A late-third period meltdown in which a 4-2 lead evaporated into a 4-4 tie that could have turned worse if not for Henrik Lundqvist's clutch save on Reilly Smith's penalty shot with 1:42 to play in regulation was not masked by the eventual 5-4 overtime victory, secured on the third goal of the game for Rick Nash. In fact, even that 4-2 lead could not hide the blemishes on this one, a game which saw Lundqvist face 43 shots.
The Blueshirts believe they dodged a bullet Saturday against the Panthers and will need to be much better tonight against a Predators team which enters play 11-5-3 on the season despite a pair of back to back shutout defeats coming into Monday's contest.
"We've got to get that one out of our system," said Viktor Stalberg, who scored a goal Saturday. "It wasn't a great performance by any means, though we still got the two points. Bad games are going to happen. It's how you bounce back and respond that matters."
Head coach Alain Vigneault will not make any lineup changes tonight, and Lundqvist will once again start in goal, but there are some tweaks to the forward line combinations.
Kevin Hayes will move up to play right wing on the second line centered by Derek Stepan with Chris Kreider on the left. J.T. Miller shifts from the right wing spot the third line, which will now be centered by Oscar Lindberg, with Stalberg on the other wing.
"(The moves are) a reflection of both (players)," Vigneault said of Hayes, who is pointless in his last three games, and Miller, who has one assist in his last four outings. "We're trying to show them confidence, but at the end of the day they've got to go out and contribute and play at both ends of the rink and play well and play consistently."
Both Hayes and Miller, a pair of former first round draft picks, have had bright moments so far this season. Hayes is fifth on the team with 12 points, and Miller has ten, so far. However the coaching staff is seeking more consistency from both.
"Those are players we have high expectations for, and we don't think those high expectations are over the top, but we expect more from them, and now we're trying to sort out the lines with them," stated Vigneault.
One line that is in no fear of being split up is the Rangers top line, consisting of Mats Zuccarello, Derick Brassard and Rick Nash. Since being reunited, and not including two games Nash missed because of injury, that trio has totaled 13 goals and 33 points in eight games together. Zuccarello leads the way with 14 points in that span, Nash has ten, and Brassard nine.
That line will be counted on heavily again tonight against a talented and hungry Predators team.
"They have a great transition game and a highly-skilled defensive group, and they're obviously going to be very focused and motivated tonight, so we're going to have to be really good."
Jim CernyBlueshirtsUnited.com
Rangers Prospect Report: 11.23.15
Three Stars of the Week
No. 1: Pavel Buchnevich, LW, Severstal Cherepovets (KHL) –
Buchnevich registered four points (three goals, one assist) in three
games this past week. The Rangers’ third round pick (75th overall) in
the 2013 NHL Entry Draft notched an assist on Nov. 16 against HC Slovan
Bratislava, and tallied his first career KHL hat trick on Nov. 19
against Medvescak Zagreb. Buchnevich also recorded five shots on goal
and logged 21:53 of ice time on Nov. 21 against HC Slovan Bratislava.
Buchnevich
has registered a point in nine of his last 14 games (four goals, seven
assists over the span). In addition, Buchnevich has tallied a point in
13 of his last 19 games (six goals, nine assists) and in 17 of his last
24 contests (nine goals, 12 assists). Dating back to last season,
Buchnevich has registered 38 points (16 goals, 22 assists) in his last
55 games in the KHL. Buchnevich has recorded 32 points (13 goals, 19
assists) in his last 45 KHL contests, including 27 points (12 goals, 15
assists) in his last 36 games in the KHL. Over the last two seasons, he
has registered 21 of his 23 goals at even strength. In 2015-16,
Buchnevich leads Severstal in even strength goals (eight), game-winning
goals (three), and shootout-deciding goals (two), is tied for the team
lead in assists (13), and ranks second in goals (10), points (23), and
shots on goal (81).
In his first 131 KHL regular season
games, Buchnevich has tallied 31 goals and 42 assists for 73 points.
Here is where Buchnevich ranks compared to current NHL players Vladimir
Tarasenko and Evgeny Kuznetsov through their first 131 KHL games:
PAVEL BUCHNEVICH, VLADIMIR TARASENKO, AND EVGENY KUZNETSOV THROUGH THEIR FIRST 131 KHL REGULAR SEASON GAMES
| |||
PLAYER
|
G
|
A
|
PTS
|
Pavel Buchnevich
|
31
|
42
|
73
|
Vladimir Tarasenko
|
31
|
28
|
59
|
Evgeny Kuznetsov
|
41
|
44
|
85
|
No. 2: Ryan Gropp, LW, Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL) –
Gropp tallied six points (four goals, two assists) in three games with
Seattle this past week. The Rangers’ second round pick (41st overall) in
the 2015 NHL Entry Draft posted two consecutive three-point games
during the week. He registered three points (one goal, two assists) on
Nov. 17 vs. Swift Current, and he tallied a natural hat trick against
his hometown team, the Kamloops Blazers, on Nov. 20.
Gropp
has recorded a goal/point in six of the last eight games, tallying 11
points (eight goals, three assists) over the span. In addition, Gropp
has registered a goal/point in eight of the last 12 contests, notching
16 points (11 points, five assists) over the span. In his last 21 WHL
regular season games (dating back to last season), Gropp has registered
19 goals and eight assists for 27 points. Including last year’s
playoffs, Gropp has tallied 35 points (20 goals, 15 assists) in his last
27 contests.
In 2015-16, Gropp ranks second on Seattle
in goals (13), ranks third in plus/minus rating (plus-10), and ranks
fourth in points (20).
No. 3: Adam Huska, G, Green Bay Gamblers (USHL) –
Huska appeared in three games this past week, posting a 2-1-0 record,
along with a 1.34 GAA and a .957 SV% (88 saves on 92 shots). The
Rangers’ seventh round pick (184th overall) in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft
stopped 37 of 38 shots he faced and earned the win on Nov. 17 vs.
Madison, and he stopped 31 of 32 shots he faced and earned the win on
Nov. 20 at Sioux City.
Huska has allowed one goal or
fewer in six of his 11 starts this season, and he helped Green Bay move
into sole possession of first place for the first time in the last two
seasons. In his last 10 appearances, Huska has posted an 8-2-0 record,
along with a 1.58 GAA, a .948 SV%, and 1 SO. He has allowed 15 goals in
his last 10 appearances.
Huska leads the USHL in GAA
(1.92) and SV% (.934), is tied for second in wins (eight), is tied for
third in SO (one), ranks fifth in saves (313), and ranks eighth in time
on ice (688:19) this season.
Emerging From the Pack
Brady Skjei registered
two points (one goal, one assist) in Hartford’s three games during the
past week, including his first career professional regular season goal
on Nov. 21 vs. Lehigh Valley. The Rangers’ first round pick (28th
overall) in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft has recorded a point in four of the
last six games (one goal, three assists over the span) and has notched
five points (one goal, four assists) in the last 10 games. Skjei is tied
for third on Hartford in assists (six) and is tied for fifth in points
(seven) this season, and he leads Wolf Pack defensemen in both
categories.
Mackenzie Skapski appeared
in all three of the Wolf Pack’s games this past week (two starts),
posting a 1-1-0 record, along with a 2.05 GAA and a .931 SV%. Skapski
stopped 23 of 24 shots he faced and earned his first win of the season
on Nov. 21 vs. Lehigh Valley, and he made a season-high 34 saves on Nov.
22 vs. Utica.
Quick Hits
Steven Fogarty, C, University of Notre Dame (NCAA) –
Fogarty registered an assist against UMass Lowell on Nov. 20. The
Rangers’ third round pick (72nd overall) in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft has
recorded a point in six of Notre Dame’s 12 games this season. Fogarty
ranks fourth on the team in goals (four) and points (10), and is tied
for fourth in assists (six) this season.
Brandon Halverson, G, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL) –
Halverson appeared in back-to-back games during this past week, posting
a 1-1-0 record, along with a 1.50 GAA and a .950 SV% (57 saves on 60
shots). The Rangers’ second round pick (59th overall) in the 2014 NHL
Entry Draft stopped 25 of 26 shots he faced to earn the win on Nov. 20
vs. Kingston, and he made 32 saves on Nov. 21 vs. Peterborough.
Halverson has made 30 or more saves in seven of 14 appearances in
2015-16.
Robin Kovacs, RW, Rögle BK (SHL) – Kovacs
skated in his first two games with Rögle BK during the past week. The
Rangers’ third round pick (62nd overall) in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft
notched his first career SHL assist/point and registered three shots on
goal in 13:54 of ice time on Nov. 21 against Frolunda. As of the
conclusion of this past week, Kovacs, who celebrated his 19th birthday
on Nov. 16, is the youngest player on Rögle BK’s active roster.
Ryan Mantha, D, Niagara IceDogs (OHL) – Mantha
notched an assist on Nov. 19 vs. Erie. The Rangers’ fourth round pick
(104th overall) in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft has registered four
assists/points in the last seven games. Mantha ranks third among Niagara
defensemen in assists (five) and points (seven) in 2015-16.
Brad Morrison, C, Prince George Cougars (WHL) – Morrison
tallied an assist on Nov. 21 at Medicine Hat. The Rangers’ fourth round
pick (113th overall) in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft has tallied four
points (one goal, three assists) in the last five games and eight points
(two goals, six assists) in the last nine contests. Morrison ranks
third on Prince George in assists (eight), ranks fourth in points (14),
and ranks fifth in goals (six) this season.
Aleksi Saarela, C, Ässät (Liiga) – Saarela
tallied a goal/point in three consecutive games during the past week,
extending his goal/point streak to four games (five goals over the
span). In the one contest in which he didn’t notch a goal or point
during the past week, the Rangers’ third round pick (89th overall) in
the 2015 NHL Entry Draft recorded eight shots on goal and won 15 of 25
faceoffs (60%) in 18:58 of ice time. Saarela ranks third on Ässät in
goals (seven), and ranks fourth in points (11), shots on goal (85), and
plus/minus rating (plus-five) this season. In addition, Saarela leads
all skaters on Ässät (min. 30 faceoffs taken) in faceoff win percentage
(50.7%; 183-for-361) in 2015-16.
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