9-8-2: Rick's Return

The Blueshirts' victory on Thursday night is truly hard to judge. Was it Rick Nash's presence that suddenly spurred togetherness? Was it the lack of a goaltender in the Lightning net? Was it the team simply rebounding from a bad loss by beating a bad Bolts side? It is probably all of the above, to some degree.

Nash was an offensive force all evening, shooting the puck and carrying it through some tough spots on the ice to lead the Rangers to two dominating periods on their way to a 4-1 win. Why they didn't dominate for three, well, that is probably the coach's fault. As per usual they took a lead and tried to sit on it; luckily the luckless Lightning couldn't break through Hank to make a game of it. But that's an old rant best saved for another time.

The Bolts - losers of three of their prior four and six of nine - stumbled around and looked amateurish at times. As in the previous Ranger win against them, Mathieu Garon gave up some atrocious goals and had little help from his hapless defenders. It is just a shame that this was the third and final time these teams will meet this season, because the Blueshirts could use more points in the ever-tightening Eastern Conference playoff race.

Late Hits:

*Love that Carl Hagelin scored - BORK! He has seven goals this season, three against Tampa. But, more interestingly, he seemed to prove my Anisimov theory from last game that he needs someone bigger/stronger/better to make him a better player. The kid has a confidence when playing with Nash that he hasn't had with anyone other than John Mitchell (when they were first called up last year).

*Even Brad Richard$ looked like he cared in this one. Or, at least, his blind passes worked out because Nash was in the right spots at the right times. Credit definitely due for his work inside the circles, he dominated at the dot all night. Final count? Seventeen of 20 faceoffs. Wow.

*How bad was Tampa? They gave up a power play goal to the Rangers. That bad.

*If Stuuuuu-pid is willing to fight for no reason when his team is up 2-0, why wasn't he willing to fight when they were down 1-0, 2-0, 3-0 to Montreal with the Canadiens taking out his teammates?

*Like Nash, Del Zaster returned and was back to his usual ways: four minutes of wasted power play time. The benefit of being at home was that Torts was able to match lines and keep DZ on the bench when Tampa put Stamkos, St. Louis and Conacher on the ice. The only time in the first two periods that DZ faced his old friend Stamkos? Seconds before Stamkos set up the Lightning's lone goal.

*Not that the Tampa tally was primarily DZ's fault. Nash couldn't keep the puck in the zone, then he lolligagged back down ice and let the elder statesman St. Louis blow right by him. But we're not paying Nash to play defense so whatever.

*Still saw some problems with Hank's game. He was not his steady self - he seemed to fight off the puck more often than not. But the Bolts couldn't take advantage, so hopefully it will be a confidence booster that will help the King regain his crown.

*Four minutes for Steve Eminger was too few. Yeah, I'm as surprised to be saying that as you are to read it, but it's true. He showed he can play solid puck, he should be given some more minutes to get in the flow. It would also help Staal and McDonagh, both of whom have had head injuries in the recent past and are being ground down by overuse already. Staal saw less than 24 minutes of ice time just once in his last 11 games and more than 26 eight times this year.

*Nice of Step to score on the night the Ryan O'Reilly saga comes to a close. O'Reilly's signing - with it's one year moratorium on a trade - means Step has at least one year to prove he can be a consistant No. 2 center. It was good for him to get a goal, but he was just lurking about and capitalized on captain Callahan's excellent work.

*PHW Three Stars:
3-Carl Hagelin - one goal.
2-Henrik Lundqvist - 24 saves.
1-Ryan Callahan - one assist.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars:
3-Staal - Not only did he score a goal thanks to his willingness to pinch and some serious persistance, but Staal also helped Girardi keep that Stamkos line quiet.
2-McDonagh - Mac's transition game was something the Rangers were sorely lacking. His neutral zone passes set up Hagelin and Nash's goals and he was his usual solid self in his own end.
1-Nash - Not sure what it is about him, but the Rangers certainly responded to his return.

7-5-0: Bailed Out In Boston

 

Captain Cally came through again, leading his lackluster teammates to a big win in Boston after they blew a 3-0 lead. Callahan's shootout winner saved the Rangers from awful embarrassment and, instead, secured them a 4-3 win over the beast of the East.

This game was all-too-familiar in that the Blueshirts took control, then thought the job was done and sat back. For being such a pit bull of a coach, Torts has no killer instinct. He instead insists his team sit back and cling to whatever lead they build, thus allowing the other team more space to create and mount a comeback. It is a problem that has plagued this team in the last seven or so seasons and it needs to be fixed before they can reach the next level.

But for now, for those counting, this is three wins in a row for the Blueshirts. It is a nice little streak that hopefully continues on Thursday.

Late Hits:

*Three games without Brian Boyle, three wins. His absence has allowed Torts to balance the lines better; the poor-skating, oversized softie with bad hands was dragging a second unit down to fourth line status. They weren't creating any energy or any offense, they just staggered around hoping not to give up any goals. Good riddance.

*Kind of refreshing playing against a team that wastes a ton of talent while falling flat on their face while on the power play. Granted, Krejci's goal came seconds after a man advantage finished ... but still, the Bruin and Ranger power plays are remarkably underwhelming to say the least.

*Rick "The Riverboat Gambler" Nash showed off his hot dog hands with two stupefyingly skilled plays that words simply can not do justice. Nash undressed Boston and fed Carl Hagelin (BORK!) from his knees on one and scored a shootout goal for the ages on the other.

*But all was not wonderful with our silky superstar. He took exception to Milan Lucic's physical play and took an inexcusable hooking penalty early in the third period, spurring the home side's rally. As such a big guy, he should have given the shove right back to Lucic, not relied on his stick.

*Or he could have just sucked it up. Arron Asham made his best achievement as a Blueshirt by not getting suckered into a fight he surely would have lost.

*Did Brad Richard$ play? Has he been injured? Top line center has been invisible the last five, six games. His passes have been telegraphed, his shots easily blocked and, on this night, his shootout attempt was laughable.


*Too many men on the ice. AGAIN. This joke is not funny.


*Was really surprised to see a sluggish, soft Bruins team at the outset - they were far from the motivated bunch of bangers who took on Buffalo the other day.

*And, like both of the Bolts goalenders the other day, Tuukka suuckked. Step and Stralman's goals would have been grabbed by even a half-competent goaltender. But you miss 100% of the shots you don't take and all that, so keep chuckin' 'em from the cheap seats boys.

*Hank, for his part, did just fine. But he is not the player he was last season, he doesn't seem to have the same patience and confidence that he had while winning the Vezina. Even his outstanding save on Patrice Bergeron's breakaway looked uncertain, and it knocked him backwards. Plays like that were his bread and butter and this one didn't inspire the same confidence.

*Bergeron is one outstanding hockey player. He is just awesome all over the ice, truly a prototypical two-way player. Every time I watch him I come away impressed.

*Amazing how Boston has one of the iconic logos in all of sport and yet donned such an ugly uniform on this night. It looked like they were wearing black pajamas.

*PHW Three Stars:
3-Dan Girardi - one assist.
2-David Krejci - one goal.
1-Rick Nash - one shootout goal and one regulation assist.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars:
3-Lucic - Two assists and the physical play that initiated the comeback.
2-Girardi - Just defense to help out Hank. McD and Staal were also stellar but G made some really big blocks.
1-Nash - Skillz.

A BJ On Broadway

So the long-rumoured deal is done, the Rangers have acquired Rick Nash from the Columbus Blue Jackets. The cost? Brandon Dubinsky, Artem Anisimov, Tim Erixon and a first round pick.

First, on what the Blueshirts gave up to the Blue Jackets:

*Neither Dubi nor Arty have reached their potential and there is no telling if either ever would have in New York. Dubi could have been an Arnott-esque force but he struggled to reach that level with any kind of consistency. He got the big contract and, as is typical, struggled in the first season of the deal. In postseason interviews he acknowledged it and promised to work to be better and now, Columbus will find out if he stands by his word. Arty had multiple 'wow' moments but they came when he was paired with big, tough wingers. Without burly Blueshirts to have his back, the Russian played on the fringes and was ineffective.

*Losing Tim Erixon is the most painful part of this deal. To let Erixon go and keep Del Zaster is simply stupefying. In 18 games last season we saw Erixon improve and adapt, held back only by his size and the ice time allotted him. Meanwhile Del Zaster continues to make the same mistakes now that he did three seasons ago but Torts loves him so he avoids any accountability for his errors. That being said (through gritted teeth), Erixon is now unlikely to become the great player he could have been, as he will surely be unhappy in Ohio - a worse locale than Calgary, where he refused to play in the first place.

*The first rounder will likely be late teens, early 20s so it really isn't that big of a loss. When you consider that the kids that are in the system now, outside of Kreider, will need a few seasons of seasoning before coming to Broadway, losing one pick isn't the end of the world.

And now for Nash:

*You've seen the highlight reels; he's big, he has good hands and elite offensive instincts.

*Those instincts may be completely wasted in Tortorella's uncreative, talent-stifling, killer instinct-lacking, shot-blocking, defensive system.

*There is no denying the multiple moments of singlehanded sheer brilliance Nash has performed but, in typical fashion, the Rangers picked up a player who's numbers have decreased each of the previous three seasons.

*He is signed for the next six seasons, at an exorbitant cap hit of $7.8 million. Given that the NHL is looking to lower the cap, having a massive hit like that for what, come January and a full recovery by Gaborik, will be the second-line right winger is more than a little silly. He has a higher cap hit than Stamkos, Parise, Kovalchuk and Vanek (among many others).

*The captain of Columbus, Nash asked to be traded - a request that was made public and a sure reason to worry about his character. That being said, he stepped up his game with nine of his 30 goals in the 20 games after the trade deadline - either to make other teams more willing to increase their offers in the offseason or because there was no more pressure to carry the BJs.

*The only real centers during Rick's time in Columbus were old Sergei Fedorov and unhappy Jeff Carter, but he played alongside Joe Thornton in Davos during the last lockout (and may again in the next one!). Automatically thinking he will star alongside Richard$ may be a mistake; adding Gomez to Jagr seemed like it would be a sure thing but we all know how that worked out. Perhaps Nash can fall in with Derek Stepan, and help the kid meet his potential.

*As an outsider, it did not seem like Nash helped anyone in Columbus meet their potential. Gilbert Brule, Derick Brassard and Nikita Filatov all busted under his watch (there is still a little hope for Brassard, but who knows).

*It is interesting that Hockey-Reference lists former Ranger Bun Cook as a 'player with a career of similar quality and shape.' However, the Blueshirts are hoping and paying for Nash to be more Bill Cook than Bun though, as Bill was the best winger in the game and he led the team to two Stanley Cups.

And that is what it will come down to: winning Stanley Cups. The team just choked away a prime chance and the flash of adding Nash will be long faded if the team doesn't take the next step next season.

NHL Four-cast: Columbus Blue Jackets

1 - Why is this team worth watching? Hitch is a helluva coach and he should be able to make his newly rebuilt squad into a winner - they even may make the playoffs! Oh yeah, and Rick Nash can play like a HOCKEY GOD.

2 - Are they better or worse than last year? Much, much better. They made a ton of moves and only one of them was bad - being stuck with Christian Backman in the Zherdev deal. Still they lost Zherdev's talent but also his moodiness and gained Fedor Tyutin, who can step right in and replace Adam Foote (that traitor). Columbus' other big trade was also a steal - grabbing gritty big hitter Raffi Torres for disappointing Gilbert Brule. These guys will also join their big signings, R.J. Umberger and Kristian Huselius. Umberger is a growing talent, as everyone saw in the playoffs last season and he should work well on a line with Huselius. And they also added the solid Mike Commodore to give them sex appeal.

3 - Who should YOU draft in fantasy? There is Nash, then Huselius and Umberger. Pascal Leclaire put up some great numbers last year and if he stays healthy, he should do even better. And if he falls, Fredrik Norrena is perfectly capable of putting together a string of good starts. Jared Boll will get you penalty minutes and a dozen or so points, which is always nice. But the one player to really keep an eye on will be rookie Jakub Voracek, if he makes the team. Voracek has mad skills and could turn into a Jagr-type player.

4 - Why don't more owners in the NHL act the same way the dearly departed Mr. Mac did? I wish I knew, I wish I knew ...

Goooooaaaaaaallllll!!

ESPN has clearly been increasing their coverage of the NHL in preparation of bringing the game back to the Worldwide Leader. They have actually started including most every NHL game highlight to SportsCenter and have included pullouts and spotlights - like what they did with their minute-and-a-half Winter Classic highlight. Last night, as it was a Barry Melrose night, they had the famous mulletted puppet on to talk pucks. They led the show with a remarkable Rick Nash goal and then had Steve Levy and Melrose gush about it. Here it is:


Now both of them called it the goal of the year, maybe of the last two years, before reigning in that comment by showing the Ovie-on-his-back goal. That may prove to be the goal of the century - whatever. The Nash goal was fantastic, don't get me wrong, but it wasn't even the goal of the year - this was:


And now I'll tell you why: While Nash's goal came at a better time (last minute of a tied game with 4-on-4 action), Toews' was more impressive; the baby Hawk did it against better defenders, at full strength and at full speed!

But if you are that hung up on context, then look at it this way - Nash's goal won a regular season game for Columbus against Phoenix - two mediocre young teams that will likely miss the playoffs. Toews' goal may have proven to be the spark that will reignite one of the Original Six franchises. It showed Chicago fans that the kids that the Hawks accumulated were actually the real deal and helped get the ball rolling to make them relevant again. ESPN has always been given to a bit of over-dramatization, especially when it serves their best interests. In this case, you shouldn't don't believe the hype, just admire the skill of both players and feel heartened because the NHL will be back on a real station soon.