The Rangers rode three first period power-play goals to defeat the Sabres 6-1 on Saturday night. The win made New York 13-3-3 in their last 19 at MSG and 10-1 in their 11 contests overall. The schedule now gets much harder, as the Rangers head out to California for a three-game roadie starting Wednesday in Anaheim. Following those three contests, New York then faces the Islanders, Bruins, Blue Jackets and Penguins closing their pre-All Star schedule against Ottawa.
The rout was on early, though from watching the replays i understand why Sabres coach Ted Nolan was so upset and why the first PPG possibly should not have counted. It sure looked like when the puck went up the glass by the side boards, it hit the netting and should have been blown dead. In fact, Derick Brassard, who scored the goal, was raising his arms to note that it hit the netting. Nothing was called, Brassard scored, Nolan received the bench minor and it another power-play chance.
On this one, J.T. Miller made a gorgeous to Chris Kreider, who went to the backhand to beat Michael Neuwirth and make it 2-0. On the score, Cody McCormick hooked Kreider leading to another power-play. Rick Nash made Buffalo pay, taking the puck down low, bringing it to his skates and forehand with just enough strength and defection off the defenseman to make it 3-0.
The Rangers weren't done in the first, as Dan Boyle, who assisted on the first goal, took a cross-ice feed from Nash and beat Neuvirth short-side over the shoulder. Beyond the 4-0 lead, what I took from the period was the confident play by Miller, willingness and lack of concern of a penalty in driving to the net by Kreider and Boyle looking like he is getting more and more comfortable in NY. You could have turned off your TV sets there, as the real question for many of us was if Henrik Lundqvist would get the shutout.
After some good work in the Buffalo zone, Carl Hagelin made it 5-0 on a goal that deflected off a Buffalo d-man. The shutout then ended right after that, as Drew Stafford's shot hit off Dan Girardi, rebounded to him and Stafford went around the net and stuffed it in to make it 5-1. The Sabres outplayed New York for several large stretches of the game but Lundqvist stoned Buffalo. The final tally was made by Jesper Fast, who was rewarded for his and his line hard work, just getting the puck over the line past Jhonas Enroth; which was noted via video review after not getting called on the ice.
The Rangers have some key decisions to make in the next two months, one of which is Mats Zuccarello. While his overall numbers are down, his play recently is close to where it was last year. Zucc is a major part of the heart-and-soul of this team and his tenacity is evident every time he is on the ice. He plays much bigger than his size and given how he likely took less than market value to stay in New York, I hope they get something done sooner rather than later.
The Rangers still are searching for consistency in the bottom-six and sixth defenseman. The way Kevin Hayes, J.T. Miller and Jesper Fast have played show they should be in the lineup nightly. Carl Hagelin, due to his speed and ability to kill penalties, is a staple, but as we approach the deadline, if anyone is a cap casualty, I could see him being one dealt at the deadline, though I disagree with that. Dominic Moore is locked into the fourth line and his ability to win draws and kill penalties will be keys down the stretch. Lee Stempniak is not suited to playing on the fourth line and is also not a great fit on the third line, so there is one spot that will need to be upgraded before March 2. From what it sounds like, it will not be Anthony Duclair as Steve Zipay wrote today that he expects Duclair to be returned to juniors rather than sticking with the parent club. John Moore and Matt Hunwick will continue to rotate on the third pairing, with that spot a rotating door, unless a better option somehow becomes available or one steps up.
RIP Stuart Scott, who brought an edge and new flavor to Sports Center and whose continued fight against cancer was an inspiration to all.
In addition, get well wishes are in order to Matthew Wuest, the founder and director of Capgeek.com, who announced yesterday that the site will be permanently shutdown due to personal health concerns. Capgeek was the go-to place for salary and cap related questions for every player and team.