Canadiens 5, Rangers 1.
Click here to read my game story from lohud.com.
Click here for the boxscore with links to the game summary, etc.
Click here for Alain Vigneault’s post-game press conference video.
Thoughts:
1) Happy Thanksgiving! I am thankful for all of youse who spend time here, or who just read, or who stop by from time to time. Seriously, I very much appreciate everybody who makes this place successful, not to mention wildly entertaining … and keeps me employed.
2) If it wasn’t a holiday I’d have a Live Chat today. Would probably do record numbers. The Rangers are practicing – and I won’t be anywhere near there. It’s not a punishment practice. It was scheduled for quite a while, necessary because they have two matinee games coming up, and no morning skates, obviously. Plus it’s not a holiday for the Canadian or European guys.
3) There really are times when it’s hard to believe the Rangers have the record that they have. I still truly believe they are one of the top four or five teams in the league. As I’ve said during this crazy run they had – 13-1-2, which started after the loss in Montreal Oct. 15, there will come a time when they play much better and don’t get nearly similar results. This wasn’t better, and maybe they will now pay the price for the sloppiness they’ve survived for a while. But eventually, I think this team will hit a stride, in terms of consistent performance, that it hasn’t hit yet.
4) What’s worse than “schooled?” Because I thought this was much, much worse than the 3-0 loss in Montreal, and I didn’t think it at 4-1 or 5-1. I thought it at 1-0 in the first period. I thought the Rangers were flat-footed, that many of them were at scrimmage speed, that some of them didn’t even perspire in the first period. I thought the first period might have been their worst of this whole season, and they’ve had some stinky periods this season, despite the record, as you know.
5) But I guess others thought differently. Alain Vigneault, who used the “schooled” term for that first meeting, said he felt the Rangers battled and had the puck in the offensive zone the first two periods. Ryan McDonagh thought that they had the puck in the offensive zone quite a bit. I didn’t see that, not in the first. At least Vigneault said, when asked about the test that this game was supposed to be, “We didn’t obviously answer the bell for the challenge we had tonight.” The official giveaway tally, though it’s subjective and often arguable: Montreal 3, NYR 18.
6) You can’t use your speed if you don’t move your feet, and too many Rangers didn’t move their feet until too late in the game. They were somewhat better in the second period than the first, but would have been almost impossible to not have been. The second might have even been an “even” period, but still the Rangers were very fortunate to get the power-play goal to go into the third only down 2-1. Then when the whispers started about Carey Price’s injury, I thought, holy shishkebab, Team Find-A-Way is going to have a chance to pull this out.
7) But before Mike Condon could get his mask strapped on, never mind face some pressure, McDonagh was coughing it up and it was 3-1 at :17 of the third. No excuses by the captain. “That’s a terrible decision by me at the start of the period there,” McDonagh said. “Obviously you can’t start a period like that. … It just can’t happen.”
8) And 1:12 later, another turnover, another completely uncontested goal – all five of them were scored by Canadiens who had time, space and all sorts of comfort put the puck home. 4-1. Game over.
9) Henrik Lundqvist admitted that he lost his focus after the 3-1 goal and that he was to blame for the fourth goal. “They’re good at finding that room right in front of the net,” Lundqvist said. “It’s no secret, they get there. … To beat a really good team, I think all of us have to play our best, starting with me. And I didn’t.” Good move by AV to get him out of there. I would have done it after the fourth goal, especially with the way his team really stopped skating at that point and he was under siege.
10) I don’t think I am exaggerating when I say that every goal was uncontested – just way too easy. It was a nightmare night for McDonagh and Dan Girardi. It started with the other pairs, though, especially Keith Yandle and Dan Boyle. The forward lines all stunk, every one of them. Just an embarrassing performance, at least in the first and third periods.
11) That early goal began when Kevin Hayes – who was probably the biggest coaster of all the coasters – iced the puck, then turned it over, then lollygagged back. Meanwhile, Yandle covered nobody in front. Boyle tried to cover two guys, and covered none. Devante Smith-Pelly scored. Uncontested.
12) Not for nothing, but the Rangers gave up four goals in Florida, had that miraculous shutout by Lundqvist vs. a Nashville team that went three entire games-plus without a goal, then gave up five last night. So, yeah, team defense is a big problem recently.
13) And you know how I’ve often said the Rangers are the best 1 through 6 in the league on defense. Well, I’m leaning toward amending that to 1 through 4. And not even sure it’s that anymore because a lot of teams have three good defensemen, and some have four. I don’t think anybody has five or six. I thought the Rangers did. I thought their third pair was better than other teams had. We’ll see.
14) So while you’re counting your blessings today, be thankful for the King because the Rangers have built enough of a cushion to survive any sort of drop-off that might come.
15) The one goalie on the same planet as Lundqvist in the East is Price – whose shutout streak against the Rangers was snapped at 200:26 – and now he’s down. Nobody knows for how long. Looked like a right leg thing, according to those who saw him. AV said the Rangers knew he was hurt and suspected he would not come out for the third.
16) Daily Nash-O-Meter. He scored the only goal, off his pants, I think, for his fifth in three games. You guys know how you never want to hear it when we say Nash did this well, or that well when he doesn’t score? Yeah, well, last night he scored and was a horror in his own zone, I thought. Like almost everybody else, including his linemates Derick Brassard and St. Zuccarello. They were all minus-3 and Zuccarello was in the box with a selfish penalty for the 5-1 goal. Not that the other lines were a lot better.
17) Speaking of Brassard, whatever he figured out this off-season in terms of faceoffs, he really needs to channel some of that to Derek Stepan and Kevin Hayes. Brassard won 18 of 25.
18) I continue to believe that Kevin Hayes is a worse player on the wing than he is at center, that he hasn’t done anything to help his new linemates, Stepan and Chris Kreider, that they were better with J.T. Miller on that line, and for that matter, Jesper Fast. Hayes isn’t the player he was last season, which is normal for a sophomore. I also like Oscar Lindberg at center, but that third line’s been mostly dismal (or “adysmal” in Jeremy Roenick-speak) for four games now, with Hayes or without him. They take penalties, they haven’t produced offense, nor have they been particularly good on the other side of the puck.
19) Not much action in the Kreider-P.K. Subban rivalry, was there? While I didn’t think Kreider was terribly effective, I didn’t think he was among the worst forwards.
20) Alexander Semin. Woof.
21) This performance was a shame because the crowd was pretty pumped for this one. Loud before, during and after the anthems and at times during the game until the mass exodus in the third period. They were probably going to watch them inflate the Woody Woodpecker balloon.
22) Through the first four minutes, neither goalie had to make a save other than Price’s on Nash’s 60-foot ground-ball dump-in. He had 11 saves in the first period, including that one and a couple of laughable 30 mph wristers on the 4-on-4 that floated into his glove.
23) Lundqvist kept it 1-0 with a couple of beauts, including one with his wallet on David Desharnais after sliding out of the net to stop Weise. By the way, AV said not many teams have a third-line center as good as Desharnais. Guess he means he doesn’t?
24) How about that second-period rush where McDonagh was ahead of the field, looked to make a move or a pass, wound up with no shot. Puck comes back to Brassard with a clear shooting lane, and he forced a pass through the slot to nobody? So typical of this team’s offensive-zone, half-court woes.
25) That slashing penalty on Lindberg? Pansification.
26) The usual suspects showed up in the lockerroom: Lundqvist, Girardi, Staal, McDonagh, Stepan, Nash, Zuccarello. Not sure if any others did. The usual suspects didn’t. You’d think they might all want to show their faces after a game like that, take some of the blame like the others. Then again, maybe they didn’t think it was so bad.
27) “It just kind of caved on us,” Staal said. “It was everyone. They were winning battles, winning races to the puck, strong on the walls. They were just beating us, especially in the third. It’s unacceptable.”
28) “We made a bunch of mistakes and they ended up in the back of our net,” added Girardi, who had an awful night. … “We were very out of sync out there and that’s very unlike us. Even though the last little bit here we haven’t been playing our best but we’ve been getting the wins, it’s never been kind of like this where we were a step behind, a little in between, indecisive, and it was just kind of like that all over the ice.” … and about the turnovers: “If this team plays a 100-foot, 150-foot game, they’re a very deadly team.”
29) McDonagh: “I think we got a little bit rattled at times and frustrated with ourselves because of the pressure they were putting on us and forcing giveaways. It’s uncharacteristic of us.”
30) Just a reminder. I am going to post the review from Friday’s Rangers-Bruins matinee some time Friday evening because the Rangers play Mr. Snider’s kids Saturday afternoon, just to give youse some time to read it before the Saturday stuff goes up.
31) Enjoy the holiday. Be safe. Don’t even dream about drinking and driving. And put down the G.D. phone and drive!!! As always.
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My Three Rangers Stars:
1. Jesper Fast.
2. Dominic Moore.
3. Antti Raanta.
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Your poll vote for Three Rangers Stars:
1. Antti Raanta.
2. Mats Zuccarello.
3. Rick Nash.
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Photos by Getty Images.
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