Category: New York Rangers

Blinding City Lights; Washington Capitals vs New York Rangers

RecordGoaltenderGAA / SV%
Washington Capitals6-1-3Vitek Vanecek2.78 / .918
New York Rangers3-4-2Igor Shestyorkin2.73 / .894
Predicted Goaltender

After taking 9 of 12 possible points through six home games, and 15 of a possible 20 over their first 10 games, the Capitals are back on the road for one game to take on the New York Rangers. Although the Caps have dropped their last two games against the Rangers, they had strung together 7 consecutive wins prior, and had wins in 10 of 11. It is worth noting that 6 of their last 13 have needed overtime or a shootout to determine a winner, and four have gone in favor of the Capitals.

On Monday night, the Washington Capitals dropped their first game in regulation, 5-3, after allowing another come-from-behind effort from the Boston Bruins. The Florida Panthers are the only team remaining who has yet to lose in regulation (6GP). Dmitry Orlov returned to the lineup after missing five games due to COVID protocol violations, and was paired with Nick Jensen as the 3rd defensive pairing. Jakub Vrana was moved down to the 4LW spot and Conor Sheary up to the 2LW position. Alex Ovechkin took his normal spot on the top line with Nicklas Backstrom and Tom Wilson. Heading into Monday’s game, the Capitals had trailed for a league-fewest 46:15 minutes (among teams with at least 7GP). Washington’s defensemen had put up a combined 28 points (9G, 19A), which is T2nd most in the NHL (Vancouver- 30; Colorado- 28).

Carl Hagelin thought he had scored his first of the season at the 11:41 mark of the first period, but Bruins bench-boss Bruce Cassidy took a gamble by challenging the goal for off-sides. The initial call of a good goal was overturned and so the score stayed 0-0. But just 1:45 seconds later, Zdeno Chara would score against his former team to give the Capitals their 1-0 lead back.

Then 11 seconds after Chara’s goal, Daniel Sprong scored his 2nd of the season to make it 2-0 Washington.

The Capitals ended the first, and started the second, with 23 seconds remaining on the power play thanks to a Jakub Zboril cross-checking penalty but would not convert. TJ Oshie went off for holding just three minutes and seven seconds into the second and with 55 seconds left on the penalty, Garnet Hathaway was called for delay of game, so the Bruins skated 5-on-3 for nearly a minute. Thankfully for Washington, Boston would not convert, even with the two-man advantage. Jeremy Lauzon was assessed a minor penalty for hooking at the 7:19 mark, and just over 60 seconds into the power play, John Carlson would score with a rocket of a shot to make it 3-0, Capitals.

But Carlson’s goal, in giving the Caps another 3-0 lead, would be the start of Boston’s comeback for a 2nd straight game. Four minutes later, David Pastrnak scored his 1st of the season to get the Bruins on the board. Many believed it would be different this time, and that there was no way the Caps would allow another three-goal comeback, especially since they led 3-1 heading into the third period, and maintained that two-goal lead for the first six minutes into the final frame. But Pastrnak would go on to score his 2nd of the night at the 6:08 mark to cut Washington’s lead to one. Seven minutes later, Craig Smith tied the game with his 3rd of the season, and all of a sudden, Caps fans were praying for an overtime period. But Brandon Carlo would score the eventual game-winning goal with 2:30 left in the game, even after Washington vacated their net for the extra attacker. Brad Marchand guaranteed the win with an empty-net goal, putting up Boston’s 4th goal in just about 12 minutes.

The Capitals killed off all four of the Bruins power plays, and converted on one of their own to go 1-for-4 on the night. Vitek Vanecek made his 7th start, but would ultimately concede four goals on 32 shots to mark his first regulation loss.

The New York Rangers defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday to win just their 3rd game in 9 games. Jason Zucker scored Pittsburgh’s singular goal of the match at the 9:05 mark of the first period. Kasperi Kapanen and Brett Howden each received five-minute majors for fighting upon expiration of the first. It wasn’t until late in the 2nd period that the Rangers would score. With just over two minutes remaining, Kevin Rooney tallied his 2nd of the season to tie the game 1-1. The Penguins received three power plays in the 2nd period, but were unable to convert on a single one. Chris Kreider broke the tie by scoring the ultimate game-winning goal at the 11:10 mark of the third period, . To seal the deal, Artemi Panarin put up his third point of the night with an empty-net goal with one second remaining in regulation (after tallying two assists). Igor Shetsyorkin got the start for the Rangers and allowed just one goal on 26 shots for a .962 save percentage. The win marked his 2nd of the season.

The Rangers killed off all six penalties taken, but also did not convert on any of their own four power plays.

Notable Numbers:

  1. Rangers are in last place in the MassMutual East Division.
  2. NYR power play is operating at just 14.7% (23 of 31)
  3. Both goaltenders (Shestyorkin and Georgiev) have save percentages under .900.
  4. Artemi Panarin leads NYR with 9 points (4G, 5A), and is a point-per-game in 15 games against Washington.
  5. Defenseman Jack Johnson is playing a career-low 16:37 average TOI

Notably, and as many of our readers probably already know, the Rangers placed problematic racist Tony DeAngelo on waivers and cleared on Monday. Where he is off to next is to be determined, but many predict that he is done in the NHL and will head to Russia, likely to join problematic misogynist Brendan Leipsic. Though the story is still developing, it is known that DeAngelo and goaltender Alexandar Georgiev were involved in an altercation after the team’s loss to the Penguins on Saturday night. Chris Kreider’s name was mentioned for having allegedly punching DeAngelo, and K’Andre Miller as well, for having split up the physical exchange. The Rangers previously expressed worry concerning Miller after DeAngelo expressed racially-charged discriminatory remarks towards him, despite Miller having been previously supportive of DeAngelo.

Lars Eller and Brian Pinho skated in non-contact jerseys on Tuesday. Conor Sheary did not practice and is considered day-to-day with a lower body injury, nor did Justin Schultz (puck-to-face). Evgeny Kuznetsov and Ilya Samsonov have not yet been cleared from the COVID Absences list in order to skate. Jakub Vrana returned to the 2nd line left-wing spot during Wednesday morning practice, and Vitek Vanecek was named as NHL Rookie of the Month for January.

Sportsnet, NHL Network, MSG, and NBC Sports Washington will be covering Capitals vs Rangers, from Madison Square Garden in New York, New York, with puck drop coming shortly after 7:00pm.

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Rangers Weekly #2

Rangers weekly round 2! After a rough opening five games where the Rangers compiled a 1-3-1 record, the blueshirts of Broadway looked to right the ship in their three games this week. Up on the docket: two games against Jack Eichel and his Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center and a visit from Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins to Madison Square Garden. Let’s jump in.

January 26th, 2021: New York Rangers vs. Buffalo Sabres @ KeyBank Center

Goaltenders: Alexandar Georgiev – L, Linus Ullmark – W

Recap:

After a crushing loss to the Penguins to drop their record to 1-3-1, the Rangers needed to come out with fire in this game and set the tone right off the opening draw. Their initial pressure would pay off as they would strike first. Pavel Buchnevich, who has been the Rangers best forward this season, would take advantage of a Sabres turnover and after circling the net, toss a pass to a streaking Chris Kreider. Kreider would snap the puck past goaltender Linus Ullmark at 6:28 of the first period for a 1-0 Rangers lead. The Sabres would answer roughly six minutes later when they capitalized on the power-play. At 12:50 of the first period, Eric Staal would tap pass the puck to Dylan Cozens in the high slot who lasered the puck past Alexandar Georgiev to tie the game at one. Penalties were costing the Rangers yet again. The teams continued to trade chances as the period went on but a Rangers rookie would give the team a boost in the period’s final seconds.

K’Andre Miller, the Rangers big smooth skating rookie defenseman, would score his first career NHL goal. After receiving a nice feed from Brendan Lemieux, Miller blasted the puck past Ullmark to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead going into the locker room. Miller is already looking like one of the Rangers best defenseman and will be counted on to lead the defense into the future. The second period would be all Sabres.

At 6:03 of the second period, Tobias Reider would make the Rangers pay with his patented speed. Reider sped down the ice and out waited Georgiev before beating him to tie the at two. The goal came right at the end of a Rangers power-play to make things sting even more. The Sabres were pressing and the Rangers did not have an answer for them. Just about a minute and thirty seconds later, with K’Andre Miller off for slashing, the Sabres would score on the power-play. At 7:31 of the second, Jack Eichel would score his first of the season on a blast from the slot. The Sabres led 3-2. The rest of the second and the third would come and go and the Rangers never found the tying goal. The Sabres would go on to defeat them 3-2 at Keybank center. This game would mark the Rangers fourth straight loss (0-3-1).


January 28th, 2021: New York Rangers vs. Buffalo Sabres @ KeyBank Center

Recap:

Goaltenders: Igor Shesterkin – W, Linus Ullmark – L

This was a game that almost felt must-win for the Broadway Blueshirts. In the midst of a four gaming losing streak and the loss of the blossoming Filip Chytil, the Rangers needed to start feeling good about themselves again. Midway through the first period, at 9:44 they would begin their road to a hard fought win. After an excellent zone entry by Pavel Buchnevich and Artemi Panarin, Panarin wired the pick to Ryan Strome, who beat Ullmark for his second goal of the season. The Rangers jumped out to a 1-0 lead. The Rangers almost got to the locker room with a 1-0 lead but Jack Eichel would have another idea. At 19:38 of the first period, Eichel delivered K’Andre Miller his welcome to the NHL moment, beating him to the net and tipping a great pass past Shesterkin to tie the game at one goal a piece.

The Rangers would answer in the second period. At 16:10 of the second period, Rangers superstar Artemi Panarin would find a bouncing puck at the side of the net and whip the puck past Linus Ullmark for a 2-1 Rangers lead. Ullmark had no chance on the shot and Panarin gave the Rangers a big goal. The Rangers entered the locker room with a 2-1 lead. The Sabres would answer in the third period. At 4:47 of the third period, Sam Reinhart would finish off a tic-tac-toe play between himself, Jack Eichel and Victor Olofsson. Reinhart’s power-play goal would tie the game at two and that’s how regulation time would end. Up next, overtime.

There was one play that mattered. At 2:47 of overtime, Colin Blackwell would force a turnover in the neutral zone and break into a two-on-one into the offensive zone with Alexis Lafreniere. Blackwell would hit Lafreniere with a perfect pass and Lafreniere ripped the puck past Ullmark for the overtime winner and his first career NHL goal. The Rangers got their second win of the season and Lafreniere got the money off his back by scoring a huge goal for his team.


January 30th, 2021: New York Rangers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins @ Madison Square Garden
Recap:

Starting Goaltenders: Alexandar Georgiev – L, Casey DeSmith – W


A game with such momentum behind it would turn out to be one of the most heartbreaking of this young season. The teams trade chances early on in this game and Rangers power-play looked especially good. They moved the puck around well, their shooters got some good looks and the team looked ready to build off their strong game against the Sabres. All that good will went out the door as the Penguins struck first again with a prime deflection in front of the net by Jason Zucker at 7:39 of the first period. The Rangers fought back and at 13:52 of the first period, Brendan Lemieux crashed the net and somehow got the puck through DeSmith to tie the game at one for the Rangers. The Rangers looked like they would enter the locker room tied but Brandon Tanev had other ideas and snapped a shot past Georgiev at 19:20 of the first to send the Penguins to the locker room with a 2-1 lead.

The second period might have been the best period of hockey the Rangers played all season. At 7:19 of the second period, Kevin Rooney and K’Andre Miller completed a pretty passing sequence shorthanded to tie the game at two for the Rangers. Miller continues to show he just might be the second best defenseman on the team. The Penguins would strike back at 9:42 of the second period on a Kasperi Kapanen breakaway to give the Penguins a 3-2 lead. The Rangers couldn’t seem to clamp down on the Penguins enough. At 10:25 of the second period, the Rangers would answer. Chris Kreider was a hound on the puck in front of the net and eventually cashed in on a rebound opportunity to give the Rangers life again. The game was tied at three. The Rangers would finally cash in on the power-play at 16:01 of the second period when Artemi Panarin would rocket a one-timer past DeSmith for a 4-3 Rangers lead. The Rangers had climbed back into this and taken the lead. They would lead 4-3 going into the locker room.

The third period began the heartbreak of the night. Rangers nemesis Jake Guentzel, who is beginning to be a pest to this team, scored at 9:18 of the third to tie the game at four. The game would reach overtime and then none other than Sidney Crosby would score the game winner after the Rangers became trapped in their own zone due to multiple egregious errors by Tony DeAngelo. The Rangers would lose 5-4 in OT and fall to 2-4-2 in this season. After the game to make matters worse for the club, it’s been confirmed by the Athletic that Alexandar Georgiev and Tony DeAngelo got into a fight after the game. DeAngelo is on waivers as of today and will hopefully never wear the NYR jersey again.

Analysis:

2-4-2. Two wings in eight games to start a 56 game season. That just flat out is not good enough and some of the veterans need to start waking up. Mika Zibanejad has had an awful start to this year and Ryan Strome just flat out looks like he’s doing cardio out there and not contributing. Their best center this season (Filip Chytil), is out for 4-6 weeks and the goaltending hasn’t been up to par. The young kids have been bright spots this season like Miller and Fox and Kakko but they can’t do it all themselves. Even Number One Overall Pick, Alexis Lafreniere looks like he could use a little help but he has been playing well himself. Hopefully next week, we’ll have a much more positive analysis but man… this Rangers team needs to figure things out.

Last thought of the week: Tony DeAngelo should not play in the NHL again. The end.

The Week Ahead:

February 1st, 2021: New York Rangers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins @ Madison Square Garden

February 4th, 2021: New York Rangers vs. Washington Capitals @ Madison Square Garden

February 6th, 2021: New York Rangers vs. New Jersey Devils @ Prudential Center

You can follow Russell and his friends over at Skyscraper Sports on Twitter at @SkySportsNYPod.

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Rangers Weekly Recap – The Season Begins

Hi everyone! I’m Russell and I’ll be covering the New York Rangers during the 2021 season for TXHT hockey. Expect recaps, analysis and highlights of the week as well as a look ahead to the following week. To kick off the 2021 NHL season, the Rangers played the Islanders twice, the Devils once and the Penguins twice.

January 14th, 2021: New York Rangers vs. New York Islanders @ Madison Square Garden

Recap:

NYI 4, NYR 0

Starting Goalies: Semyon Varlamov – W, Igor Shesterkin – L

The Rangers fell behind early in this one and just never seemed to find their game. After an offseason filled with hype for the youngest team in the NHL, this season opener was a reminder that the Rangers are still very young and that the wins will not come easy. The Islanders would open the scoring at 2:33 of the first period when Brock Nelson snapped a shot past Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin for a power-play goal. The Islanders continued their impressive start by scoring against just a minute and 20 seconds later when Anders Lee scored his first goal of the season. The Rangers couldn’t seem to match the Islanders intensity and at 13:31 of the first period Mat Barzal, the Islanders young, skilled and smooth skating number one center, would turn Rangers defenseman Tony DeAngelo inside out en route to scoring a nice goal on Shesterkin. It was 3-0 Islanders at the culmination of the first period.

The last bit of scoring came once again from the Islanders as they would score their fourth goal of the contest at 14:54 of the second period. Anders Lee beat Shesterkin again to score a power-play goal and essentially put the game away. The Islanders would stymie the Rangers the rest of the way and Semyon Varlov picked up the shutout with 24 saves.



January 16th, 2021: New York Rangers vs. New York Islanders @ Madison Square Garden

Recap:

Starting Goalies: Ilya Sorokin – L, Alexandar Georgiev – W

Semyon Varlamov was injured in warmups so Ilya Sorokin would get his first ever NHL start. In a total reversal of game one, the Rangers played one of their best of the last few seasons. The Rangers came out flying and at 2:12 of the first period, Mika Zibanejad would steal the puck from Noah Dobson and set up a streaking Pavel Buchnevich for the Rangers first of the season and Buchnevich’s first of the season. The Rangers onslaught continued at 13:46 of the first period when Brendan Smith would laser a pass to Artemi Panarin, who sped in on a quick breakaway and snapped the puck over the left pad of Sorokin. The Rangers would lead 2-0 after the first period. Georgiev was looking great in his first start of the season.

The second period was all Rangers once again as the team put up two more goals. At 5:57 of the second period, Buchnevich would pick up the puck after a mismanagement by the Islanders in the neutral zone and absolutely sniped the puck past Sorokin to give the Rangers a 3-0 lead. Buchnevich was on fire. At 15:24 of the second period, 2019 second overall puck Kaapo Kakko would score his first of the season off a beautiful tic-tac-toe player between himself, Filip Chytil and Phil Di Giuseppe. Kakko one-timed the puck past Sorokin and the Rangers led 4-0.

In the third period, the Rangers continued the pressure and forced Sorokin to make some tough saves but at 15:56, the Rangers would strike again. Buchnevich’s rebound would bounce right to Adam Fox who shoveled it over to Panarin. Panarin would snap the puck past Sorokin for the Rangers first power-play goal of the season and his second of the contest. The Rangers would go on to win 5-0 and Alexandar Georgiev would get a 23-save shutout in the victory.



NYR vs. NYI Analysis:

The Rangers played one of their worst games of the last five years then proceeded to play one of their best. It was an up and down start to this 56-game season for the Rangers who showed that they have the potential to score on even the best defensive clubs but showed they are still young and have a lot to learn. The 4-0 loss against the Islanders showed a lack of preparation and honestly, nerves from some of their young kids in the line up. The veteran Islanders took advantage of a team not quite ready for the season to kick off (a lack of a preseason will do that to you) but just two days later, the Rangers reminded everyone that their offense has all the potential in the world to be a juggernaut in the NHL. This week will most likely be a microcosm of the Rangers season: an up and down season where the Rangers are still figuring out how to get to themselves to that next level.

Alexis Lafreniere and K’Andre Miller made their NHL debuts this week and while both didn’t have an exceptional game on Thursday, they both seemed to come alive on Saturday. They both made great plays and it was clear their nerves had been shaken off. Lafreniere looked much more confident with the puck and showed that even when he isn’t contributing on the score sheet, he is still an extremely valuable player. The number one overall pick in the 2020 draft is finding his was in the NHL and when he gets going, it’ll just make the Rangers that much more deadly. Miller got turned around a few times on Thursday but on Saturday, he looked every bit like the player the Rangers thought they were getting at 22nd overall in 2018. He used his skating to get out of jams, he made some nice plays and he seemed to begin to figure out how he needs to play to succeed in the NHL. Miller is a big, tough, smooth skating defenseman and the Rangers blueline has gotten a nice injection of talent with his play on the back end. Artemi Panarin picked up right where he left off last season by scoring twice this week and Pavel Buchnevich began what many feel will be his breakout year by scoring twice as well.


January 19th, 2021: New York Rangers vs. New Jersey Devils @ Madison Square Garden

Recap:

Starting Goalies: Alexandar Georgiev – L, Mackenzie Blackwood – W

The Rangers came out looking extremely flat in this game and the Devils jumped on them right out of the gate. Barely two minutes in, Travis Zajac would find a loose puck off a rebound and fire it past Georgiev for a 1-0 Devils lead. The Rangers were looking more like the opening night version of the team rather than the team that destroyed the Islanders in the second game of the year. The Rangers would finally show signs of life in the second period as Chris Kreider would score his first of the season on the power-play to tie the game at one goal a piece. Kreider is a notoriously streaky player so hopefully he can build on this goal in this young season. The Devils would not be denied though.

Jack Hughes, the number one pick of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, would score twice in the second period, including a gorgeous breakaway tally, to put the Devils up 3-1. Hughes has looked like an entirely different player this year than last and it’s clear he is up to speed in the NHL. Hughes had an up and down rookie year but it seems he is primed to lead the Devils in scoring as early as this season. The Rangers simply had no answer for Hughes as the game rolled. The Rangers would answers once again on the power-play as Mika Zibanejad lasered one of this patented slapshots past Blackwood to give the Rangers a chance and bring them within one goal. The second period scoring wouldn’t stop there as Miles Wood, the Devils speedy and pesky winger winger, would score on the power-play to give New Jersey a 4-2 lead.

Igor Shesterkin would replace Georgiev in the third period. The third period only featured one goal and that was from Rangers 2017 first rounder, Filip Chytil. Chytil would find the loose puck in front of the net after some great work from Pavel Buchnevich and Phil Di Giuseppe and roof it over Blackwood to bring the Rangers within one goal. After that, Blackwood would shut the door and recorded an astronomical 47 saves to seal a 4-3 win over the Rangers.


January 22nd, 2021: New York Rangers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins @ PPG Paints Arena

Recap:

Starting Goalies: Igor Shesterkin – L, Tristan Jarry – W

The Rangers first game on the road this season kicked off similarly to the game against the Devils: The Rangers would give up the first goal yet again. At 10:29 of the first period, Cody Ceci wired a shot on net that was expertly deflected by Bryan Rust to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead. The Rangers would continue to have chances in the first period but Jarry stood tall and the Penguins would enter the locker room clinging to a 1-0 lead.

The second period was a different animal and was quite possibly one of the best periods the Rangers have played all season. The Rangers would score three straight times. The first of the three goals was one of the most gorgeous goals of this young season and might even be a goal of the year candidate. At 2:41 of the second, Filip Chytil wold receive a nice little pass from Phil Di Giuseppe and after a bunch of slick dekes, embarrassed Jarry to tie the game at one for the Rangers. Chytil is beginning to blossom for the Rangers. The second goal of the period came from the Rangers best defenseman, Adam Fox. On the power-play, Artemi Panarin and Fox would toss the puck back and forth along the blueline before Fox ripped a one-timer past Jarry at 5:18 of the second to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead. Just thirty seconds later, at 5:42 of the second period, 2019 second overall pick Kaapo Kakko would join in on the fun and tap a one timer past Jarry for a 3-1 Rangers lead. The Rangers almost got out of the period without any mistakes but they would make one at 16:56 of the second when Jared McCann would score on the power-play to bring the Penguins within a goal. Well, I shouldn’t say McCann scored. Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren made an egregious error in judgement and instead of sliding the puck to his goaltender, his pushed it over the goal line. Just a huge gut punch after such a good period by New York.

The Rangers were not able to hold onto their lead and at 11:23 of the third period, Teddy Blueger would capitalize on a chance and tie the game at three for the Penguins. The Rangers had let their lead slip away. Overtime came and went and in the shootout the Penguins would outlast the Rangers with goals from Jake Guentzel and Kris Letang. The Rangers only goalscorer in the shootout was Artemi Panarin. Tony DeAngelo was the last shooter, a controversial decision by Coach David Quinn and his miss sealed the win for Pittsburgh. The Rangers had snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.


January 24th, 2021: New York Rangers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins @ PPG Paints Arena

Recap:

Starting Goalies: Igor Shesterkin – L, Tristan Jarry – W


The Rangers started this game with some jump and they would be rewarded with the game’s opening goal. At 16:36 of the first period, Colin Blackwell would score his first as a Blueshirt, expertly tipping Adam Fox’s shot past Tristan Jarry for a 1-0 lead. The Rangers would enter the locker room with a 1-0 lead. The second period was up and down with the two teams exchanging goals. At 11:24 of the second period, Bryan Rust would take advantage of a Brenden Smith turnover. After Smith turned over the puck at the Rangers blueline, Sidney Crosby wired a pass to a streaking Bryan Rust would snapped the puck past Shesterkin on a breakaway to tie the game at a goal a piece. At 17:17 of the second period, the Rangers would regain the lead after a scramble in front led to a goal from Ryan Strome. Strome has not been good this year and hopefully that goal will lead to more success for him. The Rangers would hold a 2-1 lead going into the third period.

The third period would not be kind to the Rangers. At 2:26 of the third period, Jared McCann would throw a shot on net from the boards that somehow eluded Shesterkin to tie the game at two goals a piece. This goal was one of those where it shouldn’t have gone in but the Penguins just seemed to get all the bounces this game and last. The Rangers and Penguins continued to battle at a stalemate for the rest of the period until a defensive lapse with about a minute and thirty seconds left sealed it for the Penguins. At 18:29, Jake Guentzel would fire home a shot from a Kris Letang pass to seal a 3-2 win for the Penguins. For the second game in a row, the Rangers would snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.


Analysis of NJD and PIT games:

Are there any positives from three straight losses? Yes. The young kids on the Rangers have looked spectacular. Filip Chytil has been the Rangers best center all season and has formed some great chemistry with fellow youngster Kaapo Kakko. Those two are playing some of the best hockey they’ve ever played and the upward trajectory for their careers is sky high. Chytil was always a high risk pick but he’s starting to show why the risk was worth it. He has slick hands and greaton ice vision. Look for Chytil to be the number two center on the team before the end of the year. Kakko has looked ten times better than he did his rookie season. He’s quicker on pucks, he’s making better decisions with the puck and each game he is looking more and more like the kid the Rangers picked second overall in 2019.

As for the defense, K’Andre Miller is showing not only that he belongs, but that he is rady for a top four role already. He is strong, fast and super athletic. Miller has already shown greta body positioning, great usage of his stick and there were times during the two games in Pittsburgh where even Sidney Crosby was getting frustrated by him, The 22nd overall pick from the 2018 draft was another high risk high reward pick and he is already proving the Rangers were right to take a chance on him. He could be the second best defenseman on this team as early as this season. Adam Fox is another player who has completely hit a new gear. He had an amazing rookie season (eight goals and 42 points) and was actually better defensively than both Quinn Hughes and Cale Makar. This year, he runs the top power-play unit and is on the team’s number one pair with Ryan Lindgren. He is the Rangers true number one defenseman and hes just 22 years old. The defense of the Rangers has a bright future.


The Week Ahead:

Tuesday January 26th, 2021: New York Rangers vs. Buffalo Sabres @ KeyBank Center

Thursday January 28th, 2021: New York Rangers vs. Buffalo Sabres @ KeyBank Center

Saturday January 30th: New York Rangers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins @ Madison Square Garden


You can follow Russell and his friends over at Skyscraper Sports on Twitter at @SkySportsNYPod.

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New York Rangers 2021 Season Preview

The youth movement continues for the New York Rangers as they embark on their 2021 NHL season. The Rangers are now officially the youngest team in the league, their average age is around 25 years old, and after barely making a peep in the NHL bubble during the summer, this team is chomping at the bit to get back at it. They have top end elite talent throughout their lineup but they also have a lot of question marks. Will the Rangers make the playoffs? Will their top guys be able to have amazing seasons again? How will Kaapo Kakko and Adam Fox play in year two? How will Alexis Lafreniere perform on Broadway? Will Igor Shesterkin be a rock in net? There’s a lot of questions and intrigue surrounding the New York Rangers this season. Let’s dive in.

The Top Six Forward Group

The New York Rangers have one of the best top six forward groups in the entire league and not a single player is over the age of 30. Mika Zibanejad is the Rangers number one center and after a bit of a COVID-19 scare, is back with the team and ready to resume his normal role. Zibanejad had 41 goals in 57 games during the 2019-20 season. He was the top goal-per-game scorer in the league and many argue if the season wasn’t postponed he would have been a lock for 50. 41 goals in less than 60 games is truly something to behold and Zibanejad has the fantastic shot needed to achieve numbers like that. His slapshot is one of the most deadly weapons he possesses and the Rangers love running their power-play through him so he can get that shot off.

Let’s not forget about his elite vision on the ice as well. He meshes extremely well with linemates Pavel Buchnevich on his right and Chris Kreider on his left. Those three always seem to know where the other two are and The Rangers will keep that top line together when the season begins and hope they can re-capture the magic they had last season. One of the main ingredients every Stanley Cup contender needs is an elite first-line center and the 2011 first rounder from Huddinge, Sweden is most certainly that. Expect another big season out of Zibanejad as he continues his ascension to being one of the top players in the entire league. For a player with this pedigree you wouldn’t expect there to be any questions surrounding him but there is. With Zibanejad, it’s all about “Can he do it again?” It’s the question on every Rangers fan’s mind. Zibanejad seems to have finally realized his massive potential and the hope is this is who he is as a player and that he doesn’t take a step back. Signs point to him having a fantastic season yet again after two straight 70+ point years. 

Speaking of Kreider and Buchnevich, both players had fantastic years last year and Kreider is someone who keeps being mentioned as someone to fill the Rangers vacant captaincy. Kreider, who was rewarded by the Rangers with a seven-year deal last season, is a beloved player on Broadway and he will be looked to keep guiding this young team as they find their footing in the NHL upper echelon of teams. Kreider may not be the most skilled player on his team. He isn’t the type of player that say Artemi Panarin or Zibanejad are but that’s ok. He’s  a speed demon who uses his speed to create havoc in the offensive zone and his shot ain’t too shabby either. Kreider might not have the elite hands some of his teammates do but knows how to put the puck in the net and has consistently been a 20 goal scorer throughout his career. Kreider is a heat-seeking missile out there on the ice and if he sees daylight, good luck catching up to him. Kreider’s top-six role is anything but safe now as the number one pick from the 2020 entry draft will be breathing down his neck (more on him later) but as of now, he’s still the top line left winger on this team and expect him to have another great season next to Zibanejad. 

Buchnevich has really come into his own for the Rangers and last year he had a career high 46 points in 68 games. A former third-round pick, Buchnvich has proved invaluable to a team where he was once considered their highest rated prospect. His natural chemistry with Zibanejad and Kreider will be looked to this season as he looks to build upon a budding NHL career. He’s still only 25 years old. Buchnevich differs from his linemate Kreider. Whereas the aforementioned Kreider is much more of a straight line player, Buchnevich has silkier hands and plays a more finesse game. He’s not beating anyone in a race but he uses his skills to get around defenders and find the open space to get his shot off. With almost 50 points last year, look for Buchnevich to continue getting better as his young career keeps going. The Rangers top line, affectionately known to fans as the “K-Z-B” line, will be counted on to have another good season as the Rangers rebuild moves along. Now onto the second line where a Russian superstar and a budding finnish star await. 

Artemi Panarin is the motor that drives the New York Rangers offense. With 95 points in 69 games last season, he was the key cog in the machine. He went from star status to superstar status last season and showed the league just how elite he truly is. He is the complete package and everything you want in a star player. He drives offense, his vision is second to none and possibly the best in the entire league. He seems to know where everyone is at every time on the ice. His shot is deadly and his hands are among the most silky in the entire league. There are no holes in Panarin’s game and he is everything the Rangers envisioned he would be and more when he signed a seven-year deal worth 81.5 million dollars last summer. The Rangers rely on Panarin at even strength (he had the most even strength points in the league last season) and on the powerplay where he uses his creativity and quick shot to punish opponents. The only question surrounding Panarin is if he can do it again and 90+ points probably won’t happen in this shortened year but all signs point to him having another elite season with every possibility of getting 60-70 points. Panarin’s center and his opposite winger have much more questions surrounding them. 

Ryan Strome had the best season of his career playing with Panarin last season. He had 59 points in 70 games and was New York’s second line center behind Mika Zibanejad. Strome and Panarin found chemistry early on in the year and the two were glued together at even strength and, along with the departed Jesper Fast, formed a really nice second line for the Rangers. As a coach, it’s your job to get the best out of your players and Rangers Head Coach David Quinn certainly found the right combo with Strome and Panarin. It allowed him to spread the star power out between his top-two lines. For all the good he did last season though, questions surround Strome this season on Broadway. 

The two main ones though are “was last season a fluke?” and “Will he still be here past the deadline?” Strome had the best season of his life last year and after years of not hitting even 40 points, he only had 50 once in his career before, he hit almost sixty. Were those 59 points just a product of playing with Panarin? Will Strome regress this year? Strome has a lot of nay-sayers to prove wrong and has to show the Rangers he deserves the two-year 9 million dollar deal they rewarded him with this past offseason. Is he the long-term answer at the 2C spot? The Rangers need to figure that out as there is a young czech who may push Strome this year (more on him later) and Strome will need to show he isn’t just a one hit wonder.  The other big question is if Strome will stick around past the deadline or if he will be another veteran jettisoned for futures. Personally, I believe Strome stays and the Rangers keep him around since his chemistry with Panarin is deadly but if the right offer comes along who knows.. Strome and Panarin know each other very well but with Jesper Fast gone to Carolina, their new linemate is ready to prove he can hang in the NHL. 

That linemate is Kaapo Kakko, the second overall pick of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Kakko, heralded as one of the greatest prospects to ever come out of Finland, had a very rough rookie season. Yes, he scored 10 goals and had 13 assists for 23 points in 66 games which is honestly not bad for a teenager who just stepped foot into the NHL but his underlying numbers were among the worst in the league. Kakko was a defensive nightmare last year and he looked lost at certain points out there on the ice. To that fact though, Kakko didn’t play with the best quality of linemates last season, often playing with Brett Howden and other bottom six players who obviously weren’t the most skilled which did aid in his development at all. Kakko was also thoroughly exhausted last year as he basically had played non-stop hockey for two years after going straight from Finland to the NHL. For any player, especially one as young as Kakko, fatigue can really be a huge factor in why you don’t perform well. There are some encouraging signs though. When the Rangers played the Hurricanes in their Stanley Cup Qualifiers series, they were badly beaten but Kakko was a bright spot. Kakko was on pucks, he was shooting, he was aggressive and was involved in the play as much as he could be. He showed great promise and flashes of what he could be. Kakko has also been consistently praised by David Quinn this training camp as being one of the most impressive players. The questions surround Kakko for sure but it seems like he’s trending in the right direction. There is no better winger to learn from than Panarin and Kakko is about to head to school this season as he plays alongside him. 

The Third Line

“Wait, an entire section for a third line?” “Is this guy nuts?” No, I’m not and you’ll see why. The third line of the New York Rangers this season is the most intriguing and the four players (yes, that’s right four) who will have an effect on this line all have intriguing questions surrounding them. Let’s start with the man in the middle, a young czech centerman by the name of Filip Chytil. Chytil, drafted 21st overall by the Rangers in 2017, will kick off this season as the third line center for the Rangers. Over the course of the offseason, Chytil got stronger and added some weight as he looks to build upon an up and down start to his young NHL career. A lot of pressure is on Chytil’s shoulders as he looks to prove he can be a strong center at the NHL level and show not just flashes of high end ability but turn those flashes into consistency. After back to back 23 point seasons, the 6’2”, 205 pound center will be leaned on on this young team to produce just a bit more. The season is only 56 games but I would personally love to see somewhere around 30 points for Chytil this year. With Lias Andersson traded to the LA Kings, Chytil is the Rangers lone first rounder remaining from the 2017 draft and he needs to show the Rangers their risk in picking him was worth the reward. Chytil has the size, speed and hands to succeed as a center in the NHL and now its about starting to put all that talent together. If he does, he could be looked at to move up the lineup sooner rather than later and prove he deserves more responsibility. But now, he is tasked with centering two talented wingers, one of whom was the first overall pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.

Alexis Lafreniere, the 19-year-old left winger from Saint-Eustache, Quebec, was named the CHL player of the year for the second year in a row during the 2019-20 season; a feat only accomplished by a little known player named Sidney Crosby. Lafreniere enters the league with a colossal amount of hype, some say he’s the best prospect since Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews, and he will be starting on the third line on the left side of Filip Chytil. Lafreniere has the complete package you could hope for in a franchise player. He has size, speed, a wicked set of hands, an unmatched hockey IQ and a shot that seems to elude even the best goalies. His leadership qualities are nothing to laugh at either. He was captain of the Rimouski Oceanic during his last season in the QMJHL.

 Now, he won’t be thrown into the top six just yet, Head Coach David Quinn wants him to earn his spot there and force his way into a top six role, but his role on the third line will be just as important this season. Lafreniere will have the luxury of not being the focal point of his team’s offense right away as Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider and others will be more heavily defended. He will be allowed to develop next to a budding young center in Chytil and not face the teams top defensive pairs right away. With all the accolades Lafreniere accomplished in junior hockey, the jump to the NHL is never easy and you can be sure questions will surround him from the moment he steps onto the ice Thursday night. “How many points will be score?” “Will he really be that good?” “Can he be a top-six guy in year one?” He will have to keep a cool head and a calm mind as the season goes on and just focus on his game. He is the future face of the New York Rangers franchise and the franchise will do everything possible to make sure he hits the high ceiling he possesses. Expect Lafreniere to have a great rookie season and challenge for the Calder trophy as the year grinds on.

The third winger on that line is currently former Hurricanes’ first rounder Julien Gauthier. Gauthier was brought over last season in a trade and the Rangers took a chance on the young kid to fill out their bottom six and give them more size and speed down there. Gauthier was a great player in juniors and he has excelled at the AHL level but he has yet to put it together at the NHL level. He’s still quite young at only 23 years old so he still has time to put it together and playing with guys like Chytil and Lafreniere will only help his development along. Gauthier has that right wing spot on the third line held down… for now. Remember,  I said there were four players who would have an effect on this line as the season rolls on. Gauthier needs to show what he’s got because very soon, there will be a russian star in the making breathing down his neck once the KHL season ends.

Vitali Kravtsov is the fourth player that will have an impact on the third line this season. Currently he’s over in Russia playing for the KHL’s Traktor Chelyabinsk. Rangers General Manager Jeff Gorton has said that when the KHL’s season ends, Kravtsov will be heading over to the US. Kravtsov, who had an extremely weird season last year bouncing between New York, Hartford and Russia decided to stay in Russia this year with the Rangers blessing and really work on his game. Well, it paid off because he currently has 13 goals and is averaging about half a point per game. He’s only 21 years old. Kravtsov will be looking to take a top-nine spot when he comes over and he will be ready and raring to go. The Rangers took a gamble on the youngster when they picked him at 9th overall in 2018 and he’s beginning to show that gamble was with it by having one of the best U21 KHL seasons ever. Gauthier better hope he has a good season because Kravtsov is coming. 

The fourth line of the Rangers will consist of any combination of Kevin Rooney, Brenden Lemieux, Brett Howden, Phil Di Giuseppe, and possibly rookie Morgan Barron. Not much offense is expected of that line but as long as they play sound defensively, can agitate the opponent a little bit and don’t make stupid mistakes, that’s all you can ask. We now move to the defensive side of the puck and the defense corps for the New York Rangers. 

The Defense

The defense of the New York Rangers are where even more questions lie. The biggest story regarding the defense, and where we are going to start is, “Will K’Andre Miller make the Rangers roster?” Yesterday, we got a resounding answer and that answer is yes. Miller was the 22nd overall pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. He was considered one of the prospects with the highest ceilings in the entire draft due to his raw ability and athletic talent. He stands 6’5” and weighs around 210 pounds. He is a big body who can skate and move the puck with ease. Oh yeah, he’s only 20-years-old. Miller impressed the coaches and management so much during training camp that he will be making his NHL debut on the top defensive pair alongside Jacob Trouba, the Rangers number one, eight million dollar, right shot defenseman. Miller is being thrown directly into the fire and has all the confidence in the world. Miller is going to make mistakes and struggle there’s no doubt, but the coaching staff trusts him enough to work through those struggles at the NHL level and grow into his role as a first pair left shot defenseman. Miller partner, Trouba, also has questions surrounding him. 

Jacob Trouba was acquired by the Rangers last summer to be their number one defenseman going forward. He had an up and down first season in New York and saw his points fall from 50 to 27 and didn’t have a stable partner like he did in Winnipeg. The Rangers didn’t have a Josh Morrissey type player and Trouba had to change partners around quite a bit shuffling between Brady Skjei, Brendan Smith, Tony DeAngelo and even Libot Hajek at some points. Trouba came alive during the play in round where he looked every bit like the defenseman his team needs him to be where he was effectively using his body to kill plays. Trouba needs to prove to the Rangers this year that he deserves the money he got from them and that he can lead this defense into the future. He’s still only 26 years old and from the looks of it, will now grow alongside K’Andre Miller. The first pair in New York is going to be put under a lot of pressure this season and both Miller and Trouba have to begin to prove to the coaching staff and management that they can be a stabilizing force on the blueline for years to come. 

Moving onto the second pair we find two friends and the Rangers de-facto number one pair from last season: Ryan Lindgren and Adam Fox. Fox was one of the Rangers big acquisitions last summer and from the moment he set foot in the Garden he was nothing but exceptional. Fox has 42 points in 70 games and looked every bit like the dynamic puck moving defenseman the Rangers thought they were getting. Fox’s underlying defensive numbers were actually better than Quinn Hughes’ of the Vancouver Canucks and Cale Makar’s of the Colorado Avalanche. He was a beast all around for a team that needed defenseman to step up. Oh yeah, he’s only 22 years old. Fox was the Rangers best defenseman through and through last year and look to him to keep growing and showing how important he is to the future of the blueline. Fox should receive more powerplay time this year and it’ll be fun to see him work with the Rangers skill guys like Panarin, Zibanejad, Kakko and Lafreniere. 

Ryan Lindgren is the second part of the second pair and where as Fox will dazzle with his offensive touch, Lindgren is a throwback to the hard hitting stay at home defenseman. He punishes his opponents and while he doesnt get the huge point totals, he’s extremely solid in his own end and due to his staunch defensive play, allos Adam Fox to free wheel and work to his strengths. They are a match made in heaven and coach David Quinn has left that pair alone during camp and they are a lock to start the season together and continue their ascension in the NHL. 

The third pair is where the defense begins to falter a bit. Tony DeAngelo is a solid defenseman and put up fantastic numbers last season (53 points) but his defensive play leaves much to be desired and he needs to show he can be as good in his own end as he is in the offensive zone. The Rangers awarded Tony with a contract extension this offseason so he needs to show them they made the right choice. Tony also has to keep his play up because, like Gauthier on the 3rd line, he has a european prospect breathing down his neck. Nils Lundkvist, the 28th overall pick from the 2018 NHL Entry Draft is due to come over from Sweden very soon. He’s put absolutely insane numbers up with some saying he could be an Erik Karlsson-lite type player. Oh yeah, he’s only 20 years old. Lundkvist will be challenging for a roster spot sooner rather than later and the Rangers know how important he is for their future. DeAngelo has a lot to prove to the coaches and management this year. 

The other member on the third pair will be a revolving door of Jack Johnson, who was by all accounts the worst defenseman in the league last year and had some of the worst analytical numbers of any player and Brenden Smith, a veteran defenseman who lost his way in New York and even became a fourth line forward at certain points last season. The third pair is going to struggle a bit this year as more young reinforcements are still a year or so away to help the Rangers. 

The Goaltending

The Henrik Lundqvist era has ended in New York and while it will always sting that he wasn’t able to capture that elusive Stanley Cup here, he is an absolute legend and his #30 will be up in the rafters soon enough. Igor Shesterkin, the Russian phenom, is now the New York Rangers number one goaltender. In 12 games last season, he went 10-2 with a .932 save percentage and a 2.52 goals against average. Just insane numbers for a rookie goaltender. Shesterkin may split some more time this short season with Alexandar Georgiev, but it’s his crease and the Rangers are in great hands in the post Lundqvist era. Look for Shesterkin to be in the Calder Trophy race all season and if the Rangers sneak into the playoffs he could right out win the award. I need to mention Georgiev again because he is quite the talented goalie in his own right. He owns a .913 save percentage and 3.00 goals against average in his young NHL career and will be an invaluable goaltending partner to Shesterkin as the season progresses. The Rangers have an embarrassment of riches with their young goalies, they’re only 25 and 24 respectively, and in the post Lundqvist era, they will be relied upon to backstop the Rangers into the future. 

Will the New York Rangers make the Playoffs? 

At this point, even with all their talent I’d still say it’s slim. The East division this year is insanely tough with some calling it the group of death. The Rangers have to be better than four of the Islanders, Devils, Sabres, Bruins, Capitals, Penguins and Flyers and it’s a tall task to expect that from them. If everything falls right, meaning the defense holds up, Shesterkin is a rock in net and the offense can score at a good clip then it’s certainly possible but the Rangers are still likely one more year and a piece or two away from being legit playoff contenders. The Rangers have an exciting future ahead and it’s going to be fun to watch their team grow this season.

You can follow Russell and his friends over at Skyscraper Sports on Twitter at @SkySportsNYPod.

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Reverse Retro: Metropolitan Division

Continuing with the NHL’s Reverse Retro jersey reveals, today we are going to take a look at the Metropolitan Division

Carolina Hurricanes:

The Carolina Hurricanes are going back to the Hartford Whalers days with this 1979 look. The jersey mirrors what was worn during the 1979-1980 season, however the base colour of this jersey is gray and it ties together the Hurricanes and Whalers colours. The vintage Pucky the Whale is also featured on the shoulders of the jerseys as well.

Columbus Blue Jackets:

Columbus is making their inaugural season (2000-2001) jersey the inspiration here, with the only difference being that the base colour of the jersey is red.

New Jersey Devils:

The look is going back to their first season in New Jersey (1982-1983 season) featured the red and green colours. For the first time in franchise history, they will be wearing a primarily green jersey.

NY Islanders:

This one, I feel is the weakest and it can be said in only one real way. The only difference is the base colour of the jersey. Everything else about it is the exact same.

The team, however, says their going back to the start of their Cup-winning era from 1980-1983 and the navy blue base colour of the jersey is a nod to Islander legends Mike Bossy, Bobby Nystrom, Clark Gillies, and Bryan Trottier.

NY Rangers:

LADY LIBERTY has returned!!

The original look from 1996 has been updated. The jersey is updated with an all blue sleeve but keeps the silver accents and drop shadow numbers.

Philadelphia Flyers:

The Flyers are going back to a 1995 pseudo look. 1995 is the year in which Eric Lindros would go on to win the Hart Trophy as MVP as well as when the Flyers would win the division title.

Pittsburgh Penguins:

The Penguins are going with a 1997 look mixed with the Pittsburgh diagonal lettering. 1997 would also be the year in which Mario Lemieux would win his sixth scoring title. The Reverse Retro also flips the base colour of the jersey from black to white.

Washington Capitals:

The Capitals are going back to the look from their first Stanley Cup finals appearance from the 1997-1998 season. The only changes from this are the colours. Out are the blue, black and bronze. The only addition to the colours of the current look is a slight hint of silver.

Tomorrow Michael will rank the Reverse Retro jerseys.

Reverse Retro Jerseys Have Been Unveiled

Earlier today, Adidas and the NHL released the “Reverse Retro” jerseys that will be worn by all 31 teams this season.

The NHL and adidas Hockey teamed together for the first-ever League wide alternate jersey program called “Reverse Retro”. The idea behind the program is for each team to “throwback” to an era that has historical significance. According to the NHL, the design process for this began two years ago, which is when the third jerseys were brought back after being shelved during the first year of the adidas and Fanatics apparel deal.

Teams will wear these jerseys for multiple games this season against rival opponents.

This week, TXHT will break down the jerseys per division.

  • Tuesday – Pacific Division
  • Wednesday – Atlantic Division
  • Thursday – Central Division
  • Friday – Metropolitan Division
  • Saturday – Reverse Retro Jersey Rankings

The Reverse Retro jerseys will be available for purchase through the NHL Shop site, adidas.com, and adidas.ca on December 1st and at available retailers on December 6th, right in time for the holiday season.

Feature Graphic courtesy of Icethetics.

Hurricanes Storm the Rangers for Game 1 Victory

It was a case of experience meeting inexperience. In game one of their best-of-five Stanley Cup Qualifiers series, the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the New York Rangers by a score of 3-2. Early on, the game was entirely tilted in Carolina’s favor while the Rangers began to find their legs but albeit a little too late. The Rangers were also on the receiving end of some really bad bounces this game. Let’s jump in. 

 

Early on in period one it was very clear which team had been to the Eastern Conference Final last season and which one did not make the playoffs. Even with their retooled roster that includes a much improved top-six forward corps, the Rangers were on their heels early and Brady Skjei making a questionable hit on Jesper Fast that knocked him out of the game didn’t make it any easier. It seemed no matter what they did they could not find any way to penetrate the neutral zone and sustain any type of forecheck or attack. The loss of Fast hurt the team due to his drive to always get to those dirty areas and how hard he works on the penalty kill. 

 

With a team as inexperienced in the playoffs as the current iteration of the Rangers are, it was important for them to get a great start and it just didn’t happen. Jaccob Slavin scored what felt like a backbreaker just 1:01 into the game and immediately the team that needed to find their footing quicker was playing from behind. The Hurricanes jumped at the chance when Slavin was somehow left wide open to put one past Henrik Lundqvist. Fast was taken out of the game shortly after and did not return. Slavin was Fast’s man on that play and due to him being hurt wasn’t able to defend him like he normally would be able to. The Rangers were not looking good early and only managed four shots on goal in the first period. The Hurricanes were rolling.

 

Before we get to the second period, it’s important to note that Henrik Lundqvist was not expected to start this game. After the game, Rangers personnel confirmed that Igor Shesterkin was supposed to start before being determined as “Unfit to Play.” As good as Lundqvist is, Shesterkin was severely missed due to his puck handling skills and when you’re playing a team like attacks hard and fast like Carolina, that would be great to sort of counteract them. Shesterkin is the Rangers young phenom in goal and he is currently listed as day-to-day with a chance to take back his crease on Monday for Game 2. 

 

Onto the second and there was a lot more of the same. Hurricanes jumping all over the Rangers and giving them as little space as possible. The Hurricanes would score a second time when Sebastian Aho would put one past Lundqvist making the game 2-0. It felt as if today was not the Rangers day but they provided a spark of hope when Mika ZIbanejad deflected a Ryan Lindgren shot past Petr Mrazek to cut the lead to 2-1. The second period would continue on with no more scoring but the Hurricanes still looked like the better team with their suffocating defense.

 

With the third period came an absolute back breaker. A Martin Necas shot would bounce right off Marc Staal’s skate and through Lundqvist’s five hole for a two goal lead making the game 3-1. Even with Marc Staal scoring late in the 3rd, it wouldn’t be enough and the Rangers would fall 3-2 in Game One. Now let;s focus on some bright spots and some dark spots. 

For the Rangers, Kaapo Kakko, Julien Gauthier, Filip Chytil and Brenden Smith (yes, you read that right, Brenden Smith) were the best players all afternoon. Kakko looked like a man possessed and looked like the player the Rangers expected when they chose him with the second overall pick in the 2019 draft. Gauthier used his size and speed to make some nice plays and Filip Chytil did the same. The young kids were beginning to learn what it takes to succeed in the playoffs. Smith played some great defense even if he was a little overly physical in same aspects. 

 

For the Hurricanes, just the suffocating defense worked really well in their favor. They neutralized the Rangers superstar forwards and gave them almost no room to work with. The Hurricanes penalty kill also gets some love here as they killed seven penalties and never really let the Rangers set up giving them fits. If the Hurricanes keep this up, it’ll be a short series. 

 

The bad well… the veterans on the Rangers did not play well and seemed to forget how to get into the offensive zone at some points. Panarin, Buchnevich (who actually had a solid game), Kreider and Strome just couldn’t find their games today and if they don’t soon the Rangers are in trouble. Tony DeAngelo also seemed to forget exactly how to play defense and how to run a power play. DeAngelo is playing for a new contract and if he has a few more stinkers like today he can look to another team. DeAngelo even held the puck behind his own net for almost half a minute with the Rangers down by one with barely any time yet. Seemed like he was killing time for the Hurricanes. Not a good day from the vets and Tony D. 

 

Petr Mrazek makes my bad list for the Hurricanes. “But why he was the winning goalie!!?!?!” Yes but Mrazek just isn’t that good and the way the Rangers scored showed that he really isn’t up to the task and his rebound control you could see just wasn’t all there. If the Rangers can just you know… shoot more than this series changes. That defense of the Hurricanes protects Mrazek heavily for a reason and it’s plain to see why. 

 

Game 2 is Monday at noon and the Rangers needs to bring their A game this one will be over fast.

 

You can follow Russell and his friends over at Skyscraper Sports on Twitter at @SkySportsNYPod.

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Qualifying Round Preview – New York Rangers v. Carolina Hurricanes

The return of the NHL is quickly approaching and here at TXHT we will be breaking down all of the play in and round robin series for you all before the action kicks off on August 1st. The New York Rangers, the 11th seed in the Eastern Conference, will play the Carolina Hurricanes, the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, in one of the play in best-of-five series. This is going to be a dogfight for both squads as they both have some advantages over the other but one squad does come out with a slight edge. Let’s jump in.

 

FORWARDS

The Rangers possess some superstar forwards in Artemiy Panarin and Mika Zibanejad. Those two lead the forward corps that features Ryan Strome, Chris Kreider, Pavel Buchnevich, Kaapo Kakko and Filip Chytil. Depth guys like Brenden Lemieux, Brett Howden, Jesper Fast and Julien Gauthier round their group out. Look for Vitali Kravtsov, picked 9th overall in 2018, to make a big push to make the roster. 

 

The Hurricanes features a powerhouse top line of Sebastian Aho, Teuvo Teravainen and Andrei Svechnikov. They are easily the three most talented forwards on the Hurricanes and they have great chemistry together. The forward groups rounds out with Vincent Trocheck, Jordan Staal, Nino Niederreiter, Martin Necas, Justin Williams, Ryan Dzingel, Brock McGinn and Warren Foegele. Morgan Geekie, who scored four points in two games prior to the break could provide some nice secondary scoring and be a nice surprise for the team. 

 

So who gets the edge here? It’s tough to say. While Carolina certainly has the more balanced attack, the Rangers do possess higher end forwards than the Hurricanes do. Artemiy Panarin and Mika Zibanejad are superstars. Panarin is the best overall player in this series Sebastian Aho is a superstar but his winger aren’t quite at his level. Trocheck, Necas, Niederreiter and other ensure than Carolina has a deeper forward group with more experience by the Rangers have some rookies in Kaapo Kakko, Filip Chytil and potentially Vitali Kravtsov, who are all full of potential. Kakko especially will be looked upon to provide some scoring. Look for a nice battle between the second overall picks in 2018 and 2019 in Svechnikov and Kakko to see who will make the biggest impact. 

 

If the Hurricanes are unable to contain Panarin and Zibanejad, this series will get ugly fast. If the Rangers defense can’t deal with the balanced and consistent attacks of the Hurricanes than this will be a short series as well. Most likely, both groups of forwards will have big moments and it’s going to be an absolute dogfight. 

 

EDGE?

Ever so slightly, this edge goes to the New York Rangers. Artemiy Panarin is one of the best forwards in the entire NHL and can win MVP this year with how well he played. 95 points in 69 games. He is a bonafide gamebreaker and his play along with the goal scoring ability of Mika Zibaejad, the speed of Chris Kreider and the possible breakout of Kaapo Kakko give the Rangers the slight edge over the Hurricanes in the forward group. 

 

DEFENSE

The Rangers have a nice young budding group of defenseman but they are outmatched here by the Hurricanes combination of skill and depth. Adam Fox had a calder caliber season and Tony DeAngelo, who broke out as one of the best offensive dmen in the league are really good and Jacob Trouba provides some great stay at home work but the combination of Dougie Hamilton, Jaccob Slavin, Joel Edmundson, Jake Bean, Jake Gardiner, Brady Skjei etc. push the Hurricanes over the top here. From top to bottom, the Hurricanes have the stronger defense of the two teams. 

 

At this point, the Rangers have three really good dmen, one still finding his way in Ryan Lindgren and two past their primes in Brenden Smith and Marc Staal. The Hurricanes from top to bottom just have the better depth. Hamilton was on pace for his first Norris Trophy. Slavin is one of the best in the game and has been underappreciated for years. Edmundson is a Stanley Cup champion. Bean is a great young up and comer. Gardiner has great offensive instinct and Skjei in a lesser role can be effective. 

 

EDGE

The Hurricanes and it’s not close. 

 

GOALTENDING

Igor Shesterkin, Henrik Lundqvist and Alexandar Georgiev. The three headed monster of the New York Rangers. All three can win games, all three can come up clutch and all three are more capable than anyone the Hurricanes have. Shesterkin is the new franchise goaltender for the Rangers and had a 10-2 record after being recalled from the American Hockey League this season. He set all kinds of records overseas and it’s his time to lead the Rangers into the future. Lundqvist, the future first ballot hall of famer, has led the Rangers for the past 15 seasons and you can look to him to jump in if Shesterkin falters. Georgiev is another fantastic young goaltender who the Rangers can also choose to lean on if they wish. 

 

Petr Mrazek, Alex Nedeljkovic, James Reimer and Anton Forsberg just don’t match up to the quality goaltending the Rangers have. All four are of course NHL caliber goalies and can steal you a game here and there but none have the type of consistency the Rangers goalies have. Nedeljkovic is the Hurricanes future in net but he isn’t there yet. 

 

EDGE

Rangers and by a lot.

 

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PREDICTION:

This is going to be an incredibly close series. The firepower of the Rangers meets the imposing defense of the Hurricanes. After taking in all the facts about both teams, the way they play and the history between them: The New York Rangers take this series in five games and advance.

 

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Stanley Cup Preview – New York Rangers

When the NHL season was paused due to the COVID-19 outbreak earlier this year, The New York Rangers were one of the hottest teams in the league. Since the All-Star Break, up until their “final” game against the Colorado Avalanche, they went 14-7-1 and seemed to really be coming together as a team. Led by the MVP-caliber season of Artemiy Panarin, the Rangers are seemingly ahead of schedule in their rebuild. Let’s jump right in. 

 

FORWARDS

Going by average age, the New York Rangers are the youngest team in the NHL and their forward corps has a nice mix of veteran players and young players looking to make their mark on the NHL. Their offense was a lot more potent this year than people thought and the Rangers go as Artemiy Panarin goes. Panarin, who was signed as a free agent last summer to a deal worth 11.6 million dollars over seven years, lived up to every single expectation fans and management had for him. Panarin, from his first game in New York, energized this fanbase like other stars had only dreamed of doing. He would score a career high in goals with 32 and add 63 assists for 95 points in his first season in New York. A superstar had truly arrived. 

 

Leading the charge with Panarin is the Rangers number one center, Mika Zibanejad. Zibanejad, for years, had shown that if he could have some consistency to his game he would become a force to be reckoned with. The talent was always there but he had yet to truly unleash his potential. That changed this year as Zibanejad joined the ranks of the top centers in the NHL by scoring 41 goals and adding 34 assists for 75 points in 57 games. Elite. Zibanejad put himself into Rocket Richard trophy contention but ultimately fell short due to the season being postponed. Zibanejad was one of the leagues hottest forwards before the stoppage and look for him and Panarin to lead this offense in the playoffs. Zibanejad’s defining game this season was against the Washington Capitals on March 5th when he scored 5 goals, including the overtime winner at Madison Square Garden.

 

Ryan Strome had a career high 59 points in 70 games and found great chemistry with Panarin over the course of the season. He has entrenched himself as New York’s second line center for the time being and his chemistry with Panarin will be something the Rangers lean on as well. Filip Chytil and Kaapo Kakko are two extremely talented young forwards as well and even though they each didn’t have a lot of point this season, both will be looked at to provide some secondary scoring during the playoffs. They have shown flashes of brilliance and the Rangers want both of them, especially Kakko, to start gaining more confidence and begin to show more of their potential. Kakko, the second overall pick in 2019, was really beginning to find his way before the season got stopped. He had a nice little breakout game, scoring two goal against the Stars, in a riveting game before the stoppage. 

 

Chris Kreider will be healthy and that’s a huge return for the Rangers. Kreider brings an element of speed that the team just doesn’t have when he’s not on the ice. He’s a missile every time he’s out on the ice and he has great chemistry with Zibanejad and Pavel Buchnevich. Overall, the Rangers have a deadly forward group that knows how to score and their forwards will be very fun to watch during the playoffs. Look for rookie forward Vitali Kravtsov to make a big push to be on the play in/playoff roster. 

 

Here’s a preview of what their forward lines could look like going into the play in series:

 

Chris Kreider – Mika Zibanejad – Pavel Buchnevich

Artemiy Panarin – Ryan Strome – Jesper Fast

Phil Di Giuseppe – Filip Chytil – Kaapo Kakko

Vitali Kravtsov – Brett Howden -  Julien Gauthier

 

DEFENSE

The defense of the New York Rangers is most certainly a work in progress but they have some electrifying pieces to build around. Adam Fox, the rookie defenseman out of Harvard University, had hype building around him for quite some time and basically forced his way to the Rangers and to New York. This season, he put up 42 points (8 goals and 34 assists), good for 4th among all rookies and turned himself into the Rangers best defenseman at just 22 years old, Fox, who Rangers President John Davidson said reminds him of a modern day Sergei Zubov, will be one of the pieces that leads the Rangers blueline into the future. Fox was arguably the third best rookie defenseman in the league behind the Vancouver Canucks’ Quinn Hughes and the Colorado Avalanche’s Cale Maker. 

 

Continuing our talk of young talented blueliners, Tony DeAngelo had a breakout season for the team as well. Although he is a controversial player off the ice, DeAngelo was a dynamite player for the Rangers this season. He was fourth on the team in scoring with 53 points in 68 games. DeAngelo showed once he put it all together that he could be one of the top scoring defenseman in the entire NHL and along with Fox, they have two absolutely dynamic defensemen on the back end. DeAngelo’s defining game this season was a five-point outburst against the New Jersey Devils, which included a hat trick. 

 

Fox and DeAngelo had great seasons and put up really great point totals but the unsung hero of the Rangers blueline is Jacob Trouba. Trouba, who was traded to New York last offseason, signed a seven year, 56 million dollar deal with the Rangers. The deal basically handed the Rangers number one defenseman duties over to him and although he didn’t have 50 points like his last season in Winnipeg, he provided solid defense and took some of the harder assignments away from Fox and DeAngelo allowing them to have more space on the ice to grow their game. Trouba, still only 25 years old, will be with the Rangers a long time and will be looked at to be the backbone of the Rangers defense. Every team needs that workhorse guy and that’s Trouba. Look for him to up his offensive game more with a new defensive coach coming in in Gord Murphy. 

 

Rounding out the defense is tough guy Ryan Lindgren who found excellent chemistry with Adam Fox, Marc Staal and Brenden Smith. Lindgren is a great young player but Staal and Smith clearly are not at the heights of their power anymore. The Rangers will have to be careful with how much those two see the ice. Lindgren has shown great shutdown potential. Here’s a preview of the Rangers defensive pairs going into the play-in/playoffs:

 

Brenden Smith – Jacob Trouba

Marc Staal – Tony DeAngelo

Ryan Lindgren – Adam Fox

 

GOALTENDING

The three-headed monster. The Rangers have an embarrassment of riches with their goaltending depth and each of the three can lead the team to win any single night. Leading the way is newly-minted franchise goaltender Igor Shesterkin. Shesterkin, picked in the fourth round in 2014, broke records in the KHL playing for SKA St. Petersberg and is a Gagarin Cup champion. He is only 24 years old and will make the transition from Henrik Lundqvist reign on Broadway quite easy. Shesterkin went 10-2 as a rookie after his call up from the Hartford Wolf Pack and put up a ridiculous .932 save percentage to go along with a 2.52 GAA. He’s the real deal and it’s his starting job to lose. 

 

Behind him, and pushing for the job to start, is Alexandar Georgiev and of course the King, Henrik Lundqvist. Georgiev is a young and promising goalie and was nearly traded this season due to teams needed goaltending help and the Rangers having more than enough to give away. Georgiev has shown flashes of being able to be an NHL starter but he just isn’t as talented as Shesterkin. Lundqvist well… what needs to be said. He’s going to be a first ballot Hall of Famer, he’s won everything a goalie can win except for the cup and you know he wants his starters job back. Lundqvist is a legend but getting past Shesterkin will be tough. 

 

Final Thoughts

The Rangers are one of the most intriguing play in teams and they could very well make some noise with a talented crop of forwards, a young budding defense corps and a new young franchise goalie in net. It’s a fun time to be a Rangers fan.

 

 

 

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The Devil(s) Finds Their Men

Good morning Devils fans! Last night, it was reported by NHL Network’s Kevin Weekes & confirmed that the New Jersey Devils have removed the interim General Manager tag and have given Tom Fitzgerald the job full time. Fitzgerald took over as the Devils GM when Ray Shero was fired back on January 13th, 2020. Also, for his first “official” act as General Manager, Tom Fitzgerald has hired former Buffalo Sabres and Dallas Stars head coach Lindy Ruff for the Devils open head coaching job. Ruff is currently a New York Rangers assistant coach and has been there for the past three seasons. Ruff beat out other coaching candidates such as Girard Gallant, Peter Laviolette, and John Stevens. There is definitely a connection here between Fitzgerald and Ruff. Lindy Ruff was Tom Fitzgerald’s assistant coach during their time together for the Florida Panthers. They even made a Stanley Cup finals appearance together during the 1995-96 season. It definitely makes sense now why he become a top candidate and got the Devils head coaching job. Let’s take a look at the Devils moves.

 

Tom Fitzgerald Reaction

Since the NHL trade deadline at the end of February, I have been campaigning for the Devils to give Tom Fitzgerald the GM job full time. Well, obviously I’m very thrilled he will be staying on as the General Manager. His trades in particular at the trade deadline were absolutely spectacular and should help with the Devil‘s youth movement towards building a future Stanley Cup contender. His leadership style, how he dealt with the media, and his hockey IQ is what sold me on him. The simple fact Fitzgerald was able to trade an aging and declining 37 year old defenseman like Andy Greene and got a top prospect plus a second round draft pick is a miracle in itself. Talk about turning you know what into gold! The Blake Coleman trade was also fantastic as he didn’t even have to trade him. Considering he didn’t have to trade Coleman, Fitzgerald made sure he got exactly what he wanted for him. Not only did he get a first round pick for Coleman (who still has term on his contract) but, he also got a legitimate stud prospect who is considered to be one of the best up-and-coming pure goal scorers and former first round pick in Nolan Foote. He should look really good on a line with either Nico Hischier or Jack Hughes for years to come! Overall, I’m very pleased with this move and can’t wait to see what else Tom Fitzgerald has in store for the future of the New Jersey Devils.

 

Lindy Ruff Reaction

Now this is where I am very unsure here. If you were to have asked over 10 years ago, would I want Lindy Ruff as the Devils head coach? I probably wouldn’t have given it much of a second thought. However, I’m not so sure how he will handle a very young New Jersey Devils team. I will say, Ruff in his last stint in Dallas had his team playing very fast and aggressive while being towards the top of the league in several offensive categories. That will be good for the Devils as they struggled offensively and have a lot of young skilled players to work with. Unfortunately there is a but here. The downside of Lindy Ruff was his team defense. Going forward, can Lindy Ruff get this young team to play a full and committed 200 foot game? Time will only tell. As long as the Devils hire someone who knows their stuff defensively to help out Lindy Ruff, then this hire could potentially work out.