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..
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)
If you win once, nice. Win two in a row and it’s a step in the right direction. Win three in a row, that’s called a winning streak. It has happened before.
At least that’s how I envision Hasan following tonight. After humiliating the Canadiens to the point of replacing Dominique Ducharme with Marty St. Louis behind the bench, the Devils had a more impressive win by defeating the Blues 7-4 in St. Louis last night.
It’s probably one of their best wins of the season. It came against a good opponent that’s playoff bound in a strong division. Plus it was on the road with travel after whipping Montreal 7-1 two nights prior.
Skating again without Jack Hughes (Covid Protocol), the Devils used a quick start to get the jump on the Blues. They scored the game’s first two goals before St. Louis realized they had to start playing.
On some good work down low by the third line of Dawson Mercer, Jesper Boqvist and Andreas Johnsson, they forced St. Louis into a turnover. Justin Faulk panicked with the puck sending it right to P.K. Subban, whose shot beat Jordan Binnington unassisted at 2:12. It was his third goal.
Continuing to dictate the play, the Devils got a great individual effort from fourth line center Mike McLeod, who increased the lead to two at 15:07. Taking a Damon Severson outlet inside his zone, he took off through the neutral zone and then used a pick to get in and deke Binnington to go forehand for his third goal in two games. A strong move and nice finish for a hard-working player.
It didn’t take St. Louis long to respond. Finally put on notice that they couldn’t take the Devs lightly, they replied back only 30 seconds later when Klim Kostin put home an Oskar Sundqvist centering feed in the slot past former Blue Jon Gillies. He made the start against the team he only got into one game for due to their goalie depth.
After a solid first period in which they doubled up the Blues in shots 10-5, the Devils took a one-goal lead to the locker room. They had to kill off a Severson minor for interference on Pavel Buchnevich early in the second. Following that, it was mostly St. Louis.
Unlike the opening period, the Blues played with more intensity. Able to start sustaining pressure in the Devils zone, they finally tied things up.
After coming close a previous shift, they outworked the Devils down low where Brayden Schenn was able to steer in a Colton Parayko rebound past Gillies for his 11th at 5:13. On the play, Buchnevich occupied the front of the net where Ty Smith defended while Subban got caught on the wrong side for the tying goal.
Things continued to go wrong in the period. A mishap allowed Faulk to atone for his mistake by capitalizing on a Devil one for his seventh unassisted at 15:03. That gave the Blues their first lead. It also made it three consecutive goals against the Devils. They needed to stop the bleeding. Something Ken Daneyko mentioned during the telecast.
After a tough period in which they were outscored 2-0 and outshot 14-9, it would’ve been easy to fall apart against a quality team at their barn. Especially given the Devils’ fragile state. Instead, they picked themselves up by playing a strong third period to earn the victory.
Trailing by one, they got a crucial penalty kill on a Jonas Siegenthaler delay of game. The right names showed up to lead the comeback. On a good Smith outlet for Hischier, he gained the St. Louis zone and drew players before finding Yegor Sharangovich open for his ninth at 9:08. It was a good read from Hischier, who had a great game finishing with two goals and an assist.
With the game tied at three, Mercer reacted to a hard hit from Blues defenseman Niko Mikkola on Boqvist. On the play, Mikkola stepped up in the neutral zone and caught Boqvist against the boards with his stick in a strange position. Mercer took exception. The two exchanged punches. They each received two for roughing.
Mercer’s response would prove pivotal. It resulted in a four-on-four. With more open ice, it was the Devils who took advantage. On what can best be described as some soft coverage by the Blues, they allowed Sharangovich to skate freely into their zone and drop the puck for Subban. He then made a good cross-ice pass for Hischier, whose shot beat Binnington under his arm. That gave them a 4-3 lead with 8:26 remaining.
As the minutes dwindled, the Blues searched for the equalizer. It never came. Gillies made some timely saves. He stopped 27 of 31 shots to earn his second consecutive win. It got interesting late.
On what should’ve been the coup de grace, Jimmy Vesey took a Siegenthaler lead pass and then turned the Blues into traffic cone before catching Binnington by surprise with a good backhand inside the far goalpost for his seventh at 17:41. With only 2:19 left, that made it 5-3.
But before they could get comfortable, Buchnevich skated through a maze of Devils, who puck watched. He then was able to somehow find Schenn in front for a tip in that cut the lead to one with still 1:43 left. Schenn beat Subban on the play for his second of the game. But it was the loose play from the other skaters that allowed that goal to happen. Much too soft.
Fortunately, that didn’t end up costing the Devils. Following a Faulk long shot on net, Gillies aggressively moved the puck for Severson, who cleared the zone. With the St. Louis net empty, a hustling Boqvist got to the loose puck first and put in the empty netter with 1:19 remaining. The smart play from Gillies gave him an assist. A nice reward.
With time winding down, Hischier added a second goal into a vacated net to put the finishing touches on the Devils’ second straight win. They now have two days off before playing host to the Pens on Super Bowl Sunday. Start time is 1:30 PM.
There definitely are some positives. Hischier has goals in three straight and five points. He’s up to 12 goals and 17 assists for 29 points in 42 games. For a second game in a row, Smith had an assist. He has three apples over the two wins. With a goal and two helpers, Sharangovich had a three-point night. A streaky scorer, he’s up to 21 points (9-12-21). Boqvist has four goals and two assists in his last six games.
Can the Devils build on the effort they got from key players? They have 34 games left. Obviously, there won’t be any playoffs. However, management has to be evaluating players. Especially with the trade deadline less than five weeks away.
Battle Of Hudson Three Stars 🌟 🤩 ✨️
3rd 🌟 P.K. Subban, Devils 3rd of season plus 🍎, 2 SOG in 16:18
2nd 🌟 Yegor Sharangovich, Devils game-tying goal plus 2 🍎, +1 in 16:09
1st 🌟 Nico Hischier, Devils 2 goals plus 🍎, 14-for-25 on face-offs, +1 in 19:07
The Devils played Game 666 on the NHL schedule last night when they visited Montreal. It was a good omen. Coming off a seventh straight defeat, they turned the tables on the woeful Habs by routing them 7-1.
Montreal is the worst team in hockey. Somehow, they have gone from an astonishing run to the franchise’s first Stanley Cup appearance since ’93 to an eight win awful team whose record is so futile, Habs fans are counting down to the end of the season. Eight total wins in 45 games is appalling.
Maybe playing Game 666 is why everything went right for New Jersey. It’s a Devilish number. It’s based on The Book of Revelation. Referred to as the Antichrist, it’s considered the devil’s number. However, it can also be viewed as a positive due to an optimistic spiritual message. Whatever the reason, 666 treated the Devils well.
A lucky 13 players registered points in the 7-1 victory. Thirteen being another interesting number. For years, the Devils never handed it out under former GM Lou Lamoriello. He believed it was unlucky. Current captain Nico Hischier wears number 13. Ironically, he’d score one of the seven goals on Tuesday night.
How good was the game? Seven Devils recorded two points. That included rookie Dawson Mercer, who finally ended a long scoring drought by getting his 10th from Jesper Boqvist and Ty Smith. He’d gone the first 14 games of the new calendar year without a goal. Mercer also had an assist on the Hischier tally that made it 3-1.
Boqvist also had a goal and assist in the win. A former second round pick in 2017, he’s got five points over his last five games including three goals. A positive sign for the 23-year old Swede. The Devils need to see progress from more of their younger players. Ty Smith has struggled this season. However, he set up a pair of goals.
Former first round pick Pavel Zacha had a goal and helper. Checking pivot Mike McLeod chipped in with two goals including the first of the game on a rebound in front past Montreal goalie Cayden Primeau. Even disappointing vet Tomas Tatar got his ninth versus his former team to close the scoring.
The touchdown and extra point were all in support of Jon Gillies. He made 30 saves on 31 shots to notch his second win as a Devil. Given his struggles since coming over from St. Louis, it had to feel good.
Ditto for coach Lindy Ruff, who finally saw his team get a win. They are still without Jack Hughes, who’s in Covid Protocol. He must miss at least one more game before becoming eligible to return.
The Devils next play on Thursday when they visit the Blues. They will be back home for the Penguins on Sunday afternoon.
In other news, Brad Marchand lost it literally at the end of a Bruins’ 4-2 loss to the Pens last night. One of the game’s best players, he is sometimes his own worst enemy. Nicknamed The Rat appropriately, he struck again when he sucker punched Pittsburgh goalie Tristan Jarry during a scrum with the game decided.
It was a cheap shot from an ornery player who makes mystifying decisions. Especially given his talent. There was no reason for the left punch to Jarry’s head. Fortunately, he was fine. Of course, Marchand wasn’t done delivering a high stick to Jarry’s mask. He was assessed 12 penalty minutes including a match penalty at 19:35 by ref Wes McCauley. The right call.
A match penalty is an automatic league review. With him being suspended three games earlier this season, Marchand faces a stiffer punishment for his lunacy. He’s been given an in person meeting by the Department of NHL Player Safety. That means he could be looking at over five games. Given his track record, it will be deserved.
Boston’s Brad Marchand has been offered an in-person hearing via Zoom for Roughing/High-sticking Pittsburgh’s Tristan Jarry. Date and time TBD.
One question is what goes through his head. For a superstar who also is a unique personality, it doesn’t make sense. By now, the 33-year old left wing should act his age. The best player on the Bruins cost himself at least five games or more which can hurt his team. Even though they look like a playoff lock, his decision was selfish last night.
As big a fan as I am of Marchand the hockey player, I was perturbed with his idiocy. Is it an anger management issue on the ice? This isn’t to say there haven’t been stars who crossed the line. Theo Fleury played with the same fire. However, as we now know, much of it was due to his past history dating back to juniors. It’s not worth repeating because it truly disgusted me and many hockey people.
In another game, the Senators scored the first four goals to defeat the Hurricanes 4-3 at home. Ottawa has played better lately. Even without key center Josh Norris, they’re getting contributions throughout the lineup.
Led by captain Brady Tkachuk, who scored twice, they caught Carolina by surprise. Improving sophomore Tim Stutzle assisted on a pair including the game’s first goal 71 seconds in on a great baseball bat deflection from Tkachuk. He also passed in front for another strong Tkachuk finish 40 seconds into the second that made it 3-zip.
Alex Formenton also tallied and Chris Tierney beat Antti Raanta following a sloppy Andrei Svechnikov turnover that made it a 4-0 lead. It was enough to hold off a Canes’ third period rally.
Anton Forsberg made 42 saves including 13 in a busy third. Although Carolina made things interesting on goals from Svechnikov, Brendan Smith and Vincent Trocheck, they couldn’t force extras.
Credit the Sens for playing well enough to get the home win. At 16-22-4, they’re about where one would expect. A rebuilding team with Tkachuk, Norris and Stutzle the clear building blocks along with defenseman Thomas Chabot, they’re playing respectable hockey. Matt Murray is finally healthy and playing better. Forsberg has supplied a solid backup. Would a goalie starved team such as Edmonton come calling?
And finally, it looks like Tuukka Rask has played his final game for the Bruins. The winningest netminder in Bruins franchise history, he tried to come back from hip surgery. After a solid start, he struggled. Apparently, he didn’t feel as good physically after a loss to Anaheim on Jan. 24.
Tuukka Rask is not expected to continue his comeback attempt with the Boston Bruins, sources tell @FlutoShinzawa.
Rask may reportedly "finalize his retirement decision in the next few days."https://t.co/t1hykRvN8O
If it’s indeed over, the affable 34-year old Czech netminder had a great career. After Boston stole him from Toronto for Andrew Raycroft, Rask first backed up Tim Thomas on the Stanley Cup championship team. Eventually, he took over and won 308 games while posting a 2.28 GAA, .921 save percentage and 52 shutouts all with the Bruins.
Among the highlights included a Vezina and two trips to the Stanley Cup Finals in ’13 and ’19. Despite some of the unfair criticism he received over those two losses, Rask performed extremely well. Leave it to Boston fans to not appreciate how great a goalie he was. They just got beat by the Blackhawks and Blues. It happens.
On Friday and Saturday, the NHL held All-Star Weekend in Vegas. It didn’t disappoint. Especially the Skills Competition that aired on both ESPN and ESPN Plus.
With the marquee event in Vegas, they went all out to create some intriguing competitions for the players to participate in. At least the traditional Fastest Skater and Hardest Shot remained intact. Although I was a bit disappointed in how many players took part in the latter.
Perhaps the most out there idea was having players shoot at targets outside T-Mobile Arena at the Billagio. Rather than the original targets we grew accustomed to which I prefer, they decided to move this event outdoors into the elements which included a waterfall and actual ocean for participants to deal with.
I’ll admit this was a unique idea they came up with. You had two rounds. Semifinals had players looking to score into four different goal targets on the water. Obviously, the two fastest times advanced. Perhaps my favorite participant was Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson. The three-time Olympian sure wowed the competition by firing pucks into the four targets in just over 16 seconds. She nearly made the final.
Roman Josi was able to eliminate Lamoureux-Davidson as the final shooter to advance to the final against Zach Werenski. So, you had two defensemen pitted against each other. The curveball was they had to shoot at five targets instead of four. It made a huge difference for Werenski, who won the Fountain Challenge while Josi had issues with the fifth and final one. It reminded me of Jonathan Huberdeau in the semifinal when he butchered the four.
While this event was enjoyable, I feel it could’ve been even better if they had spectators cheering on the competitors outside. I also wouldn’t have minded seeing guys like Huberdeau and Claude Giroux, who were eliminated, jumping into the water. That would’ve been amusing.
Maybe it’s just me because I’m a traditionalist. I preferred the old targets in the one net when you had sharpshooters Ray Bourque, Mark Messier and Jeremy Roenick going four for four. Those were classics. I never felt they needed to change that. Whether it was the lame electronic devices or the water which at least was entertaining, it was always a signature event. We’ll see what they come up with next.
Another event I loved was the breakaway. Not to be confused with the consecutive saves streak that featured each division tandem with the Atlantic duo of Andrei Vasilevskiy and Jack Campbell taking that with nine straight saves. This one featured Manon Rheaume in net. The only female goalie to play in an NHL preseason game doing so for the Lightning, she had fun against a creative cast of players that included Jack Hughes, Trevor Zegras and Alex DeBrincat. Home favorite Alex Pietrangelo won due to some home cooking from Jon Hamm, who guest judged with Mark Messier, Paul Coffey and other legends.
However, it was Hughes and Zegras who stole the show. They really put on one for the fans, who were mesmerized by their unique tricks with even some magic provided by the lone Devil representative Hughes. He really is fun to watch. It’s obvious he and good friend Zegras have a bromance going dating back to their days playing for the US National Team when they were teenagers.
Think this kids don’t have personality? It looks like it’s the young American centers leading the way into the future. Look at this from Zegras, who preempted Hughes with the Dodgeball blindfold gimmick to score lacrosse style on Rheaume.
Even DeBrincat came up with something as fun. He had to follow Jack Hughes, who provided the abracadabra that featured Mini Me Jack Hughes scoring with both tossing their sticks into the crowd. I liked what DeBrincat did. It was also creative. It got Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr involved with him completing a pass for a skating DeBrincat, who then controlled a football and beat Rheaume while decked out in full Hangover get up as Allan. Carr’s Raiders teammate wide receiver Hunter Renfroe played the part of Mike Tyson with a fake tiger.
I thought of all the contests they had, this was the best because it embodies the direction the league needs to go. It’s an All-Star Weekend. Why not showcase the young stars by having some fun. They already altered the game format with the three-on-three two 10-minute period semifinal and final for a winner take all cool million.
In terms of fastest skater, it was an upset. Connor McDavid didn’t take home his fourth title. The door was left open due to most of the skaters having problems with the final turn. That screwed up Dylan Larkin, who started out well only to finish badly. Rangers All-Star Chris Kreider led off with a 13.664. If he’d started a bit faster, he might’ve won. He actually beat out McDavid, who had a tough finish.
Chris Kreider finished with a 13.664 time in the fastest skater competition this year, good for 3rd place
(he also finished 3rd in the last competition in 2020)
The winner was dark horse Jordan Kyrou. He beat out Adrian Kempe and Kreider to take the fastest skater. McDavid went 13.690 to finish fourth.
Hardest shot only had four shooters. They included Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech, ever popular Tom Wilson, Timo Meier and Victor Hedman. Not surprisingly, Hedman took it by firing 103.2 on his second attempt after a 102.7 to crack 100 MPH twice. Something the other three shooters couldn’t do.
Maybe they should’ve had a warmup. Having only four shooters definitely took away from a once big event where you had guys like Al Iafrate, Zdeno Chara and Shea Weber bombing away for much faster shots. Iafrate still is tops before all the wacky technology came in.
While I enjoyed the save streak because we got to see all eight goalies with Cam Talbot Mic’d Up having fun while faring well, it was not surprising to see Vasilevskiy and Campbell turn aside the Metro Division. Though Kreider provided this highlight vs Vasilevskiy by pulling a Kucherov on the Lightning netminder.
Rumor has it Vasilevskiy is still looking for this puck.
As for the actual three games, it was the Metro over the Pacific 6-4 and the Central over the Atlantic 8-5 to advance to the championship. In the final, Claude Giroux scored twice and Jack Hughes had a goal and assist including this beautiful pass for a Chris Kreider goal as the Metro won the championship 5-3 over the Central. Tristan Jarry stopped 14 of 15 shots.
Hughes had a great weekend. He had four points (3-1-4) in the two wins and could’ve been MVP over Giroux. He also was a big hit in Vegas with his buddy Trevor Zegras, who eerily reminds me of the epic Jeff Spicoli character played by a young Sean Penn in Fast Times At Ridgemont High. It’s his quirky and cool demeanor which seems to be similar to Hughes. Imagine these two in the same locker room.
That is how I envision their relationship off the ice. It’s also what I see in Zegras, who seems like the coolest guy in the room. Very marketable. Are you listening, NHL, TNT and ESPN?
I know there were quite a few hockey fans who don’t care for what the NHL All-Star Weekend has become. I get it. The game is a glorified exhibition. However, if you can enjoy some of the creativity they do with the Skills Competition and chill out, then there is fun to be had. How can you not laugh at what Hughes, DeBrincat and Zegras provided? All American too.
Personalities. It sure beats the usual boring answers you get from most players. If they try, it really can still be “the coolest game on Earth.”
A second half awaits. For some teams, they’ll start up by Tuesday, February 8. For others like the Rangers, there’s no games scheduled until Feb. 15. With the trade rumors heating up and the games intensifying, it should be interesting. Drop the puck!
hasan4978
Derek
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