Here we go again. For the fourth time in the last five years the Caps and Rangers will meet in the playoffs. And this year it may end up being the most exciting. The Caps and their captain spent most of the year reliving their past as they struggled through the worst division in hockey and experts told everyone they were done. Then they roared back. Ovechkin came form 11 goals down to lead the league in goals by scoring 23 goals in 23 game. The power play started clicking and the Caps won their division looking like offensive juggernauts once again. The Rangers struggled through a strange and inconsistent season themselves before turning things around at the trade deadline. They finished the last month on a hot streak and enter the postseason with a clean slate. Both teams are coming in relatively hot, and both teams have players that aren’t afraid to mix it up, particularly the two captains. This series could end up being the most entertaining of the first round. Given the two cities and all the super stars, I’m wiling to bet it will be the most talked about for better or worse. The Capitals are clearly the better offensive team but the Rangers have arguably the best goalie in the league on their side. 

Matchup to watch:

Alex Ovechkin vs. Dan Girardi and Ryan Mcdonagh

While Ovechkin is on a hot streak right now, the Blueshirts top defensive pairing are no slouches. Both Girardi and Mcdonagh are work horses playing nearly 27 minutes a game. Both will be physical against the big forward and even chip in some offense as well.

Players to watch:

Brad Richards – I assume no Ranger is happier about a clean slate then Richards who had a very poor year, but an excellent last two weeks. He can be a dominant force in the playoffs and get all his fans back. He has showed som chemistry with Nash and Zuccarello that has made them a dangerous line.

Nicklas Backstrom – The Washington Center pissed a large portion of the season due to injury and it’s not a coincidence that he and Ovechkin started heating up at the same time. The versatile center is the engine for one of the most productive line in hockey. Shutting him down will help cut down scoring chances for that line. He also will probably benefit for the extra attention being paid to his line mate and may see some open ice.

The Power plays- The Capitals had the best unit in the league and their forwards are not afraid to shoot the puck. The Rangers have the 15th best kill in the league, way down from last years stupendous numbers. The Rangers have the 23rd best power play, but they have been much improved since the trade deadline and the Caps have the worst penalty kill in the league. It’s common sense that taking penalties is bad for your team, but these number really put added emphasius on smart play. One high stick could swing the whole series. Just ask a Capitals fan.

The X Factor

Injured Rangers – Ryan Clowe, Marc Staal, and Brian Boyle are all out with injuries for now. All are with the team for now but only Boyle and Clowe are likely to return to the lineup this series as Staal’s vision is still an issue for him. Boyle and Clowe are big physical players that can frustrate an opponent and chip in some offense when needed. If Staal does miraculously return it would be a huge boost for the Rangers as he was one of the best blueliners in the game before he got hurt.

The Pick:

I like the Capitals in six. They’ve been humbled for most of the year but got their swagger back at just the right time. Sometimes a team is at it’s best after it goes through some adversity and this year it certainly looks that way. The Rangers have been so inconsistent all year it makes me uncomfortable trusting them in the playoffs. That being said, the Ranger and Lundqvist in particular should be talented enough to steal a game or two. If the injured players return and the offense steps up, it could easily go the other way.

Last week when I was here it appeared the Rangers had righted the ship. Nash was scoring, Lundqvist was returning to Vezina form, and things were looking up for the slow starting Rangers. Well then this week happened.  They won against Washington 4-1 and then dropped three in a row, including stinkers over Buffalo and Winnipeg. You may recall a few weeks ago the Rangers had another three game losing streak as well. However, this losing streak is cause for a different kind of concern. The team seems disinterested, tired, and without confidence. They haven’t even played a complete game over that span, getting outscored 9-2. Even more confounding is that after losing to Buffalo they faced off in an important match with the Jets who they are battling for the last playoff spot. They then proceeded to lose 3-1 in a dispirited contest. Worse is that it’s starting to show. After the Buffalo loss Tortorella let loose with one of his epic press conferences in which he said “We sucked at a time you can’t suck.” The Rangers then followed that up by sucking against the Jets and Penguins. Some people are calling for Torts to be fired but I don’t think it’s quite that time yet. This is a team that missed that made to two wins from the finals last year he has some time. But things need to change soon. I wrote a week ago about the Rangers being in contact with Mats Zuccerello. I think it’s time to call him up. Chris Krieder has six goals in eight games since being sent down, I think it’s time for a call up. Those moves may not solve everything but at least those are two offensively minded players who have shown a willingness to stick up for teammates. Another, and perhaps more drastic move, is tweaking the system. Free the skill guys up and incorporate a less defensive minded game plan into the mix. The bottom line is this: to make the playoffs the Rangers are probably going to need about 55 points. Right now they have 28 points and have 21 games remaining. So that means they need at least 14 wins over that span. They don’t quite need to be the Blackhawks, but they can’t go on another extended losing streak. If I’m Torts or Ryan Callahan I call a team meeting and tape that to a sign in the dressing room. 21 games. 27 Points. Also the remaining one game against the Jets, two games against the Flyers, and three games against the Devils better be played with some damn intensity. Oh hey look at that in the span of this week they’re going to play all three of those teams. I guess we’ll get our answer on where the Blueshirts stand soon.

While I went on my Spring Break and took a break from posting, I did not expect the Rangers to also take a break from playing hockey. But then they dropped four in a row in an ugly fashion. They were pushed around, out grinded, and looked generally lost on the ice. Basically, the complete opposite of how last years team played. Just when it looked like the Rangers were done for, they pulled it together and have gone into a three game win streak. Nash returned and they dominated Tampa Bay, they persevered with Buffalo and then came back against the Flyers. However, even this win streak has had it’s low points. During the Buffalo game Patrick Kaleta sent Brad Richards head first into the boards.

While Richards was able to return later in the game, he had to sit out against the Flyers. Kaleta was given a five game suspension and I’m sure somebody on the Rangers will take a run at him next  time they play. Hopefully Richards is ok and it pleased me to see Callahan and Del Zotto go stick up for him. Last years Rangers wouldn’t have tolerated that at all and thankfully somebody stuck up for a teammate after nobody did anything for Mcdonagh after he was hit against Montreal. A scarier situation however was waiting for the Rangers last night against Philadelphia. The puck was deflected and caught Marc Staal in the eye in what has to be one of the scariest injuries I’ve seen. To see Staal immediately fall to the ice and flail around let’s you know that he was in some serious pain. He was not taken to a hospital which is good, but the Rangers have had no update on his condition since then. Hopefully he is ok.

With some Rangers going down, the onus shifts to other players to step up. After returning from his injury Rick Nash looks like the player the Rangers traded for. J.T. Miller played well as the second line center in Richards absence last night and Lundqvist has been stellar in net recently. Additionally the Rangers are trying to make some depth moves . GM Glen Sather is meeting with representatives from Mats Zuccerello to see if they can sign him and they claimed defenseman Roman Hamrilik off waivers today. While playing in the KHL Zuccarello contributed 28 points in 36 games which definitely respectable. Hamrilik is 38 years old now so his production isn’t what it was during most of his career. However, he is likely a better option than Bickel or Gilroy as a 6th defense man and his big shot could be useful on the power play. The Rangers will try and continue the winning ways as they enter a particularly grueling section of their schedule with almost no off days. The Rangers currently hold the 8th playoff spot by only one point. The Blue Shirts next three games are against the Islanders, Ottawa, and Washington.

Going into Tuesday’s dispirited 3-1 loss against the Devils the Rangers knew they needed to make some changes so that they could get back to last season’s winning ways. The Rangers then made a number of changes to the roster. First, they traded forward Mike Rupp to Minnesota for  forwards Darroll Powe and  Nick Palmieri. The Wild were looking for a big enforcer to protect their stars while the Rangers were in desperate need of some depth. Powe is a defensive forward who was second in the league last year in block shots. He’ll fit in. Palmieri is a prospect the Wild liked but developed a bad attitude and needed to be shipped out. Sometimes a change in scenery is all a guy needs so the Rangers hope they can straighten him out. The other move the Rangers made was calling up highly touted prospect J.T. Miller from the AHL. While the team did not play particularly well as a group against the Devils, Miller stood out as not being overwhelmed and even received some praise from Torts in the loss. The coach went on to say that if young guys continued to play well, some veterans might see their time reduced. The next game against the Islanders saw Brian Boyle benched (see below). Torts even said he had considered benching another forward who he would not name but said he had five goals. Translation: Marian Gaborik. As you may guest, the motivation was there for the Islanders. Miller scored is first career goal not even two minutes into the game and added another later. Gaborik sniped a beautiful goal in response to almost being benched. Rangers captain Ryan Callahan returned to the lineup and showed no signs of weakness. It was a great group effort by the Blueshirts and one that should give them a restart on the season. They have added depth and scoring, as well as holding veterans accountable to light a fire under the team. While many initially though Miller would only stay up for five games so as to not count against the salary cap, his play thus far makes it likely he’ll be up for much longer. The Rangers next four opponents are the Lightning, Bruins, Islanders, and Capitals.

Top Shelf Performers:

Marty Biron- As a backup goalie it is expected that by plugging you in the lineup that the team is still capable of winning without a sharp drop off in play. The Rangers won his game and he  made a few nice saves against a high scoring Tampa team. What more can you ask for?

Chris Krieder – He returned from his injury and has two points in two games. He looks noticeably better and should start meeting some of the admittedly high expectations fans had of him this season.

Anton Stralman – Dan Girardi has a lower body injury that that while not serious, has caused the big man to miss some time. Stralman has seen his minutes increase in the meantime and is doing excellent job making sure the defense doesn’t suffer.

Disappointments

Brian Boyle – Give Boyle credit for saying he deserved to be benched and approaching it with the right attitude. But the truth is has not had a good start. He is pushed off the puck easily and pretty invisible when he’s on the ice. He badly misses Prust. I expect him to bounce back.

Rich Nash- I hate to put him here because he has been quite good, but the fact is he only has two goals on the season. He was brought in to add more offense and as good as he is, the puck hasn’t hit the back of the net yet. Former Ranger Artem Anisimov has four goals already for Columbus. I expect Nash’s luck to change soon though. He’s too good for it not too.

Highlight of the Week – Miller’s first goals as a  Ranger

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucYAYrCPSAA

What a difference a week makes. After two quality wins over the Maple Leafs and the Flyers the Rangers have gotten back to a 3-3-0 record and appear to be shaking off the rust. As well as the Blue Shirts have played these past two games though, the injury to Ryan Callahan puts a damper on win streak. Callahan took exception to the way Maxime Talbot was crashing the crease and pulled him aside to drop the gloves. Unfortunately the awkward tugging motions by Talbot seems to have hurt the Ranger captain as he immediately reached for his shoulder and skated off the ice. Callahan did not return and got an MRI Wednesday that showed a subluxation of his left shoulder. The Rangers got lucky because the time table for his return now is only 10-14 days instead of the prolonged period initially feared. People will understandably blame Talbot for the injury but there was nothing he could do about it. Callahan was his usual scrappy self and sometimes when you stand up for your teammates you get unlucky. Give Talbot credit for stopping when he realized something was wrong with his dance partner. The hard truth the Rangers now must deal with is that given the condensed schedule this season Callahan is likely to miss a minimum of six games. If you’ve ever watched a Rangers game you don’t need me to tell you how big a loss that is. “What a play by Callahan!” is basically Sam Rosen and Joe Micheletti’s personal slogan. The Rangers will need to find someone, whether it’s an AHL kid, a free agent, or via trade to play for a while. JT Miller is a prospect who was an AHL All Star this year and may see a call up. If he can come back from his injury soon and reasonably well this may be a time for Chris Krieder to see more minutes. The next four games are against the Penguins, Lightning, Devils, and Islanders. This is where the veteran leaders of this team like Nash, Richards, and Lundqvist need to carry the team.

Top Shelf Performers:

Henrik Lundqvist – He’s let up three goals the past two games. None have been his fault. A defensive lapse and a deflection lead to two goals against the Leafs, while a perfect shot lead to one against the Flyers. He is coming into form.

Michael Del Zotto – He played well against the Flyers, scoring a goal and an assist. He looks better defensively and has cut down on turnovers. I think we can continue to expect big things this season.

Disappointments:

Brad Richards — Offensively he’s coming around but he continues to lose faceoffs in big spots. That has got to improve if you’re a first line center.

Carl Hagelin – He was demoted a line form the start of the year and took a stupid too many men on the ice penalty yesterday which upset Torts. I do have faith he’ll come around but thus far his play has not been anything to write home about.

Highlight of the Week:

Suffice to say the first week of the 2013 season sis not get off to the start the Rangers or their fans wanted. The team is 1-3-0 after facing Boston twice, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia. As was the trend for most teams sloppy play and shaky defensive has plagued the team thus far.  While every team has those issues, the Rangers do need to find their game soon. I think that has been reflective of their inconsistent play this year: adequate in game one against Boston, lousy against Pittsburgh, very good in the rematch against Boston, then flat against the Flyers. Even so, the  Flyer game is only game you look at and say, “wow, they should have won.”

The next four teams the Rangers play are the Maple Leafs, Flyers, Penguins, and Lightning. My guess is Biron starts one of those games, possibly against the Leafs.  All in all it is not totally surprising the Rangers are in this position given the combination of

A.  short training camp and no preseason

B. New faces in key positions  and

C. The Rangers are generally a team that gets off to slow starts. I think it takes another game or two before they start to gel.

Top Shelf Performers:

1. Marian Gaborik

After doing nothing the first two games Gabby busted out in a big way by picking up a hat trick, including the game winner in OT in the rematch with the Bruins. He also made a nice pass to Pyatt on the lone Rangers score against the Flyers.

2.  Rick Nash

I know he hasn’t exactly lit up the scoreboard yet, but I think so far he’s shown why the Rangers wanted him so bad. He shields the puck so well with his legs that he almost always finds a way to get a shot off. He  also ends up playing on the penalty kill, which is an over looked part of his game. It’s only a matter of time until he gets going.

Disappointments:

1. The Power Play

Yuck.  2-18 so far  and that’s including a number of 5 on 3′s. The team really needs to consider adding a power play coach, I know Torts has said he doesn’t want one but this team looks worse on the power play than when they are at even strength.

2. Chris Krieder

The rookie sensation of last years playoff has not looked so hot in the early going of the season. He was benched for the Flyers game and Torts admitted he was thinking of sending him down to get his legs underneath him. I think he will have another game or two to try and find his game, but he better improve quickly or else he’s headed to Hartford.

Highlight of the Week

Gaborik ‘s Hat Trick

That first goal is among the pretties you will see this year and the last one shows you how quick his legs are. Great effort by #1o

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtfT-FAs6t8

With only a little more than 24 hours until the puck drops on the NHL season now is the perfect time to preview the season for the New York Rangers. The Rangers will play a 48 game season against only eastern conference teams. This also includes more divisional games, such as playing the Penguins and Flyers five times each. The key to this season will be never going on a prolonged losing streak, staying healthy, and finding ways to rest certain players. Henrik Lundqvist started in 62 games last year. In an effort to balance keeping him fresh and having the best players on the ice, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get around 37- 40 starts this season. The signing of Marty Biron seems even more important now in this short season than it did back in the summer. Looking over the Rangers schedule and considering the talent this team has, I can see this team ending up with a record like 33-9-6. Keep in mind that this season Pittsburgh has a fully healthy Sidney Crosby, so don’t be surprised if the Rangers don’t necessarily get the one seed again.

Here are some other news from the Rangers:

Key Losses:

Artem Anisimov

Brandon Dubinsky

Ruslan Fedotenko

Brandon Prust

Key Additions:

Rick Nash

Jeff Halpern

Taylor Pyatt

Arron Asham

Matt Gilroy

While the Rangers definitely addressed their biggest need by adding a top flight goal scorer in Rick Nash, they did sacrifice some defensive help. While none of the lost players were superstars like Nash, Dubinsky, Prust, and Fedotenko all played on the Penalty Kill. The Rangers are going to need to find people to replace them so that the defense that was a major strength of this team doesn’t suffer.

Three players who I think are going to be key to watch are Carl Hagelin, Brian Boyle, and Michael Del Zotto. It appears today that Hagelin will be playing on the Rangers top line with Nash and Richards. He is going to be with too very talented players and could see a major boost in points if he plays well. Boyle is still going to be on the third line, but he is going to asked to play more defense this year to make up for the loss of Prust. Finally, the Rangers have signed Michael Del Zotto to a two year deal. Del Zotto took a major step forward last year but did struggle in the playoffs against New Jersey. I think the improvements he’s made defensively will be a key to the Rangers season. Coupled with his goal scoring ability he can become a star if he puts his game completely together.

Also of note the Rangers have bought out Wade Redden who will now become an unrestricted free agent. The lines on opening night will look as follows:

Hagelin – Richards – Nash

Callahan- Stepan- Gaborik

Krieder – Boyle – Pyatt

Asham – Halpern – Rupp

So call up your friends and get the snacks going cause NHL hockey is back.

Let there be hockey.

After a reported 16 hour meeting last week the NHL and NHLPA came to a “tentative agreement” to end the lockout that has claimed almost half the season. The owners voted yesterday to approve the new CBA and the players are voting now to approve the deal. A week of training camp is slated to begin Sunday and the 48 game season is set to open Saturday January 19th. To save costs and ease the travel teams will only play other teams in their conference. Sources are saying today that the Rangers are set to open up against the Bruins in Boston but no official schedules have been released.

While nobody on either side really wanted to miss that much time, the lockout may have helped the Rangers slightly because it appears that Marian Gaborik will be able to start the year on opening night. Originally he was going to be out six months after a shoulder injury he sustained in the post season. The Rangers will now have arguably their best offensive player back for the start of the season. In fact, outside of Michael Sauer who is unfortunately going to be out another year at least, the Rangers are 100% healthy. That is important because with the condensed schedule the team can’t afford to go into a prolonged slump if they want to win the division and get a decent seed in the playoffs.

Another interesting note is that NHL teams get two amnesty buyouts that they must use before the end of the 2013-2014 season. These are buyouts that the teams can use on under performing players with big contracts so that they won’t count against the salary cap. The Rangers will use one on Wade Redden who has spent the last two years in the AHL. It is less clear who the second buyout could be used on.

The other side of the coin for the players and league as a whole is that they have some major rebuilding to do with the fans. Two lockouts in seven years is beyond unacceptable. It’s insulting to the fans who pay money to see the games and own the merchandise. The league and players need to find ways to lure back more fans who have been turned off by the fact that it took five months to find a way to play hockey. Commissioner Gary Bettman delivered an apology yesterday, but there needs to be more done. Specifically, next time the CBA expires, they need to make sure no games are missed. The league won’t recover from that, even if they find a way to recover from this one.

Finally, even though it’s early I’ll leave you with my idea for what the lines will look like. You can comment with any agreements or disagreements you may have. I’ll be back early next week for a preview on the Rangers upcoming season!

Lines: Nash-Richards-Gaborik

Krieder-Stepan- Callahan

Hagelin- Boyle-Pyatt

Asham-Halpern-Rupp

The NHLPA met with the NHL today to discuss three new proposals, which the league rejected in 15 minutes. That is not a typo. The owners and Commissioner Gary Bettman looked over three proposals and dismissed all three in fifteen minutes according to a press conference today by Donald Fehr. Just 48 hours ago it looked like hockey would be back soon when the NHL offered a new deal that saw a 50-50 split on profits. However, there was one big thing that didn’t sit well with the NHLPA. The league’s claim that it would honor the existing contracts is true, albeit in a very sneaky way. The league would be using money that the players forfeited in contract cuts to pay them. Essentially, the players would be paying other players by taking their own money and redistributing it. Fehr described it as “Taking money from a player in year three, to pay a player in year one.”

The NHLPA offered three deals today. The first two deals were based on the players starting with a higher share and coming down to a 50-50 deal based on the rate of growth of the league revenues. The third deal however, was the most telling of the state of negotiations. The third proposal offered that the players immediately drop to 50% of the revenue for the length of the deal, as long as the owners honor the money in all existing contracts in full. The owners walked out.

Basically, the owners, or at least the ones who are talking to Bettman, have had no intention of paying any of the contracts that THEY negotiated.

Shame on the owners for not keeping good faith, and offering a proposal that was slanted to get public perception on their side. Most fans will hear “owners offered 50-50″ and assume the players are being greedy.

Shame on the players for taking this long to make a real offer.  There is nothing unfair about a 50-5o split of revenues, (with the contracts being honored) and they should have made this offer back in the summer.

It seems as if the negotiating is back to square one with both sides mad at each other. In my gut, it’s honestly starting to seem like there won’t be hockey at all again this year. As always, I’ll try and keep you updated and any developments that may happen.

Earlier today the NHL made an offer to the NHLPA that has taken many by surprise and created a real sense of optimism in hockey fans that hasn’t been seen in weeks. Not every detail has been released from the offer but the key facts we know of are the following:

- The deal is a 50-50 split of HRR (Hockey Related Revenue)

- The players will face no rollback on current salary. This was a big issue for players as they were concerned about giving up money on contracts that they had already signed before the lockout which were not being honored

- The Entry Level Contract (ELC) length will be three years

- Free Agency begins at age 28 or after 8 years of service in the NHL

-Increased revenue sharing between teams

- Contracts have a max length of five years

- The deal would last six years

- The season will begin on November 3rd and still feature 82 games

- The NHLPA has 10 days to review and accept this offer before it expires

Players Association head Donald Fehr has said that the union is looking over the offer and will have further comment later, probably tomorrow afternoon. After nearly a month of no significant negotiating, this may be the move that gets a deal done. The players association probably will argue over some numbers, such as when free agency begins or some of the other details that we still don’t know.  However, the pressure is now being felt by the NHLPA as they have to now have to review this proposal then either accept it, or make a counter proposal all in ten days

Ironically, it may be have been a large faux pas by the league that lead to this development. Yesterday it was reported by Deadspin that over the weekend the league had hired a public relations expert who advises GOP candidates on how the owners can win the PR war. Screenshots and descriptions of the focus group were leaked online. It lead to outrage from some groups that the league seemed more focused on winning the public opinion and less focused on making a deal. It is not known whether or not this leak has contributed to the new deal, however the owners probably made a smart move here. For much of this lockout the owners have been seen as the group that is unwilling to compromise and started the whole lockout in the first place. Now they have made a deal that moves off their hard-line stance and seems fair at first glance. This then makes the NHLPA seem like bad guys if they reject the new proposal.

Give the owners credit for moving negotiations along. Hopefully I can update you in the next few days that the lockout is over and that the NHL is back.