Howden’s Revenge: Former Ranger keys Golden Knights comeback win, Zibanejad has best game so far, Georgiev strong in shootout loss

Posted on December 18, 2021 by Derek

Revenge is a dish best served cold. That’s exactly the lesson Brett Howden taught his former team. The much forgotten fourth liner had a big game in helping the Golden Knights come back to pull out a 3-2 win over the Rangers in a shootout at MSG Friday night.

As fate would have it, it was the fourth line center who had his best game for Vegas by scoring a goal and winning a key face-off to set up the tying goal that forced overtime. In fact, Howden was named the game’s Second Star when the night ended. Well deserved.

While it wasn’t so much that they played poorly, the Rangers didn’t put the hammer down against a team playing the second game of a back-to-back. After not having their strongest first period with Howden able to get his third by beating Kevin Rooney to a rebound following a good Alex Georgiev save, the Blueshirts responded with a more inspired second period.

Using a key penalty kill of a Mika Zibanejad penalty late in the first that was sparked by some splendid work from Rooney and Barclay Goodrow, they turned it on in the second. Playing a much quicker pace by skating and attacking a tired opponent, the Rangers turned things around.

On the opening shift of the period, Zibanejad used defenseman Zach Whitecloud as a perfect screen to fire a good wrist shot past Vegas backup goalie Laurent Brossoit to tie the score just 17 seconds in. It was his third goal in five games and made it two straight with a goal. An encouraging sign for the streaky top center.

The play was made possible thanks to a smart transition up ice. After receiving a pass from Jacob Trouba, K’Andre Miller moved the puck up for Chris Kreider, who made a nice tip pass to send Zibanejad into the Vegas zone for his seventh of the season. Exactly what the doctor ordered.

As expected, the Rangers were without Artemi Panarin, who’s listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury. He didn’t take the morning skate. The team’s leading scorer wasn’t the only regular out. Rookie Nils Lundkvist sat out his fourth straight game due to illness. While they continue to term it non-Covid related, I’m guessing that he has the flu. Given the crazy weather we have, what else could it be? Libor Hajek skated in his place on the third pair.

Also getting the start was Georgiev, who was outstanding after getting Wednesday’s win off at Arizona. Keith Kinkaid admirably filled in. While Igor Shesterkin did practice, it looks like the plan is to give him a few more days to recover. With the next game not until next Wednesday against Montreal at home, I wouldn’t expect to see Shesterkin until after the Christmas break. The next game following December 22 isn’t until Dec. 27 versus Detroit.

Without Panarin, Gerard Gallant reinserted Filip Chytil into the lineup. He initially started on the left wing of the third line with Goodrow in the middle and Julien Gauthier on the right side. However, with his team unable to establish much in the first period, Gallant moved Chytil to the right side of the second line with Ryan Strome and Alexis Lafreniere. Hunt dropped down to the third line. A better match.

Another interesting note is that the game had only one referee with Pierre Lambert calling the game by himself with the help of linesmen Bryan Pancich and Ryan Dansby. For whatever reason, the other assigned ref Kendrick Nicholson didn’t work. Was it Covid related? For whatever it’s worth, I thought Lambert did a good job. It isn’t easy in today’s faster game for one ref to work. While he did miss a couple of calls, he didn’t get in the way of a good game.

Early on, Georgiev had to get over to deny Howden from a tough angle. Howden centers William Carrier and Keegan Kolesar. They’re your typical grind line that the Golden Knights use. Even without Ryan Reaves, that checking line still works pretty consistently. Howden not only shined throughout, but won 7-of-10 face-offs in 12:17 of action. He was the best Golden Knight on a deep roster that features Max Pacioretty, Mark Stone, Chandler Stephenson, Jonathan Marchessault, Reilly Smith, Shea Theodore and Alex Pietrangelo.

On a strong shift by their fourth line, Vegas took the lead when Kolesar got the puck to Carrier, who cut in and forced Georgiev into a tough save. Howden beat Rooney to put in the rebound for his third at 6:49. Sure. It figured he’d score in his Garden return. There were some boos. But nothing overwhelming.

With Vegas continuing to control the pace early, Zibanejad hooked Evgenii Dadonov to put the Golden Knights on the power play. It was at the middle point of the first that the game began to swing. Buoyed by some aggressive penalty killing from Rooney, Goodrow, Adam Fox and Ryan Lindgren, the Rangers had the puck in the Vegas zone to kill off precious time. Georgiev made two stops on the power play before Zibanejad returned.

A couple of better forechecking shifts helped the Rangers turn the tide. On a gritty cycle from the combination of Goodrow, Hunt and Gauthier, a Hunt shot through traffic was deflected by Gauthier off a screened Brossoit, who still made the save. That was the best shift of the period.

After getting outshot 12-9, it was the Rangers who responded well in the second frame. With Zibanejad flying, he took a Kreider one touch pass and let go of a good shot through Whitecloud that found twine to even the score. The shot had some giddy up on it. His seventh at 17 seconds changed the momentum.

The Rangers continued to come at the Golden Knights in waves. By limiting the turnovers that plagued them in a flat first, they were able to generate sustained pressure inside the Vegas end. Able to attack more vigorously, Zibanejad drew a slashing minor on Nicolas Roy.

While on the power play, the first unit which again included Kaapo Kakko instead of Panarin was able to move the puck around the box well. After a near miss from Zibanejad for Kreider, this time he took a Strome cross-ice pass in the left circle. Without any hesitation, he swung the puck between two Vegas players’ skates for a great Kreider tip in for his 11th power play goal at 10:25. His team-leading 18th gave them the lead.

After Kreider scored, a Pietrangelo high-stick on Zibanejad during a delayed penalty handed the Rangers a second consecutive power play. Unlike the first one, they were unable to score. That would prove significant.

In a dominant second where they outshot the Golden Knights 11-4, Brossoit held his team in it. The Rangers never were able to find the knockout blow they needed. It would come back to haunt them.

In a game where Zibanejad was going with a team high seven shots and a dominant night on face-offs (15-for-19), the Blueshirts never got another goal. They defended well with a hustling Lafreniere breaking up a counterattack by making a diving play and then clear. When he got back to the bench, he was bent over. That kind of effort doesn’t go unnoticed.

On another defensive play, Hajek rushed back to stop a Vegas chance following a sloppy turnover from Patrik Nemeth. Hajek had a solid game in 13:16. He definitely didn’t hurt his cause.

When the Golden Knights got good shots on Georgiev, he was splendid. He really made some good saves throughout and deserved a victory. Unfortunately, his teammates couldn’t quite get it for him.

Hanging onto a one-goal lead in the third period, the Rangers tried to protect it. It wasn’t intentional that they played more cautiously. Something both Gallant and Zibanejad alluded to in the postgame. But it just happened. Instead of coming with the same attack they showed in the previous period, they allowed the Knights to hang around.

While neither side accomplished much of anything in the first part with shots favoring Vegas 2-1, the Golden Knights were more effective on the forecheck. Even as Georgiev made some stops, you knew this strategy was doomed.

Eventually on a key defensive draw, a rare Zibanejad loss to Howden led to the game-tying goal. After Howden won the face-off back to Nicolas Hague, Chytil gambled by going for the steal. Instead, he missed the puck which allowed Hague’s pass over to an open Dylan Coghlan to get through. Coghlan drove a shot high to the far side past Georgiev to tie the game with 5:16 remaining.

It happened that quickly. Chytil’s mistake resulted in the Coghlan tying goal with a good screen set in front. That goal definitely hurt. But in a conservative period they only got two shots on Brossoit while Vegas had 10 on Georgiev, the Rangers paid the price. You don’t let good teams hang around. They never put Vegas away.

There were a few iffy moments late. But the Rangers and Golden Knights would require overtime. The three-on-three was unlike anything we’ve ever seen.

It was electrifying. Without Panarin, Gallant went with four different sets of forward tandems. That included Kakko and Lafreniere, who both earned time. Even Chytil and Gauthier saw a late shift. Astonishingly, there were 11 combined shots in the overtime.

Each side created a number of chances to end it. The best came when Pacioretty had a breakaway on Georgiev. One-on-one with the Rangers’ backup, he tried to go five-hole. But a patient Georgiev shut it down and then denied Pacioretty on a point blank rebound to create a buzz in the crowd. He’s not usually good on breakaways. But that’s how locked in he was.

Zibanejad just missed connection with Kreider on a tip try. On another opportunity, Kakko got a step with under a minute left. But he was too predictable by going wide. That allowed him to be taken off the puck. He likes to hang onto the puck and go around the net. Similar to the style he succeeded with on the wider ice surface in Europe. I would’ve liked to seen him take the puck hard to the paint like Gauthier.

After such a breathtaking three-on-three, it went to a shootout. In it, Gallant picked his best three shooters. After Georgiev got across to deny Roy on the backhand, Brossoit got a piece of a Kakko shot with his blocker. In Round Two, Georgiev again stoned Pacioretty to more cheers. But Brossoit took away Zibanejad’s forehand by making the glove save.

It came down to the third round. In it, Marchessault made a smart move by skating in on the left. Instead of going high glove, he went stick side for the only goal. In the last attempt, Strome tried to go low on Brossoit who turned it aside to give his team the win.

Even though they lost to get only a point, both Gallant and Zibanejad had some good takeaways. They played a good game against an elite team. Of course, they should’ve won. But this is a game they can build on. I really liked how Zibanejad played. Kreider also had two points.

Now, they will get a break. With the Omicron variant being passed around like a plague, it’s probably better for the Rangers to have the time off. They played a tough stretch of games. While it wasn’t what they hoped for due to going 1-2-1, they still have a good 19-7-4 record through 30 games. That’s 42 points. Not a bad place to be.

THREE STARS 🌟 🤩 ✨

3rd 🌟 Alex Georgiev, NYR (28 saves on 30 shots including 26 of 28 at even strength)

2nd 🌟 Brett Howden, VGK (3rd of season plus 🍎, 7-for-12 on draws, +2 in 12:17)

1st 🌟 Mika Zibanejad, NYR (7th of season plus 🍎, 7 SOG, 15-for-19 on draws in 21:50)

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A Devilish Jack Hughes Issue

Posted on December 17, 2021 by Derek

It hasn’t been a good December for the Devils. On Thursday night, they lost their fourth in a row by a score of 5-3 at The Prudential Center in Newark. Thus far, they’re 1-6-1 for the month. That won’t get it done.

With the team struggling to win games, there has to be more pressure on coach Lindy Ruff. A very experienced bench boss, he’s in his second year with the Devils. They’re the third team he’s coached. Most of his success came with the Sabres where he guided them to to the ’99 Stanley Cup Final and two appearances in the Eastern Conference Final. An impressive resume for sure.

However, time might be running out. Although it’s only Year Two for Ruff, expectations were higher due to key additions Dougie Hamilton, Ryan Graves, Jonathan Bernier and rookie Dawson Mercer. Instead, they wasted a promising 7-3-3 start. Over the last 16 games including last night, they’re 3-10-3. That poor stretch has them seventh in the Metropolitan Division with a 10-13-5 record.

A bigger issue that should concern the Devils’ Red Army is the kind of big hits Jack Hughes takes. In his third season, the 20-year old former 2019 top pick is an elite skater with great skills. The trouble is he hasn’t always been healthy.

After a good start with two goals and an assist in the first two games (both wins), Hughes absorbed a heavy hit from Jeremy Lauzon in that second game against the Kraken. He landed awkwardly into the boards and suffered a dislocated left shoulder. That cost him 17 games.

Hughes returned six weeks later on Nov. 30 versus the Sharks. In nine games since coming back, he has tallied three goals and two assists for five points. That included scoring his fifth goal of the season on Thursday night. He also had a second goal wiped out due to an offside late in regulation.

The problem is he took another big hit a few minutes earlier. While carrying the puck over the Vegas blue line, Hughes got caught with a clean hit from defenseman Zach Whitecloud. While it was a little high, the contact was through the upper chest knocking Hughes down. He was okay.

Once his apparent second goal was reversed with under 20 seconds left, Mason Geertsen was sent out for a face-off. You didn’t need to be an expert to know what would happen. He got into it with both Alex Pietrangelo and Brayden McNabb. Pietrangelo got a few shots in ln Geertsen before Robin Lehner erupted by taking his mask off and looking for any dance partner.

This was the kind of chaos that could’ve been avoided. However, due to Hughes taking a hard hit, the Devils wanted to defend their meal ticket. That’s part of hockey now. Even if a hit is clean, teams will come to the aid of a player and stick up for them. Especially if it’s an established star. Nathan MacKinnon took a heavy hit from Jacob Trouba last week. Gabriel Landeskog immediately challenged him.

With Hughes being so young, the Devils can’t afford to lose him for long stretches. The hit he took from Lauzon wasn’t a penalty either. But Geertsen immediately engaged Lauzon with both squaring off early in the second period. Each received 15 minutes total including fight majors and misconducts.

There’s nothing wrong with teammates having each other’s backs. It shows character. Something former Devil Ken Daneyko loves. You need to have that. Protecting Hughes is understandable. He’s not the biggest guy and already signed a long-term contract extension that’ll pay him an average of $8 million beginning in ’22-23 that won’t conclude until 2030.

Here’s the thing. Hughes must do a better job at recognizing where he is on the ice. As former Devils’ 2003 Stanley Cup hero Mike Rupp put it on NHL Network, the top center has to be more cognizant so he isn’t absorbing such heavy hits frequently. Rupp made a good point about Patrick Kane. Not the biggest in stature either, you never see Kane get caught. He’s very aware on the ice and doesn’t put himself in a vulnerable position.

The Blackhawks star remains one of the game’s most dangerous scorers. Also a former top pick in 2007, he’s gone onto a brilliant career helping the Hawks win three Stanley Cups. With 411 goals and 701 assists for a total of 1,112 points, the 33-year old Kane is a future Hall Of Famer. He’s been able to stay healthy and have a great career.

Hopefully, Hughes can go onto have a great career in New Jersey. However, he needs to do a better job at avoiding these big hits. It’s important for the franchise that he doesn’t put himself at risk. The potential is there. For him to become the player he’s capable of, being able to stay on the ice is crucial.

Of course, he needs more help. It can’t only be Pavel Zacha and Jesper Bratt producing along with Andreas Johnsson. Dawson Mercer is a nice story in his rookie year. But he’s in a slump like the team. The Devils are still waiting on recent first round pick Alex Holtz. He’s developing at Utica in the AHL. He could become the finisher Hughes needs to be more successful.

With eight points (5-3-8) in 11 games, Hughes seems to be on the right track. In the abbreviated ’21 season, he finished with 11 goals and 31 points over 56 games. That was an improvement from his rookie season when he had only 21 points (7-14-21) and finished a minus-26 in 61 games. In that ’19-20 COVID-19 interrupted season, he took a big hit from former Flyer Matt Niskanen.

On the play where he was shoved into the boards, Kyle Palmieri challenged Niskanen and fought him. Another clear example of Hughes taking some punishment in a vulnerable position. But that was Year One. He’s now in his third year. At some point, he must do a better job by avoiding certain areas that can put him at risk.

With still 54 games remaining, it would be nice for the Devils to have Hughes take part in the majority sans the latest COVID outbreak that’s going around due to the new Omicron variant. We’re seeing many players wind up in Protocol. Some games have been postponed including tomorrow’s Bruins/Canadiens tilt. Boston can’t travel due to Covid issues.

That will remain a concern for the NHL along with other major sports getting hit. For the Devils, they need Hughes to avoid injuries and provide fans with a glimpse of what’s to come. Hopefully, he can adjust and stay healthy. The future depends on it.

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Coyote Ugly! Kakko’s big night along with Kinkaid’s clutch saves allow Rangers to win over Yotes, Zibanejad and Kreider pick it up without injured Panarin

Posted on December 16, 2021 by Derek

Nothing came easy for the Rangers last night in Glendale, Arizona. Facing the league’s worst team, they struggled mightily. Despite a flat performance, they finally responded in crunch time to pull out a undeserved 3-2 win over the five win Coyotes at Gila River Arena.

Let’s get this out of the way. No win is bad. Even though they played about as poor a game as possible against an opponent who had nothing to lose and everything to gain, the bottom line is the Rangers rose up when it mattered to get the two points. At the end of the day, that’s two more points than they had entering play.

The one-goal victory snapped the first two-game losing streak in regulation. Consecutive losses to the Predators and Avalanche. Two playoff teams with good records. Encouraging is they continue to beat the opponents they’re supposed to. The more concerning issue is that they haven’t fared well versus teams with good records. That must change soon. The Golden Knights are in town Friday. It’ll have to be a much better effort.

The more positive takeaway is the Rangers found a way to win without Artemi Panarin, who left the contest in the second period. They termed it a lower-body injury. In the postgame, coach Gerard Gallant said Panarin is day-to-day. Whatever context that means who knows. We’ll have a better idea tomorrow if he can play against Vegas. He only logged seven minutes before exiting.

Give credit to Keith Kinkaid. Making his first start of the season to give Alex Georgiev a night off, the likable veteran came in and made 29 saves on 31 shots to pick up the win. He definitely played well by making some key stops that helped his team out when they needed a lift. It isn’t easy for a journeyman to play as well as Kinkaid did. Like friend Robert Kraze Davis would say, “He’s Kingkaid.”

Finally, Kaapo Kakko delivered a big game. His two goals including the game decider that came on the power play with 2:18 to go were clutch. Both goals were scored from the same area in the paint. That’s where the former 2019 second pick has to be to have more success. I called him out earlier in the game for passing up a wide open shot. Maybe I should go after other players to bust them out of slumps. It worked.

As you can see, I delighted in eating crow. Make mine a double. Kakko ×2! His fourth and fifth goals ended an 10-game drought. The two points were also his first since Dec. 1. He needed to score. It definitely gave him a confidence boost. Without Panarin after the Coyotes took an ill advised bench minor with under three minutes left, Gallant used Kakko in his spot. It paid off when he was the recipient of a great feed from noted playmaker Chris Kreider for the winner.

In a true rarity, Kreider was the setup man Wednesday night by assisting on three goals. There goes his Cy Young status. He’s now 17-7. All kidding aside, it’s nice to see him pad his assist total from four to seven. He did some grunt work on the tying power play goal from Mika Zibanejad with 5:46 remaining. Zibanejad’s sixth was enormous. He also picked up a helper on Kakko’s first of the game halfway through. Goals have been hard to come by for Zibanejad. Maybe he can finally get going.

For a while, it really looked like they’d become the sixth Coyotes’ victim. After Kakko put in a rebound of a Zibanejad shot set up by Kreider at 10:40 of the second period, the Rangers were unable to take the lead. Despite finally awakening from a malaise, they couldn’t quite go ahead. Scott Wedgewood made 14 saves with some gems coming following the Kakko tally. He denied Alexis Lafreniere in close to keep it even headed to the third.

With 0.2 seconds left in the second, Jacob Trouba hi-sticked Clayton Keller after a lost defensive face-off. A frustrating way to end the period after it was Trouba who provided a spark when he got into it with Antoine Roussel near the benches. That seemed to ignite the flame. The Rangers played better following that exchange. Trouba seems to be the pulse of this team. Whether it’s a big hit or strong reaction during a scrum, he’s providing needed leadership.

Although he didn’t get a point on the night and was victimized by Keller on an Arizona go-ahead goal at 8:47 of the third, Trouba again played a good game. He was very active during his shifts and registered two shots while attempting seven altogether. He also recorded two hits and two blocks in 22:47 of ice time. His overall game has been much better this season.

On the Keller goal, it was the fourth line that turned over the puck in the neutral zone. That led to former Blueshirt Anton Stralman (yes, he still plays) starting a nice passing play with Nick Schmaltz drawing a sliding Trouba over before finding a cutting Keller backdoor for a backhand tuck past Kinkaid for a 2-1 Coyotes lead with 11:13 remaining.

The way the Yotes responded up to that point in the third, it felt like the backbreaker. This had the feel of one of those ugly losses that you can’t get the bitter taste out of your mouth from. Had this been the previous year, they lose this game. Especially without Panarin.

Instead, they dug deep to pull it out. Of course, a losing team like Arizona helped out by taking two undisciplined penalties. With less than seven minutes left, Phil Kessel interfered with Kevin Rooney to go to the box. It took the Rangers’ reformed top unit a minute to tie the score.

With Kakko on in place of Panarin along with Fox, Zibanejad, Kreider and Ryan Strome, they got it set up. Going back to an old formula that once was successful, Kreider got the puck up to Fox, who then moved it over for a simple Zibanejad wrist shot from the left circle that went right through Wedgewood for the all important game-tying goal at 14:14. Kreider was in front. However, a better goalie stops it. Zibanejad will take it.

With the game tied, Kinkaid made a couple of key stops before the Coyotes saw their collective shadow (Groundhog Day reference) like Bill Murray’s memorable Phil character keeps repeating the same annoying day over and over. Arizona got caught with six skaters out for an easy too many men on the ice minor.

Unlike the mugging they got away with previously on Dryden Hunt before Keller came down and scored, the refs and linesmen had to make the obvious call. Let’s just say I wasn’t a big fan of the officials. They missed a couple of obvious infractions on the Yotes.

On another man-advantage with 2:59 left, this time they worked the puck around perfectly for Kakko’s game-winner. On another good passing play, the puck came to Strome, who moved it to Kreider down low. He came out in front and drew a defender down before sliding the puck across for a Kakko tap in at 17:42. A perfectly executed power play goal that had Kakko and pleased teammates all smiles coming back to the bench.

Finally ahead for the first time due to Loui Eriksson opening the scoring late in the first with a shorthanded goal, they no longer were chasing the game. Instead, they were able to protect the one-goal lead to close out an ugly victory. Coyote Ugly.

The only thing I didn’t get was why Patrik Nemeth was out for the final shift with Trouba. They really don’t trust K’Andre Miller at this point? Oy. I’d much prefer Miller used in that spot with Trouba, who even took a defensive shift at the end of the second with Ryan Lindgren. I don’t want to see Nemeth anywhere near such a close game.

I couldn’t understand why he and Libor Hajek took a regular shift with over seven minutes remaining trailing by one. It was strange. Hajek actually saved a goal earlier in the game with his stick. He played over 14 minutes. He doesn’t scare me as much as Nemeth, who nearly received 18 minutes. I guess they had to play them due to it being their third game in four nights. I don’t see the point in using the third pair minus Nils Lundkvist down a goal.

I’m relieved that they won. The last thing they needed was to enter Friday’s tough match-up at MSG with a three-game losing streak. The Golden Knights are hot right now. Max Pacioretty is playing lights out while Chandler Stephenson is piling up points. Historically, the Rangers have done okay against Vegas. The last meeting was a 5-0 shutout on Dec. 8, 2019. You know facing the former team he coached to a Stanley Cup Final appearance in the inaugural year will carry extra meaning for Gallant. I’m sure he wants to stick it to them.

In any event, before I close the book on the win last night, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the fireworks that happened at the buzzer. Maybe it was just frustration on their part. But the Coyotes acted like some losers by starting a fight. Trouba and Roussel were separated while Kessel of all people got the better of Lindgren. Eventually, the teams separated. The next time the Rangers are supposed to see Arizona is on January 22 at The Garden. Keep it circled.

One other note. Gallant healthy scratched Filip Chytil. He hasn’t been getting it done. Maybe this was the coach just sending a message. Instead of Chytil, Greg McKegg took his place in the lineup. The Keg Man was okay. He gives an honest effort. However, after Panarin went down, I half wondered if Turk might regret sitting Chytil. But they came back and won. I’m curious to see if he’ll be back in Friday. How will he respond? That’ll be interesting.

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Rangers’ late push not enough in tough loss to Avalanche, Zibanejad and Panarin struggle in second consecutive defeat, Kakko slumping

Posted on December 15, 2021 by Derek

They certainly tried to make the most of an overturned J.T. Compher power play goal that looked like a very iffy call. Instead of being down and out, the Rangers had a new lease on life. They were able to pull within one goal with Alex Georgiev on the bench.

However, the late comeback push fell short in a tough 4-2 loss at Colorado. After Julien Gauthier was able to put in a rebound of a Dryden Hunt shot Darcy Kuemper misplayed to cut the deficit to one with 3:02 left, Chris Kreider came so close to tying it. But Kuemper made a sprawling save to deny him in front.

On a neutral zone face-off with Georgiev back in net, Mika Zibanejad lost the crucial draw to Nazem Kadri. Off the face-off, the scrappy Valeri Nichushkin wisely pushed the loose puck by Adam Fox and then turned it into a breakaway goal at 19:23 to ice the game for Colorado. A play where both Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin looked bad on.

Neither star played particularly well in the rematch against the elite Avs, who were without captain Gabriel Landeskog. Zibanejad went without a point in 17:26 with just two shots while Panarin picked up a secondary assist in an otherwise ineffective game for the Rangers’ leading scorer.

The Avalanche deserve credit for taking away Zibanejad, Panarin and for most of the night Kreider, who is in a mini-slump with only one goal in his last seven games. Undoubtedly, he’s been the most consistent forward this team has had. No other Ranger is in double digits. Kreider leads them with 17 goals. After that, Panarin has nine.

The problem is it’s now a four-way tie between Jacob Trouba, Ryan Strome, Alexis Lafreniere and Kevin Rooney with six. Zibanejad remains stuck on five with Fox, who’s point production has been consistent. You can’t have your top center with only five goals in 28 games over a week before Christmas. It doesn’t translate. They didn’t extend Mika at an average of $8.5 million so he could be a streaky scorer. He works hard at other areas. But he must start burying some shots. If not, this team is going to be in trouble.

Kaapo Kakko had another disappointing game. Since the stretch where he put up all eight of his points over seven games, he’s without a point in seven straight. Tonight, he lost a puck battle along the wall and took a penalty due to being too soft. It is a process for young players, but at what point does the former ’19 second pick start making more of an impact? He is a bad fit with Zibanejad and Kreider. It’s time to move him back with Strome and Panarin.

When Kreider isn’t finishing and Panarin isn’t going, the offense will struggle. Especially with Zibanejad firing blanks. Second center Strome has been getting it done. His redirection of a great Fox pass gave the Rangers some life in a more inspired second period. That goal cut a 2-0 deficit in half.

It was all Avs in the first period. If not for Georgiev coming up with some timely saves (10) in a lopsided period that saw the Rangers establish zero sustained attack, it could’ve been worse than a two-goal deficit. He made three good stops on the first of six Avalanche power plays. That bailed out Patrik Nemeth, who has become an eyesore.

With the game still scoreless, Nathan MacKinnon made a great play to set up line mate Mikko Rantanen for the first goal at 12:18. Carrying the puck, he went around Nemeth behind the net and came out and made a perfect backhand feed for a Rantanen finish behind Libor Hajek to open the scoring. On the play, Nemeth got beat and Hajek tried to help in front, but didn’t recover in time to pick up Rantanen. MacKinnon was able to also beat Alexis Lafreniere to make the gorgeous pass.

While the Rangers barely tested Kuemper, who could’ve been in a lounge chair, the Avalanche controlled play with their imposing combination of size, speed and strength. After he whined about an inadvertent Strome trip earlier in the first, Rantanen got a legit call when Kevin Rooney foolishly tripped him up in the Ranger zone.

That penalty hurt. Instead of escaping the period down a goal, the Rangers trailed by two thanks to Cale Makar ripping a laser by a screened Georgiev at 18:11. The sad part is it was his own player who made it impossible for him to track the puck. Nemeth screened out Georgiev on a perfect Makar shot that went blocker side to make it 2-0. The offensive dynamo leads all defensemen with 13 goals. He legit has a shot at 30. What a dangerous player.

After getting outplayed and outshot 12-7 in a flat first, the Rangers played a much better second period. They went to the power play early when Andre Burakovsky cross-checked Ryan Lindgren. On the man-advantage, they didn’t quite get the set ups they wanted. Colorado did a good job blanketing Panarin and Fox. Kreider wasn’t a factor either.

When Gerard Gallant went to his second unit, Hunt got nabbed for a pick play at the Avalanche blue line. Compher sold it to make it four-on-four for 43 seconds. After the Rangers were able to kill the Colorado five-on-four, Hunt drew an interference minor on one-time Blueshirt Jack Johnson by driving the Colorado net. A good play by a gritty player.

Although the second power play had better looks, they couldn’t cash in against Kuemper. He made the saves he needed to and the Avs killed the rest. If there was a notable difference, special teams went to Colorado. In most of their wins this season, the Rangers have won the battle of special teams. Tonight, they had four less power plays and allowed one power play goal.

In what can best be summed up as an intense heavyweight battle, Kurtis MacDermid got the decision over Ryan Reaves in an entertaining scrap. After Reaves landed some early shots, MacDermid came back with some of his own before two rights finally got the takedown. A rare loss for Reaves.

https://twitter.com/RTaub_/status/1470956850678059008?t=xUhTQbbjqBSleQB6NAU-UQ&s=19

Sometimes, teams get lifts from fights. Even though Reaves lost, it was advantage Rangers. Less than a minute following the fisticuffs, Fox made a terrific play by moving the puck down low for Strome. He was able to get the tip in for his sixth to cut it to 2-1 with 9:24 remaining. A superb effort even if it wasn’t conventional. It still counted just the same.

On the next shift, a flying Zibanejad broke in on Kuemper. But his backhand attempt was denied by the Colorado starter. A huge momentum turning save. Afterwards, a frustrated Zibanejad took a silly penalty by grabbing Johnson for holding. One of those regrettable offensive zone minors you can’t take against such a lethal opponent.

Even though they killed the penalty, the Avalanche are the last team you want to put on the power play. If there was one gripe about the game, the Rangers took too many penalties. Georgiev sure gave them a chance. He made nine saves on 10 power play shots and was good throughout despite allowing four goals on 31 shots. The loss wasn’t on him.

For most of the second, they did so many things right. But then they began turning over pucks to fuel the Colorado transition. Zibanejad had a bad one. It was finally a turnover by the fourth line that really came back to haunt them. Eventually, the Avs turned it into a goal when Kadri took a low shot on Georgiev for a rebound with two bodies in front. With only Lindgren back and Fox behind, Nichushkin steered in his eighth for a 3-1 lead with 1:15 to go.

That was a backbreaker. The Rangers had all the momentum. But the sloppy play crept in and really cost them. Of course, the guys on ESPN Plus were heaping praise on our players for playing a very clean period. It was like they jinxed them. All that talk about no turnovers and more shot attempts went up in smoke like the fancy chart garbage analytical nerds use.

The third period was interesting. The Rangers never gave up. But at times, it felt like the Avalanche were ready to put them away. A huge Georgiev save to stop Nichushkin point blank kept them alive. I know the statistics will say 27 saves and four goals allowed. But if you watched the game, you know better. He played well.

The Avalanche are such a deep team that it doesn’t matter who’s missing. They come at you in waves. They’re very big and fast. It can be a handful. There’s a reason they’ve been so hot and scoring tons of goals. This wasn’t a blowout like last week’s 7-3 dusting on my birthday.

The Rangers competed. They didn’t look outgunned. But they also aren’t yet in the Avalanche’s league. That’s fine. You aren’t going to be complete less than 30 games in when you haven’t sniffed the playoffs in five years. I don’t count the Play In Qualifier. That was expanded due to COVID. This team is still learning.

If there was a player who frustrated me, it was Kakko. He isn’t doing enough to play on the top line. He had two shots and a slashing minor because he wasn’t strong enough along the boards and chopped MacDermid’s stick in half. He isn’t there yet. I’m not sure about him. He needs to prove he can score consistently.

Filip Chytil is another young player that isn’t getting it done. He isn’t finishing on plays like the one he had in front. The overall play has improved. But he’s been around long enough where offense should be expected. He doesn’t draw the tough assignments. They must get more out of the third line to be successful. If not, a trade is needed.

Games like Tuesday night emphasize the importance of Sammy Blais. His size, strength and grit is sorely missed. Gallant wouldn’t be playing Kakko on the first line. Blais fit better because he’s more mature and can handle the physical toll. I’m not going to use the Pavel Buchnevich excuse. Blais was doing well until P.K. Slewban Subban ended his season. His career will be over soon. I bet Devils fans can’t wait for him to be gone.

Without Blais, Gallant continues to employ Hunt in a top six role. As much as I admire his work ethic, he isn’t that player. Stick him on the third line where he can create more space for Chytil and Lafreniere, who isn’t ready for a top six role. If he was a right wing, I’d feel differently.

At this point, I think Turk should bump up Gauthier to the first line. He puts in a lot of effort and is around the net a lot due to his skating and North/South style. I know he only just got his second goal. But what other choice do they have? This is where not having Blais hurts. Vitali Kravtsov sure would be intriguing if he were available. That’s not happening.

Let’s get to the Compher no goal. With Hajek off for delay of game, the Avalanche got the puck up top to Makar for another hard shot. Compher somehow managed to redirect it off the goalpost and then beat Trouba to put in a rebound for what looked like an insurmountable 4-1 lead.

But after some discussion with the refs at the bench, Gallant decided to take his shot at challenge for goaltender interference. From the replays ESPN Plus showed, I didn’t think much of it. While there was initial contact between Compher and Georgiev, it came before the puck arrived. It had nothing to do with the play. I felt it should’ve counted. To my astonishment, they overturned the call and ruled it no goal.

Overkill. They’ll do anything to protect goalies. It was soft. I would’ve preferred it to count and not lose the way the Rangers did. But that’s what the league has become. A predictable soft as Carvel league except when a certain player slew foots and injures opponents. Mind boggling. About as much as ESPN not showing most of their games on cable TV. Not everyone wants to pay a premium for a streaming service. Luckily, I can stream the games for nothing. I don’t get it. They’ll show collegiate sports over NHL hockey. How does that promote the sport?

In regards to the final few minutes, it was interesting to see Gallant shift Hunt back to the fourth line. With Reaves on the bench and Rooney also taking a seat after a second consecutive ineffective game, it was a new look checking line that produced a goal on the six-on-five.

With Georgiev on the bench, Goodrow won an offensive draw back for Hunt, whose shot rebounded off Kuemper right to Gauthier, who flipped in a backhand for his second to make it 3-2 with 2:02 remaining. All it wad a simple face-off play where Gauthier went to the net and got the loose change. There wasn’t enough of that from the top six.

With Georgiev again lifted, it looked like Colorado would seal it with an empty net goal. But a great hustle play from Lafreniere denied a bid when he batted the attempt out of the air with his stick. He got shifts at the end because he was effective. Gallant felt he was too cute when he sat him out the last 10 minutes against Nashville. I like Laf’s grit. He definitely works hard and has more sandpaper to his game than some of our other young players.

That one defensive play from Lafreniere almost led to Kreider tying it. He got to his spot. Off a face-off win, Fox moved the puck over to Strome, whose shot pass was redirected by Kreider into Kuemper. He got one crack at a rebound, but was shutdown before Makar checked him. That was the chance to force overtime.

Finally, Kadri won a draw at center ice from Zibanejad. Nichushkin made a smart play by pushing the puck ahead and slipped through both Fox and Zibanejad to earn a one-on-one with Georgiev. He made a good move and went forehand deke upstairs to salt the game away with over 36 seconds left.

It was a frustrating way to end the game. Especially given how they never quit. They were that close to forcing overtime thanks to an overturned goal that to me should’ve counted. The NHL remains very confusing.

Now, there’s another COVID outbreak. There are players all over the place testing positive. The Carolina/Minnesota game was canceled. Calgary and Chicago didn’t play on Monday. Supposedly, both the NHL and NHLPA are going to have a discussion over all the players in COVID Protocol tomorrow. I’m curious to see what happens. It isn’t only affecting the NHL. But the NBA and NFL. It’s worrisome.

The Rangers are back at it when they visit Arizona. It’s probably good to get another game. But what about the travel factor? What about the issue with Nashville, who just visited? Yeah. There’s concern. Players have expressed similar issues with participating in Beijing. I don’t feel it’s worth the risk. That isn’t a good idea.

That’ll do it. The Rangers want to bounce back. They’re now third in the division with the red hot Penguins gaining ground. That’s a surprising team to keep an eye on. I’m curious to see how the Rangers will do against the more defensive minded Pens. Don’t forget the sizzling Golden Knights visit MSG Friday. There then is a break in the schedule.

See you later.

THREE STARS 🌟 OF GAME

3rd 🌟 Nathan MacKinnon, Avalanche (2 assists, 5 SOG, 7-for-13 on draws in 22:32)

2nd 🌟 Nazem Kadri, Avalanche (3 assists in 20:01)

1st 🌟 Valeri Nichushkin, Avalanche (2 goals, 3 SOG, +2 in 16:21)

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It’s Groundhog Day in Newark…again

Posted on December 15, 2021 by hasan4978

Even more so than my Wargames clip, the more fitting symbol of what the Devils franchise has become is the Bill Murray movie Groundhog Day, where his character re-lives the same day over and over and over again. Only instead of living the same day as Devils fans, we’re living the same year over and over and over again. Yet I’m not sure I can remember a time where I’ve been this annoyed with the direction (or lack thereof) of the franchise as I am right now. It was one thing to be struggling when we were supposed to be rebuilding in the first few years of the Ray Shero regime, or when he tried to move towards a win-now approach and it blew up and then Tom Fitzgerald had to start rebuild 2.0. I’m not even asking for much as a fan at this point, despite all their additions this offseason pretty much my goal was just to have ‘meaningful games in March’ for only the second time in the post-Lou Lamoriello era.

This year should have been the time to see improvement from the younger players, especially with Fitz augmenting the core with a few vets this offseason. Instead, we have younger players stagnating or going backwards and an entire team that seemingly doesn’t know what to do on the ice, especially when special teams gets into the mix. Excuses have been the order of the day around here – Lou left the organization in bad shape, COVID screwed up seasons, the coaching sucks, yadda yadda yadda. When do we get to the day where we start to hold the players themselves accountable? Or better yet when does ownership start re-evaluating its whole process which clearly isn’t changing jack for the better?

If you go by the saying a fish rots from the head out, you gotta start with ownership and the general laissez-faire way they approach winning and losing both here and with the Sixers. I can’t even necessarily complain about who they’ve been hiring here as much as I do just the whole idea that every little thing has to be run as a democracy rather than just hiring people, letting them do their jobs and evaluate them on their own merit. Instead, we know that one of the reasons Shero was fired was that he wanted more autonomy and ownership wanted more of a collaboration. We have reports of upper management having input into the power play (like it’s helped) and other facets of daily coaching. And I loathe the fact this organization is making me call for Lindy Ruff’s head after like eighty-five games, but in the coach’s defense it’s not like he was really given any autonomy here, starting with his own staff. Was PP guru Mark Recchi really Ruff’s hire or Fitz’s? Given the Pittsburgh connection with Fitz and no other prior connection with Ruff, it seems obvious what the answer is. We know doggone well Alain Nasreddine was foisted on Ruff, which was even more ridiculous given that Nas had run his course both as an assistant under John Hynes and as the interim after Hynes’ firing.

I guess in a sense it’s fitting that Nas was kept from a prior administration, since after all Fitz himself was kept from a prior administration. Albeit a guy who was highly thought of and probably would have gotten his own GM job outside of New Jersey eventually, but still when you replace one coach and then foist his assistant on the next coach, while ownership promotes the assistant of the last GM it’s getting a bit…incestuous for lack of a better word? I’m just waiting for some organizational accountability to be shown and I don’t just mean firing a figurehead coach who has no real authority anyway. I’ve been a bit skittish about bringing in John Tortorella cause of the rationalization that his style with our finesse team would be an oil and vinegar match but at this point bleep the players. I’d bring him in just to light a fire at this point cause it doesn’t seem like we have anyone else in the organization willing to do it.

Ruff talks a good game but in the end just defaults to the same shuttle in and out fourth liners and run a few bag skates that most coaches do (with some of those moves making little sense, like scratching physical Nathan Bastian who can play for Mason Geertsen who can’t play the other night…like really now), without doing anything to even address the failing strategies on the ice. Ironically the one time he really put the hammer down on a key player, it worked – Jesper Bratt is one of the few players thriving in this mess of a season. But where’s a similar level of accountability for Ty Smith continuing to stink up the ice? He was named by the GM as someone just outside of core player status last year, but has shown to be anything but this season. And as much as I like the guy and think he does care, the fact this organization rushed to give Nico Hischier the C as quickly as they did before he fully established himself may well prove to be a mistake. It’s one thing to be a good person and try but that doesn’t give you stature or make you a good leader. Not that anyone else outside of maybe Dougie Hamilton is capable of wearing the C on this roster, but I can’t even make that claim with this season going up in smoke. Pretty much everyone needs to be called on the carpet for two dead-fish efforts in a row against the Islanders and Flyers.

Where is the realization by Ruff, ‘his’ staff or the higher-ups above that this so-called power play system just isn’t working? When even a gold standard player like Hamilton can’t run this system, the problem is usually with the system itself. It doesn’t seem like even now the coaching staff gets it, after nearly a monthlong stretch where the team’s literally given up more shorthanded goals than scored on its own power play (to be exact three PP goals scored in our last 36 attempts, with four shorthanded goals given up during that time).

Although finally admitting personnel changes could be made is a start, how about admitting that maybe this system itself needs to be re-evaluated? Or the process of it being more streamlined rather than Ruff, Recchi, Fitz and the analytics people all sitting in an office gaming out what, exactly? A different way of standing around and trying to thread the needle for a perfect pass in front? How about on a bigger level figuring out why quite a few guys when they first get here perform great, then stagnate after 15-20 games in this so-called system (yes I mean you Dougie, and your d-partner Ryan Graves)? Even a kid like Dawson Mercer has been pulled into the vortex of suck, with just one goal and a -8 in his last eight games.

This isn’t to absolve the players by any stretch, especially when you have a culture that for years has excused losing and blindly peddled a ‘better days are ahead’ mantra, the younger the roster gets without any real plan for developing all your younger players other than…they’re young, they’ll develop all on their own! At a certain point, our ‘captain’ or someone in the room needs to stand up and say this bleep is no longer acceptable around here, it shouldn’t be entirely up to the coaches and upper management to enforce accountability in the room. A good franchise breeds accountability both from management and peers. When the Devils were winning it wasn’t always Pat Burns and Jacques Lemaire giving speeches or pulling guys aside in the locker room. Sometimes it was Scott Stevens and Claude Lemieux letting players know their bleep isn’t gonna fly here. Right now as a franchise we’re missing a collective accountability both from above and from within. There’s too many milquetoast personalities who go with the flow and not enough guys who are willing to spice things up to get everyone going.

Part of my longing for some accountability comes from seeing other teams make coaching changes and immediately benefit from them, including the team that smoked us tonight – the Flyers, who’ve now won three straight not long after losing ten in a row. Vancouver was mocked for acting like a win-now team, hiring Bruce Boudreau but they’re winning now too. Both teams saw their season going up in smoke and did something about it, while we’re likely going to wait too long again just like we dragged our feet weeks after we should have fired Hynes in 2019. Not that I trust Fitz or ownership to do the right thing and bring in a name coach with some autonomy or even promote Kevin Dineen, who would seem to be the obvious in-season replacement with what he’s been doing at Utica this season – and get this, they actually have an elite power play down there! Think we could use some of whatever he’s brewing down there?

Apparently ownership (and/or Fitz) didn’t want guys like Gerard Gallant and Peter Laviolette during the 2020 offseason because they wanted more of a say in things than we were willing to give them. Gee, I wonder how their teams are doing now? Oh right, they’re so far in front of us we need a damn telescope to find them! Maybe it’s time to rethink the importance of coaching and not just trying to treat an NHL coach like a baseball manager, a guy who runs everything by the numbers and blindly does what management wants. No moneyball system on its own has been shown to win without any regard to talent or coaching yet. Maybe instead of just having a group of finesse youngsters you occasionally try to add in a couple of physical vets who aren’t outright useless goons?

Before we even talk about a philosophy change though, this organization needs to take a good hard look in the mirror and use one of its own corporate terms…self-evaluate. After eight years of two rebuilds I see zero evidence that our process is, or will work anytime soon. I’ve already gotten to the avoid watching games and dread going to games part of my yearly cycle of life. I didn’t watch a minute of the last two games and was better off for it, when the inevitable result happened Saturday with the fossilized remains of Lou’s ex-Devils (Andy Greene and Zach Parise) both scoring on us as if it was 2012 again. I don’t even want to hear about people being sick tonight at this point – when you do nothing but peddle excuses for years I’m sorry, I have no patience left for you even if this excuse has some truth to it in all likelihood.

It’s time to act like you’re in St. Louis and SHOW ME improvement, show me accountability. Give me a reason to watch your product again other than the games I’m self-obligated to go to, and a reason to keep my tickets after this season rather than just taking a bath on the ‘value’ of tickets for the sake of seat location and having playoff rights – god knows when we’ll ever get back to them.

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Predators out-grind Rangers in playoff style shutout, Kreider speaks up

Posted on December 13, 2021 by Derek

This one was all about style. It wasn’t fancy. But rather a grinding, physical game that was hard fought. Despite playing without stars Matt Duchene and Ryan Johansen, the Predators out-hit and out-grinded the Rangers to win a playoff style game 1-0 at MSG.

Juuse Saros finished with 32 saves including 16 coming in the third period to record his second shutout of the season. Of all the top goalies that are frequently discussed, he’s the least talked about. All the 26-year old has done is replace Predators legend Pekka Rinne without any problem.

Aside from having difficulty getting pucks past Saros, who made himself look bigger than his 5-11, 180 pound frame, the Blueshirts also found it tough to get through the Predators in the neutral zone. They really packed it in defensively. That was by design under coach John Hynes, who knew his team would have to win a low scoring game minus Duchene and Johansen.

https://twitter.com/AdamVingan/status/1470223495867023360?t=kGRCrERsCvHUncqC1PppLA&s=19

It isn’t often an opponent out-hits the Rangers. However, they were the hunted on Sunday night. Nashville possesses some gritty players. Consisting of Yakov Trenin (6 hits, 5 SOG), Luke Kunin (5 hits, 3 SOG), Eeli Tolvanen (4 hits, 2 SOG), Tanner Jeannot (4 hits) and wrecking machine Mark Borowiecki (5 hits), those five players out-hit the Rangers 24-22. Overall, hits favored the Preds, 39-22.

That didn’t sit well with Chris Kreider. One of the team leaders, he called out attention to how he felt they played during a revealing postgame interview. It hit the nail on the head.

Both Steve Valiquette and Henrik Lundqvist agreed with his assessment. The proof is in how they’ve had most of their early success. This isn’t a team that relies entirely on skill. But on will. They like to outwork opponents by finishing checks and winning puck battles on the forecheck. They go to the dirty areas to score. There wasn’t enough of that last night.

Instead, it was the Preds who controlled the game. They hit hard and went after it. After beating both the Devils and Islanders, they weren’t satisfied with getting only two wins in the metro area. They put their hard hats on and dictated the terms to win a playoff caliber game behind Saros.

For a 1-0 game, it wasn’t dull. You had plenty of physicality and battles that intensified after a scoreless first period. Nashville was way better early by outplaying and outshooting the Rangers 13-6. They were tied due to Alex Georgiev, who continued his strong play by stopping all 13 first period shots en route to 23 saves.

Since Georgiev relieved Igor Shesterkin at the 44:52 mark of the third period in a shared shutout against the Sharks, he’s 3-1-0 with a 1.42 GAA and .951 save percentage. That steady play has allowed Shesterkin to take his time. He is getting closer to returning. But, it’s good to see Georgiev find his form. That’ll make the Rangers more formidable in net.

In a game where the refs kept the penalties to a minimum, it was the Predators who were able to earn the all important first goal less than two minutes into the second period. On an Alexandre Carrier forecheck, Filip Forsberg made a great pass up to Philip Tomasino for a good snapshot that went top shelf for the rookie’s fifth at 1:44.

Despite the Blueshirts picking up their play, that goal proved to be the difference. With the top two lines largely ineffective due to a stingy Nashville defense led by captain Roman Josi (4 SOG, 2 blocks) and Mattias Ekholm (3 blocks), the Rangers’ third line had the best scoring opportunities.

On the same shift, Filip Chytil had two wide open chances. Both came in transition where he’s most effective due to his skating. However, neither shot reached the net. While Joe Micheletti said both were deflected by Nashville sticks, I find that hard to believe. On one great chance, it looked like Chytil just missed high and wide. That’s how it’s gone for him.

While the 22-year old Czech was coming off consecutive games in which he tallied points, the bottom line is he needs to produce more than the three goals and four assists he has so far. It’s not enough from the third center. This isn’t to say there hasn’t been improvement in other areas. But his line isn’t facing the toughest competition. He’s the most experienced on that line. It’s up to him to lead the way.

I thought both Alexis Lafreniere and Julien Gauthier were more noticeable throughout. Chytil got one good shot on Saros that he saved due to a nice set up from Jacob Trouba. That was it. He also lost all five draws. Lafreniere was effective in a few shifts during the second. He nearly tied it when he stripped Josi and in one motion got a point blank shot on Saros that he saved. Despite being active, he hardly saw the ice late in the third.

Gauthier played well enough for Gerard Gallant to bump him up to the first line with Mika Zibanejad and Kreider. With Kaapo Kakko again beginning to disappear following his one good stretch, Turk made a change in the third by moving up the more visible Gauthier and sliding Kakko back to the second line with Ryan Strome and Artemi Panarin. Kakko had a very ineffective game in 12:08.

As for Gauthier, he did some positive things due to his strong skating. But he didn’t register a shot. It’s awfully hard to justify bunping him up when he has only one goal. I thought Gallant made a mistake by sitting Lafreniere. He seemed to have energy and is looking more confident. Instead, he wound up with 9:18 of ice time.

Consecutive strong shifts by the top two lines late in the second period seemed to be a good sign. Buoyed by a great open ice hit from Trouba that had fans chanting his name (what a difference), finally Zibanejad got a good shot on net. The Strome line then spent some time around the Nashville net. Both Strome and Panarin had chances as did Adam Fox, who sent a shot just wide. Ryan Lindgren missed the net too.

That was the kind of effort they needed. While Trouba drew attention from Trenin and Kunin for another strong hit, the Rangers outshot the Predators 10-6 in the second. Saros wasn’t cooperating. He made the key saves to keep his team ahead.

In the final period, the Preds decided to protect the one-goal lead. They hardly forechecked. Opting to continue playing a tight checking style that made life tough on the Rangers at five-on-five, Nashville clamped up the neutral zone and stood up at the blue line.

It took a superlative effort from a changing Fox to draw a rare penalty. After receiving a pass at center ice, he flew past Michael McCarron and forced him to take him down. He was sent off for tripping. It was the brilliance you come to expect from Fox in a game where he was marked well.

The second power play was exclusively the top unit. They certainly had their chances. Strome got the best two on good passes across that allowed him to fire through. On one chance, it felt like he would score. But Saros quickly recovered to make the save. He also got the better of Strome on another bid. He doesn’t shoot a lot in most games. But in this one, Strome finished with a game high eight shots.

A frustrating night. He had nothing to show for it. Some games, it’s like that. Zibanejad continued to fire blanks. A game removed from getting a break to end a scoring drought, it was back to shooting pucks into the crest. His best shot actually came early in the third from a tough angle when he fired a puck short side that Saros got over for along the post.

There wasn’t much happening for Ryan Reaves. He hardly hit and didn’t see as much time. Barclay Goodrow got off a tough shot on Saros in the slot that he denied. Kevin Rooney didn’t register a shot.

There was one lineup change. Libor Hajek got into his first game due to Nils Lundkvist being out with a non-related COVID illness. He was okay. In 12:53 while paired with Patrik Nemeth, Hajek had two shots on goal and didn’t make any glaring mistakes. He plays a no frills game. I don’t get why they even signed Nemeth for.

If Lundkvist can’t go on Tuesday in the rematch at the red hot Colorado, expect Hajek to get another game. Considering the Rangers now must travel with a stop at Arizona Wednesday before returning home for Vegas Friday, maybe Lundkvist misses the trip. It’ll depend on how he feels.

The Rangers did get 16 shots in the third. But I never got the feeling they would tie it. It was just the way Nashville defended. They protected the house. If Saros saw the shots, he stopped them. Kreider alluded to it afterwards. They didn’t get enough traffic.

Gallant pulled Georgiev with 1:34 left in regulation. They never seriously threatened. Credit the Preds for playing a hard-working and tenacious game. Although they lost, it’s exactly the kind of style game the Rangers can learn from. They must adapt.

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Jack Hughes turns on the jets to score a beautiful goal

Posted on December 11, 2021 by Derek

What makes Jack Hughes fun to watch? The excitement he can create on a single rush that winds up being a highlight reel goal.

Late in the first period of a tie game after Noah Dobson scored for the Islanders, the 20-year old center took matters into his own hands to answer back for the Devils. Using his great speed and skating, the ’19 top pick took off and fired a slap shot past Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin to give the Devils a 2-1 lead.

Here’s how it looked on TV. And yes. That’s me at the beginning of the instant replay remarking about what I saw.

Jack Hughes turns on the jets to score a beautiful goal for the Devils in the first period. Video by Derek Felix courtesy MSG Network.

Having recently signed a big contract extension that’ll pay him an average of $8 million through 2030, Hughes is an exciting player who is capable of scoring and setting up goals. The future of the Devils hinges on the skilled American.

Without Nico Hischier and Ryan Graves due to COVID-19, the Devils will continue to need Hughes to lead the way. Maybe that goal was an answer to close friend Trevor Zegras. He’s been making a lot of news after his Michigan lacrosse pass resulted in a Sonny Milano goal for Anaheim. They are the first and ninth picks from that ’19 Draft.

Without a doubt, there should be more in store from Hughes. Something the Devils Red Army needs.

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Did the Rangers catch a break?

Posted on December 11, 2021 by Derek

A day later, there’s still conversation about whether the Sabres were offside on a Victor Olofsson goal that would’ve tied the score late in regulation.

The scoring play in question was negated due to the NHL Situation Room calling down to Buffalo to review for offside. On the Sabres feed, both Rick Jeanneret and Rob Ray were convinced that it was due to Rasmus Dahlin still being in the zone ahead of the play. However, it might not be so cut and dry.

If we are to believe John Vogl of The Athletic, the NHL Situation Room called the Sabres and Rangers to say it incorrectly called offside on the disallowed Buffalo goal which would’ve tied the score. Former goalie turned analyst Martin Biron illustrated on MSG in Buffalo that Dahlin was able to tag up before Olofsson touched the puck with Tage Thompson onside.

Whatever the case is, it’s all too confusing. If you have such league personnel to review these plays, how can they get it wrong? It looked like they made the correct call by overruling the Olofsson goal. Regardless, it’s too late to go back and change the outcome.

The Rangers remain 2-1 winners of Friday’s game. Even if now there is a controversy that’s being debated. It reminds me of the NFL when they admit to losing teams that they missed a call in a close game. Ditto for the NBA. That doesn’t accomplish anything.

What’s done is done. The Rangers held on for dear life to earn their 18th win of the season. It wasn’t a well played game. They were lucky to get the two points. Had the Olofsson goal stood, Patrik Nemeth would’ve been a goat. He had the puck bank off him past Alex Georgiev. Why was he even out that late?

The Rangers will move on to face Nashville Sunday night at 7 PM. Another NFL Sunday game at MSG. They’ll want to take care of business before having to travel to the sizzling Avalanche, who are scoring goals at a high rate.

Finally, there’s this. Alexis Lafreniere is up to six goals after notching the game-winner last night. He has points in two straight. Kaapo Kakko remains stuck on three goals and is without a point in five. At what point does the second pick find consistency that made him that pick over Trevor Zegras?

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Georgiev’s 37 saves allow Rangers to hang on for one-goal win over scrappy Sabres, Lafreniere nets winner and Zibanejad ends scoring drought

Posted on December 11, 2021 by Derek

If you were to grade the Rangers last night, they’d get a solid D. That’s how inconsistent they were. Luckily, a missed offside disallowed a Sabres tying goal late. They also can thank Alex Georgiev for the 2-1 win over the scrappy Sabres in Western New York.

Without the rejuvenated backup goalie, they would’ve been toast. In fact, almost half of his 36 saves came in a busy third period. With the Rangers opting to sit back and ‘protect’ a one-goal lead, it was Georgiev who got it done by making 17 saves on 18 shots to pickup another win.

Since Igor Shesterkin went down, Georgiev is three-for-three in starts. After coming on to replace the injured Shesterkin in the third period of a shared 1-0 shutout over San Jose, he’s 3-0 with a 1.54 GAA and .949 save percentage.

What a turnaround for the 25-year old from Bulgaria. It’s almost like he just needed to get in a rhythm by getting into games. It’s a big relief for the Rangers, who look like they no longer have to worry about their backup. The way he’s stepped up, Georgiev has gotten his confidence back. That was on display Friday night.

“Obviously, Georgie was outstanding. He made some top end saves. They had some Grade A chances and I thought [Ukko-PekkaLuukkonen] was good too. But Georgie was excellent. He was the difference,” coach Gerard Gallant said afterwards while pointing out that it wasn’t the Rangers’ best effort.

“We’re happy with the win. Maybe not happy with how we played for 60 minutes. We just gotta keep reminding ourselves what we can do when we do, when we stick to our game plan,” goal scorer Mika Zibanejad said after finally ending a 14-game scoring drought. “I try not to bear myself up over it. But again, I would be lying if I said I didn’t think about it. Human nature I guess.”

The Rangers played a good first period. They got off to a fast start. Following a scrap between Barclay Goodrow and John Hayden, they took the play to the Sabres. At one point, the shots were 11-2. To his credit, Buffalo rookie netminder Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was strong. He kept his team afloat early on.

Special teams continue to be a factor in the wins for this team. Put on the power play less than five minutes in, the Rangers made short work of a Mark Pysyk tripping minor on Artemi Panarin.

On a broken play down low from Adam Fox and Panarin, Zibanejad was able to get to a loose puck and score his fifth of the season at 4:48. It was his first goal in 15 games. He looked to the heavens as if to say thank you.

They would go back on the power play a few minutes later. Despite some good chances that included a terrific pad save by Luukkonen to rob Chris Kreider on the doorstep, the Blueshirts were unable to increase the lead. Kaapo Kakko had him all set up, but Luukkonen made the save of the night.

Following the successful penalty kill, the Sabres finally began to skate better. They grabbed the momentum by finishing the period with a strong final five minutes. They also wound up with four of the last five shots. That included a point blank Jeff Skinner chance that Georgiev denied. A key stop.

The second period saw both clubs get chances. Both goalies were good. Georgiev robbed Vinnie Hinostroza in front off a good feed. Luukkonen made a key blocker ssve by stoning Julien Gauthier off a rush. Gauthier remains stuck with one goal despite creating opportunities.

Halfway through the second, the First Round Pick Line struck for a huge goal. On a good pass from Filip Chytil up to Fox for a low wrist shot, the puck rebounded right to a driving Alexis Lafreniere, who buried his sixth at 9:47. After assisting on a Chytil goal in Wednesday’s loss to Colorado, the 20-year old left wing made it two straight games with a point. A positive development.

Over a minute later, Brett Murray forced Jacob Trouba to hook him after he had a step in the neutral zone. In between, Trouba’s partner K’Andre Miller hit two goalposts. He was more aggressive shooting the puck throughout.

The Rangers killed off the Sabres’ power play. They didn’t get much set up. In two chances, they had three shots on Georgiev, who had no problem shutting them down. That included a Ryan Reaves cross-checking minor on Victor Olofsson with 44 seconds remaining in the period.

Despite taking a 2-0 lead to the locker room, it didn’t feel like a safe one. The Sabres outshot them 13-12. In particular, Skinner was dangerous throughout. He led all skaters with eight shots on goal. Had Georgiev not been sharp, it might’ve been a different outcome.

Sure enough, the third was conservatively played. Opting to sit back and protect the two-goal lead, the Blueshirts allowed the Sabres to attack the zone. They got six of the first seven shots. It had the eerie feel of a Buffalo comeback.

If you allow a weak opponent to stay alive, they won’t give up. One thing about the Sabres is they work hard under coach Don Granato. As defensively challenged as they are, they are effective on the forecheck. That hard work eventually paid off to make it a game.

On some sustained pressure behind the Ranger net, Kyle Okposo got the puck over to Pysyk, who slipped a pass from behind the net in front for an open Murray to collect and bury for a goal with 5:23 left in the game. He beat Kakko to the net for his second.

With the Sabres back in it, they also got an enormous save from Luukkonen on Chytil to rob him on a three-on-one. He was able to get over along the goalpost and keep Chytil’s shot out. That third line was good in limited action.

With time winding down, it looked like the Sabres had tied the game. But following a wild scramble in front that saw Buffalo beat Georgiev for what looked like a tying goal from Victor Olofsson, NHL headquarters called down to notify the refs that they were reviewing for offside.

Even the Buffalo feed which featured legendary play-by-play man Rick Jeanneret and Rob Ray knew Rasmus Dahlin was way offside before the eventual scoring play. It wasn’t even close. How they missed it I have no idea. For the Rangers, they caught a lucky break.

Time was put back on the scoreboard. It went back to 1:26 which gave the Sabres plenty of time to see if they could get it tied. But, that goal never came. Georgiev calmly made three saves including a clutch one on a Skinner backhand in tight.

The closest Buffalo came is when Tage Thompson narrowly missed on a long shot that hit the outside of the goalpost. After that close call, both Ryan Lindgren and Fox made key blocks before the latter made a key clear that killed the Sabres’ chances.

When the buzzer sounded, it wasn’t quite over. Goodrow sneakingly tripped up Dylan Cozens from behind. He didn’t like it, responding by giving Goodrow a whack. Eventually, cooler heads prevailed with Fox involved. The officials did a good job separating Cozens from Goodrow.

It wasn’t the greatest game. At the end of the day, they got the two points. That’s all that matters. They can now put the Avalanche loss in the rear view. Speaking of Colorado, they put up another seven spot in a win over Detroit. Yikes.

Not every win is perfect. Now, they’ll host Nashville on Sunday night. The Predators have already beaten both the Islanders and Devils by a goal. They’re a strange team. But have good players like Roman Josi, Matt Duchene and Ryan Johansen playing well. Juuse Saros is a good goalie.

It should be an interesting game. We’ll see how it goes. They want to win that one with a rematch at Colorado on Tuesday.

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Devils’ lost home week only increases the angst of fans

Posted on December 11, 2021 by hasan4978

I can’t even figure out where to begin with this blog. There’s so much I want to say about this franchise, and yet I have so little interest in saying it at this point. It’s sort of a dual personality between the angst this team gives me watching it, and the apathy of knowing this is just going to be another crappy year anyway, so what’s the point of even ranting? Clearly I was better off not watching the team (last week) than watching them (this week). Although it’s even worse that the one game they did win this week I wasn’t able to watch at all, while I was in attendance for both our desultory shootout loss to Ottawa on Monday and our infuriating loss to the Hynes Gang against Nashville tonight.

It also figures that two of the three wins the Devils have had in the last month have come against maybe the only other team in the league that’s more hapless than we are, the suddenly crummy Flyers who have lost ten in a row themselves and fired coaches Alain Vigneault and Michel Therrien because of it. Wonder when there’ll be accountability for our continued losing? Take out the Flyer wins and we have one win in eleven games since November 11, when our season crested with a 4-0 shutout of the Islanders that upped our record to 7-3-2, eerily similar to the 6-3-2 start last year. Since then, the record’s basically been inversed at 3-7-3 – with only two wins over the lousy Flyers that they had to scratch out and a fluke comeback against Tampa Bay.

Even worse than the losing is how they’re losing…they’re losing with younger players regressing or not developing, more poor coaching despite an alleged upgrade behind the bench, still having defensive meltdowns despite all the souping up GM Tom Fitzgerald did with the blueline this offseason, and still not having enough physicality to handle teams going after their small, finesse players. Obviously Miles Wood’s injury doesn’t help with the latter, but regardless this team’s been soft for years. It’s partly why current coach Lindy Ruff bent over backwards to make Mason Geertsen a quasi-regular in the lineup but he’s not the answer either, he’s not even a viable enough goon to be a true enforcer let alone actually being able to play hockey at the NHL level.

It’s just difficult to know what to say right now, other than it’s just no fun watching this team at the moment…Monday was bad enough dropping a point to an Ottawa team ten points below us in the standings but tonight was the angriest, most apathetic I’ve been at a game since I don’t even know when. Obviously I wasn’t at any of the games last year and the 2019-20 season imploded so quickly I reached the apathy stage around the time John Hynes was fired and Taylor Hall got traded. Of course Hynes being behind the other bench tonight only added another level of annoyance, it’s like we’re really gonna get outcoached by this guy? We were supposed to have upgraded with Lindy, I still like the guy personally but let’s face it, the Devils had no answers for Nashville most of the night.

Our powerless play of course is what sent me over the edge in the first period, even before we gave up any goals. When you get three power plays in one period of hockey and can’t even manage a shot in any of them until the last few seconds of the final power play, that’s just unconscionably bad. As annoyed as I’ve been at Mark Recchi over the power play, it seems as if there’s plenty of blame to go around going by one of Corey Masisak’s last Devil articles before moving to the Sharks beat, where he indicated that ‘everyone on the coaching staff and even some in management’ have input on the power play. To me this is too many cooks in the kitchen syndrome, although I don’t really implicitly trust Recchi or even Ruff to fix our PP woes, there are actually some instances where sports teams are better served as an autocracy than a democracy.

You would think the multiple people working on the power play could come up with something better than just a lot of standing around, slow passing and hoping to thread the needle through two guys in front for the perfect cross-ice pass. When longtime penalty killing ace Dominic Moore says your PP is static, it’s static. Unfortunately, asking for even a competent NHL power play at this point seems to be a hopeless exercise, I’d have just as much luck asking Judge Smails in Caddyshack for anything

Not that our PK’s been that much better, of course they gave it up in the second period too but really it was just a horrible period all around, despite the Devils actually taking the lead when Jesper Bratt created a goal with a pretty feed from behind the net to Pavel Zacha, who scored his ninth of the season at 11:34 of the middle frame. You would think that goal might have given us some momentum, but really it was just a short-lived shot across the bow during a massive retreat of a period where the Predators peppered Mackenzie Blackwood with eighteen shots on net and eventually broke through with a little ‘help’ from Nico Hischier, whose failed clear and some other questionable defensive coverage from basically everyone on the ice – including our top defensive pairing – left Roman Josi wide open in front to pick his spot and score less than two minutes after Zacha’s goal. It was just a few minutes later where Eeli Tolvanen scored on the PP to put Nashville in front to stay, and if anything the Devils were fortunate the roof didn’t completely fall in that period.

Perhaps it was Nico’s turnover on the first goal, or his miss of a gimme chance off a feed from Jack Hughes late in the first period that originally built up frustration, but certainly he snapped late in the second period when Mikael Granlund speared him and the captain wailed on the offending player with a surprisingly…effective fight? Effective only from a fighting standpoint and a short-term crowd burst, the captain being in the box for the first five minutes of the third period on a matching major and with a possibly injured hand didn’t do anything to change momentum back. It was more of the same in the third period, with Yakov Trenin doubling their lead at 6:11 of the third after yet another Ty Smith turnover in the offensive zone led to a Nashville breakout, and Trenin scoring off a juicy rebound. I can’t really blame Blackwood though, by all rights the game probably should have been 4 or 5-1 late in the third anyway.

Finally when the game dragged onto the five minute mark with little life, that’s when I did something I never do – leaving a close game. Or as close as a 3-1 game is when you’ve generated very little offense the previous thirty-five minutes.

It’s not so much I really felt there was no chance for a miracle rally, as it was my own annoyance at everyone and everything just kind of boiled over by then – whether it’s Hughes making dumb, blind behind-the-back passes and trying to skate one-on-three in the zone, or Nico stinking up the joint aside from his frustrated fight, or $9 million man Dougie Hamilton stinking up the joint with a bad penalty and was one of many with horrendous coverage on the first goal. Other than Blackwood, and Bratt there really weren’t too many people that escaped my wrath tonight. Our sophomore jinxed group of Smith, Janne Kuokkanen and Yegor Sharangovich stunk it up again, Sharangovich’s late junktime goal be damned. He had another couple of open chances that he just shoveled toward the net earlier while Kuokkanen stayed invisible and Smith stayed awful. Not only does the organization not seem inclined to send him down, they don’t even seem inclined to reduce his role in the least. It’s just another example of the lack of accountability in general around here, the coach’s tough talk in recent pressers notwithstanding.

My reaction of hearing about Sharangovich’s goal and another illusory Devils rally was ‘but, of course’…I was so aggravated over the game I even left my long-sleeve shirt at the arena. Usually I’ll either wear long sleeves underneath a jersey or short sleeves (with a jacket during late fall/winter, obviously), but being mindful of my several-minute walk in cold weather I wanted to wear short sleeves inside and then long sleeves afterward so long story short, I took off my long sleeves in the arena and just forgot to pick up the shirt when leaving after. I guess I’ll find out if customer service still maintains a lost-and-found post-pandemic. It wasn’t really one of my favorite shirts so whatever, it’s probably just indicative as much as anything else of my mindset. Especially since I’m still more aggravated over the team and wasting another night with a dreadful game than forgetting my shirt.

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