Rangers Zuccarello Fined For Hit on Kings Clifford

New York Rangers forward Mats Zuccarello was called for a two-minute boarding penalty for his on Los Angeles forward Kyle Clifford, 3:05 into the first period of today's game.  The National Hockey League reviewed the hit and had a phone hearing with Zuccarello following the game and decided that while it was not worthy of a suspension a $2,500 fine was in order. 

The hit was unnecessary, and borderline reckless, but the amount of distance to the boards certainly limited any potential injury.  Maybe is is because of Zuccarello's size, but tough to believe that was basically a "push" from that far away had the ability to hurt someone even though there is always that risk when a player goes into the boards.  The fact that Clifford was uninjured certainly limited the potential of anything more doled out here.

Penalties Final Cost Rangers In OT As Kings Win 3-2

The New York Rangers fell 3-2 in overtime against the Los Angeles Kings in their season opener.  Registering a point is certainly a positive to take from the game, and after the first period effort something all associated with the Rangers would have signed up for.  However, given the effort of the team for the second and third periods it is somewhat disappointing to only get the single point out of the game.

The Rangers kept giving the Kings opportunities with the man advantage and Jack Johnson finally took advantage with 52 second left in overtime.  Ryan McDonagh, after playing a very good game on the top defensive pair, was whistled for a questionable penalty in the offensive zone when he was tied up with Willie Mitchell with 2:09 left in overtime.  On the goal, Henrik Lundqvist was able to stop Mike Richards and Dan Girardi got a piece of the pass across, but Jack Johnson ended up with the puck on the left side and found a way to finish it.

The third period was the Rangers best of the game.  They were able to establish more of their forecheck game and seemed to be wearing down the Kings as the game went along.  Marian Gaborik gave the Rangers a 2-1 lead with 9:32 left when he cashed in from the slot.  Brad Richards made a blind pass to the slot that Dubinsky found loose and after what looked like a fanned shot that turned into a pass to Gaborik, there was no mistake for the Slovakian sniper.

The first period was a display that the Rangers would like to forget as they were dominated by the Kings.  From the opening faceoff the Kings controlled play with an excellent skating and passing display the Rangers had no answer for.  The Rangers were shorthanded twice early after penalties from Mats Zuccarello and Steve Eminger.  The Kings had chances on the first power play, but could not solve Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers were much better defensively on the second kill.

The Kings tied it up with 4:59 left when on a 2-on-2 Brad Richardson fed Mike Richards in front for the tap-in goal.  Sauer gave Richardson too much room and allowed him to carry the puck for too long in the offensive zone before he finally passed the puck into the slot.  Del Zotto also failed on the play because he has to lift Richards stick so he cannot get off that shot.

The Kings struck first when Ryan Callahan’s attempted pass to Artem Anisimov was behind him and led to Los Angeles transition which Anze Kopitar finished at 10:51.  The Rangers took over 15 minutes to register their first shot of the game, but they would tie the game up on just their second one when Ryan Callahan banked it off the back of Quick from a sharp angle at 15:22.  Certainly not the type of goal you expect to get, but it was what the Rangers needed to survive their brutal first period effort.

The second period effort was much better and the period overall was played to a stand-still leaving it to the third and overtime for the ultimate decision.

• Callahan, aside from the turnover, was excellent today.  Love him being aggressive and shooting the puck as much as he did.
• Anisimov was very strong again and looks poised for a big season
• Dubinsky-Richards-Gaborik did not look very good early, but that was partially because of the bad penalties.  The group got better as the game went along and was very effective in the third.  Dubinsky was excellent defensively in the game.  Richards showed his tremendous vision and also showed the other forwards are going to adjust and be ready at all times.  Gaborik skating and aggression was much better today than last season.
• Stepan, Wolski, Zuccarello and Fedotenko were all either bad or invisible in this one.
• Dan Girardi was phenomenal all game in taking the role as the lead defender.
• Ryan McDonagh was very strong, aside from the mistake penalty in overtime.  He continues to improve in all aspects of the game.
• Michael Del Zotto had his typical good and bad moments out there.  Still a work in progress.
• Liked what I saw from Tim Erixon today against the Kings lower line players

Sather Giving False Hope On Possibility of Avery Being Recalled To Rangers

While some were shocked when the New York Rangers waived Sean Avery earlier this week, the writing has been on the wall for this move over the past year, at least.  In the best case scenario there is a lack of trust between coach John Tortorella and Avery and at worst it is a personal problem between the two men.  That is why Larry Brooks reporting in the New York Post that GM Glen Sather said that Avery could play his way back on the roster seems disingenuous.

“Of course we could recall him if he’s in Hartford and earns that,” Sather said as the Rangers skated on an NHL-sized rink for the first time in nine days. “You never know; somebody could play his way off this team.”

“I think Sean has been a good player for us but you have to get the perspective from the coaches on that.”

These just seems to be giving supporters of Avery false hope that he can find himself back on Broadway at some point this season.  Avery does have the ability to play himself into a position worthy of a recall from Hartford, but the issues with him and Tortorella seem to discount that as a real possibility of actually happening.  Beyond that the Rangers have younger players like Ryan Bourque and Carl Hagelin who could fill the roster spot without the potential headaches that Avery would bring to the roster.

Rangers Claim Jeff Woywitka To Help Defense Situation

The New York Rangers have been said to be in the market for a veteran defender for the past couple of months, even before the situation with Marc Staal got to the point where it is today.  To help remedy their situation on defense the Rangers claimed 28-year old defender Jeff Woywitka off waivers from the Montreal Canadiens. 

Woywitka spent the past two seasons with the Dallas Stars before signing with Montreal over the summer on a one-year, $650K contract, but failed to make their roster.  His contract makes him attractive to the Rangers because it is such a minimal commitment.  This move is similar to Steve Eminger last season as Woywitka is best suited as a player in a limited role without excessive exposure.

This move is clearly a stop-gap type move in hopes of Staal being able to return in relatively short order.  If Staal's situation continues to be up in the air or get worse, then the Rangers will have to make another move on defense.  The hope would be that Tim Erixon shows himself well enough to have him playing full time be that move, but that is still to be seen.   The immediate move would likely be Bell or Bickel being assigned to the Connecticut Whale (AHL) to make room for Woywitka on the active roster with the possibility of Erixon going down when the team returns following the season opening games in Sweden.

Would Leaving McDonagh-Sauer Together Be Better Move For Rangers Defense?

There is no way to prepare for the absence of an All-Star defender like Marc Staal from your lineup.  The combination of the level he plays at, the competition he shuts down and the sheer number of minutes that he eats makes him one of the most valuable New York Rangers.  However, that is the situation before the Rangers now and the question is not about if they have to cope without him, but which set of pairings is the best way to do so?

The plan for now is to have Ryan McDonagh move up and play with Dan Girardi on the first pair while Michael Del Zotto will partner with Michael Sauer on the second pairing.  There is no question that McDonagh is capable of playing against the top opposition around the league, but would the Rangers be better off leaving him with his regular defense partner, Michael Sauer, and letting them become the de-facto top pair? 

Argument For Girardi With McDonagh:

Dan Girardi has been playing excellent quality defense against the top lines in the league for the past three seasons.  That level of experience playing against the best in the league is exactly what the team needs on the top defensive pairing with Staal missing.  Girardi can impart what he knows to McDonagh and they would be ahead of where McDonagh-Sauer would be in knowing how to best limit the league’s elite players/lines.

In terms of the team, there is no defender on the club, including Staal, that epitomizes the character of the team like Girardi with how he sacrifices his body on a nightly basis blocking shots.  While Michael Sauer did an excellent job last season of making himself into an integral part of the defense, he has not done anything to warrant him moving ahead of Girardi on the depth chart.  There is also the consideration that the pairing of Girardi and Del Zotto had their struggles when together in parts of each of the past two seasons

Argument For Sauer Remaining With McDonagh:

Michael Sauer was the Rangers most consistent defender on a nightly basis last season and showed that he can handle any and all situations against every level of competition.  Sauer did not have significant time against top line competition, but he had some, playing with Staal, during the brief absence of Girardi last season.  Obviously he had some on the penalty kill and during different shifts throughout games last season. 

This is not an argument to say that Sauer is better than Dan Girardi or anything of that ilk.  Sauer has less experience in the NHL in totality than Girardi does in taking shifts as a top pair defender.  The difference for Sauer is the relationship he has with McDonagh on the ice.  The two are one of those pairings that has just clicked from the very beginning as they complement one another very well.  How quickly they developed the understanding of what one another were going to do on the ice was one the most impressive aspect of last season, so it seems strange to playing around with it.

Leaving the continuity of a tremendous pairing that knows exactly what one another are going to do on the ice is something that is appealing, especially with the flux that is the rest of the defense corps right now.  The decision came down to the fact that Tortorella is more comfortable with Girardi’s experience against top line competition.  There is no arguing against that experience, but maybe that experience was better served building Del Zotto’s confidence as he in thrown into playing against better competition than expected while leaving McDonagh-Sauer together.  It is tough to argue against having McDonagh rise and Girardi stay where he has earned his place in the lineup, but maybe a little continuity might not have been so bad when the ability differential in Sauer and Girardi’s game is so slim.

Avery Clears Waivers, Sent To Minors; Staal To IR

Sean Avery, Stu Bickel and Brendan Bell all cleared waivers today after the New York Rangers put them out there for any other NHL franchise to take them. Avery was assigned to the Connecticut Whale, while Bickel and Bell will remain on the active roster for the time being. 

To make room, on the active roster to keep Bickel and Bell while also recalling Tim Erixon the team officially placed Marc Staal on injured reserve.

Erixon To Be Recalled; With Staal Out Significant Time Rangers Scrambling On D

The New York Rangers seem to be in a bit of a scramble mode on defense right now.  Larry Brooks of the New York Post reported this morning that the team could be without All-Star defenseman Marc Staal for upwards of a month and the organization is looking into lots of options to get through that time.  Talks with veteran Paul Mara have apparently been restarted and rookie defender Tim Erixon is going to be recalled this afternoon and will rejoin the team in Stockholm tomorrow.

The move with Erixon is somewhat surprising given that he was cut last week to get some more experience in the AHL, but with how badly both Bell and Bickel struggled against Zug on Monday the Rangers have decided to go with Erixon for the start the year.  Erixon will pair with Steve Eminger on the team's third pair while Ryan McDonagh is going to play with Dan Girardi and Del Zotto moves up to play with Michael Sauer.

Tortorella Giving Dubinsky Opening Assignment on Rangers Top Line With Richards, Gaborik

The question as to whom would be the left wing on the New York Rangers top line has been answered this morning as the team announced via their official twitter that coach John Tortorella Brandon Dubinsky will be the top line left wing whent he Rangers open Friday against Los Angeles. 

From a talent standpoint this is an easy move for Tortorella to make, but still somewhat surprising due to the production of the Dubinsky, Anisimov, Callahan trio.  Torts recognizes the issue in talking about the move:

"I understand it's robbing Peter to pay Paul because I really like Dubi with Cally and Artie...in my mind I am trying to settle this"

According to Dan Rosen at Dan Rosen at NHL.com the other lines will be as follows:

Fedotenko-Anisimov-Callahan
Wolski-Stepan-Zuccarello
Rupp-Boyle-Prust/Christensen

The third line is somewhat intriguing because Wolski appeared to be set for the top line assignment for much of camp until his groin issues.  However, putting him with Stepan and Zuccarello is a move that makes sense because the trio had some success when together last year.  These lines represent Tortorella going away from his two best lines last season in hopes of finding something at mnew, which is certainly a risk.  The Anisimov and Boyle lines were his most consistent performers, but Rupp in Fedotenko's spot should make for a similar line.  Fedotenko can play a physical game and will be excellent on the forecheck, but obviously doesn't have the scoring upside that Dubinsky had on the second line. 

Rangers To Waive Sean Avery

Larry Brooks of the NYPost tweeted and TSN is reporting that the New York Rangers will put Sean Avery on waivers at noon today.  There is some shock to this as Christensen did little if anything to "win" the final roster spot, but the fact that Avery is off the team should not be all that shocking.  Avery had the bigger cap hit and issues with the coaching staff trusting him not to take bad penalties, so they made the move to waive him.  If he is goes unclaimed Avery can be sent to the CT Whale.  Sad that Christensen ends up the beneficiary in this. More later.

Who Should Play With Richards, Gaborik If Wolski Can't Go In Opener?

Over the summer there was much speculation concerning the subject of who would be the left wing to pair with Brad Richards and Marian Gaborik on the top line for the New York Rangers.  My position throughout was that Wojtek Wolski would get the first chance to prove he could utilize his talent playing with those two elite players.  Reports from camp have said there is chemistry from the trio, but Wolski has been battling a groin issue for the last week and is no lock to play this Friday in the season opener.  The hope is Wolski will practice tomorrow and play on Friday, but the Rangers also have to prepare in case that doesn’t happen.

While Wolski has been on the shelf, coach John Tortorella has been shuffling Brian Boyle, Ruslan Fedotenko and Brandon Dubinsky in and out with his Richards and Gaborik looking for who could fill the spot.  If Wolski is unavailable on Friday which Rangers’ forward should get the spot on the top line?