Greetings and salutations everyone and welcome to another blog here on BlueCollarBlueShirts.com. Better late than never, am I right?
As you can tell by the late Monday night hour of this particular blog posting – then I had a blast on Sunday night when I attended the Blueshirts’ 6-2 smacking of the lowly Vancouver Canucks.
In turn, then we’re not going to do our normal GAME REVIEW style of a recap, as instead I just wanted to present you with this:
AN UNORDERED TOP TEN THOUGHTS (bullet-point format).
But before rifling through my takeaways from Sunday night, then of course, a reminder of where I last left off:
The Rangers Get The Worst News Imaginable; CZAR IGOR Lost For The Remainder of the Season, Garand Gets His Biggest “Cam Talbot” Opportunity Yet; Other Possible Goaltender Options (And Why Hellebuyck Isn’t One of Them), Eerie Mike Richter/Igor Shesterkin Comparison, Just a Sickening Day; Veleno & Korpisalo on IR Too, Sully’s Comments & More
TOP TEN THOUGHTS FROM SUNDAY NIGHT (unordered):
1. When it comes to the top topic in Rangerstown, USA, the state of the goaltending position, then I thought that Dylan Garand was more than serviceable. At the same time, then I don’t think that anything new was truly learnt either – as the Canucks are one of the worst teams in the league, new head coach and former Ranger Manny Maholtra was playing his back-up goalie (Kevin Lankinen) and the British Columbia squad had just played the day before too (a 4-1 loss in New Jersey).
Garand (19/21, .905 save percentage) made the saves that he needed to make. While perhaps he could’ve stopped Jake Debrusk’s 1-1 equalizer, then I thought that he had no chance on the first Rangers’ shorthanded goal allowed this season, as once again, and the team’s first power-play unit got sloppy with the puck, en route to Elias Pettersson’s 2-2 tying goal with just 3:04 remaining in the second period.
In other words, Garand wasn’t truly tested that much, nor really faced top competition in this league either. That said, then it was better than the alternative – which would’ve been the night that Lankinen had.
Garand’s first true tests will take place later this week when the team hosts the Lightning on Tuesday (and how do we already have two Blueshirts v. Bolts games at this point in the season?) and then travels to Newark on Thursday night.
For one game though, and where as noted last time around, I do think Garand has the stuff to do it – and I feel like the Rangers will be fine.
In addition, and I think that Sully’s Squad won’t have the mindset of “our goalie can carry us” anymore either – which is a good thing – as such a practice will create a true meritocracy.
2. The Blueshirts, who I don’t think won four games at home last season until the calendar flipped, are now a flawless 4-0 at home this season. Finally, and at least for now, and the Rangers are protecting home ice.
As noted above, then come 3:04 remaining in the second stanza, and after surrendering a short-handed goal too, and the game was now tied at 2-2 – and where furthermore – the Rangers had also blown a pair of one-goal leads.
As we continue to make comparisons to last season, one of the worst campaigns in franchise history – then unlike last year – and once again in Year 101 – and the Rangers never relented.
It took all of ninety-seconds for Tye Kartye to regain the Rangers lead, as his 3-2 goal, scored with 1:35 left in the second period, was not only a quick Blueshirts’ go-ahead goal – but the eventual game-winner too.
3. The third line was absolutely FANTASTIC!
This triad, one that I’m now dubbing as “The Maxon Dixon Line” due to their willingness to play a north-south game, were extremely (and positively) noticeable throughout the sixty-minute affair.
The Rangers’ veteran on this line, Will Cuylle, scored a game-high two goals (tied with Kartye) while also recording a game-high four hits.
The sophomore center, Noah Laba, chipped in an assist on Cuylle’s first goal, while also winning eight of eleven faceoffs (72.9%).
New import, Eeli Tolvanen, also assisted on a goal, Cuylle’s second, while also picking up three hits.
Most of their shifts were spent in Vancouver’s zone – and they were just menaces on ice all game.
4. Alexis Lafreniere scored for the third consecutive game, as his 4-2 power-play goal, scored just 1:06 into the third period, was an insurance goal that put the game away.
Lafreniere now has five goals this season – or in other words – he has two more goals scored than Pavel Dorofeyev, Mika Zibanejad and J.T. Miller combined, which brings us to…
5. Pavel Dorofeyev really needs to get going.
The Rangers recent winning ways (and I can’t believe it either) has masked the fact that Dorofeyev isn’t scoring goals like he’s being paid to do (highest-paid skater on the team, with an annual salary of $11M).
The new Russian Ranger had two shots on goal in a game, where again, featured lesser competition.
If anything, then the guy now wearing the number that Vincent Trocheck once wore, should’ve stood out.
Instead, and it was everyone else that looked head-and-shoulders above him. This also leads me to…
6. Mika and Miller need to start scoring goals too.
With CZAR IGOR down, then the Rangers need their veterans, their leaders, to start pulling their weight.
While you know that Miller tries to give it his all, he needs to light some lamps.
That said, and he did finish with a game-high 75% success rate at the dots (12/16), while adding two helpers.
Zibanejad, perhaps the streakiest player that the Rangers have ever had, also picked up two assists.
When you look at these three points as a collective unit, then the much talked about Dorofeyev promotion/Lafreniere demotion was a win for #13 – and not so much so for #16.
The reason for the flip-flop was to get Dorofeyev going.
Instead of that – and Lafreniere looked light-years ahead of Dorofeyev.
For the birthday boy (Lafreniere turned 25-years-old on Sunday), he also added an assist to his ledger, while his linemates were all over the score sheet too (Kartye had two goals, matching both Miller & Lafreniere’s two-point games).
Dorofeyev, pointless in the rout, saw Zibanejad & Gabe Perreault assist on Lafreniere’s power-play goal.
Speaking of Perreault, he also scored the team’s 5-2 goal, following a tip on an Adam Fox blast.
For the Rangers to win games against tougher competition, teams full of superstars, and simply put – and Dorofeyev needs to be a superstar too – and as he’s paid to be.
7. Welcome back Dancin’ Larry – and where those words aren’t exactly true either – as Larry never left M$G following the false accusations made against him.
We’ve already covered this story in the past, but to just quickly breeze through it – then when someone who may be mentally ill, who uses liberal pronouns such as “binary” – then it’s tough to really take allegations made from that individual in a serious manner.
I only bring up Larry here for one reason – because some of the limp-wristed members of the Blueshirts’ beat, ones that will never get to the bottom of a story, continue to bring up that he’s still in his same spot in section 223 – and doing his dance too.
These foaming-at-the-mouth scribes, so quick to share the allegations against him (while bringing up this story whenever Larry does his third period dance), never bring up how he’s been exonerated – and how M$G, as a corporation, backs(ed) him too.
After all, if Larry was guilty of any of the lies perpetrated against him – then why are the Rangers allowing him to do his thing at M$G this season?
(I had some fans tell me that he didn’t do his dance at the home-opener, but Larry was there. The only reason he didn’t do his jig was because there was never a TV timeout/stoppage, thus giving him a chance.)
Personally?
As I saw again about 978678679867986 times over on Sunday (both at The Mollie Wee Pub and at the game itself – as I was sitting a few rows above Larry), and there were countless fans, of all genders and ages, asking for a photo and a handshake with him.
These fans know better than the people who are actually paid to cover the team.
Here’s Larry, who always impresses me (how he can consume so much booze without falling down dancing is a site to see!), doing his thing from Sunday:
Good job @TheDancinLarry #nyr https://t.co/f3vtn0D7k2
— BlueCollarBlueShirts (@NYCTheMiC) October 12, 2026
8. As noted last time around, then one of my readers gave me a pair of free ducats – and where I can’t thank that person enough and I am grateful.
For the first time in a long time, and I sat in the barstool seats in the 223 section – and where these seats span across four other sections too.
Again, I’m grateful, but I was once again reminded how idiotic the new design at M$G truly is.
There are no bathrooms in this section.
There is no elevator in this section.
There is no merchandise stand in this section.
The section does have a full bar and food options – but if you have to take a piss, drop some heat and/or want to buy some swag – then you better have a pair of willing-and-able legs.
My brother-in-law, one year younger than me, came with me.
As we had to keep walking up-and-down never-ending flights of stairs to buy beers – and then piss them out twenty-minutes afterwards too – then I was glad that I didn’t take my dad, as I usually do, with me.
I just don’t think he, a near 76-year-old man, would’ve been thrilled with all of the step aerobics that one has to do while sitting in these seats.
Even worse is something that I’ve brought up about 7867997866798696789 times before – the super-tight M$G second rotunda – and where during any intermission – then it’s like battling a herd straight out of “The Walking Dead.”
As I always bring up in my IBS Arena reviews, then during my 5-6 trips to the home of the Belmont Bozos – and I’ve never had to wait in line for a drink or to take a piss.
The second rotunda at M$G?
Well you could miss entire periods while waiting in the men’s bathroom line.
Also displeasing?
Then the entire bar stool section doesn’t allow you to see what many tourists pay to see – the iconic ceiling of M$G.
I know that I’m going on too long about this subject; but yeah, then for a fan who’s been to 30 NHL arenas – and M$G provides one of the worst experiences in the league.
As far as a solution?
It’s time for an expensive full-blown rebuild of the arena, built in the late 1960s.
Of course, that’s not an easy resolution either – as where would the Rangers play in the interim?
And yeah, then there’s everything else too – construction, permits, fighting with Penn Station, you name it, it’s there.
9. For the first time in three-years – and M$G was alive again. What a feeling.
From puck drop, to the quick opening goal, to the blown leads, to the full recovery and the 6-2 rout – and there was never a time where you thought that the Rangers would lose – a far cry from the past two seasons.
If I had any gripe, then I would’ve liked to hear the organist hit the familiar chords, you know the BUM-BUM sounds when fans chanted both “I-GOR!” and “HEN-RIK!” in the past, thus creating a new chant “DYL-AN!”
While I tried that “DYL-AN” chant myself, but since I was sitting so far away, then it never really caught on!
I thought that Rangers, despite some brain-farts (that short-handed goal, and to the Canucks of all teams, can’t happen), played a great game.
Once again, and everyone was engaged – including during every scrum.
As previously mentioned throughout this season – and there hasn’t been one instance in these seven games played where a player involved in a fight, brawl or scrum didn’t have four other Rangers race to his side.
There was even one point in the game where Zibanejad was looking to change, and as he approached the bench, Perreault was going at it with a Canuck in front of the net. The entire third line pointed to Zibanejad and as a result – Mika then joined the fray.
TEAM WIDE PLAY!
Since I haven’t really mentioned them yet, then I thought the defense played particularly well.
Sean Durzi really stands out. Fox was his usual great self. While Alberts Smits hasn’t had a highlight reel moment yet, but he does look capable and especially at his young age.
Vladislav Gavrikov, seemingly hellbent to top his offensive numbers from last season, picked up another assist. Ditto Braden Schneider.
Marcus Pettersson seems like a Marc Staal type (post injury) to me – you don’t notice him – which is a great thing – as he’s just defensively reliable and won’t hurt you.
All in all, another encouraging win.
Not so encouraging?
The bad news when I checked my phone after the game.
10. Number ten is dedicated to the man who passionately wore it for years – Ron Duguay.
As previously talked about in this space – then Duguay has been in a two-year battle against cancer – and where despite this fight of his life – he continues to do everything in his power to rally against it.
While never truly out of the woods, Duguay continues to adopt a positive mindset, despite repeated setbacks of negative diagnoses, major falls and lost teeth.
He’s tried a myriad of treatments in this time – and where just last week, or at least publicly – and it seemed like he was getting better – as on Friday, October 2nd, and his hometown Sudbury Wolves honored him.
Duguay, who has his jersey retired by his boyhood Wolves, saw the OHL team raise money for colon cancer research.
Duguay spent four seasons with the Wolves (1973-1977) before moving onto the Rangers (13th overall draft pick in 1977).
“I wasn’t planning on posting anything, but I need belief in the power of prayer and right now we need all the prayers we can get,” wrote his daughter Shay on Instagram on Sunday. “I know so many love him so much. Please keep our dad in your prayers.”
There’s nothing any of us can do as Duguay suffers through this except to wish him our best.
Having known Duguay throughout the years, then I’m really pulling for him.
He still has plenty more hockey knowledge to impart on us all – and he’s one of the nicest members of the alumni that you can ever meet.
Plus, he’s another fellow Rangers’ historian, thus earning the utmost respect out of me.
Here are all of the photos that I took from Sunday night’s win at the World’s Most Expensive Arena:
As far as anything else that I may have missed with this quick recap, then it was noticeable and newsworthy when the Rangers sent Cole Beaudoin to Hartford for the Wolf Pack game on Saturday, only to recall and then play him on Sunday.
Due to the new CBA rules, and anyone sent down to the AHL must play in one game for their minor league affiliate before being recalled.
Beaudoin, in Saturday night’s Wolf Pack match, took the ice for the puck drop, and come two seconds later, went to the bench – and never to return to the playing surface.
Similar to what Glen Sather once did with Wade Redden at the start of the salary cap era (burying Redden’s disgusting cap hit in the AHL, which in time, led to the “Wade Redden Rule,” thus disbarring such cap circumnavigation), then I think it’s only a matter of time before the league addresses this CBA circumnavigation maneuver too.
Whether the league installs a playing time minimum or what, but this is a copycat league, and this practice will become commonplace soon enough.
For now, it worked out for Chris Drury and Beaudoin.
It didn’t work out for Matt Rempe, who now seems to be the new Libor Hajek of the Rangers – too good to be sent down (and in fear of being claimed for nothing in return), but not good enough to play – as #73, following the first game/loss of the season, has yet to re-enter Sully’s line-up.
Up Next: The Rangers, in their eighth game played, will host the Bolts for the second time this season, and as they will on Tuesday night.
That’s some crazy ass scheduling to me.
I’ll see ya after the game with a more detailed recap/review than the one you just read here.
Until then?
Your favorite segment and mine, you know…PLUGS TIME! (Buy a book and support my Rangers’ induced therapy bills. After all, I don’t run ads on this site!)
My fourth title and tenth book is now available!
“The Top 100 Villains of New York Rangers History,” is now available for sale!
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My second plug of tonight’s blog – the mandatory plug for my book, “The New York Rangers Rink of Honor and the Rafters of Madison Square Garden.”
As mentioned previously, the book is now available in hardcover, in paperback and in Kindle formats. To purchase a copy of the book, visit this link:
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For those still looking for signed paperback versions of the book, I have re-ordered more copies. I now have a few signed copies for sale at $25 a pop (includes shipping price) through me directly. Here is all the information on that:
Order “The New York Rangers Rink of Honor and the Rafters of Madison Square Garden” Book Today
My four-volume set of books, “One Game at a Time – A Season to Remember,” is a game-by-game recount of the Rangers 2021-22 campaign.
My second title as an author, “One Game at a Time – A Season to Remember,” is now available in eBook, paperback and hardcover formats.
To obtain signed copies, visit: https://bluecollarblueshirts.com/onegamebook/
To purchase all four volumes on Amazon, visit: Amazon.com – “One Game at a Time.”
The greatest volume-set of books on Rangers’ history today!
“Tricks of the Trade – A Century-Long Journey Through Every Trade Made In New York Rangers’ History,” a four-volume set of books that meticulously covers every trade made in franchise history, is now on sale.
All four volumes of the title can be purchased on Amazon.com and are presented in three different formats – eBook, paperback and hardcover.
To purchase Volume I: Conn Smythe (1926) – Craig Patrick (1986), visit Amazon.com
To purchase Volume II: Phil Esposito (1986) – Neil Smith (2000), visit Amazon.com
To purchase Volume III: Glen Sather (2000-2015), visit Amazon.com
To purchase Volume IV: Jeff Gorton (2015) – Chris Drury (2022), visit Amazon.com
To purchase signed copies of all four volumes, visit https://bluecollarblueshirts.com/tricksofthetrade/
If you haven’t already, subscribe to this blog for the next update:
Don’t forget to order my four-volume set of books, “Tricks of the Trade!”
If you don’t order through me, all four volumes are now available on Amazon.com
For more details, check out: https://bluecollarblueshirts.com/tricksofthetrade/
Thanks for reading.
LET’S GO RANGERS!
Sean McCaffrey
BULLSMC@aol.com
