s Jordan Binnington or Ville Husso, the objective is the same. St. Louis is a good team with plenty of talent.

A key part of that nucleus is Pavel Buchnevich. After being dealt last summer for Sammy Blais (out for season) and a second round pick, the 26-year old right wing has delivered for his new team. After signing for four years at an average cap hit of $5.8 million with a moderated no-trade clause, Buchnevich is having a career year.

Coming off his best output of 48 points in 54 games last season with the Blueshirts, Captain Happy enters tonight’s game with 19 goals and 27 assists for 46 points in 46 contests. For the first time in his six-year NHL career, he’s a point-per-game player.

Part of his improvement is due to former coach David Quinn. While he wasn’t too popular here, credit Quinn for making Buchnevich a more responsible player. By having him kill penalties in ’21, it turned him into a more complete player. He led the Blueshirts with three shorthanded goals last year. He matured and showed more of his quirky personality.

When Team President and GM Chris Drury made it apparent that Buchnevich was probably a goner due to his off-season plan, you felt bad. It was nice to see Buchnevich evolve into a more consistent player. He was one of our own. A homegrown talent they took in the third round at number 75 in the 2013 NHL Draft.

While at times his inconsistency drove fans nuts, it was all part of the process in development. Sometimes, expectations become unrealistic for a young player. By the end of his fifth and final season as a Blueshirt, he finally was ready for the next chapter in his career.

Unfortunately, that meant a scenery change due to Drury foreseeing cap issues. His foresight proved correct when he extended both Mika Zibanejad and Adam Fox. Combined with the wise additions of Barclay Goodrow and Ryan Reaves to address the lack of grit on the roster, the Rangers are a better team this season. Sometimes, you have to make sacrifices to improve.

For most of ’21-22, there have been complaints about how much they miss Buchnevich. There’s no doubt his production can’t be replaced. However, Rangers brass knew that going in. With Lafreniere now in Buchnevich’s old spot on the top line with Zibanejad and Chris Kreider, he’s starting to show flashes of what made him the top pick in 2020.

It isn’t easy for a 20-year old left wing to make the transition to the right side. It’s coming. Lafreniere enters the match with two goals and a helper over the last three games. Even when he doesn’t hit the score sheet, you see the growth and maturity of a player who’s improved defensively under Gerard Gallant. The skating and forechecking are also better. He’s making more plays with the puck. His comfort level is a key to the Rangers’ season.

The Rangers were also hoping Kaapo Kakko could help fill the void left by Buchnevich. However, he struggled with consistency. Prior to an injury which now seems pretty clear to his wrist (seen with a cast on at Sunday’s game), Kakko had five goals and nine assists in 37 games. He’d gone a dozen games without a goal prior to the club revealing that he’d be out with an injury for a while. For whatever reason, they kept it top secret as if Kakko was in witness protection.

If it has to do with the wrist, that would help explain why Kakko rarely shot the puck. He never had more than two shots over his last 10 games totaling just 11. His improved skating and overall game didn’t suffer. He’s a plus-seven with 12 takeaways in Year Three. The question is how much longer will he be out? If he’s in a cast, that could mean we don’t see him until after the March 21 trade deadline.

It’ll be interesting to see what Drury decides between now and that key date. With the current roster clearly lacking scoring depth, they need to upgrade. You can’t have Dryden Hunt playing on the second line with Artemi Panarin and Ryan Strome. Both of who have been disappointing. A combined 25 goals through this point of the schedule isn’t enough production from two of the top four scoring forwards.

They need to acquire a scoring right wing that can produce on the second line. That would relieve some of the pressure. Panarin hasn’t looked like himself lately. Is it partially due to the conflict back home between Russia and Ukraine? It has to be on his mind.

It isn’t easy for Russian players to play right now. There’s plenty of opposition to Russia due to that disgusting tyrant Putin. Alexander Ovechkin has been publicly harassed by reporters for his past support of Putin. He has a family back home. This is a very complicated situation.

We know Panarin has family in Russia too. He already experienced a very uncomfortable situation last year due to nonsensical accusations former KHL coach Andrei Nazarov spewed. Since he took time off for personal reasons, it’s my opinion that he hasn’t been the same player. The Tom Wilson incident didn’t help matters. At least he feels protected now thanks to Reaves.

The Rangers pay Panarin a lot of money to be their top scoring forward. While the production of 56 points (14-42-56) in 48 games is still respectable, there have been too many games where he isn’t as noticeable. Panarin has a good shot. In Year One on Broadway, he was brilliant scoring 32 goals with 63 assists for a great total of 95 points over 69 games. That was MVP caliber stuff from the Bread Man.

If you look at what he’s done since, there’s been a drop-off in the goal department. Not so much last year. He still got 17 in 42 games. But the 14 he has in 48 show a trend. His shooting percentage is still a solid 11.6 percent. However, he’s 14.3 for his career. They’re not going in as much. He blew a great chance off a Strome feed in a recent loss. He needs to bury those.

Maybe not having Jesper Fast hurt more than previously thought. The gritty Fast did a lot of grunt work by digging out pucks and winning battles to free up time and space for Panarin. His hustle also benefited Strome. They were a great scoring line.

But Fast left following the August 2020 debacle for Carolina ironically. The same opponent that humiliated the Rangers in three games. Brady Skjei’s big hit early in that preliminary series knocked out Fast. Who knew he’d sign there? He’s doing the same stuff there. Quickie has 11 goals and 21 points with a plus-14 rating for the first place Hurricanes.

In case you’re wondering, Fast had simular production in ’19-20. He had 12 goals and 29 points with a plus-16 rating while mostly playing with Panarin and Strome. Almost all of it at even strength. An area he continues to excel at.

Colin Blackwell was a solid pseudo replacement last year. He had chemistry with Panarin and Strome. It was due to a similar work ethic. Blackwell was good in the corners and went to the net for goals. Maybe they overlooked what he brought. But they didn’t protect him. He hasn’t come close to matching what he did last year with Seattle. It makes you wonder.

If the second line hasn’t been as effective at five-on-five, what about the bottom two lines? Gallant prefers gritty checking types like Greg McKegg and Hunt over more skilled players like Filip Chytil. Following two healthy scratches, Chytil will be back in the lineup.

A disappointing player with only five goals and seven assists in 41 games, the 22-year old has to be better. Injuries aside, Gallant wants Chytil to pattern his game after the well rounded Zibanejad. Will it happen? I still think he’s better suited for the right wing than center. They tried him there with Panarin and Strome. He had some success. At this point, it looks like he’s being showcased. I don’t expect him to remain a Ranger past March 21.

If Chytil is in, who’s out? Morgan Barron, who hardly played enough in the losses to Pittsburgh and Vancouver? If he is, that means McKegg is still in. While I respect his honest game, you can’t have him in your lineup. Not when most of the secondary players are hardly scoring. Kevin Rooney has gone almost three months without a goal. Hunt as well. When Reaves is your most noticeable forward aside from the versatile Goodrow, that’s not a good sign.

But this is what it is for now. They have 19 days to decide what to do. The upcoming games will help Drury determine who he should covet. I’d imagine Vitali Kravtsov is available. As long as they don’t trade Braden Schneider or Brennan Othmann, we’re good. I would prefer to keep Zac Jones, who was optioned back to Hartford. Jonny Brodzinski was recalled. He recently signed a two-year extension. He’s been a good player for Hartford. Well deserved.

With Jones sent down, that means Patrik Nemeth is ready to return. Congrats to him and his wife on the birth of their newborn baby! Hopefully, he can play like he did in his last game with Schneider.

As for Buchnevich’s return, I’m sure they’ll do a video montage during the first stoppage to acknowledge him. He’ll receive a nice ovation from fans. I am not crying over his success. I’m happy for him.

For those experts who can’t seen to understand why he was traded, do you dislike where the Rangers are in the standings? Does anyone believe Kreider would have had a career high in goals (34) and be leading the league with 17 power play goals? They go hand in hand. It’s worked out well for both players.

Don’t forget some of the talented Blues Buchnevich gets to work with. That’ll be on display tonight. If he gets a goal, the cheers will go to boos quickly.

Happy Birthday 🎂 🥳 🎉 to Henrik Lundqvist!!!!! He blows out the candles on number 40. It’s hard to believe. I remember following him when he plays for Frolunda in Sweden. I was excited about a seventh round pick. Who knew. Hope it’s a wonderful day for the King 🤴.

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Jack Hughes scores a highlight reel goal in Devils rout of Canucks, former ’19 top pick establishing himself as a superstar

Posted on March 1, 2022 by Derek
Jack Hughes continues his torrid play establishing himself as one of the game’s brightest young stars. Photo by Derek Felix courtesy MSG-Plus and New Jersey Devils

The Devils are scoring goals at a high clip. Jack Hughes is front and center during a hot stretch that’s seen them score seven times in three times over the last seven games.

They’ve totaled 37 goals over that span. That means they’re averaging over five goals per game since a 7-1 win over Montreal on Feb. 8. Offense isn’t a problem for a red hot Devils who now boast a 20-year old superstar in Hughes. His highlight reel goal to open the scoring during last night’s 7-2 rout of the Canucks was the latest proof of what the explosive center is capable of.

Following a Vancouver turnover, Hughes exploded through the neutral zone into the Canucks end at warp speed before ripping a laser past Jaro Halak for his 16th goal. The unassisted tally was breathtaking. Here’s how it looked and sounded.

https://twitter.com/BattleOfHudson/status/1498462678322405377?t=1Xzi_4ay6Ak6LF1ZeSY7lg&s=19

Hughes has become a breathtaking player to watch. Almost every game, he does something incredible to get fans out of their seats. No longer struggling as he did his rookie season after the Devils took him first overall in the 2019 NHL Draft, Hughes has a four-game multi-point streak. He has 10 points (3-7-10) over that stretch.

Dating back to Jan. 31, he has a seven-game point streak (5-8-13). If you go back further, Hughes has produced eight multi-point games since 12/29. That includes five three-point games. He’s registered 11 goals and 19 assists for a remarkable total of 30 points over that 19 game stretch. Prior, he only had eight points in the first 14 games.

How good is that? It shows how special Hughes is. The hype was real. It took a while. He overcame a shoulder separation that cost him over a month. With 38 points (16-22-38) in 33 games, he’s over a point-per-game on a team that isn’t there yet. The Devils remain a work in progress due to an inconsistent defense and lack of a proven number one goalie.

Without both Mackenzie Blackwood and Jonathan Bernier, rookie Nico Daws is splitting time with Jon Gillies. It’s the play of the 21-year old third round pick in 2020 that’s shown promise. In his second consecutive start after making 37 saves in a 6-1 win over Pittsburgh, Daws made 36 last night to win a second straight game. He is young. So, they’ll probably micromanage which games he gets. Perhaps it’s Daws who’s the future in net.

Hughes is doing this while playing with the much improved Jesper Bratt, who with a goal and assist hiked his total to a career high 50 points (19-31-50) in 48 games. The 23-year old Swede has been a steal for the Devils. Picked 162nd in the sixth round of 2016, he’s gone from an inconsistent 30-point secondary scorer to a consistent performer in his fifth year. That means he’ll get paid this summer as a restricted free agent.

Is the jump real? Playing with Hughes helps. But it should be noted that Bratt only plays on the top power play with him. He is on the second line with Nico Hischier, whose play has picked up. Bratt is a big reason for that.

When it comes to Hughes, he makes everyone better. Yegor Sharangovich has surged since being put back on the top line with Hughes. The second-year forward scored for a fourth game in a row. He also added an assist. He has a seven-game point streak (5-6-11) entering tonight’s home match at Columbus. Prior to that run, Sharangovich only had 17 points in his first 40 games. He’s a streaky player with a nose for the net. Could the 2018 fifth round pick stick? He’s certainly benefited from playing with Hughes.

With him establishing himself before he turns 21 (May 14) after the season, Hughes is the face of the franchise who gave him an eight-year extension worth an average cap hit of $8 million. That now looks like a bargain. They invested in a talented player who has the character and drive to become one of the game’s elite. You also see the disappointment when he makes a mistake. There’s an edge to the kid from Orlando with the quirky personality that’s similar to American buddy Trevor Zegras. The confidence isn’t cocky. He’s that good.

I had suggested that coach Lindy Ruff should move rookie Dawson Mercer into the top six. Originally, he was playing his natural position at center on the third line. That wasn’t helping production wise. By bumping him up to the first line where he’s shifted to the right side, Mercer has picked it up. With a power play goal and helper on Monday night, he has six points in four games. He’s up to 31 points for the season.

With Hughes everywhere, it really keeps opponents honest. Take a goal Sharangovich scored in a recent game. He stole the puck behind the Chicago net and threw a backhand on goal that turned into a rebound which Sharangovich put in. Hughes created it with his quick thinking. He’s the kind of player who can open space. Now that he’s shooting the puck and finding success, that allows him to find teammates for good looks.

Although the results aren’t consistent due to the issues they still have as a team, Hughes’ growth bodes well. With Dougie Hamilton back and getting his eighth goal yesterday, and Jack’s younger brother Luke Hughes having a great freshman year at Michigan, it won’t be long before a third Hughes joins the NHL. Jack got bragging rights over older brother Quinn last night. He’ll be footing the bill on a piece of art they want to purchase for their house.

At 19-29-5 with 43 points, the Devils have 29 games remaining on the schedule. Game 54 of 82 is at the Blue Jackets later tonight. Columbus is hanging around. Had they not blown a third period lead in a tough one-goal loss to the Pens, they’d be within eight points of the slumping Caps. Instead, they’re still 10 behind with two extra games left.

The Blue Jackets have also been scoring goals lately. So, the game could be entertaining. The Devils will go with Gillies on a back-to-back while Columbus starts J-F Berube. Figure there to be some offense. If you care about the goal total, it’s 6.5. It’s not hard to imagine the two teams going over that number.

While the Jackets are still in wild card contention, the Devils are playing the role of spoiler. They also have players who are playing for their future. That includes Damon Severson and the polarizing P.K. Subban. Andreas Johnsson too. Do any of them get moved later this month? GM Tom Fitzgerald has decisions ahead.

Devil fans don’t have to worry about Hughes. He is the franchise player who’ll only get better.

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Demko stones Kreider, Rangers as the Canucks win at MSG, Miller Time, spirited third period comeback too late, questionable lineup decision by Gallant

Posted on February 28, 2022 by Derek

It was too little, too late for the Rangers. A spirited third period comeback didn’t change the outcome. In the end, Thatcher Demko (31 saves) and a dismal second period were too much to overcome in a 5-2 loss to the Canucks at MSG.

Playing for the third time over four days, the Blueshirts didn’t have the same pep in their step. Despite a solid first period where they probably deserved better than a two-goal deficit, the Rangers couldn’t maintain the pace in a bad second that saw them outscored 2-0 and outshot 15-6 to fall behind Vancouver 4-0.

Ultimately, the flat middle period was their undoing. Even on a rare night where backup Alex Georgiev made the start and was expectedly not at his best, the play in the second was miserable. Chalk it up to the busy schedule catching up. Now, they’ll have two days to recover before the Blues visit on Wednesday. A TNT game.

Make no mistake. The first period was good enough. The trouble was Demko, who made some terrific saves including several big ones on top finisher Chris Kreider (game high 8 shots). By night’s end, he must’ve wondered what he had to do to get one by the Canucks starter.

These were Grade A chances. I counted at least five that he could’ve scored on. Between Tristan Jarry Saturday and Demko on Sunday, Kreider probably should have past Leon Draisaitl and tied Auston Matthews for the goal scoring lead. Instead, he still sits at 34. Two behind Draisaitl and three in back of Matthews.

In the first period alone, Demko stopped all 13 Rangers’ shots. It was high quality stuff from one of the better goalies whose numbers aren’t as good due to his team. They don’t play well defensively. However, they are back in the playoff picture since veteran coach Bruce Boudreau took over. He encourages a more aggressive approach which means they do score. They just put up seven on Calgary to end their 10-game win streak.

A huge part of that offense is J.T. Miller. Originally a first round pick of the Rangers who had some good years here, the 28-year old American has developed into a star forward in Vancouver. It took a trade out of Tampa Bay for him to finally mature to become the complete player we see now.

Having entered play on fire with 11 points over his last five, Miller added two more points with a pair of assists to set up the first two Canucks goals. Both were primary. On each, he was on the puck and created opportunities for teammates. Now playing center, Miller has shined. If he really is available for the right price at the March 21 trade deadline, then Chris Drury should be on the phone. This was a great showcase of the kind of impact player Miller is. I already cited in the previous post why I don’t think the Rangers will be able to get him.

If you were watching closely, then you saw why Miller is highly coveted by contenders. It was his play on the puck that drew attention before he passed it to Tanner Pearson for the game’s first goal at 3:12. One misguided fans pinned on Georgiev. A goalie who last played on Jan. 27. I don’t count his 41 second cameo versus Boston on Feb. 15.

To be blunt, Gerard Gallant has mishandled the backup goalie. It’s understandable why he’s played Igor Shesterkin as much as possible. He’s a great goalie and the Vezina frontrunner. However, it came at the expense at getting Georgiev a few more starts to keep him sharp. Every goalie needs work. A small area that Gallant left open to criticism.

It’s not often I’ll critique Turk, who’s done an outstanding job. However, he butchered Georgiev and also made a questionable lineup decision not dressing a healthy Filip Chytil for a second straight game. It’s one thing to roll with the same lineup after a win like the one they had against Washington. But quite another to keep out a more capable scorer in Chytil for a bunch of checkers that can’t put the puck in the ocean. He left himself open to criticism.

Some might say how can I support an inconsistent young player like Chytil. While I’m not exactly a big fan of the former 2017 first round pick, the fact remains that he’s a better option on the second line than Dryden Hunt. A gritty forward whose game I respect. He hasn’t scored a goal since Dec. 1. I’m not going to bother with how many games it’s been. You do the math.

There’s no reason to play Hunt with Artemi Panarin and Ryan Strome. Why Gallant chose to go back to it over Barclay Goodrow is mind numbing. I get the logic behind wanting Goodrow to anchor a strong checking line. He’s proven effective with Julien Gauthier and Ryan Reaves. However, the versatile Goodrow has also produced when used on the second line. At the very least, Gallant should’ve made the switch before the third period. Hunt went back to the fourth line.

If they aren’t using Chytil, then how does it help his trade value? I’ve concluded that he’s not long for Gallant’s team based on what he expects. However, by not playing him, it only hurts Chytil’s value. We’ve seen him look more effective playing the right side with Panarin and Strome. Why not go back to it for now until Drury makes a move? It’s a better option.

Especially if he wants to keep Goodrow in that checking role with Reaves and Gauthier, who continues to play hard. Unfortunately, he also continues to blow scoring chances by missing the net like he did on a great rush. Just call him Stone Hands Goat 🐐. That’s my new nicname. This isn’t a knock either. Gauthier is a hard-working player who draw peernalties and goes to the net. He just can’t finish.

Speaking of which, can you play all checkers on your bottom two lines and be successful? By continuing to play Greg McKegg along with the ice cold Kevin Rooney (no goals since 12/7), it hurts the scoring. There isn’t much depth to begin with. He also decided to take another look at Morgan Barron. A checking forward who only received 7:53 of ice time after getting 7:41 yesterday. Nothing against Barron, who looks like a serviceable player. But if you’re going to play him, PLAY HIM!

Chytil wouldn’t get so little ice time. But Turk has decided that he’s better off with a healthy Keg Man. At least Gauthier broke 11 minutes. You never know how Gallant will use his bottom six. It varies game to game. Tonight, with them trailing by four, he decided to take the handcuffs off and play certain players more. Understandable with how little he got from Panarin and Strome. Yes. They did combine for a goal to make it interesting late. But they aren’t getting it done.

Here’s a question for the coach. Can your team survive when your leading scorer has only 14 goals and your second center just scored his 11th of the season? That BTW matches Goodrow, who’s plugged everywhere. If they don’t make an upgrade soon, the scoring is going to disappear. It’s already beginning to.

Since defeating the Panthers 5-2 on Feb. 1, they’ve scored three goals or more in only one of the last six games. That came against the Caps on Thursday. A team that’s headed the wrong way. The Rangers have totaled 11 goals over that span since returning to action on Feb. 15.

There’s also the status of Kaapo Kakko. Sean McCaffrey spotted this via Twitter. That’s a cast. Yikes.

We know honesty isn’t the best policy with MSG. Kakko is missed. Despite my gripes about his lack of finishing ability, he can forecheck and is defensively responsible. His return is up in the air. That’s even more reason for Drury to work the phones for a top six forward. Preferably someone who’s offensively capable. Phil Kessel still qualifies. He might not be the player he once was. But his 27 assists and 33 points would rank in the top six on our roster. He plays on the Tucson Coyotes.

While the Rangers figure it out between now and March 21, they know there are players available who can help the offense. As I’ve noted before, it’s very top heavy. Kreider leads in goals with 34 followed by Zibanejad, who has 20. It drops off to Panarin (14) and the emerging Alexis Lafreniere, who got number 12 earlier to place fourth ahead of both Strome and Goodrow.

It would also help if Adam Fox looked at the net and tried to score. He passes up a lot of open shooting opportunities. The one in the Pens’ loss was frustrating. As special a player as he is, Fox needs to think shot more. You don’t have to ask Jacob Trouba to shoot. He does when it’s available. They haven’t been going in. He’s in a slump with no goals over the last 11. Trouba has eight goals on 143 shots while the better scoring Fox has seven on 94 shots. I included tonight.

The power play has also cooled off. Granted. They haven’t been getting as many recently. But they took another collar in three attempts. They’re 0 for the last 8. When the man-advantage isn’t as efficient, that means they must score more at even strength. Something they did in the 4-0 shutout of the Caps.

If you run into a hot goalie, that doesn’t help. Both Jarry and Demko were over 24 hours. Demko not only robbed Kreider, but also thwarted Zibanejad early before Miller found Pearson open for his 10th to put the Canucks in front.

Trailing by a goal, the Rangers went to the power play on a delay of game from Luke Schenn. The best chance came in front with Kreider stoned on the doorstep by Demko. This would become a theme throughout. Gauthier would then break in and miss completely on a backhand by sending it into the corner. Stone Hands Goat 🐐.

A couple of shifts later, Demko stopped Strome on a tip-in. He really was the story. It continued later in the period. After Panarin drew a hook on Vasily Podkolzin, Kreider was robbed twice more on consecutive point blank shots from in tight. Then he missed on a backhand. He usually converts these. Not tonight.

In a crushing sequence, Demko robbed K’Andre Miller on another backdoor try with under a minute left. The Canucks quickly transitioned the opposite way with Matthew Highmore and Miller combining to feed Tyler Myers for a shot that went off the far goalpost and banked in off of Georgiev, who was a bit off his angle with 39 seconds left. That was a huge turning point. Of course, it was the first goal for Myers. A Blueshirts tradition.

The second was nothing like the first. It was completely different. Following an early Trouba shot on Demko, the Canucks tilted the ice. Georgiev settled down to make some good saves. That included a strong denial on Alex Chiasson.

However, a Zac Jones pass up the boards to no Ranger went right to Luke Schenn for a wrist shot that Juho Lammikko redirected past Georgiev for his sixth at 6:06. On the play, Jones sent the puck around, but there was no support. Instead, the Canucks turned it into a goal that made it 3-0 thanks to a good Schenn pinch.

With Vancouver continuing to press the attack, it appeared that the Rangers were running on fumes. Considering the gas prices, I think we all can relate to being on an empty tank.

I wish Ukraine wasn’t under attack by Russia. I follow a local reporter who traveled back home to cover it. Thankfully, she’s safe and has been providing updates while traveling with many other Ukrainians to Poland. The situation is insane. God bless them. I can only imagine what they’re going through. That’s my only war reference in this blog. Pray for peace. 🇺🇦💙✨

Back to the game. In a period where not much went right, the Rangers failed on another power play. It wasn’t even close though. They didn’t set up much. The Canucks were aggressive forcing turnovers.

After the power outage, Goodrow took a very lazy holding minor when he grabbed Elias Pettersson. Most of the penalty kill was good. However, they couldn’t quite keep the Canucks off the scoreboard. With only one second left on the power play, Highmore got loose and deflected in an Oliver Ekman-Larsson shot at 15:16. That made it 4-zip.

As the period wound down, you could hear collective groans from the crowd. What really disappointed me were the boos some “fans” gave our team as the second expired. On what planet did they deserve that? This team has done nothing but overachieve. They’re a good team that’s going to the playoffs. Those aren’t true fans. What fools.

Entering the third, I wanted to see this team compete. It would’ve been easy to go away and lose even worse. One thing about the ’21-22 Rangers is they never quit. There was a lot of fight in them for period nine over the last four days. That’s called character.

Gallant decided to start Ryan Reaves on the invisible second line with Panarin and Strome. One thing he did was deliver a big hit on defenseman Quinn Hughes. That woke the crowd up. It wasn’t the only instance in which Reaves finished a check on Hughes. I was half wondering if the Canucks had anyone who could respond. Hughes is their top defenseman and young. There wasn’t any response.

With the Canucks backing off a little bit, suddenly the Rangers began to pressure them. A noticeable change from Gallant was his increased usage of third pair Zac Jones and Braden Schneider. They were good in the period. There definitely is chemistry. How about the give and go Jones tried with Schneider. Only Demko prevented a highlight reel goal by staying up to get a blocker on the Schneider high shot.

Gallant also mixed up his line combinations. One player whose name kept coming up was Lafreniere. We’ve seen his confidence grow. Finally, Zibanejad skated into the Vancouver zone and dished the puck across for a lightning like one-timer Lafreniere whipped top shelf past the outstretched glove of Demko. His 12th at 9:53 got the fans back into it.

Still down by three, the re-energized Rangers kept coming. Suddenly, they pinned the Canucks in for shifts. It was Demko again being called upon to make key stops. You could feel momentum shifting.

For most of the third, I hadn’t noticed Panarin or Strome. Then, out they were when Panarin finally did something. He sent a pass down low for Strome, who was able to sneak it in past Demko right in front. That made it 4-2 with 5:57 remaining. The crowd erupted.

On the scoring play, Fox added his 43rd assist. His 43 helpers lead all NHL defensemen. It also gave him 50 points on the season. Even though he wasn’t particularly good in this game, Fox always must be accounted for.

As soon as the scoreboard changed to Canucks 4, Rangers 2, Boudreau didn’t mess around. He called his timeout to pause the Rangers’ momentum. He didn’t say anything to his players. He didn’t have to. It was just a reminder. A very smart move by a proven coach who has his team within a point of the wildcard after their poor start.

With over three minutes left, Gallant lifted Georgiev for an extra attacker. Unfortunately, they never got any closer. Demko made the saves. He stopped 12 of 14 in the third again stoning Kreider, who was everywhere despite not scoring. That’s what we now expect from him.

Following a Demko outlet, Pettersson was able to find just enough of an angle to send a backhand by Jones that hit the target to make it 5-2 Canucks with 2:09 to go.

Was this loss disappointing? No. Only because it was the second of a back-to-back following an emotionally charged game that was physical. They didn’t have a lot left. Could they have won had Shesterkin started? Possibly. But I only felt Georgiev gave up one bad goal. The crusher to Myers. He was okay making 29 saves on 33 shots. It was his first start in a month.

The only part that annoyed me was Gallant’s insistence on playing Hunt on the second line. Mystifying. He’s a fourth liner. That’s fine. Use him that way. As a high energy guy. Similar to Gauthier.

Both Panarin and Strome need to get it in gear. The games are going to get tougher. There’s 29 left. They need the Bread Man and his center to pick it up. They’re likely not getting a new right wing until at least the second week of March. Panarin is supposed to be the superstar who drives it. He hasn’t been for a while. They pay him a lot of money. It’s not just to pass the puck or over pass.

Next up are the Blues. You know what that means. Pavel Buchnevich. The next three days are going to be insufferable thanks to NYR Twitter. A place where a bunch of misfits don’t realize that Kreider’s success came due to the subtraction of Buchnevich, who’s also succeeded without Zibanejad. He had to go due to the salary cap. Otherwise, they couldn’t keep Zibanejad and extend Fox.

Had Sammy Blais stayed healthy no thanks to the dirt bag P.K. Subban, nobody would care about Buchnevich. Good for him on finding a new home in St. Louis and reaching his potential. Newsflash. It would’ve never happened here. See Kovalev, Alexei. A much better player who needed a change of scenery to blossom.

I’m not going to add anything else. The Blues are quite good. They boast better players than Buchnevich. Vladimir Tarasenko. Brayden Schenn. Ryan O’Reilly. Jordan Kyrou. Robert Thomas is a very underrated playmaking center. Buchnevich definitely has benefited from the talent the Blues have. They have more scoring depth. Even Ivan Barbashev is a 40-point player. Plus that pest David Perron.

They’re like the polar opposite of the Rangers. Lots of scoring. Depth. But questionable goaltending. Unless Jordan Binnington is able to regain his Stanley Cup form. He shutout the Blackhawks. But they’re not good. Is he going to regain his job over Ville Husso? We’ll see.

That’s going to wrap things up. If you want to follow our hockey account, that’s BattleOfHudson on Twitter. If just me, it’s DFlex2123. I am sometimes on either. Depends if it’s a busy hockey night. Wednesday, I’ll probably be back on our official Battle Of Hudson account. See you soon! Stay safe. 💜 ✨⭐

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Rangers and Penguins gave us a glimpse into potential first round series, the controversial call on Lindgren a reminder of NHL hypocrisy, it’s Miller Time with Canucks in town

Posted on February 27, 2022 by Derek

Yesterday’s afternoon game was the return of the NHL on ABC. In the old 3 o’clock window that I previously mentioned from my days spent at ESPN in the trailer providing Stat paks for the production crew, the Rangers and Penguins did battle in the Steel City on Saturday.

Considering that the rivalry dates back to the classic Patrick Division in the old Wales Conference where I’m reminded of Messier, Leetch, Graves and Richter doing battle against Lemieux, Jagr, Francis and Barrasso, it was the right choice by ESPN/Disney for hockey’s return to ABC. Unfortunately, there’s no Gary Thorne, Bill Clement or John Davidson to provide the commentary that made those games compelling. Yes. Thorne is missed on ESPN these days. He really was the voice of National Hockey Night. Great energy mixed with the right flair.

Now, we get Sean McDonough and Ray Ferraro. McDonough is a pro. So, I don’t mind him on the call. Ferraro is excellent on color and has been at it a while in his seamless transition from successful hockey player to good analyst.

It’s definitely a bit strange seeing Steve Levy as a studio host instead of calling the B games which he was really good at. He sets things up with Chris Chelios and Mark Messier. Messier is a natural at providing insight. Chelios is okay. It’s not quite John Saunders (God bless him) and Barry Melrose.

That’s how long ESPN has been away. Bob Wischusen works with Brian Boucher on most of the B games. Wischusen is well respected and we know Boucher from his work at NBC. I like the addition of Leah Hextall, who is better between the benches than on the call. She has ties to Bryan Hextall, who played on the 1939-40 Rangers Stanley Cup championship team. He was her grandfather. Pretty astonishing.

Bryan Hextall scored the Cup clincher in overtime to lead the Rangers to a six-game series win over the Maple Leafs. At that time, it was the Rangers’ third Cup. As we know, they’ve only won one since. Partially due to playing all their playoff games on the road due to the circus. Something that didn’t change until the recently passed Hall Of Famer Emile Francis took over as GM in 1964. Without the Cat, who knows how long it would’ve took to make that change.

Now that I’ve provided some background to ESPN/ABC and their return to covering hockey which also includes John Buccigross on some games and hosting The Point, let’s get to yesterday’s game. One that was won by the Pens 1-0 in a playoff style contest that had plenty of checking and scrums.

Admittedly, I didn’t catch any of the second period. However, I caught the first and could tell early what kind of game it would be. Based on the Devils’ 6-1 humiliation of the Pens on home ice, I fully expected them to come out and play much better. So, when our side didn’t score early on Tristan Jarry despite an 8-1 lead in shots that included a power play, I knew it would be tough. As it turned out, they never solved Jarry, who had a great game finishing with 27 saves for his fourth shutout of a bounce back season.

I also caught most of the third period where the game was decided on a controversial call. I had just returned to the TV when Ryan Lindgren was sent off for a “hooking” minor penalty on Sidney Crosby. I’m going to be clear. I used to hate Crosby like most of our fans because he’d embellish and complain to get calls like the one they made in a well played game. I don’t think that was the case here. This was on the refs for not noticing that Lindgren made a legal stick lift on Crosby who went down with the two close together.

The play in question was harshly criticized by many circles on Twitter including from people I follow. When even Mollie Walker questions the penalty, that should tell you something. She did in her story that appeared in today’s New York Post. Good blogger friend Sean McCaffrey was pretty outspoken about it. It didn’t gel with how such a fiercely contested game was officiated.

Of course, the Penguins took full advantage of the hooking and converted when Evgeni Malkin made a great shot off a Bryan Rust pass where he one-timed it against the grain past a moving Igor Shesterkin. It was a perfect shot. Not many can make that. He did.

Crosby made the play along the wall to set up the goal. He is a generational player who recently scored his 500th career goal versus the Flyers. I respect him and appreciate what he’s been. An all-time great. At this point, he’s not working the stripes or diving. That’s why I don’t pin it on him. That’s misguided. He didn’t make the call. Look at Tom Chmielewski (who?) and Steve Kozari. They decided it.

Still, the Blueshirts played well enough to win. They controlled enough of the third to create scoring chances on Pittsburgh. Unfortunately, Jarry made the key stops. That included one on Artemi Panarin prior to the Malkin power play goal. He also thwarted Chris Kreider a few times during the game. Sometimes, credit the goalie for coming up big. Jarry did. That included a power play where Marcus Pettersson repeatedly cross checked Dryden Hunt while he was down until they finally were forced to make a call.

Two things on the critical power play. The Pens did a good job taking away the Mika Zibanejad one-timer. They also limited time and space for Kreider. That forced the Rangers to move the puck around more for shots. That included a great opportunity for Adam Fox. But Jarry somehow saved it by getting his blocker on a high labeler. I don’t know how he saw it. He also denied a Jacob Trouba one-timer and allowed no rebound.

I thought Pittsburgh really defended well in front of Jarry the rest of the third. They back checked and made it tough for the Rangers on entries. Even though they had 10 shots in a very evenly played period with the Pens getting 11, they never found the equalizer.

Shesterkin also made a few sparklers to give his team a chance. That included a point blank denial on Jake Guentzel following a good Pittsburgh forecheck that forced Trouba into a turnover. He was so calm on it like he is most of the time. That’s what makes Igor so good.

It’s too bad the game didn’t go to overtime. Imagine a scoreless game between two rivals who could meet in the first round decided in extras. This was the first of four meetings. They’ll see the Pens three more times. The next one is March 25 at MSG followed by March 29 in Pittsburgh. The final meeting is April 7 at The Garden.

With the Hurricanes winning already today and where the Pens and Rangers are in the standings, I really think this will be your first round series. Home ice could be important. The Rangers have two extra games remaining. They enter tonight’s match versus the Canucks a point behind the Pens. They’re currently playing Columbus. At the very least, let’s keep pace.

J.T. Miller returns to MSG again. It’ll indeed be Miller Time at the world’s most vaccinated. Miller paces Vancouver in scoring with 57 points (20-37-57) in 51 games. The 28-year old versatile forward is over a point-per-game. He’s been on a roll lately. He checks in with 11 points over the past five games highlighted by a four-pointer in a home rout of Calgary. In that one, Miller scored on his first NHL penalty shot, leaving Flames’ backup Dan Vladar’s jockstrap in the stands.

A superb player, Miller’s name has been attached to the Rangers for some time. He once played here before the sell off by JD and Jeff Gorton where they got nothing back for both Miller and Ryan McDonagh. Amazing how bad that trade turned out. Nils Lundkvist can’t even break the lineup and probably doesn’t have a future due to Braden Schneider and Zac Jones. Brett Howden has rebounded with a solid year in Vegas. Libor Hajek is essentially an 8th defenseman. Vladislav Namestnikov went from Ottawa to Detroit where he’s still a solid secondary forward I think Chris Drury should consider to upgrade the third line. I don’t think we’ll ever see Karl Henriksson. Yikes.

As for Miller, he has another year remaining on a contract that pays him an average of $5.25 million on the cap. He earns $6 million for ’21-22 and $4.5 million in ’22-23. Obviously, his asking price will go up when he hits unrestricted status at 30 next year. He turns 29 on March 14. Would I make the trade for him? It all depends on the cost. It’ll be more than people think. He’s a better player and point producer than Tyler Toffoli, who the Flames added. If you think they’re getting him for Lundqvist, Vitali Kravtsov and a first, I doubt it. They probably would ask for Brennan Othmann or Will Cuylle. They also reportedly have interest in Schneider, which is a non-starter for me.

It’ll be Alex Georgiev reappearing in net tonight for the Blueshirts. We’ll see if he stayed sharp enough.

One final point. Why is it okay for the NHL to punish Brad Marchand for repeat offenses, but not another established star like Nathan MacKinnon? The six games Marchand got for his lunacy were justifiable. You can’t react that way by going after and punching Jarry and then hi-sticking him. It was ridiculous. He needs to wise up.

As for MacKinnon, he can do whatever he wants. At least that’s how it looks. Ask Nolan Patrick and Vegas. Or the linesman who MacKinnon whacked. WTF?!?!

https://twitter.com/Parker85/status/1495878758888312835?t=LvyDTAp0jkSa0aWMJjQsqA&s=19

This is why the league can’t be taken seriously. Zero consistency. MacKinnon delivered a blindside hit to Patrick’s head. Anyone that knows Nolan Patrick’s history knows how reckless it was. And MacKinnon got nothing. Not even a slap on the wrist. Brutal.

That’s all for now. I’ll have something later on tonight’s game. Enjoy it.

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