Battle Of Hudson covers the Rangers and Devils, who's intense rivalry heated up in the 90's. With fresh faces added, they battle for supremacy in NYC and NJ..
Emile Francis stands behind the Rangers bench looking on. The Cat passed away at 95 last Saturday on February 19th, 2022. On Part I, we take a look back at his beginnings with the Blueshirts.
On Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022, the Rangers lost a legendary pioneer. Emile “Cat” Francis was a huge part of the Original Six franchise. He was 95.
It was as a coach and general manager that he helped shape the team from also rans into Stanley Cup contenders. A former goalie who did have a brief NHL stint with the Blueshirts in the early 1950’s after getting his start in Chicago, Francis was a backup who was a Ranger between ’48-49 to ’51-52.
Most interesting is that he was traded to Cleveland (AHL) for future Maple Leafs Hall Of Famer Johnny Bower. Bower lasted three years before he was dealt back to Cleveland. Eventually, the Leafs claimed him. The rest is history.
After spending the rest of his pro career playing minor league hockey until 1960, he made the transition to management. Francis first was an assistant general manager with the Rangers before taking over as GM in 1964. Eventually, he’d double as coach the following season.
As a GM and coach, Francis made his mark in the Big Apple. For years, the Rangers had been a struggling franchise that didn’t make the playoffs when there were six teams. The Original Six era saw the top four teams qualify for the postseason with Stanley Cup Semifinals and Finals determining the winner.
In fact, the last time they made the playoffs was in ’61-62. They lost to the Leafs in the Semifinals four games to two. Toronto won three consecutive Cups from 1962-64. Bower was the goalie for all of them. He also was part of their last Cup in ’67 with Terry Sawchuk getting six of the eight wins.
During that era, Andy Bathgate was the captain and team leader. A great Ranger who won the Hart in ’58-59 when at the age of 26 he had 40 goals and 48 assists for a career best 88 points in all 70 games, the popular center only made the playoffs four times in NYC. Sadly, the Blueshirts never advanced past the Semifinals. His final appearance with them was in ’61-62 when they lost to Toronto.
In a twist of fate, Bathgate was traded to the Leafs two years later. On Feb. 22, 1964, he was sent to Toronto with Don McKenney for Arnie Brown, Bill Collins, Dick Duff, Bob Nevin and Rod Seiling. Of the five players they acquired, Nevin and Seiling both stuck around a while and were part of the late 60’s rebuild by Francis that led to the Rangers becoming Cup contenders in the early 70’s.
While Bathgate won a Cup with the Maple Leafs in ’64 where he put up five goals and four assists, both Nevin and Seiling produced well for the Blueshirts. They easily could’ve been part of a Stanley Cup roster. If not for a bad break in ’71-72 with Jean Ratelle breaking his ankle on March 1 that season, they probably beat the Bruins to win the Cup in ’72. Instead, Ratelle returned for the Stanley Cup Finals and was not himself in a crushing six-game series defeat to Boston. Had he been healthy centering the GAG Line with Rod Gilbert and Vic Hadfield, that would’ve altered history.
It was under Francis that the Rangers became a good team. In fact, they never missed the playoffs from ’66-67 to ’74-75. By the 70’s following 1968 Expansion, teams had to go three rounds to reach the Stanley Cup Finals. It wasn’t as easy to get there. Especially with the Bruins, Canadiens, Blackhawks and later the Flyers standing in the way.
When looking at the Emile Francis Rangers Era, we have to take into account some of the Hall Of Fame talent they faced during that time. Boston had the incomparable Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito leading the way along with John Bucyk and Gerry Cheevers. Along with Ken Hodge, Derek Sanderson and Wayne Cashman, they were a handful. Montreal featured Guy Lafleur, Pete Mahovlich, Steve Shutt, Larry Robinson, Ken Dryden, Guy Lapointe, Serge Savard and Jacques Lemaire. Some of the greatest collection of talent ever assembled.
The Blackhawks boasted Stan Mikita, Bobby Hull, Tony Esposito, Dennis Hull along with Pit Martin and Jim Pappin. They even reached the Final after Bobby Hull bolted for the WHA for more money in Winnipeg. He was 33 when he left the NHL. At the time, he came off his fifth career 50-goal season. What if The Golden Jet had stayed in Chicago? Hull scored 610 goals in the NHL. 604 came as a Blackhawk. There’s no telling how many he would’ve scored.
This exemplifies the kind of high caliber talent you had to face. It was no picnic. That was truly a different era for hockey.
When he first took over at 39 and replaced Red Sullivan in ’65-66, the Rangers weren’t good. They were a bad team that hadn’t been to the playoffs since 1962. In his first year behind the bench, Francis went 13-31-6. Overall, they finished 18-41-11 with 47 points to rank sixth.
At the time, the team had some good players who Francis could build around. They included Gilbert, Ratelle, Hadfield, Nevin, Seiling and Ed Giacomin. Harry Howell was near the end of his Rangers career.
In fact, the Hall Of Fame defenseman won his only Norris in ’66-67 when Francis guided the Blueshirts back to the playoffs. Poetically, Howell became the answer to a trivia question. Who was the last defenseman to win the Norris before Orr? He would own the award over a record eight consecutive years.
Over the next couple of seasons, some new faces would help turn the Rangers into a playoff contender. Names that became synonymous with the franchise’s success under Francis. In the next part, we’ll take a look at those key players who provided fans with plenty of excitement to usher in the new Madison Square Garden that opened its doors in 1968.
The best thing I can say about these last two games – besides the improved offense – is just the mere fact at least hockey’s back to stay for a while, until the end of the season in another two months anyway. In terms of meaningful hockey for fans, the season ended a while ago for the Devils but with a young team you can still get some value out of stretch run games. Particularly given we’re finally starting to see some consistent production (and health) from the Devils’ key young forwards. Since coming off the COVID list, Jack Hughes has put up three goals and six assists in a mere four games. Jesper Bratt is still humming along with four goals – and five points – in these two post-break games and captain Nico Hischier is starting to add more offense with six goals and nine points in his last seven games. Even a guy like Yegor Sharangovich is starting to find more consistency with four goals and five assists in his last six games.
Somewhat coincidentally, those six games have been one of the best stretches offensively we’ve seen from the Devils in quite some time – with thirty goals total over that stretch. You would think the team would be able to win at least five of those six games where you’re averaging five goals a game. Unfortunately this team only managed to win three out of six, underscoring the defensive and goaltending issues that are still very real. Sure it was nice to see Dougie Hamilton finally back after his own bout with COVID, a broken jaw and a couple of other so-called minor injuries but is he even 100% yet? Can’t say I trust the medical team after rushing other guys back to play this season and seeing them get hurt again – specifically our two starting goalies.
Either way it’s troubling when you have games with your supposed starting defense all nominally healthy coughing up eight goals last night, including three on the PK. Other than Hamilton and 2021-22 breakout player (or a close second behind Bratt) Jonas Siegenthaler, there isn’t one guy on this D I can say should be here next season. It’s iffy whether PK Subban will even finish this season with the team given his impending FA status. Although his cap figure makes it difficult to move him, I’m sure there’ll be some kind of a market at 50% retained – assuming they even get enough back to bother flipping Subban. Ty Smith probably will be here but my god, talk about a sophomore slump…he may be a Hughes buddy but sooner or later they’re gonna have to make a hard decision with this kid if he keeps struggling. Damon Severson and Ryan Graves both will be free agents after next season and contract decisions will probably have to be made on both this offseason, and both bring different skillsets to the table making a decision on each more interesting.
Severson is clearly the better offensive player with thirty points in 50 games this year, and makes plays that you go ga-ga over like his stretch pass to Bratt for a late second-period goal last night. Last night was peak Severson though, cause he gave back that goal with his horrendous positioning on a two-on-one conceding not only the shot but the front of the net on Kirby Dach’s tiebreaking goal late in the third period, essentially turning a two-on-one into a breakaway. What Severson creates offensively, he tends to give back offensively given the fact he somehow has a -15 with thirty points while Graves conversely has twenty points but is only a -1, so clearly Graves is better defensively though it’s not like he’s been all that great either since a hot start. I doubt the Devils wind up re-signing both so we’ll see what Fitzy does this offseason.
I’ve held off mentioning the goaltenders’ (specifically dumpster pickup Jon Gillies) role in the fact we’ve somehow lost last night as long as I could – in regulation no less – after scoring five goals, and in our last game before break number two, Gillies coughed up a 3-1 second period lead to the Lightning with a series of soft goals. I almost feel like a bully picking on Gillies at this point though, I mean he’s essentially our fourth goalie with the top two being injured seemingly for good this season, and the third string guy (Scott Wedgewood) doing his best to ruin the Arizona tank since getting claimed off waivers by the Coyotes, with a .908 save percentage in twenty starts there. I almost don’t even count Nico Daws and Akira Schmid – both of whom should be in Utica for the rest of the season – but to be fair to Daws he actually had a couple of the team’s best goaltended games this year – a sloppy win against Buffalo early in the season and Thursday’s shocking 6-1 blowout of the Penguins. Maybe he’ll get some run in the next couple weeks, but Fitz needs to get another goalie in here regardless, I’m tired of hearing about how teams are hoarding goalies via the taxi squad and COVID, you can’t keep having these kids lose these type of games and start pressing cause they have to play perfect to win with this bad goaltending and questionable defensive system.
I guess you could say at least the Devils are making games entertaining to watch but pond hockey with atrocious goaltending is the polar opposite of what we were used to around here for so long. It probably serves the purpose of being more entertaining for fans in a hopeless season, not that it did me much good since I couldn’t watch the Thursday game and was paying more attention last night to the back-and-forth pond hockey special. I’ll probably be there on Monday for my first game in a few weeks, with the mask mandates still annoyingly in effect, at least through that game. Maybe by the week after the mandate will be lifted when the Devils have four home games in six days. That, even more than the pond hockey will at least make me want to go to a few more of the games before we finally get the super long summer break we’ve become too used to as Devils fans.
Alexis Lafreniere celebrates his goal in the second period of a 4-1 win over the Caps. AP Photo by New York Rangers via Getty Images
Way back in October, there was so much anticipation for the season opener at Washington. That fell flat along with the Rangers, who dropped a 5-1 decision to the Capitals on Oct. 13.
There were no fireworks then. In Game 51 of 82, it was a complete role reversal. Even as ESPN aimlessly lobbied for a showdown between Ryan Reaves and Tom Wilson that only Mark Messier dismissed, there was nothing but total domination. In the second of only three match-ups, the Rangers had their way with the Capitals. Led by Alexis Lafreniere, they easily won 4-1 at a packed MSG to avenge the early loss.
Taking advantage of a flat Caps team that hadn’t played in a week, the Rangers were simply better throughout the match. In fact, it was by far their best effort since returning from the very long break.
Unlike the sluggish starts that had become a bad pattern, it was the Rangers who had the better of the play. Although it might not have showed in the shots which favored the Caps 11-7, that was meaningless. Most of Washington’s 37 total shots including 17 in the third period came from the outside. That doesn’t work against Igor Shesterkin, who came within 62 seconds of a shutout. No thanks to Bob Wischusen.
Even though he didn’t get the zero next to his name which drives fans nuts, Mika Zibanejad didn’t seem to mind. In the postgame, he spoke about how the much the two points matter. While they won’t be pleased about losing focus late to negate the shutout, they are now up to 71 points. When they play the Pens for the first time on Saturday afternoon on ABC (time warp), the first of four meetings will be for second place in the Metropolitan Division. Combined with a 6-1 Pens’ loss to the Devils, the Rangers moved a point ahead of Pittsburgh.
It’s exciting to have meaningful hockey back. These division games are where it’s at. Too bad the NHL schedule makers think that emphasizing match-ups outside the conference are more important. It’s similar when you have our team playing the Atlantic Division the same amount of times in some cases as an old rival like the Capitals. It doesn’t make sense. Be that as it may, all they can do is play the games on the schedule and win.
While ESPN continued to exaggerate a false storyline that ended last year under former bench boss David Quinn, all the Rangers did was out-skate, outwork and protect the house better than Washington. Even with them getting T.J. Oshie back and Justin Schultz, most of the big name Caps were missing in action. Where were Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, John Carlson, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Wilson? The latter could’ve been on a milk carton.
Credit Ryan Reaves for turning Wilson into a ghost. He didn’t run around once at any Blueshirt. Artemi Panarin had nothing to worry about. I’ve never seen Wilson reduced to a spectator. He did nothing. The best part was the one time he lined up opposite Reaves, they both skated and it was Reaves who forced Ovechkin into a turnover that led to Barclay Goodrow converting a two-on-one that made it 4-0.
Ryan Reaves assist, 5 hits, +1 in 12:54
Tom Wilson 1 shot, 0 hits, -2 in 14:57
Advantage Rangers. About that whole thing on not trading for and signing Reaves to another year? Wrong. In fact, his fourth line with Goodrow and Julien Gauthier were superb throughout putting together a few good offensive shifts. They were noticeable.
In terms of the game, the first went fast. It wasn’t played with much intensity. Whether it was the layoff or something else, the Caps were lacking. It was mostly their secondary forwards who got shots on Shesterkin, who had no trouble stopping all 11. He didn’t have to stand on his head.
More notable was the improvement of Lafreniere. The 2020 top pick looked like it in this game. Coming back to make a defensive play and get the puck out, or taking a Zac Jones outlet and then gaining a step before making a great drop for a Mika Zibanejad one-timer goal by Ilya Samsonov, he was a factor. In one of his best games, Lafreniere scored a goal (11th) with an assist while finishing plus-three. The effort was recognized by the press who gave him the game’s First Star.
On the Zibanejad goal, it was a strong power move by Lafreniere to give himself enough time to find the trailer Zibanejad for a shot that was clocked at 100 MPH. That might’ve been hard enough to throw Samsonov off. Zibanejad’s 20th went through him for the game’s first goal at 12:57. It marked the fifth consecutive season Mika has scored at least 20. For his career, he’s done it seven times.
Aside from a needless Ryan Strome minor penalty at the conclusion of the first, it was a good period for the Rangers. I didn’t agree with the call. But he always seems to get them. The one he took at the end of the second was even worse. Someone needs to get in his face and tell him enough already.
Despite giving the Caps power plays, the Rangers got it done on the penalty kill. In fact, Washington couldn’t even muster a shot on the first two. The first was negated by an Ovechkin hook on Kevin Rooney over a minute into the second period. Following some four-on-four, the Rangers actually got some set up time on an abbreviated power play. It actually was their best look. The second power play in the third was abominable.
For once, they did it all at even strength. All four goals scored came during five-on-five. An area that’s been a sore spot in an otherwise good season. As Brian Boucher noted during the ESPN telecast, they entered the match only plus-one in five-on-five goal differential. This was a step in the right direction.
The second saw the old Patrick Division rivals even in shots (9-9). It just didn’t feel that way. While the Caps did generate shots on Shesterkin, only one or two could be considered quality. He didn’t face any traffic due to the defense boxing out. In particular, K’Andre Miller had a great game. He was very active throughout and used his skating and reach to create takeaways and stifle Washington. It’s one of the best games he’s played.
When the Capitals did get a few opportunities, it was mostly off a few Rangers’ turnovers. The best one was Garnet Hathaway. He got a step on Lindgren following a stretch pass. But Lindgren forced him to go to a backhand that Shesterkin easily read to deny.
With a little over a minute left in the period, a Caps’ mishap resulted in Lafreniere getting loose to tip-in a Lindgren point shot past Samsonov for a big goal. That increased the lead to two with 1:12 remaining. Ironically, I told our friend Jon that I thought Lafreniere was finding more chemistry with Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. His confidence is growing. It was evident on Thursday night. Fortunately, our friend saw him succeed live in a win. A nice reward for a good guy.
Even with the ridiculous Strome (that’s what I’m calling it) at the end of the second, it couldn’t put a damper on a good night. This time, the Caps got three shots on their third power play. Only one was dangerous with Shesterkin kicking out a shot and easily denying a Kuznetsov rebound in which Lindgren checked him. Washington went 0-for-4 on the man-advantage.
While it was the more desperate opponent who got more shots through in a 17-5 third period, it didn’t matter. Most weren’t high quality. Even Ovechkin found it tough to get off shots from his office. Even if he got one in garbage time to ruin the Shesterkin shutout, he was reduced to a non-factor.
It was just a matter of time before the Blueshirts put this one away. A familiar face decided to do it on a play he’s known for. During the broadcast, Leah Hextall noted that Kreider had a league-leading 15 goals off tips and deflections. The most since Tomas Holmstrom over a decade ago. Sure enough, he deflected an Adam Fox point shot that Samsonov couldn’t handle and easily put home the rebound for number 34 at 6:57. That broke a three-game drought. What a year for Kreider. If Shesterkin is Team MVP, Kreider deserves the Steven McDonald Award.
Kreider needs one more to tie Matthews (35) for most goals in the NHL #NYR
Following the goal which made it 3-0, finally the Caps showed some passion. They got more physical by going after Jones. He absorbed a heavy hit on a tough shift that later led to a turnover. Oshie also caught him at center ice, leading to Braden Schneider having words with the forward. Not surprisingly, the hitting picked up. Morgan Barron nearly got into it near the benches during a heated shift.
Even with the Caps continuing to throw shots on Shesterkin, he was a brick wall. For the game, he made 36 saves to improve his Vezina candidacy. He is 25-5-3 with a 1.98 GAA and .940 save percentage. Nobody has better numbers at this point. It’s astonishing how quickly the 26-year old has dominated at this level. His stick handling allows teammates to play freely.
Even with the increased physicality, it was a play by Reaves that really typified the night. He stripped Ovechkin of the puck and sent Kevin Rooney and Goodrow on a two-on-one. Rooney patiently got the puck ahead for Goodrow, who opened up the five-hole of Samsonov to tuck a backhand past him for his 11th at 11:09.
“This is all Ryan Reaves” is all I wanted to hear for so long. Thank you random man that’s not Sam or Joe for saying that.
Game. Set. Match. They were that much better. It was decisive. So what if the shots were 37-21. That statistic didn’t matter. Anyone who watched closely knows it. This was a very satisfying win. One that really signaled how far this team has come since that ugly season opener.
When you have Igor Shesterkin, anything is possible, but the Rangers and Drury acquiring Barclay Goodrow and Ryan Reaves have been major factors to where they are in the standings. #LGR
The Rangers won’t be pushed around. Conor Sheary got into a battle with Lindgren in front of Shesterkin. That led to the two wrestling. The refs broke it up. Each received four minutes to end their nights. Lindgren is a glue guy. He might not be the biggest, but boy is he tough. He’s a warrior. Think Paul O’Neill. One of my favorite Yankees. Or Dan Girardi. He always got the jersey dirty and face. That’s Lindgren.
Unfortunately, Shesterkin lost the shutout when Ovechkin tallied career goal number 762 with 1:02 remaining. To be honest, it was doomed once Wischusen mentioned the word “shutout” with a few minutes to go. He got some hate for it. I laughed it off.
Now, it’s the Penguins tomorrow at 3 PM on ABC. Is it 2001 or 2002 again? I hated getting up early for those afternoon games in Bristol. Especially on a weekend. But once everything was sent out to the production crew, we took in the game on the ESPN Live Feed. If you’ve never experienced that, it’s classic. We got to hear the broadcasters off air make funny jokes and other cool stuff. Can I time machine back? That was fun.
Battle Of Hudson Three Stars 🌟 🤩 ✨️
3rd 🌟 Igor Shesterkin, NYR 36 saves on 37 shots including 16 of 17 in 3rd
2nd 🌟 Ryan Reaves, NYR assisted on Goodrow goal, 5 hits, turned Wilson into a pumpkin
A look back at former New York Ranger Tony Granato. AP Photo via Getty Images
In 1988-89, the Rangers boasted a pair of rookies who had an immediate impact. Of course, Brian Leetch is well known. Following a 17-game cameo fresh out of Wisconsin in ’87-88, he scored 23 goals and had 71 points to win the Calder Trophy. Number 2 would go on to bigger and better things.
While Leetch was a huge part of a bright future for the club, there was another first-year player who certainly proved he belonged. That would be Tony Granato. Selected in the sixth round back in 1982, the University of Wisconsin product actually played with future starting goalie Mike Richter for the Badgers. So, the Rangers did quite well at drafting player who played at Wisconsin.
Unlike Leetch, who lasted one year in Wisconsin before making the jump to the NHL, Granato played all four seasons for the Badgers between ’83-84 to ’86-87. He was a good scorer totaling 100 goals and 210 points. That included 73 points (28-45-73) his senior year.
After a successful college hockey career, Granato played for the Colorado Rangers of the International Hockey League (IHL) in ’87-88. Ironically, so too did his former Badger teammate Richter. Other notables included Darren Turcotte, Ulf Dahlen and Ron Duguay. In 21 games, Granato performed well by scoring 13 goals with 14 assists and 27 points.
Afterwards, he joined the U.S. National Team. That roster featured Leetch, Richter, Kevin Stevens and Craig Janney. While Leetch went on to debut with the Blueshirts, Granato had to wait until the following season.
For a sixth round pick who went number 120 back when the league only had 21 teams, Granato impressed fans with his quick wrist shot. It found twine 36 times which paced the ’88-89 Rangers. Of the 36, 28 came at even strength to also lead the team. Interestingly, he also had the most shorthanded goals with four to best Leetch and Brian Mullen, who both had three.
Among the highlights were recording three hat tricks including a four-goal game versus Pittsburgh on Oct. 30, 1988. That came a week after he scored his first NHL goal on a nice pass from popular enforcer Chris Nilan.
Granato also added 27 assists. In 78 games, he finished with 63 points, a plus-17 rating and 140 penalty minutes. His first season was recognized. He finished third for the Calder trailing winning teammate Leetch and Trevor Linden. Kind of poetic in a sense considering Leetch and Linden would meet five years later when the Rangers played the Canucks for the Stanley Cup.
The ’88-89 Rangers qualified for the playoffs with a 37-35-8 record giving them 82 points. However, their postseason was short-lived due to the Mario Lemieux led Penguins, who swept them in the Patrick Division Semifinals. Granato had a goal and assist while Leetch put up three goals and two helpers to tie Tomas Sandstrom for the team lead.
Also in that series, Richter debuted making one start in Game Four where the Pens edged the Rangers 4-3 to eliminate them. Although they lost in four straight, Ranger fans had plenty of reason for excitement. With a bright future that included Leetch, Richter, Granato and late call-up Turcotte, things were looking up.
It was early in the ’89-90 season that a surprising trade was made by first-year General Manager Neil Smith. On Jan. 20, 1990, he dealt Granato and Sandstrom to the Kings for Bernie Nicholls. At the time, Granato had 25 points (7-18-25) in 37 games. Also a good Ranger, Sandstrom had 38 points (19-19-38) with 100 penalty minutes over 48 contests.
The trade definitely was a disappointment for me. I had become a fan of Granato and liked Sandstrom, who led the team in scoring the previous season. But Smith had other ideas. By acquiring the proven Nicholls, he decided to turn the Rangers into more serious players.
As it turned out, Nicholls lasted a year and a half before he was packaged with Louie DeBrusk, Steven Rice and future considerations for Mark Messier on Oct. 4, 1991. In essence, Smith turned Sandstrom and Granato into Messier and Jeff Beukeboom, who was later sent to complete the deal. Ironic how it worked out.
In regards to Sandstrom and Granato, they became part of a contending Kings roster that featured Wayne Gretzky, Luc Robitaille and Jari Kurri. In fact, Granato put up three consecutive 30-goal seasons between ’90-91 through ’92-93. He totaled 106 goals including a career best 82 points (37-45-82) during ’92-93. A season that saw him and Sandstrom play key parts in the Kings’ Stanley Cup Finals appearance against the Canadiens.
During their run, Granato had six goals and 11 assists while Sandstrom produced eight goals and 17 assists. Gretzky carried Los Angeles past the Maple Leafs in a memorable seven-game upset in the Western Conference Finals. He had 40 points (15-25-40) to lead all scorers. Unfortunately, the Kings fell short in five games to Montreal.
Following that season, the Kings fell apart in ’93-94 missing the postseason. Granato battled injuries that season, posting just seven goals and 21 points in 50 games. He spent two more injury riddled seasons in Hollywood before signing with the Sharks.
Granato put up 25 goals and 40 points in ’96-97 to win the Masterton Trophy. The last one where he eclipsed 20 goals. He would finish his career in San Jose. His last year was ’00-01. For his career, he recorded 248 goals and 244 assists for 492 points in 774 games with 1,425 penalty minutes.
The former Ranger moved onto a successful career as a coach. He was an assistant with the Avalanche and head coach. Colorado qualified for the playoffs twice in three seasons Granato spent behind the bench. He also was a top assistant with the Penguins and Red Wings.
Eventually, things came full circle with Granato returning to Wisconsin to take over head coaching duties in ’16-17. Although record wise they haven’t had a lot of success in the Big Ten, Granato has restored pride to the Badgers. Under his guidance, they’ve produced current NHL players Luke Kunin, Trent Frederic, K’Andre Miller and Cole Caufield.
Granato was recently inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall Of Fame in 2020. A well deserved honor. A hockey lifer, the 57-year old American from Downers Grove, Illinois has returned home. After leading the Badgers to the Big Ten title last year, it’s been a tough ’21-22 season. They’re 9-20-3 overall.
How do I view Granato, whose short stint on Broadway indirectly resulted in his Rangers success leading to Messier helping the franchise win their first Cup in 54 years? As a good player, who didn’t back down from anyone. The former number 18 went onto a respected career even coming back from a brain injury due to a serious hit to the head. His perseverance in ’96-97 and surprising production as a Shark won him the Masterton for his inspiring comeback season.
All this time later, I still have a Granato ’89-90 rookie card somewhere. Whether O-Pee-Chee or Topps, it remains a nice card to have. Once a Ranger, always a Ranger!
Hockey is a game of inches. It was literally for Igor Shesterkin. With over a minute left and his team nursing a one-goal lead, he gathered the puck and took a good shot at the empty net. It looked like it was going in. The excitement in Sam Rosen’s voice was palpable. It just missed.
He was that close to scoring an empty net goal. For the Team MVP, it isn’t a shock that he can handle the puck and is a threat to score an empty netter. One day, it’ll happen. Instead, Shesterkin made a difficult stop with Brady Tkachuk in front to help preserve a 2-1 win for the Rangers over a pesky Ottawa team that skated without several regulars.
Shesterkin finished the game with 29 saves. Over half came in a good third period. He stopped all 15 Senators’ shots. The win improved him to a remarkable 24-5-3 in just 32 games. It’s that kind of superior goaltending he provides that has him as the frontrunner for the Vezina and possibly in the Hart discussion. Nobody has been better.
As special as Shesterkin is, he got enough help from his supporting cast in the win. Particularly Ryan Strome and Artemi Panarin. Strome entered the contest in a scoring slump with no goals in the last nine. He snapped out of it with a goal and assist to have a good game.
So did Panarin. The leading scorer for the Blueshirts helped set up Strome’s 10th and got the game-winning power play goal. With the Senators focused on stifling Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider (no goals in three straight), they needed the second line to step up. They got the job done.
Starts have been an issue lately. The first few shifts were controlled by the Rangers. Facing an opponent playing a back-to-back and sixth game over nine days, they looked better than the previous couple of games. However, they couldn’t get to third string goalie Filip Gustavsson early.
Instead, the Senators took advantage of a Filip Chytil turnover to start a quick counter and get the game’s first goal from Tim Stutzle at 4:52. Chytil carried the puck into the Ottawa zone, but lost it due to Nikita Zaitsev. Adam Gaudette moved it up for Stutzle who pulled up at the right circle and whipped a perfect shot past Shesterkin blocker side for his 11th.
In a tightly contested period, the Blueshirts were able to come back to tie it less than three minutes later. Patrik Nemeth made his return to the lineup after missing time due to COVID Protocol. In for Zac Jones on the third pair with Braden Schneider, he had one of his best games. It was his keep in that allowed Panarin to set up a good Schneider shot that went right to Strome, who kicked it to his stick before firing it in at 7:27. That was his first goal in 10 games.
With the game knotted, it was that third pair of Nemeth and Schneider was the Rangers’ best. They did a good job in their zone and jumped up offensively. That led to some sustained pressure. Schneider continues to play with confidence. His primary assist on the Strome goal gave him five points (1-4-5) in his first 13 games. He has assists in two of the last three. With the way he uses his size and defends along with the unique combination of skating, there’s reason for excitement. The third pair no longer feels like a weakness.
With no penalties called in another first period, the game remained even. Ottawa held a slight edge in shots 8-7. Both netminders played well. If there’s one noticeable difference since the extended break, the Rangers aren’t drawing many penalties. That means more play at five-on-five. An area they must improve at.
After a fairly even opening period, it was mostly Blueshirts in the second. At one point, they led in shots 10-2. Able to forecheck more effectively, they had a territorial edge in play. That included some good work from the third and fourth lines. Dryden Hunt did some grunt work throughout. Chytil improved his game. Ryan Reaves and Kevin Rooney worked diligently.
It was a strong shift from the second line that finally drew a penalty. The trio of Panarin, Strome and Barclay Goodrow had a good game. Finally, Panarin was hooked by Zaitsev for the game’s first power play.
On it, Ottawa really focused on stopping Mika Zibanejad from the left circle and Kreider in front. That meant more room for Panarin. He took a Zibanejad feed and took his shot. It beat Gustavsson for the key power play goal at 9:14. His 14th from Zibanejad and Strome proved large.
As well as they played throughout the second, Ottawa responded with a few good shifts to regain the momentum. Brady Tkachuk was active as usual. But it wasn’t just his line. A couple of turnovers allowed the Tyler Ennis line to apply some pressure. Ennis has always been a solid player. He was noticeable along with Connor Brown and Parker Kelly.
Hanging onto a one-goal lead, the Rangers never could find the insurance marker to pull away. Instead, it was the tenacity of Ennis that resulted in another strong shift. After K’Andre Miller was unable to clear the zone with the puck trapped in his skates, that allowed the Ennis unit to extend the offensive play in the Ranger zone. Finally, an attacking Ennis drew a tripping minor on Jacob Trouba.
On the power play for the first and only time, Ottawa created some chances. But Shesterkin wouldn’t allow them to draw even. The Senators had five shots on their one man-advantage. The Rangers had Shesterkin, who can be the difference maker in low scoring games. He was this afternoon.
The Sens never stopped pressing. They fired 15 shots in the final period. It wasn’t as if the Rangers didn’t get their own opportunities. They had 11 shots. That included a second power play when Panarin drew a hold on Nick Paul with 4:15 remaining.
Following a first half where they couldn’t get it done, a couple of whistles allowed Gerard Gallant to get his second unit off back in favor of the top unit. They never did get another puck past Gustavsson, who played well in defeat. He finished with 31 saves on 33 shots.
A couple of effective shifts spent in the Senators’ zone killed some clock. For a while, it didn’t look like Gustavsson would get to the bench for an extra attacker. However, after he finally did, Shesterkin saw the chance of a lifetime. Here is how close he came.
It really looked like it was going in. I thought so. I know my brother did after we discussed the exciting play that wound up turning into an icing with 1:15 left.
He might not have made history there joining the likes of Ron Hextall and Martin Brodeur. But one day soon, Shesterkin probably will do it. That’s how good he is at playing the puck. Something Mike Richter and Henrik Lundqvist could only dream of doing. That’s saying something. We’re talking about Rangers legends.
There was still the matter of the final 75 seconds. The Sens got one really tough point shot on Shesterkin with Tkachuk setting a great screen. Somehow, he saw it all the way and calmly gloved the puck away from harm’s way. He’s very focused. It is tough to beat him.
That save was the one that allowed him to already pick up his 50th career win. He made a little bit of history by doing so in his 79th game.
Igor Shesterkin notches his 50th career win, becoming the 14th goalie in NHL history with 50 or more wins through 79 career games played. The last goaltender to get to that mark was Jordan Binnington of the Blues on Feb. 23, 2020.
The win allowed the Blueshirts to pull within a point of the Penguins for second in the division due to Pittsburgh losing to Carolina 4-3 in regulation. With their next game not until Thursday against Washington, the Rangers have two games at hand on the Pens, who they still haven’t played. That’ll change real soon. Those will be big games.
For now, they’ll have the next three days off. Then, the schedule picks up. In between that, we’ll be thinking about Emile Francis. The Cat passed away on Saturday night at age 95. He was a huge part of the Rangers franchise. I’ll devote a separate post on what he meant to people like our father and the older generation who saw him turn around the team into Stanley Cup contenders during the 1970’s.
Chris Kreider goes for a skate against the Red Wings. The Rangers dropped it in a shootout 3-2. AP Photo by New York Rangers courtesy Getty Images
Let’s be honest. Did the Rangers get what they deserved last night? Absolutely. All you had to hear was coach Gerard Gallant in a brief press conference indicate that his team got the one point they deserved.
For a second consecutive home game after the break, they weren’t good enough to win in regulation or even overtime. Instead, they left it to chance in the shootout. This time, their coin came up heads like in The Dark Knight with Harvey Dent. They lost to the Red Wings 3-2 in the sixth round of the shootout at MSG.
When you leave it to chance, even the unpredictable can happen. Who had veteran Thomas Greiss in the winner’s pool over Igor Shesterkin? Exactly. Greiss found a way to steal it for the Red Wings by stopping five of six shooters while also making 37 saves in 65 minutes of the hockey portion.
But as birthday boy Adam Fox put it afterwards, they got a point. It isn’t always perfect with this team. Take his shootout attempt. With a chance to win it in the third round, the birthday boy lost control of the puck before his attempt. That was later followed by Mr. Wide, Ryan Strome who had Greiss totally faked out but missed a wide open net to groans at the end of five.
That was the turning point. Shesterkin was unable to stop Pius Suter in the top of the sixth. That left it up to Filip Chytil. However, the way Greiss was seeing the puck, it wasn’t a surprise that he denied Chytil on his forehand attempt to clinch the win for Detroit. So, a 36-year old netminder who entered with over a 3.00 GAA won for the eighth time this season.
You wonder if Greiss felt like he was back in Islanders gear the way he played. Not that he owned the Rangers the way Semyon Varlamov used to. Maybe I spoke too soon. Although he didn’t get as many starts versus them, Greiss has never lost in regulation against the Rangers. For his career, he is now 6-0-1 in nine games with a 2.44 GAA and .931 save percentage. Strange but true.
Is it odd that they’ve never beaten him in 60 minutes? Yes. But it’s a small sample size. Hard to believe they didn’t face him more. But that is largely due to Varlamov. Greiss is a decent backup. They shouldn’t be struggling to score at even strength on him. An issue that must improve over the remainder of the season.
On paper, the Rangers had 39 shots. Thirty-six came at even strength including 33. The other three during another scintillating three-on-three overtime that again didn’t disappoint. The goaltending from both Greiss and Shesterkin was outstanding.
So too were a couple of back checks with Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin literally hustling back to help deny Artemi Panarin from winning it on a breakaway. It was an unbelievable effort. He also whizzed a last second shot high over Shesterkin on the other end. Larkin is very impressive. He looks like an emerging star now.
For a team that only has 13 regulation wins, the Wings aren’t far away. The additions of rookies Lucas Raymond and stud defenseman Moritz Seider have really sped up their rebuild. They still can use a couple of better defensemen to help out Alex Nedeljkovic, who’s been up and down since coming over from Carolina. But they’re on the right track.
If you thought this would be a cakewalk, you haven’t been paying attention. The Rangers struggled to beat the Bruins minus Patrice Bergeron and The Rat. While they aren’t great defensively, Detroit competes hard. They have some good skaters and game-breakers in Larkin, Raymond, Tyler Bertuzzi and the very polished Seider, who in my view looks to be as good as any young defenseman. He’s impressive.
Part of the problem for the Rangers is these slow starts. For a second game in a row, they fell behind early. On Tuesday, it was Charlie Coyle cashing in on a rebound off a turnover. This time, it was Troy Stecher who of course got his first of the season 2:18 in when his shot deflected off Zac Jones and past Shesterkin.
The flat start forced them to chase the game again. Something Gallant emphasized. It is an area that must be corrected. Too often, they rely on their all world goalie to bail them out. As special as Shesterkin is, he isn’t always going to be able to do it. Especially when the games get tougher. Think playoffs.
They can get away with the inconsistent play against a Detroit or Arizona. They won’t be able to in a seven-game series against a Pittsburgh or Carolina. It really becomes about sustainability. As much as we love this team, they still have a ways to go.
New York Rangers pay tribute to Marc Staal in his first game back at Madison Square Garden. pic.twitter.com/jo8jeF74dI
The game also marked the return of Marc Staal. He was given a nice video tribute by the Rangers and got a well deserved ovation from the appreciative crowd. In watching him throughout, he still gets the job done defensively. He might not play as many minutes, but Staal fits in well with the Red Wings. He’ll always be one of my favorites. The guy had so much heart coming back from injuries including a concussion by his own brother.
Five-on-five is a legit concern. Two goals in the first two games back isn’t going to get it done. They haven’t exactly earned many power plays. An area they excel at. If not for a Robby Fabbri tripping minor on Fox, Mika Zibanejad doesn’t bury his saucer pass for his 11th power play goal to tie the game with 8:09 left in the third period. Zibanejad sure has a rocket from his office.
A frustrating aspect is the play of Strome. A good player who’s been productive playing with Panarin, he’s been ice cold for a while. He went a ninth straight game without a goal. He only has four assists over that span. With three goals all coming in early January including the last versus Toronto on 1/19, Strome needs to hit the net more. A very unselfish player who thinks pass first due to Panarin, he can’t continue to be so predictable. The over passing leads to turnovers. Something Panarin is also guilty of. He passed up two wide open shots from prime scoring areas.
The Rangers are very top heavy. They really lean heavily on Panarin, Zibanejad, Chris Kreider to score a bulk of the goals. Throw in Fox and that’s most of the offense. Especially when Strome isn’t producing.
It’s why there’s going to be a tough decision coming for Team President and GM Chris Drury. While the defense might be straightening out due to the emergence of rookie tandem Zac Jones and Braden Schneider, an upgrade or two up front is needed. With over a month to go before the March 21 trade deadline, what will the organization decide? Good question.
As the first period moved on, the Rangers finally got going. A strong shift from the first line with Alexis Lafreniere, Zibanejad and Kreider helped the cause. Trailing by a goal, they came close twice to tying it. First, Panarin found open ice and fired a shot off the goalpost. Barclay Goodrow took a hi-sticking minor when he went to lift the stick of Bertuzzi. It put Detroit on the power play.
The Red Wings got a couple of good looks on the man-advantage. But Shesterkin kept them at bay. In particular, Seider looked very poised playing the point. For a 20-year old defenseman, he is really imposing. Not only can he defend well, but he knows when to go. His 35 points make him the leading candidate for the Calder over Raymond and Trevor Zegras.
Late in the period, it sure looked like the combination of Lafreniere, Kreider and Zibanejad had the tying goal. On a beautiful passing play started by Lafreniere, who’s gaining confidence, the puck came to Kreider who had Zibanejad for what looked like an easy one. But he missed. Probably out of frustration, Jacob Trouba took down Sam Gagner to hand the Wings their second power play.
Greiss stops Lafreniere. The #1 overall pick has had one of the better games of his career tonight, even if his stat sheet is blank. #NYR
It was a hard-working Goodrow who got off a shot shorthanded on Greiss late. With time winding down, Shesterkin denied a Suter tip-in to keep the deficit at one.
The second period saw the Blueshirts pick it up. A flurry that included good chances from Panarin and Chytil were stopped by a sharp Greiss. Goodrow also misfired on a close opportunity. That kind of night.
After Greiss calmly stopped Kreider, you wondered if they’d get one past him. It took a special play from K’Andre Miller to tie the game. Buoyed by his shootout heroics the other night, following a Goodrow face-off win back to him, Miller made a great individual effort to score on a wraparound just underneath Greiss’ pads. What a play. Miller’s fourth at 12:18 was one for the highlight reel.
Unfortunately, the momentum off the Miller tying goal was short-lived. A minute and a half later, Detroit struck back to reclaim the lead. On a Seider pass, Danny DeKeyser let go of a wide shot that took a favorable carom right to Larkin for a put away at 13:48.
Larkin is up to 26 goals. He’s doing it in obscurity on a team that won’t make the playoffs. At 25, the overlooked center is up to 52 points in 46 games and is plus-eight. Since Jan. 29, he has 14 points (6-8-14). Dating back to 1/15, Larkin has posted 10 goals and 10 assists for 20 points over 13 games. Flat out dominance.
That goal took some steam out of the crowd. Despite an 18-12 edge in shots, the Rangers still trailed by one after the second period. Overall, the shots were 26-23 Blueshirts headed to the third.
With the game hanging in the balance, things got heated. Following a cheap hit from Red Wings tough guy Givani Smith who caught Julien Gauthier from behind with the puck long gone, it led to Dryden Hunt standing up for his fallen teammate. He exchanged punches with the very imposing Smith, who got the better of it.
Of course, the Rangers somehow wound up shorthanded. Never mind the cheap shot from Smith on Gauthier should’ve been an interference minor. They didn’t even assess a penalty for that crap. Instead, they gave Smith a roughing minor while Hunt received a double minor for roughing. If there’s a point of contention with the NHL, it’s these types of calls. How can they justify it? This happens all the time. At worst, it should’ve been two apiece. But no. NHL logic. What a soft league. It really would be unbelievable if it weren’t so predictable.
Gallant absolutely gave the refs the business. They deserved it. So did the fans. The familiar, “These refs suck,” chants returned. A chant more common in the post lockout days during the Lundqvist Era. It felt like the days of sitting in Section 411 when The Garden was still the Garden.
Fortunately, the Red Wings got nothing going on their third power play. With it nearing conclusion, Fabbri got his stick into Fox to trip him up behind the Ranger net. Finally a power play. They sure needed it.
Once on the five-on-four, it didn’t take long to get it set up. After Panarin moved the puck up for Fox, he feathered a perfect pass into the wheelhouse for Zibanejad, who buried the one-timer top shelf past a helpless Greiss to tie the score with 8:09 remaining in the third. Filthy.
With the game tied, both sides looked to end it in regulation. Zibanejad got a great chance from point blank range. But Greiss stoned him. Then came a dangerous Larkin bid with under a minute to go. Given too much time and space, he had a great chance. But his laser ticketed for the upper portion of the net was coolly picked out of the air by the cat-like reflexes of Shesterkin.
Jaw dropping stuff as chants of, “Ig-or, Ig-or!,” rained down. Larkin could only look skyward in disbelief. Shesterkin’s brilliance has to get Hart consideration. There’s no question he’s the Team MVP. You listen to teammates interviewed such as Miller on Tuesday and they never doubt Igor. They have full confidence in him.
The overtime was exciting stuff. Similar to the Boston game, you had a lot happening. Zibanejad tried to end it early, but Greiss wasn’t buying. Bertuzzi got a chance that Shesterkin denied. Then it was Greiss’ turn to stop a Zibanejad tip-in that felt like game over. Shesterkin then stoned Bertuzzi again and made one more save on Fabbri.
The most exciting play during the three-on-three was when Shesterkin following a save had the presence of mind to outlet for a hanging Panarin. He just didn’t have enough steam to get in without Larkin racing back to make a great defensive play. Wow.
In the shootout, Raymond beat Shesterkin five-hole in the top of the first. Zibanejad replied back in the bottom half by using his forehand deke and tuck with Greiss guessing backhand.
Then, it became a game of chicken. In Round 2, Shesterkin aggressively challenged to glove away Larkin’s shot. Panarin tried one too many fakes with his forehand try denied by Greiss. Following Adam Erne losing control of his attempt, Fox also lost the puck at the end of the third round.
Following an easy save by Shesterkin on a weak Bertuzzi deke attempt, Greiss read Lafreniere and calmly padded away his wrist shot. It was in Round 5 that the skill competition could’ve been decided. After Shesterkin made Gagner’s attempt look bad, Strome came in with speed and had Greiss dead to rights. But he couldn’t score from a tough angle, sending the puck wide of the gaping net.
That set the stage for Suter. A good scorer who the Blackhawks didn’t re-sign, he simply made one fake and beat Shesterkin blocker side to put the Red Wings up. It came down to Chytil versus Greiss. He made a strong move. But Greiss was patient enough to stuff his forehand try to give Detroit their first win in three years over the Rangers.
The next game is at Ottawa on Sunday. They’re another young rebuilding club starting to come together. They’re winning more lately. Boasting pest Brady Tkachuk, Thomas Chabot and Tim Stutzle, they’ve gotten better goaltending lately from both Matt Murray and Anton Forsberg. Even without Drake Batherson and Josh Norris, they’re competitive. Don’t expect it to be a picnic.
The Rangers will need to bring their A game. It won’t be given to them. Even in the strange environment of Ontario where only a few thousand fans can attend thanks to the clueless Prime Minister.
Battle Of Hudson Three Stars 🌟 🤩 ✨️
3rd 🌟 Dylan Larkin, Red Wings goal (26th), 5 SOG in 8 attempts, 15-for-26 on face-offs, +1 in 24:36, tremendous defensive play to deny Panarin in OT
2nd 🌟 Igor Shesterkin, NYR 31 saves on 33 shots including a game saver on Larkin to get a point, MVP caliber
1st 🌟 Thomas Greiss, Red Wings 37 saves on 39 shots, stopped last five Ranger shooters to improve to 6-0-1 career vs them
In case you’re wondering about the former Ranger coach, David Quinn had guided Team USA to a perfect record in Olympic preliminary action. They even beat Canada to earn the top seed in the elimination round.
None of that mattered. USA was upset by Slovakia 3-2 in a shootout to lose in cruel fashion in the Olympic quarterfinals in Beijing. While I haven’t actively followed the tournament, I was well aware that the group of Americans that featured several younger college prospects had done well.
That all ended on Wednesday. USA blew a 3-2 lead by giving up a late Slovakia goal that forced overtime. Following a scoreless OT, the game went to a shootout. Under Olympic rules, it’s five shooters just like soccer.
The problem was nobody could beat the Slovakian goalie. All it took was one goal in the fourth round and one more save to send a heartbroken American team home without a medal.
In the tell me where you’ve seen this before moment, here was some reaction to Quinn’s choice of shooters.
David Quinn can stay in Beijing for no Matty Beniers.
Matty Beniers is one of the best prospects in all of hockey. Having represented USA Hockey at the prestigious U20 World Junior Championships where he helped them beat Canada to win gold last year, it’s unfathomable that he wasn’t used by Quinn under the circumstances.
The Seattle Kraken first round pick has a bright future. He’s had a great year producing well for Michigan. While the less won’t have any long-term affect on the future top Kraken center, it had to be frustrating watching from the bench as five teammates were turned away.
In regards to Quinn, this is nothing new. He would frequently punish young players during his three years as Rangers coach. If they made a mistake, they’d be on the fourth line. Something that was frustrating.
While it’s true this was an entirely different situation, I can’t understand how Quinn didn’t use Beniers among the shooters. But what do I know. He made the decision. It’s an awful way to lose a big game. Especially knowing that they had opportunities to put it away in the third on the power play.
I don’t wish failure on Quinn, who is a good hockey man. But I wonder what’s next for him. Until then, there will always be this.
Twenty-four hours ago, there was a great college hockey game played up in Boston between Northeastern and Boston University. It was won by BU 1-0 on a late goal to lead the Terriers to the Beanpot Title on Monday night.
That was an exciting one-goal game that had tight checking, great goaltending and a tremendous finish. A night later at MSG, it was the Rangers and Bruins who battled tooth and nail for 65 minutes before an unpredictable shootout decided it. Thanks to a fired up Igor Shesterkin, who returned following concussion protocol, he led the Rangers to a 2-1 win in a long shootout won in the ninth round by unlikely hero K’Andre Miller.
K'Andre Miller did NOT volunteer for the shootout 🤣
What a game. The first one they’ve played in two weeks turned into one of the best of this Cinderella season. It didn’t start out that way. Predictably rusty from the 14-day layoff, the Rangers could barely do anything in the early going. A sloppy neutral zone turnover allowed the Bruins to score first when Charlie Coyle put in a rebound of a Craig Smith shot at 3:39.
While Boston took it to them, the Rangers couldn’t muster any sustained attack. They went over 12 minutes before getting a shot on goal. When Ryan Reaves did, the crowd gave a mock cheer. The Rangers only had two in the period. It was that tough to watch.
Despite only a handful of players looking awake, they only trailed by one. They were outshot 8-2 in the first. The positive was they started to get going the final six minutes. Even without testing Jeremy Swayman, who was superb making 33 saves on 34 shots, they put together some good shifts. The Bruins defended extremely well.
If they really struggled in the first, the second was much different. Playing at a much better tempo, the Rangers were the aggressors early and often in a much better second. You didn’t need to close your eyes. The action was fast and furious.
Finally able to forecheck and generate scoring chances, the Blueshirts took it to the Bruins. The ice was tilted for a good majority of the period. It started early with a flurry. Following a Swayman stop on Ryan Strome, he denied both Kevin Rooney and Greg McKegg point blank to keep the Rangers off the scoreboard.
The 23-year old Bruins rookie netminder out of Maine was very strong. Coming off a shutout at Ottawa, he carried his steady play into a classic rivalry against a better Rangers team. In fact, Swayman increased his shutout streak to five periods and over 100 minutes before the night concluded. Nearly half of his 33 saves came in a 15 shot second.
With his younger counterpart making it difficult for our shooters, that meant Shesterkin had to hold the Bruins at one. They played a smart defensive game without Patrice Bergeron and the suspended Brad Marchand. Although the Rangers had more shots the rest of the way, Boston did a good job keeping most to the outside.
The play was exclusively at five-on-five. No penalties were called the first forty minutes. There was no reason. You had a mostly clean hockey game being played by both teams. It made for a fun watch. The Rangers held a 15-9 edge in shots in the second. With the top six unable to get untracked, the third line showed flashes. Filip Chytil and Julien Gauthier each had chances. They played with Dryden Hunt.
One storyline that developed was the impressive play from Zac Jones and Braden Schneider. With Gerard Gallant indicating that Patrik Nemeth wasn’t ready to go, Jones got another opportunity and teamed up with Schneider on the third pair. The rookie tandem played very poised in their end and created some offense. Jones nearly connected with Gauthier. Schneider would later be a factor.
Still down a goal, Shesterkin made a good save on Taylor Hall. They would have another close encounter later. Adam Fox jumped into the rush on a counterattack and had a wrist shot gloved by Swayman. It was his first game back since the injury that against Columbus that kept him out before the All-Star break. He looked good. Fox finished with four shots in 24:24 to lead all Blueshirt skaters.
Jake DeBrusk got a good chance on a rush, but Shesterkin denied him. Before the second ended, Strome had another bid that was stopped by Swayman. When he wasn’t hitting the net, he was firing wide off the boards. Strome has no goals in the last eight games. They need him to pop a few.
Still trailing by a goal, the Rangers didn’t panic. With Boston opting to protect their lead, it was only a matter of time before someone got it tied.
For the most part, Gallant stuck with his four lines and three defense pairs. Outside of double shifting Chris Kreider and Artemi Panarin for shifts in the final minute of the second, he didn’t feel the need to change things up. That formula paid off.
On a smart pass from Schneider up for Hunt, he was able to find a skating Chytil who kept his skate on the blue line to stay on side. He then took a low wrist shot that jammed Swayman just enough to let out a juicy rebound that Chytil put home for the big tying goal at 6:45. It was his fifth from Hunt and Schneider. He deserved it. This was one of his better games. Especially after missing time.
Filip Chytil tucks in his own rebound to get the Rangers on the board!
Not long after that goal, Hall got behind Miller on a stretch pass for a clean breakaway. With the game hanging in the balance, a very patient Shesterkin read Hall’s move and then easily handled his backhand in tight to loud cheers and chants of “Ig-or, Ig-or!!”
That sequence came with over 11 minutes left in regulation. It is uncanny how good Shesterkin is on breakaways. He stays very calm and reads the play well. His reaction is eerily similar to predecessor Henrik Lundqvist, who in his prime was superb at big moments too. How lucky can one team get with goalies? From Lundqvist to Shesterkin. Both stolen in drafts. Unbelievable.
Jones nearly had Reaves moments later. But his tip-in just missed. What I like about both Jones and Schneider is they’re not shy about jumping in. They both seem to know when to go. That’s important. For their age, they are pretty advanced. Schneider especially. He uses his size well. He delivered a clean hit on David Pastrnak, who was kept in check. Not easy considering how hot he’s been.
The first penalty of the game was called on Miller. After getting beaten inside, he took a retaliatory tripping minor on Charlie Coyle following being checked. It was an overreaction. However, the Bruins looked lost without Marchand and Bergeron on the power play. The best chance actually was shorthanded with a Fox shot hitting the crossbar. Shesterkin denied Matt Grzelcyk from distance with a player in front.
Shesterkin would later rob Anton Blidh twice with over five minutes left. Incredible. During a stoppage, things got heated when Tomas Nosek gave Jacob Trouba a cross-check. He responded with a few punches. Each received two minutes to create a four-on-four.
Following a Jones giveaway, he hustled back to break up a pass. That’s the skating and instincts you want to see. Of course, Strome missed on a wide open chance that he could’ve scored on. He was on the puck and attempted several shots with his five pacing the team. He needs to bury a few.
During the four-on-four, Miller got a step on Charlie McAvoy who took him down. Power play good guys. They should’ve declined it. Nothing happened. Curtis Lazar got a shorthanded chance forcing Shesterkin into a save. The power play was out of sync.
With under 10 seconds left, the Bruins made a late push. Shesterkin denied both Derek Forbort and Trent Frederic. He then had to make one final glove save on a last second Pastrnak bid off a lost draw. Zibanejad lost to Nosek. That stuff will really matter this Spring.
The three-on-three was fantastic. Each side had several opportunities to end it. Shesterkin stopped Pastrnak. Then Swayman made a glove save on Panarin and denied Trouba. He also kicked out a tricky low shot from Alexis Lafreniere.
Maybe the best save came from Shesterkin when he robbed Pastrnak on a backdoor pass to stone him of the winner. The crowd went ballistic. There was so much action in the five-minute overtime that it felt like the playoffs. Tons of end to end rushes and superb saves.
Things got testy when Craig Smith banged into Shesterkin after the play and illegally put the puck in. That caused chaos with Lafreniere going right after Smith and throwing punches. He deserved it for that crap. Both got matching minors. Smith for goaltender interference and Lafreniere for roughing. Good for Laffy sticking up for Shesty.
It was following a shot on goal that led to a stoppage with 40.5 seconds left that concussion spotters phoned down to the Rangers. Out came trainer Jim Ramsay to the ice to inform Shesterkin that he had to come out. An incensed Igor slammed his stick against the glass. He was intense. I don’t blame him. But that’s the rules. They want to make sure players are okay.
Igor Shesterkin not happy after being taken out of the Rangers/Bruins game during OT pic.twitter.com/PxCPXEirD1
#NYR Igor Shesterkin did also voice his frustration a bit:
"I don't really understand the whole point of that protocol, there's 40 seconds left in the overtime. Just let me finish the play and then you can do whatever protocol you feel is necessary."
In a strange scene, Shesterkin tapped backup Alex Georgiev, who came in ice cold for the remainder of OT. Good thing he didn’t face any shots. That’s not easy. After a timeout by Gallant with six seconds to go, Kreider tried to go forward with the puck against Coyle. It didn’t work. While many wondered if Turk used the timeout to give Shesterkin extra time to recover, I didn’t. There was enough time for a shot.
With the drama building, out came Shesterkin back to the ice to cheers and more chants. This felt like a bigger scene. Not a regular season game. He really wanted to be in there to finish it. After they double checked upstairs, Shesterkin was cleared to return for the shootout. What a shootout it was.
As if there hadn’t been enough drama, out came DeBrusk who went with so much speed that it had to surprise Shesterkin. DeBrusk scored on a nice wrist shot blocker side. In the bottom of the first, a very patient Mika Zibanejad faked out Swayman with a forehand tuck to even it up.
After Shesterkin gave Pastrnak nothing by easily getting his glove on the second attempt, Panarin put on a series of moves before tucking a backhand around Swayman’s pads for a 2-1 lead. But with the pressure on, Coyle coolly evened it by beating Shesterkin glove side to set up an attempt from Lafreniere.
I liked what Gallant did there. He wanted to give the kid a chance to win it after what he did for Shesterkin. But the Broadway show didn’t end that way. Instead, Swayman read his move to the backhand to deny Lafreniere.
Following Round 3, it became a goalie duel. Nobody budged. It didn’t matter if it was a good shooter. Swayman denied Fox on a forehand deke. Shesterkin calmly gloved Hall’s shot by challenging. Even on a shootout attempt, Strome missed wide with plenty of real estate. Maybe he needs the same prescription glasses the Charlie Sheen character Rick Vaughn used in Major League.
McAvoy tried something different by going for a backhand to change the angle. Shesterkin wasn’t biting. After Swayman stopped Kreider, five more shooters came up empty including Smith, who was booed. When Gallant used Hunt, I wondered why he hadn’t tried Miller. A former forward who has speed, I suggested it. He finally listened.
I nailed this one. After fumbling the puck early which he admitted was due to nerves, Miller settled it and then made a great move around Swayman to tuck a forehand in for the shootout winner in the ninth round. What a great win. An unlikely hero. But that’s the kind of game it was.
It was really enjoyable. Most shootouts aren’t. This was. Between the Shesterkin blow up and then his return. To some of the attempts and saves. You had a few sweet finishes. It is one of the best games they’ve had. They find a way.
Although the Pens rallied to win against the hopeless Flyers which was highlighted by goal number 500 for Sidney Crosby, who cares. Sure. They didn’t gain any ground. But it’s the Rangers who have played less games. They still have some big ones against Pittsburgh. It’s exciting. That’s the 2021-22 New York Rangers. Enjoy the ride.
3 🌟 🤩 ⭐️ of Game
3rd 🌟 Filip Chytil, NYR tying goal (5th), 3 SOG, +1 in 12:35
2nd 🌟 Jeremy Swayman, Bruins 33 saves on 34 shots
1st 🌟 Igor Shesterkin, NYR 31 saves on 32 shots #NYR#NHLBruins
Hockey actually will return to The Garden later tonight. Incredibly, the Rangers are finally playing a hockey game on Tuesday when they host the Bruins. Too bad it won’t be on MSG.
UPDATE: Apparently, its one of those games where it can be seen locally on MSG or NESN. But for the rest, it’s ESPN Plus. Hot tip to Sean McCaffrey for the correct information. It’s also a 7 PM start time. Funny. But I checked the schedule last night. Glad to be wrong.
In another genius move by the NHL schedule makers, the first game in an eternity two weeks (ridiculous) can be seen on ESPN Plus. Whoopty do. I honestly hate how many of these games are being streamed. Sure. There’s a market for it. But is this really what they signed up for?
Editor’s Note: As noted above in the update, this only applies to outside markets. Sorry for the mix-up.
Fortunately, there’s a good option for non ESPN ➕️ subscribers to view the games you want to see. I don’t want to advertise it in this space. My issue is it’s not as fun streaming a game on a phone. Not everyone has your state of the art $2000 laptops or God knows what modernized devices there are. It sucks.
I don’t know how the ratings are. But it just feels like a gimmick. Of course, I have to hear from future boy all about how much better it is. Technology.
“Whatever happened to predictability, the milkman, the paper boy and evening TV. …” Full House moment for Bob Saget. It’s been on a lot. What can I say. It certainly applies these days. Danny Tanner would agree. Then the comedian who played him would tell a dirty joke. That in itself made Saget unique. He played a TV Dad, but was the opposite in real life. RIP 💜
I could go on about how I miss seeing these games on regular TV. Yes. I went there. Believe it or not, a good chunk of Rangers games used to be on the old Channel 9. Growing up in the 80’s was fun. The Yankees were on WPIX Channel 11. The Mets on WWOR Channel 9. I had a black and white TV without a remote control.
This is supposed to be a hockey blog. Or was. So much for that. I actually watched the Beanpot Final and really enjoyed it. Thanks to NHL Network for picking up the championship game courtesy of NESN. That was a great broadcast. No biased bull crap that you get with Bruins games. Just good play by play and analysis. It was nice to see Billy Jaffe doing color. He does pregame, intermission and postgame for the Bruins. How is he not doing games for a team?
Regarding the game that was aired on NHL Network, what a clinic. Boston University and Northeastern put on a show for the fans at TD Garden. For three periods, the two rivals didn’t give an inch. It was hotly contested. If you like team defense and checking with goaltending, this was spectacular. Boston University got a goal from Dylan Peterson with 2:48 left in the third period. He was the hero for the Terriers, who won their first Beanpot title since 2015. It was their 31st title.
You had over 17,000 fans there for the big game. A Boston tradition. If you wanted a perfect advertisement for fans to watch college hockey, this was it. Cheering sections for both schools with bands playing and dueling chants. It looked like an incredible atmosphere. They didn’t have one last year for obvious reasons. This was great.
I even got acquainted with a few names. You had Northeastern freshman goalie T.J. Semptimphelter making plenty of key saves against the better attacking BU. They really dictated the pace throughout. Although Northeastern picked it up in the second half, they didn’t generate enough chances on winning Boston University netminder Vinny Duplessis. He did wind up with 19 saves with most of his 10 third period stops coming after Northeastern pulled Semptimphelter, who won the Eberly Award for the goalie with the highest save percentage (.972). He stopped 69 of 71 shots including 29 of 30 last night.
Some of the players I noticed were prospects who have been drafted. That even included Rangers’ former ’18 seventh round pick Riley Hughes. The junior is the older brother of 18-year old 2022 Draft Eligible forward Jack Hughes. Yes. Another one. No relation to the Jack in New Jersey. They played on the same line and were noticeable during some shifts. I liked what I saw from the younger Hughes, who was around the net and fired a couple of shots towards Duplessis during a six-on-five.
The best opportunity the Huskies had was when during a wild sequence, Aidan McDonough got two chances at forcing overtime. After his first shot was denied by Duplessis, the puck somehow came back to him. With Duplessis scrambling around, McDonough sent a shot just over the net. If it had been on goal, he likely would’ve scored. He leads the Huskies with 17 goals and 25 points. Vancouver selected him in Round 7 in the ’19 Draft.
One Northeastern forward who caught my eye was Sam Colangelo. A slick skater who is good at creating offense, the Ducks’ 2020 second round pick was one of the most dangerous players for the Huskies. A member of the USA gold medal World Junior Championship team last year, he’s having a good sophomore year. Colangelo entered last night with 20 points (8-12-20) in 19 games. It looks like Anaheim might have another good young prospect who’ll be part of their future.
On the Boston University side, you had Luke Tuch working hard during most shifts. The younger brother of current Sabre Alex Tuch, he has some size and strength. A solid player on the cycle, he isn’t shy about delivering hits. He also took a big one after dumping the puck in. The younger Tuch was taken by the Canadiens in the second round of 2020.
I also liked Flyers former ’18 first rounder Jay O’Brien. A right center who transferred from Providence College last year, he’s a playmaking pivot who makes things happen. He’s fared well. Since joining the Terriers in ’20-21, the 22-year old O’Brien has 17 goals and 19 assists totaling 36 points over 35 games. He was 9-11-20 entering Monday’s big game.
Peterson’s winner was set up by Jamie Armstrong. He made a great pass across for a tap in from Peterson to finally get a puck past Semptimphelter. It was a terrific play. Usually in such a tight checking game, the goal comes off a bounce or deflection. Instead, BU got a pretty one to avoid overtime.
When the buzzer sounded, it was quite a celebration by the Terriers. You could tell how much it meant to the players. Now, I get the hype behind the Beanpot. You can bet I’ll be tuning in for every game in the future. It was the best game I could’ve watched on a light night for hockey.
When the Rangers take to the ice tonight, they’ll enter in third place with 64 points in 47 games. During their time off, both the Hurricanes and Penguins passed them in the division. Pittsburgh leads the Metro with 68 points in 49 games while the Canes are second with 67 in 46. Now, there no longer is a big difference in games played. The Pens play game 50 later against the Flyers. Carolina plays the Panthers tomorrow.
The time off allowed Adam Fox to get healthy. Ditto for Filip Chytil, who should be a go. During a recent team practice, he was back at center on the third line. Barclay Goodrow looks to be option A to fill the role of Kaapo Kakko on the second line with Artemi Panarin and Ryan Strome. Goodrow has been an interchangeable player. A good addition that Gerard Gallant can use in different roles.
Alexis Lafreniere stays on the top line playing the off wing with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. Lafreniere admitted that the extra time off helped him continue to make adjustments to playing the right wing. Having scored in the previous two games (both wins), he noted that he wants to shoot the puck more. Lafreniere is on his one-timer side. An unselfish team player, he’s still learning in Year Two.
Having Fox back for the blue line should help steady things. He’ll rejoin partner Ryan Lindgren on the top pair and be back running the top power play. That’ll move Jacob Trouba back to power play two which is a better fit. Especially since it’s more of a shooting mentality. Trouba pairs with K’Andre Miller, who is making strides in his second season.
It appears that veteran Patrik Nemeth will return to the lineup. If so, he should be teamed with rookie Braden Schneider. The former first round pick has been steady since his promotion from Hartford. The poise with which he plays is something that can’t be taught. It’ll be interesting to see if Nemeth can be more consistent. He’s been the weak link in the top six. That signing never made sense.
For now, you’re looking at Libor Hajek and Zac Jones as the fourth pair. Both have filled in admirably with the younger and more skilled Jones impressing Gallant. He likes his poise and skating. Even though he’s undersized, Jones is a player to watch. It’ll be interesting to see what the organization decides between now and March 21. Do they upgrade the third pair by going after a proven vet like Mark Giordano or the suggested Vladislav Gavrikov, who is signed with Columbus through next year at an affordable contract.
The Rangers know they might need an upgrade at the right wing spot in the tip six. With an unknown injury keeping Kakko out for extended time, that’ll give Chris Drury more chances to work the phones.
One candidate went yesterday with the versatile Tyler Toffoli getting moved by the rebuilding Canadiens to the all in Flames. Montreal got back a 2022 first round pick and 20-year old Swedish prospect Emil Heineman. A ’23 fifth was also included as part of the deal. I like it for Calgary. They’ve made it clear they want to go for it in Johnny Gaudreau’s walk year with Matthew Tkachuk also a key restricted free agent this summer. They have a very good roster. Why not take a shot. They should be a tough out in the playoffs.
The Habs did okay with the return of a late first and Heineman, who sounds like a hard-working prospect. He represented Sweden at the ’21 WJC scoring once in five contests. This season, he has 11 goals and five helpers for Leksands IF in the Swedish Hockey League. Montreal will have more players available including left defenseman Ben Chiarot.
In terms of some potential options if they decide to go after a top six forward, there’s J.T. Miller in Vancouver, who’s said to be shopping many players aside from core pieces Elias Pettersson, Bo Horvat, Thatcher Demko and Quinn Hughes. That means Brock Boeser could also be available. Miller was basically hinted at by Larry Brooks, who had more stuff leaked to him from the Blueshirts. He actually believes Chytil and Nils Lundkvist are a good starting point to acquire Miller. I disagree. Neither are proven. I think the Canucks would ask for better prospects along with the expected first round pick for their top skater. Miller has another year left on his deal.
Other candidates include Claude Giroux, Joe Pavelski, Gustav Nyquist and Vladislav Namestnikov. The latter two more top nine forwards who won’t be as expensive. Solid complementary players. That wouldnt be a bad way to go. Kakko likely will return. Whether he can improve his production remains to be seen. Adding quality depth up front is a necessity. That way we don’t have to ever see Dryden Hunt used in the top six. Plus Goodrow is better suited on the third line.
I’m not sure I’d go all in on this year. The Rangers have done better than expected. But are they ready to seriously challenge? I wouldn’t mortgage too much of the future. If they want to trade Vitali Kravtsov due to the relationship as part of a move that can help, I understand. Ditto for a defenseman like Tarmo Reunanen, who doesn’t seem to have a future in NYC. The Rangers boast a surplus of defense prospects. They can’t keep everyone.
I’ve seen some suggest moving Alex Georgiev. No way. He is the reliable backup behind Igor Shesterkin. If they want to move on from him with his contract up, they can in the off-season. He’s a RFA. Keep Keith Kinkaid in Hartford with Adam Huska. Kinkaid is insurance.
In regards to Boston, they’re without Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, whose latest lunacy resulted in a six-game suspension. I like The Rat. But he should seek help. Get a therapist. These incidents reflect poorly on him. He’s too good a player to be so ridiculous. At some point, enough is enough.
The Rangers must smother top B’s finisher David Pastrnak. He’s been on fire for a month, quietly creeping up the leader board. A presence on the power play and at even strength, Pastrnak is on a serious hot streak. They’ll want to pay close attention to him.
Taylor Hall has picked it up recently. He plays on the same line with Pastrnak. Those are the Bruins’ most dangerous forwards.
Goaltending has been an issue lately. Ever since all-time Bruin Tuukka Rask retired due to his hip not reacting well to games, Boston has struggled. Linus Ullmark is the number one goalie. He’s had a solid first year. Jeremy Swayman is the future in net who’ll continue to split time.
The Boston defense is led by Charlie McAvoy. A physical presence who can use his size to finish checks, he also is a good skater that can contribute offensively. While players like Fox, Cale Makar and Victor Hedman get all the accolades, McAvoy is one of the best defensemen in hockey. He might not put up the gaudy numbers of the other three, but McAvoy us a complete player. His importance to the B’s can’t be underestimated.
Boston hasn’t played well recently. That means they should come in with something to prove. Do they stick with Swayman, who shutout Ottawa over the weekend? Ullmark is the starter.
This is the second meeting of three between the classic Original Six rivals. The Rangers took the first meeting in Boston 5-2 on Nov. 26. The third and final game isn’t until April 23 at MSG.
It didn’t quite end the way they wanted it to. Even with captain Nico Hischier staying hot by getting the tying goal to extend his goal streak to four, the Devils wound up on the wrong side of a tough 4-2 loss to the Penguins in Newark this afternoon.
The defeat prevented them from picking up a third straight win, which would’ve constituted as a winning streak. Instead, the Pens did enough to earn the victory that moved them into first place in the Metropolitan Division. They are a point up on the Hurricanes and four ahead of the forever idle Rangers.
It was a winnable game. But in a season series where the road team has prevailed in each match-up, the home ice didn’t matter. Especially considering the Devils last two wins came on the road against Montreal and St. Louis.
Even the return of star center Jack Hughes wasn’t enough to get the victory. Back after missing time due to COVID Protocol, the 20-year old All-Star scored his career high 13th goal in just 29 games. For the season, the former top pick has 28 points (13-15-28). In Year Three, Hughes has certainly been productive. His offensive improvement was expected. He still has to work on being more responsible defensively.
Jack Hughes sitting in the 1-C spot during #NJDevils. Hischier moves to wing, but that will likely interchange through the game.
Jon Gillies made another start in net. Without Mackenzie Blackwood or Jonathan Bernier, it’s the 28-year old journeyman who coach Lindy Ruff has relied on. With recent ’20 third round pick Nico Daws backing up, it makes sense to lean on the more experienced Gillies.
He was okay. Facing one of the league’s top teams, Gillies made 31 saves on 34 shots. However, he’ll tell you that he should’ve had at least one goal. But overall, he played well enough for a third string netminder. As much of an issue as it’s been this season, goaltending wasn’t why they lost.
Following a scoreless first period where each side had eight shots apiece, it was the Devils who struck first. On a good play started by Pavel Zacha in the neutral zone, he got the puck to Yegor Sharangovich, who was able to lead Hughes into the Pittsburgh zone. The crafty top center was able to beat Tristan Jarry with a good wrist shot blocker side up top for his 13th at 7:02. The shot even impressed the Pens feed.
Following the goal, the Pens nearly came right back. But a quick reacting Gillies was able to get across and kick out a Jake Guentzel point blank shot to rob the top Pittsburgh finisher. It was a great save that kept the Devils in front.
However, the one-goal lead was short lived. On a strong cycle from former Devil Brian Boyle, Chad Ruhwedel passed the puck to Mike Matheson, whose long shot from the blue line snuck past a visibly frustrated Gillies to tie the score at 13:16. It was one he should’ve had with the puck going right past his glove and in.
The Devils would take an undisciplined bench minor with 90 seconds left in the second. Although they didn’t score on the power play which extended 30 seconds into the third period of a tie game, the Penguins technically took advantage when a Kris Letang one-timer was redirected home by Bryan Rust at 36 seconds of the third. The goal came six seconds after the penalty expired.
Now trailing by one, the Devils got a good bounce to even it back up 2:15 later. After receiving a pass from Tomas Tatar, Hischier was able to find enough room to take a shot from the right circle that took a Devils’ carom right off Letang and the post for lucky number 13 at 2:51. The goal extended his goal streak to four straight. Over the last four games, he has five goals and an assist. Hischier is up to 30 points (13-17-30) in 43 games.
Another minor penalty hurt their momentum. Nathan Bastian got called for tripping Jarry, who could’ve had one himself. Although they again successfully killed another Penguins power play, the Devils couldn’t get any momentum off of it.
Instead, it was the hard work of the Pittsburgh checking line that made the difference in a game where Sidney Crosby was kept from scoring his 500th goal and the returning Evgeni Malkin (Covid Protocol) was a non-factor. On a good forecheck from Staten Island native Zach Aston-Reese, he fed Matheson for a long shot that rebounded off Gillies right to Boyle, who out-muscled Ty Smith to get his sixth on the rebound at 6:58.
NHL Video Highlight – A rebound off John Gillies lands near Brian Boyle, who slaps in the go-ahead goal for the Penguins, 3-2. pic.twitter.com/bAjKf6Kntm
It’s astonishing that Boyle wasn’t on a roster last year. Now 37, the veteran center still is getting it done in a fourth line checking role on a deep Pens roster. He can still effectively kill penalties and take a few draws while also scoring the occasional goal. His grunt work proved to be the difference in this one. He finished with a goal and assist.
Although they had their chances in the third with 13 shots, the Devils never could find the equalizer against Jarry. That also included a power play Tatar drew on defensive defenseman Brian Dumoulin with under nine minutes left. They went 0-for-2 on the man-advantage.
If there was an area Pittsburgh excelled at, it was keeping most of the Devils’ shots to the outside. There weren’t many openings for Hughes or Hischier. Hughes got one good shot on Jarry from the left circle. But it was low and easily handled by the Pittsburgh starter. If he was able to see it, he stopped it.
Once time got near the one-minute mark, Ruff lifted Gillies for an extra attacker. However, strong defensive work from Crosby got the puck to Rust for a two-on-one. He passed for Guentzel, who deposited his 24th into a vacated net with 67 seconds left. That sent fans to the exits.
It wasn’t so much that the effort wasn’t there. It was the Pens simply doing enough to win on Super Bowl Sunday. They got more contributions from their supporting cast. That allowed them to come away with the two points.
It won’t get any easier for the Devils. The two-time defending champion Lightning visit The Prudential Center on Tuesday at 7 PM. This is the make up game for one that was postponed in early January.
It’s the only game on the schedule due to the mandatory bye week. I don’t get the need for it. They just had an All-Star break. You get a Christmas break too and for American teams, most have Thanksgiving off. It doesn’t make much sense.
The Devils fell to 17-27-5 in 49 games. After Tuesday, they don’t play again until the following Thursday on February 24 at the Pens. That will be followed by a back-to-back at Chicago.
Battle Of Hudson Three Stars 🌟 🤩 ✨️
3rd 🌟 Jon Gillies, Devils 31 saves on 34 shots
2nd 🌟 Mike Matheson, Pens goal (7), plus 🍎, 4 SOG, +1 in 16:04)
1st 🌟 Brian Boyle, Pens game-winning goal (6th), assist, 3-for-5 on face-offs, +1 in 10:42)
hasan4978
Derek
Battle Of Hudson 
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