The Rangers return home to take on the Blue Jackets on Sunday. New York comes in off their 3-1 win over Buffalo on Friday and are 5-0-1 in their last six and 7-1-2 in their last 10. Columbus enters the game 5-5 in their last 10, including a 3-1 loss to Montreal on Saturday. Following Sunday's game, the Rangers play Calgary on Tuesday and Arizona on Thursday before closing the month on the road in Philly on Saturday.
Friday's game marked the debut of Mackenzie Skapski, who is just 20 years and 250 days old. It didn't start well, as he allowed a goal 14 seconds in by Matt Moulson, which was more the defense's and not Skapski's fault due to some horrific own zone coverage. Following that goal, the Rangers tightened their D and Skapski made 24 saves, including 12 in the third period, to earn the win. He became the third-youngest Rangers goalie to win his debut, behind John Vanbiesbrouck (18 years, 92 days) and Lorne Anderson (20 years, 237 days).
The team as a whole had a good not great game, they squashed any true Buffalo attack until the third period, but were unable to fully take control. It was the really the first line with some assistance from the third line that made the difference. Carl Hagelin knotted the game at one in the first, taking a stretch pass from J.T. Miller and beating Michael Neuvirth to give him 14 goals on the year. The first line accounted for the last two goals. Just 27 seconds into the second, Derick Brassard made a gorgeous cross-ice slap pass to Rick Nash, who one-timed it inside the post short-side for a 2-1 lead and his 37th of the season. About eight minutes later, Brassard, who now has matched his career-high and earning every dollar of the contract he signed this offseason, sprung Nash again, but his shot hit the post. Mats Zuccarello was there to collect the rebound and put it in the open next for a 3-1 lead.
To provide more context on just how good Brassard has been: he is on a six game assist streak and has eight assists in that stretch. Brassard has 12 points in his last 10 games and 19 in his last 22. He is on pace for 67 points. Think he has earned what he received in the contract he signed this past off-season?
Despite the win and solid play by Skapski, I expect Cam Talbot to be back between the pipes again tonight. Up front, with no other available options, especially the team is reluctant to call up anyone from Hartford, the lineup and line combinations will be the same. As of now, your guess is a good as mine as to whether John Moore or Matt Hunwick will be on defense. I will go with Moore back in and Hunwick out to take advantage of his better speed and offensive skills. Some good news today as Steve Zipay reported that Jesper 'Quickie' Fast was on the ice in a non-contact jersey.
Rick Nash, Derick Brassard, Mats Zuccarello Chris Kreider, Derek Stepan, Marty St. Louis Carl Hagelin, Kevin Hayes, JT Miller Tanner Glass, Dominic Moore, Lee Stempniak
Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi Marc Staal and Kevin Klein John Moore and Dan Boyle
Cam Talbot
This is the third of four meetings between the team. They say familiarity breeds contempt. In this case, it may be true due to the myriad of players that have played with each other, either on Columbus or the Rangers. Artem Anisimov (2008-09 – 2011-12), Brandon Dubinsky (2006-07 – 2011-12), and Fedor Tyutin (2003-04 – 2007-08) all played for the Rangers. Derick Brassard (2007-08 – 2012-13), John Moore (2010-11 – 2012-13), and Rick Nash (2002-03 – 2011-12) all played for the Blue Jackets.
The power play went 0-for-4, and if possible, looked even worse than that. The 5-on-3 was a nightmare while the 5-on-4 did little to generate any chances or sustained attack. Maybe it's time to shuffle the deck again. The current combinations are Ryan McDonagh, Derek Stepan, Derick Brassard, Rick Nash and Mats Zuccarello followed by Dan Girardi, Dan Boyle, Kevin Hayes, Chris Kreider, Marty St. Louis. While the top line has been good 5v5, less so on the PP, so maybe move Kreider up to take advantage of his size, and since you have Hayes there already, move Zucc down to take advantage of his playmaking skills.
Larry Brooks wrote the following about Zucc's contract negotiations:
It is believed the Blueshirts previously had offered between $4 million and $4.25 million per on a four-year contract while the 27-year-old winger, working on a one-year deal worth $3.5M, is seeking well in excess of $5M per for a longer term. The most recent discussions, while amicable, did not narrow the considerable gap...The Blueshirts can be expected to up their bid to the $4.5M-$5M range as July 1 draws closer, but it is impossible to know if that will be enough to keep the feisty and talented Norwegian, who earned AHL pay for a considerable portion of his first two years in North America and went to the KHL in 2012-13 before Sather brought him back after the lockout ended"
Despite the "lack of progress," there is some good news in the above. the two sides continue to negotiate. The discussions are amicable, unlike what seemed to happen last year with Ryan Callahan. Zucc will be here for the playoff run and has made it clear he wants to stay here, as has AV to management regarding his desire for them to re-sign Zucc.
I had proposed a few weeks 4/17 as a starting offer, that's where the Rangers began. Now, they can up it. If they can go to near $5 million that hopefully will be enough, but it will impact what MSL and Hagelin and Stepan are offered. The unknown is what does "well in excess of $5 million" mean. If that's close to $6 million, say goodbye. If close to $5.5 but Rangers come within 500k, it may be enough to get the deal done.
The Islanders lost in the shootout to Washington, but gained a point. They are 7-2-1 in their last 10, 39-19-2 with a four point lead over the Rangers, who have three games in hand. Washington with the win are 33-17-10 overall, 8-2-0 in their last 10 while winning four straight. They are even with the Rangers in point, but NY has three games in hand on them. Pittsburgh won yesterday, so they are 5-4-1 in their last 10 and 33-17-9, one point behind NY, who has two games in hand on them.
From Pat Leonard's Daily News column today: "If all goes according to plan, Lundqvist will be re-evaluated in the next week or so and hopefully cleared for more aggressive rehab. After the trade deadline passes and the Rangers host Nashville that March 2 night, they will play four straight on the road, running up to a March 15 game against the Florida Panthers at the Garden." If the Rangers keep winning, there will be no reason to rush Lundqvist back. You would like to see him play for a few weeks to get fully back in the groove. The season ends April 11, if he comes back March 22, he will have up 12 games he could play, including one back-to-back. Presuming Lundqvist plays 10 of the 12, he should head into the playoffs with the rust off and ready to roll.
Happy 35th anniversary to the Miracle on Ice. I still get chills watching and listening to the below. It was a seminal moment in my life as a kid.