Rangers 3, Mighty Ducks 2 (OT)
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.
To read my story on Carl Hagelin’s return to MSG, scroll down to the bottom of the “It’s Go Time!” thread.
Thoughts:
1) Happy Festivus. Go get the pole. We will begin with the airing of grievances.
2) Some denim-vested idiot picked the Mighty Ducks to go to the Stanley Cup Final? Before I forget, what in holy hell is up with the Ducklings’ Pumpkin Pie uniforms? You know who’s a man? Charley. He’s a man. You know who else is a man? Me. I’m a man.
3) Timing is everything, they say, and there couldn’t have been a better time for the floundering Rangers to face the Mighties, bad since opening night, playing the fourth of an opposite-coast trip, and second in two nights. My gosh are they bad. Just like the timing couldn’t have been better for Mats Zuccarello to finish them off, after the Rangers failed to do so in regulation.
4) Because this was a huge, enormous, gigantic win … only because of the timing. Going into this critical, much-needed, perfectly timed four-day breather – well, it’s about four miles better to go into it on a win than a loss. The Rangers were fragile enough where it could have been a massive burden to go into the break with a loss. Seriously. And you could see/feel/hear/smell the relief in the post-game lockerroom.
5) It may mean nothing. Maybe they use this win, followed by the break, as a re-set button when they reconvene Sunday for practice, then begin a three-game trip in Nashville Monday. Maybe they get their fried minds off of what has transpired the last several weeks, especially the part starting out in Western Canada and going through Sunday’s thorough spanking by Ovie & Co. If ever there was a golden opportunity to decompress and start all over again, this might be it. Maybe. We’ll see.
6) Before we get too crazy, it’s imminently fair to note that they are going to have to be a lot better than they were vs. the Sad Ducks. Baby steps, though. Baby steps.
7) “It was a must-win for us for so many reasons,” said Henrik Lundqvist, who allowed Rikard Rakell’s goal, on a nothing of a play and a shot that glanced off Ryan McDonagh’s stick to tie it with 2:54 left in the third period. “Going into this break you try to feel a little bit good about yourself and about the game. … It’s been very draining over the last few weeks. It’s been a lot of hockey, traveling and a lot of games. On top of that we haven’t had the results with us, so of course you analyze a lot, you think a lot. You are pretty tired right now. So going into this break, I think it’s the perfect time for us to get away from it a little bit and try to come back energized and ready to get going.”
8) They did some things much better. I thought this was one of their most physical games of the season, maybe the most physical. They snarled. They hit back. They fought – holy shishkebab! Most importantly, they defended. Not perfectly by any means, and again, it has to be noted that this Ducks team couldn’t hit water if it fell off a pier. Couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn with a handful of rice. But, though both goals were very avoidable, the Rangers really didn’t give up a lot of chances. Not many at all.
9) I mean, the first goal, yeah, Marc Staal and Ryan McDonagh have chances to move the puck from behind the icing line, but it really was a little fluky that McDonagh’s pass out hit Dominic Moore in the skates, albeit in a dangerous spot, then I thought it hit Chris Kreider, too, before landing on Corey Perry’s stick. His 180-spin and shot went in off the crossbar.
10) On the tying goal, with 2:54 left, I thought McDonagh backed off too much, gave Rickard Rakell too much time and space, and then got the tip of his stick on the shot, deflecting it upward and past Lundqvist. Not sure if Lundqvist could/should have had that or not. Maybe a month ago he gloves it. The timing of that was terrible, obviously, but it wasn’t one of those uncontested prime (or in AV-speak, “Grade A”) chances which have been so abundant during the last 15 games, especially the last five losses (29 goals coughed up). Put a sawbuck down on Capt. Nemo in the third at Belmont.
11) McDonagh had some strong moments, though, including the break in OT that drew the penalty that created the power play that ended up on Zuccarello’s stick, from Derick Brassard and Dan Boyle. On a night when the Rangers power play wasn’t as good as it had been lately, it won the game for them. “Like I normally do,” Zuccarello explained. “Closed my eyes and gave it everything I have.”
12) Around the front of their own net, I thought the Rangers took care of business to a much greater degree. Did I mention that, you know, it was offensively-challenged Anaheim?
13) Derick Brassard must have been a good boy this year, because he got two gift goals. First on the absolute Kostka by Manson. The second one by Sekac, via Mats Zuccarello. That followed a strong PK, with Dylan McIlrath, Chris Summers, Rick Nash and Derek Stepan, especially the pressure by Nash. What would you have said in October if I told you McIlrath-Summers would be on the PK against Anaheim in a December game? Or that Anaheim would stink?
14) Neither of Brassard’s gifts are gift-wrapped without pressure. The Rangers established a forecheck early on, especially that fourth line. Moore, Tanner Glass and Emerson Etem played a very physical, fast game. By far Etem’s best as a Ranger … naturally, perhaps, against the team that traded him (for Carl Hagelin, thus hurting the Rangers’ forecheck). When Moore, Glass, Etem and J.T. Miller are your best players for most of the game, that’s a problem. It’s also a huge plus if they can be good once the top six guys figure it out. If they figure it out.
15) Speaking of which … I thought Derek Stepan looked a lot more comfortable in Game 2 of his comeback, and that Chris Kreider was at least a physical force, and that he used his speed a few times. Maybe he will be better the last 46, with a healthy Stepan.
16) In the last home game of 2015, the Rangers played one of their more physical games – starting with Chris Summers’ open-ice decking of Hagelin and continued with some bombs by Glass and Miller. Glass had one on Rakell that separated him from the puck and his stick, and nearly his senses. The latter two also had spirited bouts, Glass a slugfest with Ducks tough guy Patrick Maroon, Miller a surprisingly good knuckle-chuck with Ryan Kesler, one of AV’s old Vancouver guys. “Two good American boys,” Vigneault grinned. “I loved it.” Rangers had five fighting majors this season. Two in the first two periods. Feats of strength!
17) Some concerns, lately and going forward. The Rangers take way, way too many soft, lazy needless penalties. Dan Boyle, McIlrath, Kevin Hayes … Oscar Lindberg managed to miss the penalty-box party for once. Really, those are mostly pansification calls in today’s NHL, but they’re penalties. You can’t hook or hold anymore. McIlrath’s was barely a hook. But it was textbook interference. Boyle’s was a hold every day. Hayes’ just a lazy, lazy penalty from behind. Summers’ holding the stick call usually goes the other way with the easily-fooled officials, but he did hold the stick.
18) The Rangers should get out their iPads and their shift-app and watch their shifts, and look especially at how they are not skating without the puck, unless there’s a chance they can beat somebody to a puck. Otherwise they’re doing a lot of gliding. A lot. It’s not slow motion, or complete dogging it. It’s just not 100 percent until it’s a moment too late. A lot of times they’re trying to go from 20 or 30 percent-to-100, where if they were going 50 or 60, maybe they win a puck, or beat a defender, or prevent a chance. So they get beaten to pucks, get beaten to spots on the ice where they need to be. Happens shift after shift, and AV and his staff have to be aware of this. One harder stride here or there, maybe you avoid some of these losses and this thing isn’t so bad.
19) Glass tried the old staged fight trick, which we haven’t seen a lot this season, and which didn’t have the desired effect. I don’t think I’ve ever heard an NHL arena so quiet during a fight. It also didn’t work partly because Boyle took one hand off the stick and took a terrible penalty shortly thereafter.
20) Shortcuts. Just too many shortcuts for too long, by too many players, top to bottom. This is something that’s got to stop if the rest of the season is going to be better. The lolly-gagging to the bench on changes, for example. It’s epidemic. Kevin Hayes, OMG. He couldn’t smooth a silk sheet if he had a hot date with a babe … I lost my train of thought.
21) Miller busted it on an icing, couldn’t get there, and that’s not taking a shortcut. But it’s such a bad play in today’s NHL with the hybrid icing rule, and the no-change rule. Coaches really need to advise their guys to Robinson Cano when an icing is going to happen. For once, loafing is a better play. Then you’re not gassed against a fresh line for the next draw in the defensive zone. Funny thing is, Miller was fresh before he did it, and created a scoring opportunity off rush following the defensive-zone faceoff win.
22) Good to see Carl Hagelin, a guy who the Rangers miss. If he were here it wouldn’t matter much in terms of the record, not if the top guys played the way they have played most of this season. But they sure miss the weapon of his speed, how he uses it without the puck, on the PK, on the forecheck, which really hasn’t been good enough for the Rangers this season. Hagelin’s wearing 26 because it was his old number growing up (and I think in college), for Martin St. Louis. He had to take 62 when he got here. He got a nice ovation when Joe Tolleson welcomed him back on the P.A.
23) Lundqvist came out of his net to poke away a loose puck, which he obviously didn’t think through – no time, of course – but since he was on his knees for the poke, the only thing that could happen then was to keep on sliding, which he did. Fortunately, the puck went to Ryan Getzlaf, who hit the far post from the corner. He has as many goals against a goalie as I do this season. H&H bagels.
24) McIlrath took a ridiculous penalty vs. Shawn Horcoff. Was a tiny tug, but it was textbook interference if they didn’t call it hooking. Then went into the wrong box. On the PK, Stepan sent another 100-footer bouncing on goal (remember the one he scored earlier?), resulting in a big rebound, Nash got to it and set up McDonagh in on the left wing. He missed the net by about 10 feet.
25) Mark Messier was in the house.
26) Pretty good Santa Claus (photo by me) at the game, or Prucha Claus. Whatever. I’d like to see Bruce Boudreau in a Santa costume. He might need the job soon. BTW, I saw Teddy Roosevelt. He’s a Ducks assistant coach now. Don’t know which one is funnier.
27) In case you haven’t been paying attention, the Montreal Canadiens, who started 9-0 and were 13-2-1 and 19-4-3, and better than ya boys even when ya boys were streaking and stealing wins … have now lost nine of 10, all in regulation. You can only imagine, if you guys are as crazy as you get during slumps, what it’s like up there. Holy poutine! And those chumps haven’t won a Cup since 1993.
28) Did you know the Festivus episode is titled “The Strike”?
29) Some quotes:
Alain Vigneault:
“The body can take a lot, and so can the mind, but at some point you’re challenged in both areas. I think we were challenged in both areas and we’ll come back refreshed and ready to go.”
Derick Brassard:
“That was a lot better than the past games, obviously.
“In any sport, there’s a lot of good teams that go through struggles. We’re not the only team in the league (struggling) right now. We’re trying to stay positive and trying to find solutions. But at the end of the day we just have to work hard and compete and the rest will take care of itself.”
30) A thought for the holidays. This is a time for faith, for family and friends, and for celebrating and good cheer. But please set aside some time … to get over to the blog for some j(g)ibberish. Thank you. – The Mgmt.
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My Three Rangers Stars:
1. Derick Brassard.
2. Mats Zuccarello.
3. J.T. Miller.
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Kenny Albert’s Three Rangers Stars:
1. Derick Brassard
2. Mats Zuccarello.
3. J.T. Miller.
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The Milewski family’s Three Rangers Stars:
1. Derick Brassard.
2. Mats Zuccarello.
3. Dylan McIlrath.
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Your poll vote for Three Rangers Stars:
1. Mats Zuccarello.
2. Derick Brassard.
3. J.T. Miller.
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Photos by Getty Images.
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