No More BS From Underwhelming Miller

Posted on November 19, 2025 by Derek

J.T. Miller was brought in to make a difference. At least, that was the biggest reason the Rangers went out and got him last January from the Canucks.

Instead of building on a strong finish to last season in his return to Broadway, Miller has been missing most of the first 21 games this season. He’s scored only four goals so far and has six assists for a disappointing total of 10 points.

When he was named the new captain of the Rangers before training camp, it was believed that his tenacious style would be a good fit for a bland leadership that needed a bit more personality. While he says all the right things following games, such as the frustrating loss to the Golden Knights, he isn’t backing up those words.

Even worse, it was Miller, who was a spectator on the Knights’ second goal. A stick wave as the play continued, leading to Ben Hutton beating Igor Shesterkin, made it look like he didn’t care. So much for the No More BS moniker he came up with prior to the start of the season.

It’s bad enough that he’s not playing well. With lazy plays like that one, it’s emblematic of how Miller’s failed thus far as a captain. He’s supposed to lead by example. Instead, there’s been too many instances where he isn’t noticeable during shifts.

Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan has tried everything to get Miller and a weak offense going. That’s included having Miller play with Mika Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin, who hasn’t exactly been consistent, either. But at least he’s back to putting up points since shaving his head.

Much more is expected from a no-nonsense player who averaged over point-per-game with Vancouver. Perhaps that production was boosted by playing with current Canucks captain Quinn Hughes, who even after sitting out a game with an injury, erupted for 10 assists in his last three games played.

Regardless, the 32-year-old Miller isn’t coming close to delivering on what he promised. He says he’s frustrated that he isn’t producing. So are the fans who bought into his second act at MSG.

Although they didn’t overpay to get him, in dealing away Filip Chytil, Vincent Mancini, and a first round pick, the Rangers aren’t getting much bang for their buck. He gets paid $8 million regardless. If he isn’t injured like he was during preseason, there aren’t any excuses for his lackadaisical play.

Stop talking. Start performing. How’s that for a reality check. No BS.

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Rangers Drop Second Straight Game In Loss To Golden Knights

Posted on November 19, 2025 by Derek

It was a frustrating start to the three-game road trip for the New York Rangers, whose late rally fell short in a 3-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights at The Fortress.

The loss was their second in a row. It was just the second time they’ve lost a road game in regulation. The other came against the Calgary Flames on Oct. 26.

Unlike that one, the Rangers could’ve won against the Golden Knights, who entered play with only one win over their last six games (1-2-3). They also hadn’t won at home since Nov. 4. They were due for a victory. Even if it wasn’t a great show by Vegas standards.

Ultimately, the Rangers lost this one due to not getting enough from their top stars. For most of the night, they struggled to establish anything. Due to that, coach Mike Sullivan constantly juggled his lines in an attempt to get them going.

Both Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad had off nights. Panarin took an offensive zone penalty that led directly to a Vegas power-play goal from Braeden Bowman, who put in a Tomas Hertl rebound past Igor Shesterkin.

There were too many empty shifts for Panarin, whose passing wasn’t up to speed. Alexis Lafreniere also struggled to establish anything. He’s gone three straight games without a point. There’s still too many instances where he vanishes. They can ill afford for Lafreniere to go through another empty stretch like last year.

Zibanejad has been pretty consistent. However, he was unable to get much going against the stingy defense of the Knights. His line with J.T. Miller and Will Cuylle was eventually changed by Sullivan in the middle of the game.

Facing Akira Schmid for the first time since he beat them in the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs with the New Jersey Devils, the Rangers didn’t get enough shots through. Vegas blocked 17 shots. They were particularly tough in the third period, making life difficult.

Following a soft goal Shesterkin allowed to Ben Hutton, Jonny Brodzinski put in a rebound of a Will Cuylle shot to make it 2-1 with 11:04 left in the second period.

A good defensive play from Carson Soucy forced a turnover inside the Rangers blue line. That allowed Cuylle and Brodzinski to skate in on a two-on-one. Cuylle shot for a rebound off Schmid that Brodzinski finished for his second.

By that point, Sullivan had started mixing and matching. They were out with Noah Laba, who always seems to provide a lift. It was the play of his line that was noticeable. Laba’s ability to make plays due to his size and speed remains a constant on a team that lacks consistency.

Eventually, Sullivan decided to flip Brodzinski and Cuylle. With Brodzinski up with Zibanejad and Miller, he nearly tied the game late in the second. However, Schmid smothered his rebound to keep Vegas in front.

Brodzinski was the Rangers’ best forward. As commendable as that is, this team isn’t winning many games with Brodzinski as their best player. It’s an indictment on the same leadership who failed to show up against the Detroit Red Wings.

With Sullivan back behind the bench after missing the last game for family reasons, he opted to keep Matthew Robertson in on the blue line with Braden Schneider. The return of Will Borgen meant that Scott Morrow sat out. It would’ve been nice to see him play again.

Adam Edstrom was a healthy scratch. Juuso Parssinen was inserted into the lineup on the fourth line. He played with Sam Carrick and Taylor Raddysh, who again was ineffective. He’s better suited on the third line, where Sullivan tried him for a shift. Raddysh also got a cameo with Zibanejad and Miller, who continues to look like he’s got something nagging him. If he does, why continue to run him out there?

Vegas played a strong third. They came out and got the first five shots. A Soucy penalty  for interference led to the Knights converting for the second time on the power play. Shea Theodore had his long shot beat Shesterkin through traffic to make it 3-1 at 7:18. Shesterkin mildly protested due to some minor contact, but he was outside his crease. So, the goal counted.

The Rangers thought they had one when Brodzinski put in a rebound. However, the play was way offside. Even live, it was easy to tell that Zibanejad was way ahead of the play on the entry. It was ridiculous that the linesman missed it. The Vegas offside challenge took less than a minute to overturn the call on the ice.

With Shesterkin lifted for an extra attacker, the big guns finally did something. Miller made a pass up top for a Panarin shot that Vincent Trocheck deflected in to cut the deficit to 3-2 with 2:43 left in regulation.

That was as close as they came. Once again, the Rangers lost to Schmid. It wasn’t because he was great. He only had to make 17 saves. But that was enough to beat Shesterkin, who finished with 23 saves.

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Quick’s Strong Reaction Was Needed For Rangers

Posted on November 17, 2025 by Derek

A day later, much has been made of Jonathan Quick going after Mason Appleton following his shot at an empty net when time expired. Considering how poorly the Rangers played, the 2-1 final score didn’t tell the whole story.

To be blunt, it was the worst game they’ve played this season. They were atrocious throughout against the Red Wings, who looked much faster than the Nov. 7 meeting that they won in Hockey Town.

They left Quick all by himself far too often last night. Unlike the Rangers, who were mostly one and done against former backup Cam Talbot, the Red Wings kept firing shots at Quick, who did his best to make a lopsided game competitive.

It’s hard to believe the game was still tied with less than five minutes left in the third period. Detroit not only outshot New York by a wide 14-3 margin, they were credited with 12 scoring chances to only four for the Rangers according to Natural Stat Trick. Four of their six high danger chances came in the final period.

On the game-winner Lucas Raymond scored, the Rangers stood around and watched him circle around the net and fire a shot past Quick with 3:47 remaining in regulation. It was a team effort on the deciding goal that cost them at least a point.

A turnover at the Red Wings blue line from Alexis Lafreniere allowed Moritz Seider to start a quick transition up for Dylan Larkin. After he moved the puck to Raymond, he easily gained the Rangers zone and beat Carson Soucy badly. With Adam Fox occupied in front of the net, Soucy didn’t bother chasing Raymond, who scored a goal as easy as one in NHL 94.

Vincent Trocheck was the only forward who came back defensively. J.T. Miller was too late, and Artemi Panarin had a nice view of things from the other side. It was pretty disgraceful. Even though he’s finally producing, Panarin should still be expected to give a better effort. Especially in a tie game. He just hung back.

After the Rangers didn’t score with a six-on-five, Appleton fired the shot into the empty net at the buzzer. An emotional player who doesn’t take kindly to that sorta thing, Quick made a bee line for Appleton while both Panarin and Zibanejad didn’t seem to mind.

Did Quick overreact? Absolutely. He was probably more upset with how they played. If he was trying to light a fire, he did. It got the team’s attention. Instead of just going back to the locker room with their heads between their asses, they had Quick’s back. Seeing every player for both teams at each other’s throats made for a unique scene.

The red and blue contrast in the jerseys was aesthetically pleasing. There’s something to be said about two Original Six teams wearing their traditional color centennial jerseys. It looked much better than either side wearing the road white.

If there’s one thing that should annoy our fans, why does Quick have to do that? At 39, he’s the oldest player on the roster. A throwback to how the game once was played.

Even in 2012, when he won his first Stanley Cup with the Kings, the game had a lot more edge back then. That same year, the Rangers and Devils had a line brawl that made MSG sound like a heavyweight title fight. If you were there for it, you know what I’m saying.

Would they have looked so disinterested if Matt Rempe played? Although he’s a role player who isn’t expected back anytime soon, he brings a lot of character and energy to the bench and during shifts. Coincidentally, Adam Edstrom hasn’t been as effective without him.

There was a much different feel to that line with Rempe. Taylor Raddysh hasn’t done much since his hot start. He doesn’t really fit on the fourth line. I’d move him up with Noah Laba.

I’m puzzled by the Rangers’ reluctance to play Juuso Parssinen over Jonny Brodzinski or Conor Sheary. What was the point of giving him a two-year contract?

The Rangers leadership is supposed to be better with Miller as captain. You wouldn’t know it by how underwhelming he’s been. He hasn’t looked any better shifting over to the right side to play with Zibanejad and Will Cuylle, who’s been one of the few bright spots on a vanilla roster.

It shouldn’t always be the same players that show up every night. They also shouldn’t need a kick in the ass from Quick to wake them up. A 1-7-1 home record is unacceptable. They’ve only scored over one twice. That’s unimaginable for a team that’s 9-1-1 on the road.

At 10-8-2, they look like a mediocre team still trying to figure it out. There’s a lot of parity in the league. So. They’re right where you’d expect them to be.

Now, they head back on the road for the next three games. In what world did it make sense to fly home for one game and then go to Vegas for tomorrow? You’ll have to ask both the NHL and MSG. When they complete the road trip at Utah, they’ll return to host the Blues before visiting Carolina and Boston before and after Thanksgiving.

Logical.

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Rangers Remain Puzzling After Latest Loss At MSG

Posted on November 16, 2025 by Derek

It’s getting harder and harder to assess who the New York Rangers are this season. After picking up their league best ninth win on the road via a 2-1 shootout triumph over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday, they again reverted at home in a puzzling 2-1 loss to the far superior Detroit Red Wings.

As good as they’ve been away from home, it is as bad as they are at Madison Square Garden. The defeat was their eighth in nine games at MSG. Just who are the Rangers? Are they the dominant team that’s 9-1-1 on the road, or the punchless one that’s a dismal 1-7-1 at home? The best estimated guess is something in between.

Both Original Six rivals came in, playing the second of a back-to-back. However, the Red Wings had more to prove following blowing a 4-1 third period lead to the Buffalo Sabres in a bad overtime loss on home ice. Perhaps it wasn’t that surprising that the Red Wings picked up their first win in eight games against the Rangers.

It sure didn’t explain how bad they looked on an emotional night. Prior to the opening faceoff, MSG paid tribute to Hall of Fame writer Larry Brooks on the video board. Many journalists attended his service earlier today.

It was wonderfully done with Brooks’ Hockey Hall of Fame picture and flowers set up where he sat to cover games in the press box. If he’d seen the Rangers’ poor display, you could bet your bottom dollar that he would’ve been finishing up a scathing column.

They were pitiful. So badly outplayed and out-skated by the Red Wings that it looked like only a handful of players showed up. If not for the remarkable play of Jonathan Quick, who stood on his head in making 40 saves on 42 shots, it would’ve been a blowout loss.

Instead, the Rangers hung in thanks to many acrobatic stops from the unorthodox Quick, who really deserved a better fate. If only most of his teammates had given a stronger effort.

Incredibly, Quick made 15 saves while the Rangers were shorthanded. Sixteen of Detroit’s 42 shots came on the power play. He did all he could to give an undisciplined team a chance at stealing two points. For some reason, they didn’t want it as badly as the Red Wings.

Before the game, it was revealed that Mike Sullivan would miss the game due to a family matter. Hopefully, it was only to go visit son-in-law Charlie McAvoy, who lost a tooth when he took an errant puck to his mouth on Saturday night. It was gruesome.

David Quinn and Joe Sacco ran the Rangers bench in Sullivan’s absence. Listening to Quinn in the postgame, he wasn’t pleased with what he saw. He mentioned how they made a lot of errors that fueled Detroit’s transition game. They took full advantage of some sloppy turnovers. The Rangers were credited with 19 giveaways. They were outshot 42-19 and out-attempted 76-59.

From the outset, it was the more determined Red Wings who had the extra jump in their step. They were able to spend more zone time on the attack. Despite getting nine of the first 13 shots, they were unable to solve Quick. He was again sharp against an opponent he’d dominated recently. He entered, having won his last three starts versus the Red Wings, only allowing 3 goals. That included a 32-save performance in a win on Nov. 7 at Detroit.

They controlled large potions of a penalty filled second period. Each team had two power plays. Referee Kelly Sutherland drew the ire of the Rangers bench following a dubious call on Sam Carrick for “holding the stick” on J.T. Compher. MSG TV analyst Dave Maloney told it like it was.

By that point, the Red Wings and Rangers had already exchanged power-play goals. Quick had already made a few sparklers with Detroit on the man-advantage. But he was unable to stop a Lucas Raymond shot from getting through, which Alex DeBrincat put in for a 1-0 lead.

Sutherland made a questionable call on Moritz Seider for delay of game. Red Wings coach Todd McLellan had a lengthy discussion with Sutherland before deciding to not challenge. It was hard to tell if Seider’s clearing attempt went straight out.

The Rangers took full advantage of it by tying the game. Following an Artemi Panarin point shot that Will Cuylle got a piece of, the rebound came right to Mika Zibanejad for an easy put away. That made it four straight games with a power-play goal for the Rangers. Zibanejad is up to 112 as Ranger, trailing Camille Henry and Chris Kreider by four for the most in franchise history.

Then came the controversial call on Carrick. Compher wisely hooked Carrick’s stick into him to draw a dubious minor penalty. Former New Jersey Devil Jamie Langenbrunner was the master of it. He’d frequently tug at the player’s stick and pull it into him to get the call. Most players do it. Sutherland isn’t the only ref to be duped. It’s happened before and it’ll happen again. 

Despite the Red Wings getting several point blank opportunities to score. Quick was unconscious in net, making some unbelievable saves to keep it tied headed to the third period.

In a game that also featured the Rangers debut of defenseman Scott Morrow, he didn’t see much ice time, finishing with 9:56 while paired up with Matthew Robertson. As it turned out, he dressed in place of Urho Vaakanainen, who sat out.

Quinn and Sacco leaned heavily on Adam Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov with both going over 24 minutes. Carson Soucy saw an increased role. That proved to be a mistake. His foot speed was exposed on the game-winner.

The Rangers had to kill off two more penalties. It was basically let Quick make the saves. He also was scrambling around when a Patrick Kane shot headed for the net and went off Zibanejad to stay out. It was a crazy sequence.

But in a period that saw them on their heels throughout, the Rangers finally got burned when Raymond scored a beauty with 3:48 left in regulation. Taking a Dylan Larkin feed, he skated around a sliding Soucy and around the net to beat an out of position Quick for the game-winner. With Quick trying to get back in position, Soucy also screened him on Raymond’s goal.

With Quick on the bench for an extra attacker, Cam Talbot made a rare save by stopping a long Panarin shot. The rebound was right there for J.T. Miller to bury. But Saturday’s shootout hero missed.

After the buzzer sounded, Mason Appleton fired the puck into an empty net. Of course, an incensed Quick came off the bench and went after Appleton. Both teams nearly got into a brawl. But eventually, cooler heads prevailed. Had they showed that same fire Quick did, maybe they could’ve won.

The Red Wings deserved the win. They were much better than the Rangers on a night they honored the memory of Brooks and their 1950s and 1960s stars, which included Chuck Rayner, Andy Bathgate, and Rod Gilbert.

Maybe it’s the centennial jerseys. They haven’t won much with them. It doesn’t make sense. Does anything with this Jekyll and Hyde team?

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Rangers Call Up Scott Morrow and Send Down Gabe Perreault

Posted on November 16, 2025 by Derek

Following Saturday night’s 2-1 shootout win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, the New York Rangers were busy today.

They have called up defenseman Scott Morrow from the Hartford Wolf Pack and sent down forward Gabe Perreault.

The moves aren’t that surprising. In recalling Morrow, who was unavailable for last night’s game with the Wolf Pack in the American Hockey League, it’s due to the upper-body injury Will Borgen has. They need a right skating defenseman who can replace Borgen and play on the second power play unit.

It makes sense for Morrow to finally come up. Especially if Borgen isn’t available for tonight’s game at home against the Detroit Red Wings. Assuming he’s in the lineup, Morrow could find himself on the third pair with Urho Vaakanainen. Unless Mike Sullivan trusts him enough to play with Carson Soucy. Braden Schneider had one of his better games while teamed up with Soucy. I imagine they’ll stay together.

If Morrow dresses, it would be his Rangers debut. Acquired on July 1 as part of the K’Andre Miller trade to the Carolina Hurricanes, this could be his chance to make a good first impression. We’ll find out later if Morrow will replace Matthew Robertson in the lineup.

The reaction to Perreault being assigned to the Wolf Pack is predictable. Most observers can’t understand why he only got three games with the Rangers. Lost in translation is that Perreault is waiver exempt, which allows the Rangers to remain cap compliant by bringing up Morrow.

The move makes plenty of sense. After setting up Alexis Lafreniere for a power-play goal in his first game this season, Perreault didn’t distinguish himself in the last two games. While the analytics were strong against the Blue Jackets, he was demoted to the third line by Sullivan for the second straight game. He looked more comfortable playing with Noah Laba and Conor Sheary in the third period. So, it isn’t all bad.

If he stays in Hartford, Perreault can further develop by continuing to play top minutes. He’s only 20. With Vincent Trocheck back, the Rangers are playing a lot better. There’s no reason to rush Perreault. It was a little earlier than expected when he was brought up.

I’d like to see Juuso Parssinen get another look. He hasn’t been bad when he’s been in the lineup. In 12 games, Parssinen has two goals and an assist. He can slot in on either the third or fourth line.

Sullivan could also insert Jonny Brodzinski into the lineup. Without Perreault, someone else will have to play on the second power play. I guess it all depends on Sullivan’s preference.

The Rangers host the Red Wings at 7 PM.

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Zibanejad Becomes Eighth Ranger to 600 Points

Posted on November 15, 2025 by Derek

During the second period of the New York Rangers’ 2-1 shootout win over the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena, Mika Zibanejad scored a power-play goal to join an exclusive club.

His goal was the 600th point as a Ranger. It was also career point number 750. In doing so, Zibanejad became the eighth player to reach 600 in Rangers franchise history. He is part of some excellent company.

The list is headlined by Hockey Hall of Famers Rod Gilbert, Brian Leetch, Jean Ratelle, Andy Bathgate, and Mark Messier. It also includes Walt Tkaczuk and Ron Greschner.

Now, Zibanejad is a part of it. What it means is that since the Rangers acquired him from the Ottawa Senators for Derick Brassard on July 18, 2018, he’s been a pretty good player on Broadway.

A former Senators 2011 first round pick, the 32-year-old Zibanejad has had his best years as a Blueshirt in the Big Apple. Among the highlights is a 5-goal game versus the Washington Capitals on Mar. 5, 2020. He won the game on a breakaway in overtime at Madison Square Garden.

Six of his seven career hat tricks have come as a New York Ranger. In the Covid shortened 2019-20 season, he scored a career-high 41 goals in 57 games.

During the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Zibanejad led all Rangers in scoring with 24 (10-14-24) points.

In 2022-23, he set personal bests in assists (52), points (91), power-play goals (20), and plus/minus (25).

Entering this season, he’s scored at least 20 or more goals in eight consecutive years.

Zibanejad is also tied with Bill Fairbairn for the fifth most shorthanded goals (12) in franchise history. His next one would move him into a fourth place tie with former teammate Chris Kreider.

His power-play goal was the 111th as a Ranger. Zibanejad ranks third in franchise history in PPG’s. Both Kreider and Camille Henry are tied for the top spot with 116. There’s a pretty good chance that he’ll pass both for the franchise record.

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Borgen Out Tonight for Rangers

Posted on November 15, 2025 by Derek

At the top of the hour, the New York Rangers will take on the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena. They won’t have defenseman Will Borgen available.

In their 7-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday, Borgen finished the game banged up. An upper-body injury will keep him out of the lineup for Saturday’s game.

Borgen is listed as day-to-day by the Rangers, who will travel from Columbus back to New York following the game. They host the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday night at Madison Square Garden.

This will be their first game without Borgen, who’s been steady over the first 18 games this season. A defensive defenseman who was acquired last season for Kaapo Kakko, Borgen has probably been the Rangers’ most consistent player on the back end.

Averaging a career-high 18:43 a game, the 28-year-old Borgen is a solid physical presence for the Blueshirts. Ironically, he scored his first goal in the win over Tampa Bay. Borgen has formed a good second pair with Carson Soucy. They’ve quietly gotten the job done for Mike Sullivan.

Without Borgen, that means Braden Schneider will probably be asked to play a bigger role against the Blue Jackets. Schneider has struggled with consistency. If he moves up to pair with Soucy, he’ll need to be better. Unless Sullivan just decides to have Matthew Robertson play with Soucy, which would keep Schneider and Urho Vaakanainen together.

Either way, it’ll present more of a challenge at Columbus.

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Jack Hughes Expected to Miss Eight Weeks Due to Surgery on Finger

Posted on November 15, 2025 by Derek

The New Jersey Devils provided an update on Jack Hughes. They announced that Hughes underwent successful surgery on his finger.

He’s expected to miss eight weeks due to the procedure. Hughes suffered the injury when he accidentally cut his finger at a team dinner in Chicago on Thursday night. He will be re-evaluated after six weeks to see how it’s healing.

On Wednesday, Hughes assisted on a pair of goals in a Devils come from behind 4-3 win over the Blackhawks in overtime. He helped set up Simon Nemec’s tying goal with under four minutes remaining in the third period.

The 24-year-old center leads the team in scoring with 10 goals and 10 assists for 20 points over 17 games. Hughes will once again miss significant time due to an injury for a third straight season. He missed 20 games in each of the past two years..

Unlike past injuries, this one happened off the ice. It’s hard to believe he could be so careless. However, it isn’t the first time a star player got seriously hurt away from the rink.

In March 1993, New York Rangers defenseman Brian Leetch broke his ankle after a late night out spent with teammates. Many stories followed about what happened. The truth was that Leetch was drunk and fell to end his season. It was a disappointing year for the Rangers, who missed the postseason in 1992-93 one year removed from winning the Presidents’ Trophy.

At least Hughes’ bizarre injury came in the middle of November. That means he should be back before the Olynpics. If you’re the Devils, do you even want him participating for Team USA? We know the short answer from most Devil fans.

Now, the Devils will have to survive without their best offensive player. They still have Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt to help lead a team that enters Saturday, leading the Metropolitan Division with a 12-4-1 record. Ironically enough, that was the identical record the Rangers had a year ago when Chris Drury sent out his ill-fated league memo.

Unlike their bitter rival across the Hudson, the Devils don’t seem to have any outside distractions. However, they are piling up man games lost due to injuries. Hughes joins a crowded list on the injured reserve that includes Brett Pesce, Dougie Hamilton, Jonathan Kovacevic, Connor Brown, Evgenii Dadonov, Zack MacEwen, and Marc Mclaughlin.

If they can continue to get strong performances from Dawson Mercer, Arseny Gritsyuk, Timo Meier, Brenden Dillon, and Simon Nemec, they should be alright. They’ll also need Luke Hughes to be better along with Jacob Markstrom.

The Devils will take on the Washington Capitals later tonight in DC.

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Devils Lose Jack Hughes In Freak Accident

Posted on November 14, 2025 by Derek

In shocking news, the Devils announced this afternoon that star center Jack Hughes is out due to a hand injury sustained at a team dinner Thursday night.

The injury occurred when Hughes accidentally cut his hand. According to Elliotte Friedman, it sounds like Hughes slipped, which led to the freak accident.

Hughes will not play on Saturday against the Capitals. No timeline has been given yet. Hughes will be evaluated to determine the extent of the hand injury.

It’s as bizarre as it sounds. Supposedly, it was at superfan Frank Fleming’s birthday party. Better known as Frank The Tank, he’s a diehard Mets and Devils fan who is well known on social media for his epic rants.

UPDATE: According to Devils reporter Kristy Flannery, the Hughes hand injury wasn’t due to using a steak knife, as had been assumed. Instead, he leaned on a glass, and it broke to cause the cut.

What a bizarre story.

For the Devils’ sake, hopefully it’s not too serious. Hughes is off to a great start, leading the team in scoring with 20 points (10-10-20) in  17 games. He has the Devils in first place with a 12-4-1 record for a conference best 25 points. They’ve been one of the league’s best teams.

Losing Hughes for any amount of time would be a significant blow. With Connor Brown placed on injured reserve retroactive to Oct. 30, the Devils are very top heavy. After injuries to both Cody Glass and Zack MacEwen (IR) on Wednesday night in Chicago, Sheldon Keefe leaned heavily on his top six to get a 4-3 overtime win over the Blackhawks.

Without Hughes, it really weakens the team at center. I suppose Dawson Mercer could slide over. Nico Hischier will do the heavy lifting with Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier. Perhaps Mercer will anchor Arseny Gritsyuk and Paul Cotter. Ondrej Palat is better suited for a supporting role. At this point, Cotter provides more than a declining Palat.

The team recalled forward Scott LaChance from Utica. He’ll be available for tomorrow night.

The Devils have been without Dougie Hamilton and Brett Pesce on the blue line. Simon Nemec has stepped up with his hat trick only the third in franchise history from a defenseman.

It’ll be interesting to see what the lineup will be for tomorrow when they visit Washington.

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Hockey Mourns The Loss Of Larry Brooks

Posted on November 13, 2025 by Derek

Early this morning, sad news hit the hockey world. Legendary New York Post hockey columnist Larry Brooks passed away at 75. He lost a brief battle with cancer. Brooks’ colleague Mike Vaccaro broke the news with a very touching tribute to what Brooks embodied in all of his years covering the sport he loved.

RELATED: RIP Brooksie: Larry Brooks, Post Legend And Hall Of Fame Hockey Writer, Dead At 75

“He was the best hockey writer of the past 50 years,” said Mark Everson, for many years his fellow hockey writer at the newspaper, forever his friend. “He said he was lucky to get to The Post, but The Post was even luckier to have him.”

“For the last three decades, no one covered a sports beat in this city better than Larry did on the Rangers,” Post Executive Sports Editor Chris Shaw said. “Well before the Hockey Hall of Fame enshrined him, Larry had already earned a place among the legends who have graced the pages of The Best Sports in Town.”

“I like to think that I was a guy who could change the momentum of a game when I came on the ice,” said Sean Avery, the immensely popular left wing who played parts of six seasons for the Rangers. “Brooksie could do that with the swipe of his pen. The guys that really understood playing for the Rangers all had a good relationship with Brooksie because he loves hockey players.”

There have been plenty of tributes that have poured in since Brooks’ passing. Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018 after winning the Elmer Ferguson Award for his contributions to the sport, Larry was like one of us. He was a diehard Rangers fan who sat up in the Blue Seats at the Garden in Section 419. I know that fact due to my Dad, who used to see him at games. They were a year apart.

“I feel like I represent the Blue Seaters,” he once said in an interview about how he covered the sport on that special day on Nov. 13, 2018. “I try to represent them every day when I write, and I hope I represented them well today. … I’ve tried to be as straightforward as possible. Every day I go into work, I’ve done my best to be honest, be informative, accurate, and entertaining.”

His no-nonsense style always hit home with fans. Whether you agreed with him or not, he was going to tell it like it is. That’s what made him a quintessential New Yorker. Brooks was the The Post. Whether it was on the beat covering the Devils, Islanders, and Rangers, or in his memorable Slap Shots column that appeared on Sundays, he always provided readers with lots of information and interesting tidbits.

To be honest, I looked forward to reading Slap Shots every Sunday because I knew that it would be hard hitting and entertaining. In some way, my old Hard Hits column was a nod to Brooks. I admired the passion and style he brought to covering the sport.

Little did I know he was also a great baseball writer. He covered the Bronx Zoo Yankees in the 1970s and returned to contributing columns on both the Yankees and Mets during the summertime. He worked alongside Mollie Walker as they took on the US Open. If you haven’t read Walker’s emotional tribute to the man, please do yourself a favor and read what she wrote. It was from the heart about someone who made her a more knowledgeable hockey beat writer by having her read the whole NHL labor agreement.

Related: Partnering With The Post’s Iconic Larry Brooks Created Forever Memories On And Off The Ice: ‘I Wish We Had More Time‘

“No one was as creative in their coverage as he is. Larry had a way with words that always resonated. From giving Henrik Lundqvist his forever nickname “The King” to eviscerating a bad performance, Larry’s words always stuck. 

One NHL GM once threatened an agent that he would call off a trade if he read about it in the New York Post the next day.

We cracked up over that one. We laughed all the time. Larry and I talked about anything and everything, but we could go for hours when it came to hockey. Even when we spent every minute of the 10-day 4 Nations Faceoff trip together last season, we were texting the next day like there was so much for us to catch up on.”-Mollie Walker, NY Post, Nov. 13, 2025.

Harping back to what Mollie said about how Larry had a way with words that always resonated. That’s true. He always found a way to get you to chuckle. He was a character who gave us something. He put it all out there. Maybe that’s what I liked most about him.

It’s hard to believe he’s really gone. When it was revealed before the season that he was taking a leave of absence, I had a feeling it was due to a personal matter. How I wish I had been wrong. I was hopeful that we’d get more great columns from Larry. He’d probably have enjoyed where the game is right now. I’m glad the Rangers got him one final home win.

There will be a real void without Brooks for the hockey community. He was old school. There was nothing fake about Larry. He also was a good person. There were a few instances where I sent him messages either on social media or email. I always got a response back. That says a lot about who he was.

Brooks was more than just an award winning Hall of Fame writer. He also worked for the Devils as Vice President of Communications, spending a decade (1982-92) in East Rutherford before returning to the NY Post beat. He built a great relationship with former Devils architect Lou Lamoriello.

“What never changed, from day one, was the personal part of our relationship,” said Lamoriello, who ran the Devils from 1987-2015 and the Islanders from 2018 through last April and who sat at the Brooks family table in Toronto the night Brooks was honored by the Hall of Fame. “One thing you always knew about Larry was that he’d tell it like it is.”-Mike Vaccaro, NY Post, Nov. 13, 2025.

Brooks had some run-ins with former Rangers coach John Tortorella. It dated back to an interview Tortorella did after the Lightning lost to the Devils in Game 5 of the 2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The most popular was when Tortorella took him to task for a sarcastic column he wrote about Rangers defenseman Wade Redden. The exchange remains priceless.

Despite having a heated relationship, Tortorella and Brooks reconciled years ago. Tortorella had recently checked in to see how Brooks was doing. Something that meant a lot to him. It’s unfortunate that we’ll never get the chance to see them on some show sharing a laugh about the good old days. Brooksie became Larry’s nickname thanks to Tortorella. He even referenced it in his name on Twitter, which was NYP_Brooksie.

Larry Brooks leaves behind son Jordan, daughter-in-law Joanna, and two grandchildren, Scott and Reese. He will be sorely missed.

RIP LARRY BROOKS (Feb. 26, 1950 – Nov. 13, 2025)

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