Here are the latest rumblings around Rangerstown.

Vladislav Namestnikov

The Rangers didn’t make a lot of noise on the first day of NHL free agency, but they did re-sign C/W Vladislav Namestnikov to a two-year deal.

The Rangers are hoping that Namestnikov can regain the level of play he had while in Tampa. Granted that he was playing on the same line as Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov, but he does have the talent to last in the NHL.

Fredrik Claesson

The Rangers made one UFA acquisition yesterday, signing former Senators defenseman Fredrik Claesson to a one-year deal. Claesson is a stay at home blue-liner that saw time playing alongside all-star defenseman Erik Karlsson.

This is a low-risk move by Gorton with the Rangers blue-line uncertain coming into training camp. Aside from Kevin Shattenkirk, Brady Skjei, and Marc Staal, the opening night defense corps is up in the air. Will Neal Pionk, Tony DeAngelo, or John Gilmour be able to extend their stay on Broadway? Will Brendan Smith have a good camp and get back to MSG? Time will tell, but bringing Claesson aboard gives the Rangers another NHL-level defenseman.

Rangers Alumni On The Move

There was plenty of action yesterday involving former Rangers heading to a new club for the 2018-19 season.

Michael Grabner, who the Rangers traded to the Devils at the deadline, signed a three-year contract with the Coyotes. Former Rangers teammate, and now current teammate, Derek Stepan welcomed Grabner in the most hockey way possible; by chirping him.

https://twitter.com/DerekStepan21/status/1013510871409184768

Former Rangers blue-liner John Moore signed a five-year contract with the Boston Bruins. A mobile defenseman, Moore will give the Bruins another great skating defenseman who knows how and when to jump into the play.

Adam Clendening, who spent 31 games on the ice for the Blueshirts, was signed by the Columbus Blue Jackets. Clendening’s roster spot won’t be guaranteed for John Tortorella’s club, but he could crack the opening night lineup as the team’s sixth defenseman.

Paul Carey was signed by the Senators after spending last season with the Rangers. Carey was a solid fourth-liner last-year and will bring hard work and consistency to Ottawa, even if they thought he was a defenseman.

The Penguins are bringing back Matt Cullen who, once upon a time, spent a season with the Rangers.

Aside from signing John Tavares, the Maple Leafs signed two former Rangers in Josh Jooris and Adam Cracknell. Neither player spent much time with the Blueshirts, but as they say: “once a Ranger, always a Ranger.”

Finally, the Vegas Golden Knights signed defenseman Nick Holden to a two-year deal. Holden started off well with the Rangers back in 2016, but his play declined significantly and he became an asset that needed to be moved. Vegas also brought back Brandon Pirri on a one-year deal.

In non-NHL signings, David Desharnais has signed with KHL club Lokomotiv. There had been rumors that Desharnais was heading over to the KHL when the Rangers season ended, and now it is official.

Last weekend was a busy one for the club.  There were a couple of roster moves to improve the roster. Hartford last weekend was struggling.  However, they broke out of their slump and played better as the week went on.  Entering into this week, I am still optimistic for the club. Standings wise, the club is 7th in the Atlantic Division. Let’s not get worried. The first place team, the Wilkes-Barre-Scranton Penguins are ahead of Hartford by eight points. The division is close. The top four of each division reach the playoffs.  The club has work to do, but they are not far out.  The season still young entering December.  Let’s check out a few updates as Hartford prepares for another weekend.

First Call Up From Greenville of the Season

Let’s first start with the new additions from Greenville.

Dawson Leedahl was called up on November 30th in hopes to spark the offense and shake the group up.  Dawson Leedahl has been impressive with the Swamp Rabbits.  This is his first call up to the season to play in the American Hockey League.  He played in two games, but has no impact on the score sheet.  However defensively he is trying his best and keeps his play simple.  He is a hard worker and finishes every shift.

Adam Cracknell Trade

Adam Cracknell was dealt on November 30th as the New York Rangers traded him to Montreal Canadians.  In exchange, New York recieved Peter Holland.  This move was a great trade by the organization.

Adam Cracknell was a gritty player.  He was not doing much in Hartford and was dead weight.  Peter Holland provides a breath of fresh air for Hartford.  The trade was to improve the Wolf Pack.  Peter Holland is center as well, which bodes well with New York.  Petter Holland recorded one shootout goal and one assist in two games.  He was a point per game player coming in from the trade.

Marek Mazanec Joins Hartford

The Ranger have signed and assigned goaltender Marek Mazanec to the Wolf Pack.  This is another issue that was addressed by Chris Drury.  The rookie dual of Alexandar Georgiev and Chris Nell was struggling.  They are expected to struggle because they are both first year pros.  They will have errors and mistakes and learn from experiences.  Both goalies can play well in sprints.

The addition of Marek Mazanec addresses the need of an experienced goalie.  Assuming he will get the starter role, this will additional competition for goalies in Hartford.  Both goalies will also learn from him which is positive for development.  Overall the move is winning in terms of improving the group along with prospect development.  I am looking forward to him playing this weekend!

Hartford will have three goalies for now.  Brandon Halverson is in Greenville with the Swamp Rabbits.

Filip Chytil Incident

Last Saturday afternoon against the Toronto Marlies had a scary moment for the young prized prospect.  Late in the third, Filip Chytil had an awkward collision with Marlies forward Andreas Johnsson.  Filip Chytil left the game.  A few days later, it was announced that he will be out day to day.  The American Hockey League also suspended Andreas Johnsson for one game resulting form the incident.

https://twitter.com/JeffVeillette/status/937100685409226753

Upcoming Games

•  Friday, December 8th vs Providence Bruins (Boston) at 7:05 pm, Dunkin’ Donuts Center
  
  • The second meeting of the season with Providence.  This is the first of five trips to Providence for Hartford.  The last time both clubs met, Hartford dropped a 5-0 decision against the Bruins.  Providence has won four straight.  They have won in six of their last seven games as well.
• Saturday, December 9th vs Rochester Americans (Buffalo) at 7:30 pm, XL Center
  • The third meeting of the season, already with Rochester!  Hartford has played them in Rochester twice, on November 17th and December 1st.  In the four game season series, Hartford splits the series 1-1 heading into game three.  The Americans come into the week with a point streak of six games.
• Sunday, December 10th vs Springfield Thunderbirds (Florida) at 5:00 pm, XL Center
  • The sixth meeting between both clubs.  Springfield has won two straight in the season series.  The Thunderbirds lost two straight coming into the week, but have gone 6-4 in the last 10 games.  Springfield’s away record is also 2-9-1, with one victory in Hartford.

The Rangers have announced Thursday morning that they have acquired Peter Holland in exchange for Adam Cracknell.

Cracknell skated in four games with the Rangers after being claimed off of waivers earlier this season from the Dallas Stars. He has spent the majority of this season with the Hartford Wolfpack, where he scored two goals and three points.

Peter Holland was signed as a free agent by the Montreal Canadiens. The 24-year-old center has spent the entirety of this season with the Canadiens AHL affiliate, the Laval Rockets. In twenty games with the Rockets, Holland has eight goals and ten assists, for a total of eighteen points.

Another week is in the books for the Wolf Pack, who earned themselves three of four points over the weekend. On Saturday, the club pulled out a 2-1 victory against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Then on Sunday, the Pack dropped a 3-2 decision against the Laval Rocket in an overtime heartbreaker; keeping the WolfPack just one win short of a .500 point percentage. Hartford is currently 6-7-1-1, sixth place in the Atlantic Division.

Injury Updates

Filip Chytil was scratched last weekend, while he deals with an undisclosed injury and will be in the lineup once he fully recovers. The prized Rangers prospect has been dominating the American Hockey League. And while his presence is missing for the club, his health is his main priority. He can’t afford to be rushed back from injury and may be ready to go the upcoming weekend.

Adam Tambellini is still out with a hand injury and is considered day to day. However, he is still not fully recovered and may be ready to go during the weekend.

Impressive Weekend for Alexandar Georgiev

Alexandar Georgiev continues to be the workhorse for the Pack in the crease. On Saturday, the young goalie stole two points for Hartford against Bridgeport. He stood on his head and was gave the Pack their best chance to win a game that they didn’t deserve to win, saving 43 of 44 shots.

Sunday was more of the same for the young goalie prospect. He was once again peppered and Hartford was outplayed.  Georgiev could not bail out the Pack this time, but did help earn the club a point. He faced 40 shots and saved 37 against Laval, and saved 80 out of 84 shots in the two games.

Anthony DeAngelo Progression

Since joining Hartford, Anthony DeAngelo has been working on his game. Offensively, he has two points in seven games but has been getting his shot on net. He is also on the power play and is given opportunities to show his worth as a PP quarterback.

Defensively is where he can get spotty. His positioning is good most of the time but could slip up if he gets caught up in the play. He does block shots and is not afraid to check. He can pinch and get into the dirty areas when needed. His total defensive game is still a work in progress and should improve as the season continues.

Active Streaks

1. Dan Catenacci is on a two-game point streak, after recording goals in both games last weekend, including the game-winning goal on Saturday against Bridgeport.
2. John Gilmour had one assist in each game last weekend, giving him five points this season.
3. Adam Cracknell, Gabriel Fontaine, and Eric Selleck have been held without points so far in this young season.  Adam Chapie is also pointless, but he was recently called up to Hartford from Greenville this past weekend.

Upcoming Games

•  Wednesday, November 15th vs Bridgeport Sound Tigers (Islanders) at 7:00 pm, XL Center
  • This is the fourth matchup between both clubs. The Pack are 1-2 in the season series thus far, out of the 12 game series. The Sound Tigers lost two straight while Hartford is on a point streak, earning points in three straight outings.
• Friday, November 17th vs Rochester Americans (Buffalo) at 7:05 pm, Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial
  • The first of four meetings between Hartford and Rochester. Last season, the Pack were 1-3 against the Americans. Rochester is off to a strong start to their season as they are 7-4-1-1, second in the North Division with a point percentage of .615, and have earned points in five straight outings.
• Saturday, November 18th vs Utica Comets (Vancouver) at 7:00 pm, Adirondack Bank Center at the Utica Memorial Auditorium
  • Utica has struggled as much as Hartford so far this year. The Comets lost two straight coming into this week and are 5-4-0-1 in their last ten outings. Hartford faces the Comets four times in the season series.

Specialty Teams

The penalty kill is one of the consistent areas for this year’s group. They are ranked sixth in the American Hockey League for the penalty kill and third in the Eastern Conference.  Hartford has killed 88.6% of penalties.

The power play has it’s up and down moments, but overall, the performance has been good for the club. They are ranked sixth in the league and fourth in the Eastern Conference, operating at 23.3%. For instance, Friday’s game had six power plays which the Pack could not convert on. On Saturday and Sunday, they notched a total of four power-play goals in six opportunities.

Abundance of Roster Moves

The past few days have been busy for the organization, and the Hartford roster continues to be ever-changing. Saturday had the first move, with forward Matt Puempel being traded to Detriot, in exchange for Ryan Sproul. The Pack lost an offensive forward and gained an extra guy for the blue line. Sproul should debut on Friday against Bridgeport.

The second move was defenseman Garrett Noonan getting sent down to the Greenville Swamp Rabbits of the ECHL. The move put Hartford back at seven defensemen.

Tuesday was active. The Rangers announced that they played Adam Cracknell on waivers.  He cleared and will be joining the Pack. In addition, Tony DeAngelo was sent down by the Rangers to Hartford. Currently, there are eight defensemen with Hartford, but another move is expected to happen soon to bring down the total back to seven. This organization cannot afford to healthy-scratch any prospects.

Later in the evening on Tuesday, the Rangers announced that Cristoval Nieves has been called up. He looks to help the struggling Rangers and provide more help on center.

Notes

1. Filip Chytil had an awkward collision with a Penguins player on Saturday night in the second period and did not return to the game. He was also scratched on Sunday. His injury is considered minor and he should be back over the weekend.
2. Brandon Crawley and Vince Pedrie recorded their first pro goals on Sunday against Bridgeport.
3. Alexandar Georgiev played on Saturday and held down the crease well. He faced 44 shots on net in the shootout loss to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.  The game was his second start of the season.

Upcoming Weekend

Hartford has another three games in three days this weekend. They are home on Friday and are in Pennsylvania on Saturday and Sunday.

• Friday, October 27th vs Bridgeport Sound Tigers (Islanders) at 7:15 pm, XL Center
  • This finishes a home-and-home series with Bridgeport. The first meeting was on last Sunday, which the Pack lost. A fast start with a full effort will benefit Hartford. The Sound Tigers had total control in the previous meeting beating the Wolf Pack 6-3.
• Saturday, October 28th vs Lehigh Valley Phantoms (Flyers) at 7:05 pm, PPL Center
  • The Phantoms won four straight games after losing their first two. The first meeting between the clubs resulted in a Wolf Pack win, 2-1 in the shootout. The offensively talented Phantoms will test Hartford again.
• Sunday, October 29th vs Hershey Bears (Capitals) at 5:00, Giant Center
  • Hershey is off to a slow start, winning one game out of six they have played this season. The Bears faced a significant roster turnover in the offseason. This is the third game in three days for Hartford, and it will test the prospects again on handling a lot of games in a short amount of time.

After waiving Adam Cracknell and demoting Anthony DeAngelo, the Rangers recalled Cristoval “Boo” Nieves from the Hartford Wolf Pack.

Nieves is a 6’3″, 212-pound center who has 26 points (10G, 16A) in 55 career AHL games. Nieves has dealt with some injury problems, most notably missing 35 games during the 2016-17 Wolf Pack season. This year, he’s tallied two goals and an assist playing in seven games for Hartford.

Nieves played in one game with the Rangers last season and had been given a long look during the Rangers 2016-17 camp. Boo has been selected by the Rangers coaching staff and front office over Adam Cracknell to be the team’s fourth line center.

On a side note, Nieves being called up right before Halloween had to be a calculated move, as one Rangers fan noted.

Nieves is not going to be expected to come in and be an offensive powerhouse. But if he is able to play a solid and consistent 200-foot game, he will be a welcome addition to the Broadway Blueshirts.

Here we are, with the Rangers posting a 2-6-2 record due to a slow start where no heart has been shown by any player outside of maybe Rick Nash. That leaves us with the hottest rumor around Rangerstown today; a swap of players with the equally struggling Montreal Canadiens that would see Alex Galchenyuk on Broadway. In return for the 23 year old centerman, Chris Kreider is being speculated as the player heading back to Montreal. Now normally, this rumor would be dismissed as speculation, however, when seeing the original source, you may think differently. This rumor comes directly from danslescoulisses.com, who was also credited with being the first outlet to have the David Desharnais signing in late July.

The Rangers, who have been using 11 forwards and 7 defensemen for the past few games due to a lack of centers, have just gotten rid of another one today. Adam Cracknell, who was just recently picked up from Dallas on waivers, found himself back on the waiver wire today. The Rangers now only have three true centers on their roster. A trade involving Kreider and Galchenyuk would be a large shakeup for both the Habs and Blueshirts, something that both teams desperately need.

As this rumor develops, stay tuned to @NHLRumorsDaily and @FullTiltNYRBlog on Twitter, as well as FullTiltNYR.com for all of your Rangers news.

Here is our Quick Hits recap of the Rangers 4-2 victory over the Nashville Predators.

Kevin Hayes – Hayes had a strong game; he was johnny-on-the-spot all game, constantly on the puck, and finished with a goal and an assist. Both, were of the spectacular variety. In the late stages of the first, Hayes worked hard, and used his size and reach to get a breakaway on Predators goalie Juuse Saros. His attempt was stopped, but Jesper Fast was able to clean up the rebound, to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead. Then, just past the midway point of the second period, he took a brilliant cross ice feed from Jimmy Vesey, and stormed down right wing. Hayes blew by Nashville defenseman Matt Irwin, and fired a shot over the left shoulder of Saros.

Kevin Hayes has to be a big factor as the season progresses, especially with the Rangers hole at center. He doesn’t use his huge frame to hit opposing players (40 hits all last year), for whatever reason. So, since playing tough isn’t his bag, getting more offensive production, and being solid defensively are vital to the Blueshirts success. I would love to see a player his size develop a mean streak, but that may not be in the cards.

Jesper Fast scored the first of 2 #NYR ?? in the first period! Blueshirts lead 2-0 after 1. Stay tuned to @MSGNetworks. pic.twitter.com/xFe2qe5dZm

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) October 21, 2017

Jimmy Vesey – Vesey somehow came into this game without a point all season. While most of the Rangers players have been playing at an unacceptable level, Vesey has played with heart, and along with Rick Nash, has not gotten any puck luck. This year, he has added penalty killing duties to his résumé. And in this game he was particularly stout. Besides, the primary assist in the second period, he added the game-sealing empty net goal with 39 seconds left. He accurately found the net from well inside his own blue line, relieving a ton of pressure Nashville was putting on to try and tie the game. The Rangers coaching staff inexplicably started Vesey on the fourth line this year. His play, and the poor play of others, has moved him up in the pecking order. Vesey, along with Pavel Buchnevich, are showing they deserve top-six consideration, and surely more ice time.

Henrik Lundqvist – After two straight games where The King gave up a poor goal, Lundqvist was back to his old self. When the Rangers were put into the position to kill a penalty in the third, he was fantastic in holding the fort. He stopped several one-timers off cross ice feeds by Roman Josi, and Ryan Johansen. While the Rangers were much better in this game, they only had six shots on goal in the last two periods combined. Hank stopped all nine that he faced in the third to preserve the victory, and they were all of the high quality variety.

Chris Kreider – The Rangers big left wing finally tallied his first goal of the season off a great set up in close by J.T Miller. It was a power play marker with less than 30 seconds left in the first period.

Kreider seems to be finding some chemistry with David Desharnais and Miller playing on the right wing. I still think Kreider is better when playing with Mika Zibanejad and Pavel Buchnevich. By the same token, Miller has never been very successful when skating regularly on the right as opposed to his more comfortable left. It seems like the line combinations and defense pairings are still a work in progress.

#NYR top the Predators 4-2!! pic.twitter.com/OfSqfytnUs

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) October 21, 2017

 

The Scratches – Adam Cracknell, Paul Carey, and Steven Kampfer were all scratched by Alain Vigneault for this game. For the life of me, I do not get why these players are still here. All have been career vagabonds in the NHL. Many teams have looked, but not kept them around too long. And none have a role here now or going forward. The Blueshirts dressed seven defensemen again because they do not have a fourth center they think is capable. Is this coach Alain Vigneault sending a message to his GM that he needs another center? My guess is that is entirely possible. The guy that got the short end of the stick today was Anthony DeAngelo. He got just over five minutes of ice time. Meanwhile, Nick Holden (showcasing for trade?) was horrible. His puck management was a disaster. Inaccurate passes, passes too hard too handle plus bad decisions on carrying the puck, were all on the menu for Holden in this one. I almost understand why AV plays him since the three scratches shouldn’t be in the NHL, but why so many minutes over DeAngelo?

NEXT GAME: The Rangers will look to build on this win on Monday when they host the Sharks. Puck drops at 7!

LETS GO RANGERS!

Here is the FullTilt Quick Hits recap of the Rangers’ heartbreaking and demoralizing 5-4 OT loss to the Penguins.

David Desharnais – After head coach Alain Vigneault drastically shuffled his lines in hopes of sparking his team, he was rewarded by the play of David Desharnais. The midsummer acquisition got the Rangers on the board in the second period, after some quick passing. Desharnais took the pass from JT Miller and surprised Murray with a quick shot to the far side and in. If he can get going and have a productive offensive season, it would certainly be a welcome sight for the Rangers.

Michael Grabner – After putting up one of the best seasons of his career, there were some elevated expectations for the Austrian winger. But some missed chances early on made it seem like he had reverted back to the pre-Rangers Grabner. Fortunately for the Rangers and Grabner, though, he found the scoring touch in this one. After the Rangers had tied the game at three, JT Miller passed the puck up to Grabner. Grabner came in 2v2 with Desharnais, and the two worked a beautiful give-and-go to give the Blueshirts the lead. Grabner being able to score goals will be a part of where the Rangers end up this season, and hopefully scoring in this one gets him going.

Power Play – After starting the season 4/9 on the man-advantage, the Blueshirts had converted just one of their next fourteen chances heading into this one. But the remade PP units clicked and the Rangers converted not once, but twice with the extra man. The first goal came from Pavel Buchnevich for his first of the season. Mats Zuccarello won the board battle to keep the puck in the zone, tapped it over to Mika Zibanejad who set-up Buchnevich for the one-timer.

The Rangers second PP goal came from JT Miller. Captain Ryan McDonagh passed the puck to Miller who wound up and fired one past Matt Murray. As Joe Michelleti pointed out on the broadcast, the goal wouldn’t have been scored had Chris Kreider not been setting the screen on the Penguins goaltender.

Ryan McDonagh – As mentioned before, the Rangers captain had an assist on the Rangers third goal, but his night wasn’t all good, to say the least. The Rangers captain has had a rough start to the season so far, and his play in this one is a prime example. McDonagh had six giveaways, including the brutal one that led directly to the game-winner by Evgeni Malkin. But even before that gaffe, McDonagh turned one over to Sidney Crosby and got bailed out by his goaltender.

“I should be able to make a read there and keep it on the boards instead of trying to go through them. Really, really bad hockey play by me.” – Ryan McDonagh

McDonagh seems like he is a bit lost without his longtime running-mate Dan Girardi. This isn’t to say that Jeff Gorton should call Steve Yzerman to work out a trade, but McDonagh needing time to adjust shouldn’t be so shocking. I think what has everyone worried is that the Captain has not performed at this level in a long, long time. He probably hasn’t made plays like the one he made here since he was in mites. The captain knows he has to play better and he’ll have to find a way to do that as soon as possible.

Kevin Shattenkirk – Speaking of Rangers defensemen, let’s talk about Kevin Shattenkirk. The New Rochelle native got on the scoresheet with the secondary assist on David Desharnais’ goal, but that’s not why he’s getting mentioned here. Shattenkirk showed off some of that attitude New Yorkers’ are known for, dropping the gloves with Malkin and standing up for Henrik Lundqvist after he was run into by Brian Rust.

That was the good; now here comes the bad. Shattenkirk had a real mental gaffe that ultimately sent this game into overtime. With the Pens pressing for the tying goal, the puck was sent forward by the glove of Patric Hornqvist. This would’ve resulted in a hand-pass had Shattenkirk not touched the puck. But he did, and Crosby alertly banked the puck off of an unsuspecting Henrik Lundqvist to tie the game. Shattenkirk is not known for his defensive zone play, but mental mistakes like this are inexcusable.

Henrik Lundqvist – Had it not been for King Henrik’s play in the first period, the Rangers comeback wouldn’t have been possible. This save after McDonagh’s turnover on Sidney Crosby kept this game at 1-0 and kept the Blueshirts in the game. Henrik gave his team the chance to eventually earn their first point since playing the Canadiens ten days ago. Henrik hasn’t had a ton of help from the guys in front of him, but he’s done everything in his power to keep this team afloat.

Mistakes and Turnovers – The biggest problem for the Rangers this season has been their puck management and turnovers. The Rangers lead the NHL with 105 turnovers, which should come as no surprise when the team is 1-5-1. It was an errant McDonagh pass that led to the opening goal by Kessel in transition, and Brady Skjei’s turnover behind the net with the Penguins on the PP led to Hornqvist’s goal. Any chance the Rangers have of turning this season around has to start with the Rangers taking better care of the puck, it’s really that simple.

“I like the way we played in our 2nd and 3rd period. We responded down by two against a team that’s not easy to come back on.” – Marc Staal

Slow Starts – Another reason the Rangers have gotten off to such a poor start to their season has been their first-period play. The Blueshirts have only scored seven goals in the opening frame while allowing eleven against. And these goals haven’t been coming in the later stages of the period, but it has been the first or second shot of the game that has been beating the Rangers netminders. This time it was Kessel just 43 seconds into the game. It’s almost as if the Rangers “need” to be trailing in order to get themselves into the flow of the game. And that is something that is not just on the players, but on the coaching staff as well.

“It’s a little challenging as far as putting the whole game together for us but this group is very accountable & working extremely hard. I am very confident that if we keep doing a lot of the things we’re doing now, we’re going to be on the right track.” – AV

Alain Vigneault – After much intrigue, discussion and outrage on Rangers Twitter, Alain Vigneault stuck to his guns in using the same lines from practice the other day for the game. And I have to give credit where it’s due; when the Rangers were trailing heading into the second, his team came out of the locker room and got back into it.

But when you see the ice time breakdown at even strength and see that Pavel Buchnevich played less than six minutes and that Rick Nash played less than ten minutes, there is something wrong. I understand Vigneault is still trying to find his line combinations, but you’ve got to find a way to get your more skilled players on the ice. This is nothing against Jesper Fast or even Jimmy Vesey, but they have not shown enough from the point production standpoint to warrant more minutes. Nash hasn’t gotten the results yet either, but he is creating a lot of chances and the breaks will start going his way soon.

https://twitter.com/ryanohan/status/920475562304573445

NEXT GAME: The Rangers will look to build on the positives from this one when they face the Islanders on Thursday night. Puck drops at 7!

LETS GO RANGERS!!

On Saturday, the Rangers almost completed a fairy-tale comeback scoring four straight goals to tie the game at five a piece in the second period, before eventually falling to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The storyline of that game was defensive collapses. Three of the five goals scored in the first period came on poor defensive plays. The Rangers and their coaching staff knew that they had to improve. For the matchup against the Canadiens, the Rangers opted to play seven defensemen and eleven forwards; scratching Filip Chytil, who has seen little ice-time thus far throughout the season, and Brendan Smith, who had played a poor game against the Leafs. In place of Smith and Chytil, Alain Vigneault decided to play defensemen, Nick Holden and Steven Kampfer. In that game, The Rangers made less defensive mistakes and allowed Lundqvist to see the puck which ultimately led to a Rangers victory.

The St. Louis Blues are 3-0-0. On Monday afternoon at Barclays Center, the Blues edged the Islanders 3-2 in a shootout. Vladimir Tarasenko continued his excellent play notching both Blues goals in regulation, and goalie Jake Allen made 40 stops to secure the Blues victory. Jake Allen will receive a break as Carter Hutton will step into the blue paint for the Blues.

Keys to a Rangers victory:

1. If the Rangers want to beat the Blues they must stay disciplined defensively. Against Toronto, the Rangers fell victim to the Leafs’ talented young forward group. With highly skilled veterans like Vladimir Tarasenko and Alexander Steen, the Rangers cannot make the same mistakes against the Blues. If I’m Alain Vigneault, I keep the same defensive group intact that played well against Montreal.

2. Jake Allen has performed exceptionally well in all three of his games this season. Carter Hutton will be making his 2017-18 regular season debut against the Rangers. The Blueshirts need to make Hutton feel uncomfortable and expose his rust and throw everything to the net; because good things happen when you throw the puck to the net. Against Montreal, Rangers defenseman Brady Skjei shot the puck through the crease. The puck deflected off of defenseman Shea Weber and into the net. The Rangers cannot allow Carter Hutton to see shots from over the hash-marks otherwise he will stop them.

Other notes:

St. Louis’ Robert Bortuzzo has been fined 3,091.40, the maximum fine allowable under the CBA, for cross-checking New York Islanders forward Brock Nelson.

Tuesday, the Rangers claimed Adam Cracknell of waivers from Dallas. He will likely play on the fourth line with Paul Carey and David Desharnais. Cracknell will be wearing number 25 for the Blueshirts.