Category: NHL

Russell’s Take – Previewing the 2019-20 New York Rangers

The New York Rangers are one of this NHL season’s most intriguing teams. On one hand, not much is expected of the Broadway Blueshirts. They acquired some amazing pieces to add to their roster this summer but they have a huge amount of rookies and young players on their roster who may hit the proverbial wall at some point. On the other hand, if all the pieces come together and the rookies begin to impress right away, a wild card berth isn’t out of the question. Let’s dive in.

We begin with forward corps and what a top six this has an opportunity to be. Despite the defensive struggles many believe this team will have, they shouldn’t have an issue scoring. A revamped top six forward group now features 2019 second overall pick, Kaapo Kakko, and 2019 free agent signee, the 11.6 million dollar a year man, Artemiy Panarin. Mika Zibanejad showed the world last season that he could be a number once center in the NHL and put up 74 points despite playing with a revolving door of wingers. Now, Zibanejad has the uber-talented gamebreaking talent of Panarin on his left wing and the (hopeful) breakout star in Pavel Buchnevich on the other. The Rangers top line is primed to have a huge year with some analysts predicting that line could have over 200 combined points.

The second line is impactful as well and features Kakko on the right wing. Kakko is expected to step in and be one of New York’s most impactful forwards in his age 18 season and after his history making season in Liiga and his ridiculous showing at the World Championships, it’s not out of the question that Kakko becomes a force during his first season in New York. Centering Kakko to start the year is former sixth overall pick Ryan Strome and on the other side of him on the left wing is power forward Chris Kreider. That line has a good amount of size and speed and Strome will simply just have to move the puck to his winger and watch them work magic. Kreider and Kakko on the same line will cause nightmares for opposing teams.

The bottom six features a good amount of young talent as well. The bottom two lines will be centered by Lias Andersson and Brett Howden, two guys playing in just their second NHL seasons but essentially still rookies when you look at games played. The Rangers are entrusting their young kids to start doing the heavy lifting and that includes being defensively responsible and taking on a checking line role if needed. Brenden Lemieux returns after signing a one-year deal and will fit nicely in the Rangers bottom six providing grit, energy and a spark off the bench.

Two guys who everyone thought would be on the opening night lineup, 2017 21st overall pick Filip Chytil and 2018 9th overall pick Vitali Kravtsov, were sent to the Hartford Wolf Pack and will begin the season in the AHL. Rangers head coach David Quinn said he thinks it’s best for their development if they play 20+ minutes a night in Hartford and play in all situations including the power-play and penalty kill. Chances are when the Rangers inevitably make trades this season, Chytil and Kravtsov will be inserted into the Rangers top-nine forward group and add to an already dangerous group of forwards. The Rangers are counting on Chytil to be a dominant center and see Kravtsov as another gamebreaking talent.

The defense now gets their time to shine. It starts with the Rangers new number one defenseman, Jacob Trouba. Trouba, acquired from the Winnipeg Jets for a 1st round pick and defenseman Neal Pionk, was signed to a 7-year deal by the Rangers this summer worth about eight million a year and will be looked upon to play in every situation and be the guy the Rangers can rely on to shutdown top opposing lines. His defense partner, Brady Skjei, is being counted upon to have a bounce back season and take all his potential that he flashed in his rookie season and turn those flashes into consistency. The Rangers top-pair will be one to watch this season. The second pair featured Marc Staal and Tony DeAngelo was a pair put together last year by Quinn and as long as they don’t get as many minutes as they get last year, the Rangers should be fine. Staal is no longer the minute munching dman he used to be and although Tony DeAngelo has all the offensive potential in the world, he has to grow more and show more consistency in his game.

The third pair is the most intriguing to me as ir will feature Adam Fox and Libor Hajek, Both of these young guys were acquired through trades and the Rangers are hoping both take big strides this year. Hajek was the main piece in the trade for Ryan McDonagh and Fox was traded from the Hurricanes to the Ranger for two draft picks. Fox has the potential to be the next great puck moving defenseman in the NHL and he’s a highlight reel in the making. Hajek, although projects to have a lower ceiling from Fox, is looking like he can be a great stay at home dman with a bit of offensive upside. It would be great of Hajek turned into McDonagh lite.

Finally, the goaltenders. The battle in camp was impressive and rookie Igor Shesterkin put up a nice fight to claim the backup goaltenders job but ultimately Alexandar Georgiev reclaimed the back up job. Shesterkin is the goaltender of the Rangers future and will replace mainstay and Rangers legend Henrik Lundqvist when he retires but for now, he will dominate the AHL with Hartford. Georgiev has proven has be a backup in the NHL and possibly a 1A or 1B somewhere else. The only thing thats certain: Lundqvist starting in goal.

*Russell appears courtesy of Forever Blueshirts.

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October 3, 2019
NHL News and Notes from Wednesday, October 2nd, 2019

NHL News and Notes from Wednesday, October 2nd, 2019

News:

Today the NHL announced all 31 team rosters going into the Opening Night of the 2019-20 Season.

Tonight also marked the Banner Raising Ceremony for the 2019 Stanley Cup Champion St. Louis Blues.

Play Gloria (one more time). #stlblues #StanleyCup https://t.co/Mi4nyCFJPW

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) October 3, 2019

Today the Toronto Maple Leafs announced that John Tavares as the new captain for the 2019-20 season. Tavares became the 25th captain in Maple Leafs history with the announcement.

Introducing the 25th captain of your Toronto Maple Leafs, John Tavares! #LeafsForever

Details >> https://t.co/oo94apXZPU pic.twitter.com/1f3ngWmDZV

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) October 2, 2019

Game Recaps:

Ottawa Senators v. Toronto Maple Leafs – 7p EST Start Time

In the first game of NHL action for the 2019-20 season the Ottawa Senators would visit the Toronto Maple Leafs, and get on the board first to take a one nothing lead over the Leafs.

The moment @91Tavares was introduced as captain. #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/QFiF7oVs4c

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) October 3, 2019

However, the Leafs would score two in the second followed by another Ottawa goal to tie the game back up. Ottawa would look to take the 3-2 lead but the play was ruled offsides on a coach’s challenge, and the Leafs would take advantage on an Auston Matthews goal for the 3-2 lead. Matthews would score again in the second to give the Leafs a 4-2 lead, and the game winner in a 5-3 win over the Senators.

LEAFS WIN!

Starting the season strong with a big Battle of Ontario win!#LeafsForever #FuelledByG @GatoradeCanada pic.twitter.com/zkvEirlz3D

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) October 3, 2019

Washington Capitals v. St. Louis Blues – 8p EST Start Time

In a battle between the last two Stanley Cup Champions, the Washington Capitals defeated the St. Louis Blues 3-2 in overtime to complete the comeback from an early two goal deficit. – – TXHT Recap

Vancouver Canucks v. Edmonton Oilers – 10p EST Start Time

Out west the Edmonton Oilers would host the Vancouver Canucks for their 2019-20 Home Opener, and it would be the Oilers striking first as Leon Draisaitl would score to give the Oilers the 1-0 lead. Then in the second period Alexander Edler would tie it up for the Canucks, but then in the third period the two teams would trade goals to make it a 2-2 tie. However with 5:23 left in the game Connor McDavid would score his first of the season to give the Oilers the 3-2 victory.

THE CAPTAIN! THE GWG! #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/SE8O3FGeCe

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) October 3, 2019

San Jose Sharks v. Vegas Golden Knights – 1030p EST Start Time

In our final game of the night the Vegas Golden Knights hosted their rivals the San Jose Sharks. The Golden Knights would strike early on the powerplay and not look back as they would go on to defeat the Sharks 4-1. The Golden Knights received goals from Mark Stone, Reilly Smith (2), and Cody Glass. The Sharks lone goal would come from Marcus Sorenson.

🥳 VICTORY 🤩

what a Knight 😃#VegasBorn pic.twitter.com/xEpys4pFF8

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) October 3, 2019

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October 3, 2019
Game Recap – 10/2/2019 – Washington Capitals v. St. Louis Blues

Washington Capitals (0-0-0 0pts) v. St. Louis Blues (0-0-0 0pts)

Game Recap:

NHL hockey is back and the Washington Capitals start it up on the road as they visit the new defending Stanley Cup Champion St. Louis Blues to start the 2019-20 campaign. The Blues would start everything off with their Banner Raising Ceremony before we would drop the puck.

Play Gloria (one more time). #stlblues #StanleyCup https://t.co/Mi4nyCFJPW

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) October 3, 2019

Once the banner was raised and the puck was dropped it wouldn’t take long for the Blues to strike as 53 seconds into the game Sammy Blais would score the first goal of the 2019-20 season to give the Blues a quick 1-0 lead. Then a little later in the period on a Jonas Siegenthaler slashing penalty, Alex Pietrangelo would net one on the powerplay to give the Blues a 2-0 lead. However, the Capitals would not go quietly as Alex Ovechkin would shoot one past Jordan Binnington to cut the lead to one again, and have the first period end with a 2-1 Blues lead.

Then in the second period the Capitals would be given an opportunity on the powerplay as well as Dmitry Orlov would knuckle puck one past Binnington to tie the game at two a piece. The period would also feature some stellar goaltending from Braden Holtby especially in the opening minutes of the second period.

HoltsStandsOnHead.mp4 pic.twitter.com/DVf7qzO09c

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) October 3, 2019

In the third period both teams would not score and would send this one to overtime, which a little three minutes would see Jakub Vrana score to seal the Capitals comeback and give them the 3-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues. The next game for the Capitals will be this Friday at 7p ET as they visit the New York Islanders.

Lineups:

Washington Capitals:

Alex Ovechkin – Nicklas Backstrom – Tom Wilson

Jakub Vrana – Lars Eller – TJ Oshie

Carl Hagelin – Chandler Stephenson – Richard Panik

Brandon Leipsic – Nic Dowd – Garnet Hathaway

Jonas Siegenthaler – John Carlson

Dmitry Orlov – Nick Jensen

Martin Fehervary – Radko Gudas

Bradon Holtby

Ilya Samsonov

The lines.#ALLCAPS #CapsBlues @GEICO pic.twitter.com/peNie7UQgr

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) October 2, 2019

St. Louis Blues:

Jaden Schwartz – Brayden Schenn – Vladimir Tarasenko

Sammy Blais – Ryan O’Reilly – David Perron

Robby Fabbri – Tyler Bozak – Robert Thomas

Ivan Barbashev – Oscar Sundqvist – Alexander Steen

Alex Pietrangelo – Justin Faulk

Jay Bouwmeester – Colton Parayko

Vince Dunn – Robert Bortuzzo

Jordan Binnington

Jake Allen

First Period:

STL Goal – :53 – Sammy Blais (1) from David Perron (1) and Ryan O’Reilly (1)\

We're just gonna pick up right where we left off. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/6PRtIpPy2b

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) October 3, 2019

WAS Penalty – 6:40 – Jonas Siegenthaler 2 minutes for Slashing

STL PPG – 7:55 – Alex Pietrangelo (1) from Justin Faulk (1) and Ryan O’Reilly (2)

The power-play is 1-for-1! . #stlblues pic.twitter.com/sEVSSzamJC

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) October 3, 2019

STL Penalty – 11:05 – David Perron 2 minutes for High Sticking

WAS Goal – 15:37 – Alex Ovechkin (1) from John Carlson (1) and Lars Eller (1)

SILKYYYY @OVI8 pic.twitter.com/RPhW4pOjzk

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) October 3, 2019

End of 1st – WAS – 1 STL – 2

Shots 05 07

Faceoffs 10 04

Hits 12 09

PP 0/1 1/1

Second Period:

WAS Penalty – 1:54 – Martin Fehervary 2 minutes for Delay of Game

STL Penalty – 10:35 – Tyler Bozak 2 minutes for Tripping

WAS Goal – 12:28 – Dmitry Orlov (1) from Nick Jensen (1) and Lars Eller (2)

Knucklepuck time pic.twitter.com/krFshIgign

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) October 3, 2019

End of 2nd – WAS – 2 STL – 2

Shots 20 15

Faceoffs 21 17

Hits 19 19

PP 1/2 1/2

Third Period:

STL Penalty – 3:29 – Jaden Schwartz 2 minutes for High Sticking

End of 3rd – WAS – 2 STL – 2

Shots 30 22

Faceoffs 28 28

Hits 25 23

PP 1/3 1/2

Overtime:

WAS Goal – 2:51 – Jakub Vrana (1) from John Carlson (2) and TJ Oshie (1)

🐍 pic.twitter.com/CzDkfXqSQs

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) October 3, 2019

End of 3rd – WAS – 3 STL – 2

Shots 34 22

Faceoffs 30 31

Hits 25 23

PP 1/3 1/2

First game 3 ⭐'s of the night!

⭐⭐⭐: @JVranaa
⭐⭐: @ovi8
⭐: Ryan O'Reilly#ALLCAPS #CapsBlues pic.twitter.com/YA7V8R4PEi

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) October 3, 2019

Next Up:

Washington (1-0-0 2pts) @ NY Islanders (0-0-0 0pts)

St. Louis (0-0-1 1pts) v. Dallas (0-0-0 0pts)

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October 3, 2019
2019-20 St. Louis Blues Preview
Last Season: 45-28-9 99 pts (2nd (tie) in Central Division; WON STANLEY CUP)

Key Additions: D Justin Faulk

Key Departures: F Pat Maroon, D Joel Edmundson

Top Questions Facing the Blues:
1. Can Jordan Binnington keep up his unbelievable performance?
Last season, the Blues called up Binnington midway through the season to replace a struggling Jake Allen, and his performance was nothing short of historic. He posted a record of 24-5-1, which for whatever is said about goaltending wins, that’s still a rather impressive team stat that Binnington played a significant role in. He had a goals against average (GAA) of 1.89, which lead the league, and, astoundingly, finished in the top 10 for the MVP award. His performance continued into the playoffs, where he was the first rookie goaltender to win 16 games. He was not all out dominant (by any means) in the playoffs, but he performed well in big games (like Game 7 of the SCF). What does this mean for the regular season? We’ll see. If he performs like he did in the regular season last year, the Blues will probably win the President’s Trophy. If he performs like he did in the playoffs, the Blues probably are not going to win the division, but they will make the playoffs, and it’s important to have a goalie that is very even-keeled in performance than spectacular for 5 games and terrible for the next 5 (which the Blues have had far too often in their history).

2. Can the Blues improve their Power Play

No. Oh, what? This is an open question? Sorry – then I guess we will have to see. Ok, the Blues power play might not be THAT bad – they had a 16.4% conversion rate in the playoffs, and were 9th overall in the regular season. The problem is that it went through extreme hot and cold stretches, which, like goaltending, is not ideal. The Blues need to figure out a way to have a more consistent power play, and my hope is that the addition of Marc Savard as an assistant coach will help.

3. How will the young players do?

Just like last season, a hinges on the productivity of new and relatively new, young players. Fortunately, last season, guys like Robert Thomas, Sammy Blais, Ivan Barbashev, and Vince Dunn all played very well. With another season under their belts, as well as the grueling (both mentally and physically) march to the Cup, there is no reason to suspect they will not continue to get better (especially now that Robert Thomas’s wrist is healed). I also look for contributions from Klim Kostin later in thee season.

4. Can Craig Berube’s fiery leadership continue to inspire?

I was very critical of Craig Berube last season – he seemed to make a lot of tactical mistakes, and the players seemed to repeat the same mistakes if there was even one game between the last time they made said mistakes. That said, winning takes not only intellect and correct X’s and O’s, but also inspiration. It’s clear that Berube offered the latter in spades. What’s also clear – and across all sports – is that the effectiveness of these words dissipates over time. There will come a time when the Blues need more than nebulous ‘leadership’ from their coach, and it’ll be interesting to see if he can provide it.

5. How often should Blues fans be thanking Ryan O’Reilly?

Daily.

Ultimately, I believe the Blues can repeat as Stanley Cup champions. There is no other team that is decidedly better, though there are a handful of teams that the Blues are not decidedly better than. It will take focus, and probably a willingness to back of a little during the regular season to not become mentally and physically fatigued, but if they can maintain their focus and discipline, the Blues have a real shot at defending their title.

Thanks for reading.

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October 2, 2019

Wednesday Night Hockey: The Last Two Champs Face-off For the First Time.

Washington Capitals (0-0-0) v. St Louis Blues (0-0-0)

	Pre-Season Record	Predicted Goaltender	Stanley Cup Champions
Washington Capitals	5-1-0	Braden Holtby	2017-18
St. Louis Blues	4-3-0	Jordan Binnington	2018-19

It has been a long off-season for Caps’ fans, but we’re finally here. Does anyone else find it slightly more than coincidental that the two previous Stanley Cup Champions are facing off on the first day of the 2019-20 season? I know, I know, the schedule was made before the Blues won the cup, but raise your hand if you think that had something to do with the end result. The Capitals and Blues played each other twice during the preseason, splitting the games with one win a piece. Both teams won by just a single goal in each victory.

On Sunday, the Washington Capitals rounded out their six-game preseason schedule with a tight 4-3 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. While many fans are hesitant about making associations between preseason performances the regular season, there are a couple of things we know for certain. Tom Wilson is about to have a heck of a year. In just 3 preseason matches, Wilson tallied two goals and an assist, including one short-handed goal against the Chicago Blackhawks. While Top Line Tom led the team in short-handed goals last season (2G), it is vital to remember he only played 63 games during the 2019-19 season. Setting a career-high of 22 goals last year, we anticipate he should set another personal record with at least 25 goals this coming season (TheScore, Wilson). Caps’ captain Alex Ovechkin is prepared to win himself another Rocket Richard Trophy this year, and has expressed his desire, and ability to have another 50+ goal season (Gulitti). By a margin of 236 goals, Ovechkin only needs 5 more seasons of 50 goals, or 6 seasons of 40 goals to bypass the all-time goals leader of the Great Wayne Gretzky (894G). With the final year of his contract looming in not-so-distant future, the Capitals front office have already begun playing out some possible scenarios that will need to be played out in order to keep the Great 8 a Capital until retirement. But perhaps the biggest what-if many Caps’ fans are trying to answer involves defenseman Michal Kempny, whom had his season cut short last year due to a hamstring injury he suffered in a March 20^th match against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Many, including head coach Todd Reirden, hoped Kempny would be ready in time to make the Opening Night roster for the Capitals, but that is still to be determined, as the blue-liner was still practicing in a non-contact jersey as of September 28^th(Khurshudyan). In 71 games played with the Washington Capitals during the 2018-19 season,, Michal Kempny led the team with a +/- rating of 24, tallied 6 goals of his own, and racked up 19 assists, as a defenseman (TheScore, Kempny). However, a number of mid- and off-season acquisitions by the Capitals including Nick Jensen (DET) and Radko Gudas (PHI) and will bolster the Caps’ roster and hopefully this season will play out as well in reality, as it should on paper.

The St. Louis Blues did not play their final scheduled preseason game due to a plane malfunction, but did beat the Caps’ on September 27 by a score of 4-3. For those not in the know, the St. Louis Blues won their first Stanley Cup Championship in team history this past June, similarly to the feat the Capitals accomplished in 2018. In true underdog fashion, the Blues went from worst, to first, in a matter of months. Was it the change in bench bosses? The puppy? The mid-practice brawls? Will the Blues fall victim to the infamous Stanley Cup Hangover? St. Louis elected to play eight preseason games (only played seven, see above), and managed to win 4 of 7, including one overtime win versus the Winnipeg Jets. Those 3 losses came resulted from a 2-3 loss to the Capitals, a 1-2 loss to the Dallas Stars, and an especially-embarrassing 4-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings. Fellow Russian Vladimir Tarasenko (a.k.a. Vladdy) is expected to have a bounce-back season after a seemingly lack-luster 2018-19 season, where he managed to score 33 goals in 76 regular season games (NHL.com). While Tarasenko led the Blues in goals, and points, he has seen a downward trend in goal-scoring since the 2015-16 season, where he scored a career-high 40 goals, and tallied 34 assists. During the 2018-19 playoffs, he scored 11 goals of the teams’ 75 total goals, good enough for second most on the team, but accounted for just 14.6% of total goals scored (NHL.com).

While the St. Louis Blues and their fans are, of course, hoping to repeat their recent success, the Washington Capitals are out for blood (redemption) after a disappointing first round exit. It seems as though Caps’ PR is keeping on with the #ALLCAPS catch-phrase for this upcoming season, but #2Cups3Years sounds pretty good too.

Coverage of the game begins at 6:00pm with Caps Faceoff Live, followed by Caps Pregame Live at 6:30pm, all on NBCSN/NBCSWA, with puck drop following the Blues’ Stanley Cup Banner Raising at Enterprise Arena in St. Louis, MO.