Phillip Di Giuseppe

The New York Rangers waste a solid effort by third line in shootout loss

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While usually, the first and second lines lead the New York Rangers, tonight was a different story. The third line of Philipp Di Giuseppe, Filip Chytil, and Kappo Kakko provided the spark for the Blueshirts. However, the effort was somewhat wasted when the Rangers fell to the Penguins 4-3 in a shootout.

Di Giuseppe was a menace on the ice tonight, registering 8 hits along with two assists in allowing the Ranger’s third line to make an impact in this contest.

Chytil scored 2:41 into the second period when two Pittsburgh defensemen ran into each other. Adam Fox gave the Rangers the lead when he blasted a shot from the point into the net at 5:18 the second. Kakko needed just 24 seconds to extend the advantage to two goals when a rebound off a shot by Di Giuseppe landed right on Kakko’s stick.

The positive part of earning one point from the shootout loss is that the Rangers’ three goals in Friday’s game have been scored by players who are 22 years old or younger.

Igor Shesterkin started in net and allowed 3 goals on 29 shots. One of the goals was not Shesterkin’s fault as Ryan Lindgren accidentally put the puck in his own net trying to shuffle the puck pack to Shesterkin.

Artemi Panarin did pick up an assist on the Fox goal, recorded his 100th career point as a Blueshirt in his 73rd game with the team. This makes Panarin the faster player to get to 100 points in Rangers history, surpassing the record set by Mark Messier.

K’Andre Miller did notch his first career NHL assist/point with an assist on Kakko’s goal.

Meanwhile, first overall pick Alexis Lafreniere remains pointless in the season and did not perform well playing on the first line, as he didn’t record a shot on goal and was a -2 on the night. He appeared to pass up good shots in order to set up his linemates and was slow to get off his shots on a couple of occasions. Lafreniere also did not get a shift during the 3-on-3 overtime session.

While not explicitly addressed, it is apparent that the lack of a full training camp and exhibition games has affected the young forward’s acclimation to the speed and strength needed to play NHL hockey. Something that the Rangers and their fans hope happened quickly.

The Rangers and Penguins will meet again on Sunday night.

 

 

 

 

New York Rangers: Projecting their Expanded Roster

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New York Rangers, Brett Howden, Filip Chytil

When the New York Rangers resume their season in July, they and the other NHL teams will have the benefit of an extended roster when they face the Carolina Hurricanes in the play-in round. What we expect is that the play-in/playoff roster will likely include 28 skaters and unlimited goaltenders. The goaltending situation is already set with the three mainstays. The extra skaters will be the group that will have most curious as to how the Rangers fill this roster expansion

The projections assume that all players are healthy and that Kaapo Kakko will play, but may be held out due to the potential Covid-19 risk involved for a player with immunity issues due to Type 1 diabetes and Celiac disease.

At this point and hopefully subject to change, college players or free agents signed after the pause or signed to contracts that begin next season are not eligible.

Phillip Di Giuseppe

The 26-year-old Di Giuseppe was solid when he was recalled and filled in when injuries hit the team in February and March. His presence will even be more important as the likely fill-in for Brendan Lemieux, who should still be sitting out a suspension he received just before the pause of the season. Di Giuseppe played three seasons at the University of Michigan before signing with Carolina in 2014. He appeared in 147 games for the Hurricanes over four seasons and three games for Nashville in 2018-19 before signing with the Rangers as a free agent last summer. He has no playoff experience.

Vitali Kravtsov

This could be a good chance for reconciliation with the Rangers. Briefly, here is what happened: he failed to make the Rangers’ NHL roster out of training camp, pouted about being sent to AHL Hartford, decided to go back to Russia to play in the KHL, struggled there for about a month-and-a-half, and ultimately returned to the AHL. This pause may give a chance to sort things out and possibly show what he can do. Skating with the team during camp could at the very least, allow the 20-year-old to develop his potential.

Steven Fogarty

You have to like someone who was selected captain of his team in Harford. Fogarty has a nice size and can play both the center and the wing. His maturity at age 27 with some NHL experience would make him valuable for roster depth. Fogarty was recalled and played 8 and half minutes in the Rangers final game before the pause, that 3-2 OT loss to Colorado.

Libor Hajek

He will likely be the first defenseman in reserve for the team. Hajek had been considered a partner for Jacob Trouba after the Brady Skjei trade but was kept down in Hartford. Now he has the chance to join the camp in July and to see if he can step into that spot or will be a valuable seventh defenseman.

Lias Andersson

This could be another player on the Rangers reconciliation tour 2020. Johan Rylander of the Swedish newspaper Gotebergs-Posten spoke with Andersson and stated that the New York Rangers had contacted Andersson about returning for the playoffs, but that he was unsure about coming back. As one of the top prospects, it might be a good chance to start fresh and move forward, allowing the Rangers to benefit from his talent.

Tim Gettinger

The 22-year-old has the size to be a bottom-six type of player to work the boards on a checking line. This is the kind of depth you like to have in this kind of situation.

Yegor Rykov/Darren Raddysh

Would like to have some more defenseman in case something happens during the series.

If the NHL changes its mind on allowing college players and free agents to play……

Morgan Barron, K’Andre Miller, Patrick Khoderenko, and Justin Richards will all get consideration to be included on the roster. Nils Lundkvist? A wild-card for sure.

The same goes for Tyler Wall, a nice way to transition him into the Rangers family, especially since it looks like the Rangers could keep an unlimited amount of goalies.

If the NHL does not change its mind, look for Vinni Lettieri, Boo Nieves, and the big banger Matt Belesky to be stronger considered for roster spots.

 

 

 

 

 

Red-Hot Mika Zibanejad leads New York Rangers to their Ninth Straight Road Win

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New York Rangers, Mika Zibanejad

Maybe it was the Poutine that caused the New York Rangers to be a bit sluggish but they rallied in the third period with four goals to defeat the Montreal Canadiens 5-2. Mika Zibanejad started the four-goal rally by scoring at the 11-minute mark of the third period.

Ryan Strome scored twice and added an assist while Phillip Di Giuseppe and Adam Fox each added a goal.  Third-period rallies are nothing new for the Rangers now have outscored opponents 81-56 in the third period this season, and their plus-25 goal differential in the third period this season is the best in the NHL.

Their nine-game road winning streak is tied for the eighth-longest in NHL history. They are also the first NHL team that has posted a nine-game road winning streak since the Nashville Predators accomplished this during the 2017-18 season.

Mika Zibanejad leading the way for the New York Rangers

One of the keys to the third-period comeback was to place Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin together on a line. In post-game interviews, players mentioned that head coach David Quinn was less than pleased with their effort, especially with the first two lines, and this led to the pairing.

Zibanejad has now scored in six straight games for the Blueshirts. He is the first Ranger who has posted a six-game goal streak since Jaromir Jagr during the 2005-06 season.

That six-game goal streak is tied for the longest goal streak in the NHL this season, and he is one of four players who have posted a six-game goal streak in 2019-20 joining the likes of Patrick Kane, Sebastian Aho, and Max Domi.

Thursday night’s goal was his thirtieth of the season, making him the first Ranger who has registered 30 or more goals in two consecutive seasons since Jaromir Jagr in 2005-06 and 2006-07, and the first from a center since Mark Messier did this in 1995-96 and 1996-97.

After the game, Zibanejad said of the third-period line switch that the result of that was that they “Played harder, worked harder, played faster, and we saw the result of that today.”  They will need to continue that philosophy as they travel to Philadelphia to face the Flyers on Friday night.