NYR/BOS 11/3 Review: The Curse of the Liberty Jersey Strikes Again; B’s Best Blueshirts, Lindgren Joins Walking Wounded; “Day-to-Day,” Schneider Statement Game; Invisible Top Six; Pasta Beats Bread, Mika Calls Out Blogger, Trouba Troubles, Boston/Vegas Domination Irony & More

Similar to the Rangers’ last game (their 1-0 overtime victory against Philadelphia), once again, the Blueshirts dominated the middle frame of action on Thursday night. However, unlike Tuesday night – the Rangers hit their climax once the second period ended, as unlike Patriots’ owner Robert Kraft – there was no “happy ending” to be found. In what was an entertaining game until the third period began, the Rangers dropped a 5-2 final to their Original Six rival, the Boston Bruins. And for the love of the hockey gods – someone needs to commit arson on behalf of the Blueshirts – and burn those wretched and cursed Liberty jerseys!

Greetings and salutations everyone and welcome to another blog here on BlueCollarBlueShirts.com. Someone call Ralph Cifaretto and have him torch those “reverse retro” retread Liberty jerseys!

(And yes – that’s a “Soprano’s” reference – even if tonight’s blog header photo parodies the arson scene from “Goodfellas” instead! You can never have enough mob entertainment references – especially after this game – where a few players got “whacked!”)

On Thursday night, at the “World’s Most Expensive Arena,” the Rangers faced their biggest test of the season yet, as they matched-up with the 9-1-0 Bruins, the current beast of the east.

After a dreadful first period (a season-low four shots on goal); come the second period, the Rangers pulled a complete 180 and absolutely pummeled the Bruins – literally.

However, the Rangers couldn’t sustain and maintain their efforts, and once the third period rolled around – the Rangers reverted to the team from the first period.

Of course, there’s also a built-in excuse for this loss, following the early first period injury suffered by Ryan Lindgren, after #55 was blind-sided by David Pastrnak. (More on this play during the GAME REVIEW segment.)

And yes, Part I: before moving forward – if Lindgren isn’t able to return to a game – then you know it’s bad. This guy could get hit by a Mack Truck and not miss a shift.

And yes, Part II: following the game, Gallant hit his catchphrase when describing Lindgren’s injury – “day-to-day.”

No joke, Gallant could see a ten-car pile-up on the Long Island Expressway, and when assessing the injuries, he’d then say those three little words.

After Lindgren (five shifts and 3:09 TOI) went down, it forced Gallant to rotate his five healthy defensemen, a rotation that led to mixed results, where captain Jacob Trouba (game-low minus three) took the brunt of it.

And yes, Part III: while I’m not there yet – you’re already hearing “the captaincy is weighing Trouba down” stuff.


Twelve games into this 2022-23 campaign and Trouba has looked more like the player from his first two seasons in New York, rather than the player from last season. However, I think he’ll turn it around soon enough. Photo Credit: NYR

In my opinion, worrying about Trouba as captain is an instant (over)reaction, but one that was also predictable.

Heck, I said this would happen once Trouba was announced as captain! (Fans love lazy and tired takes!)

I knew that it would only take one bad game from #8 to hear this noise – but to be fair – a dozen games in, and Trouba’s had more bad games than good games this season.

From the files of “Captain Obvious” – duh, losing Lindgren hurts the Rangers. However, that doesn’t explain why the Rangers’ top-six were completely out-played by the Bruins’ top-six tonight.

At one point, it got so bad, that Gallant then promoted Vesey to the first line during the second period. In turn, Vesey soon scored his first goal of the season.

However, come the third period, Kreider (who also received an assist tonight, but one from the realm of “fugazi” – as Fox’s goal was all about what he did – and not a puck that happened to touch Kreider’s stick before the goal was scored), returned to his spot on the top line.

I know that some fans have their fingers pointed at both Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafreniere, the two lottery picks who are playing well, but not exactly picking up the points in a way that’s expected of two players of their draft status; but it’s also tough to win when your money-players aren’t going.

Zibanejad and Kreider only put one shot on goal each. Artemi Panarin, who can not stop with these wild and crazy passes for turnovers, finished with two shots on goal. Vincent Trocheck, who shoots the puck whenever he can, also finished with two shots on goal, but at least he picked up a game-high nine hits.

Conversely, the Bruins’ top-six had crooked numbers all over the box score, including Charlie Coyle, Brad Marchand, Jake DeBrusk and David Pastrnak – where in the “Battle of Carbs” – “Pasta” was more filling than “Bread.”

Goaltender Igor Shestyorkin, following his first shut-out of the season, also didn’t look so hot, but he is far from the sole reason for this loss. However, his goals allowed average and save percentage statistics were bullied up again, and he’s going to need a string of successful games to get back into Vezina contention.

As I wind down this intro, I can’t say that I’m pissed-off, mad and/or irate after this loss, like I was after the losses to Columbus and San Jose.

The Bruins are one of the best teams in the league today.

While even the word “disappointed” may be a stretch; all things considered (Lindgren’s injury) – you just wonder where the Rangers from the second period disappeared to once the final frame began.


Don’t burn CZAR IGOR! Just burn those god-awful Liberty jerseys! Photo Credit: NYR

Real quick on this, because I’ve talked about this before, and let’s face it – I’m making excuses here.

However, this much is true – while the “Liberty Head” design may be appealing – the Rangers absolutely suck whenever wearing those jerseys.

I don’t need to give you a history lesson tonight (but if you need one, check out “Tricks of the Trade” – details below), but these Liberty Head jerseys represent the second Dark Age of Rangers’ history, when the club missed the playoffs eight years straight.

Listen, I understand nostalgia and how “what’s old is new & cool again;” but these Liberty jerseys aren’t it.

Similar to the Islanders, who brought back the Fishstick/Stan Fischler jerseys, these Liberty jerseys represent FUTILITY AND FAILURE.

While John Spano and Mike Milbury are two dingleberries of Islander history for their fans to worry about; the Rangers have done nothing but lose whenever wearing this Liberty logo on their chests.

If you can somehow forget the years of 1997-2004; then just fast-forward to 2021, when the Rangers first brought back the Liberty jersey, now under the “reverse retro” cash grabbing label.

The 2021 season was the most drama-filled campaign in all of Rangers’ history. (Unless you want to talk about the World War II seasons – and even then – I still maintain that 2021 was worse – just because WWII was a valid excuse/explanation for the team’s lack of success.)

I don’t have to re-live 2021 for you guys & gals again (you can read my other four-volume set of books, “One Game a Time,” for more), but needless to say – by the end of it – the entire regime, head coach David Quinn, Team President John Davidson, and general manager Jeff Gorton, were all shown the door.

To sum it up – whenever the Rangers put on those wretched rags, threads that seem to have a bigger curse on them than the one once bestowed on the franchise by Red Dutton in 1942 – they FAIL.

GET RID OF THEM!

Bring back the Ferguson jerseys, revive the original jerseys, wear pink tutus for all I care – but these Liberty jerseys HAVE GOT TO GO!

And if the Rangers think they are so stylish – then wear them off of the ice.

Just stay away from the black ice. (Ask Brian Leetch about this.)


My rant aside – the Rangers are charging $300 for these jerseys, while other apparel (sweatshirts, hats, t-shirts, etc) all featuring the Liberty head are soon to come. In other words – they’ll keep wearing these hexed sweaters. Money > winning. Dolan’s franchise is worth $2B+ for a reason! Photo Credit: NYR

As far as any pregame news, we don’t have much to discuss.

On Wednesday, and following three games played in four nights, the Rangers reconvened for practice. Not much took place at the skate, except for the fact that Filip Chyil was now back with the team, rather than skating on his own.

As far as anything else, both Mika Zibanejad and Jacob Trouba were held out of practice, as both received “maintenance” instead, as the two letter-men had logged a lot of ice time during the past four nights.

A day later, during Gallant’s daily pregame “TURK TALK;” the head coach said that Chytil wouldn’t play against the Bruins, but suggested that #72 could be ready for Sunday’s match against Detroit.

And based on what we’ve been seeing lately – the Rangers could sure use him.


Yours truly with “The Maven,” and the person who wrote the foreword to my new four-volume set of books, “Tricks of the Trade.”

Before getting into the GAME REVIEW of tonight’s fiasco, I want to share my latest piece with you that I wrote for Stan Fischler.

As noted 789657867965978969 times before – I contribute to Fischler’s columns on “The Hockey News.”

On Wednesday, Stan asked me to write about two teams in the league that have surprised me the most thus far.

And after tonight (not only did Boston win on Thursday, but so did Vegas) – this article now hits home even more.

(Of note – I didn’t adjust the stats and numbers after the games played on Thursday. Those numbers will be adjusted in Fischler’s Friday column on TheHockeyNews.com.)


Bruce Cassidy is the central theme of what you’re about to read below. Photo Credit: Vegas Golden Knights

As we approach the one-month mark of the 2022-23 NHL campaign, all one has to do is take a look at the standings and once there, you’ll find complete irony.

Currently, the two top teams of the league are the Boston Bruins (9-1-0, 18 points) and the Vegas Golden Knights (9-2-0, 18 points).

On June 6th, 2022, the Bruins fired head coach Bruce Cassidy. During Cassidy’s six years in Beantown, the Bruins reached the playoffs in each season, including a Stanley Cup Final loss in 2019.

Eight days later, on June 14th, the Golden Knights hired Cassidy. Sixteen days after Cassidy switched locations, on June 30th, the Bruins hired Jim Montgomery.

Going into the 2022-23 season, both teams had question marks surrounding them. In Boston, many wondered if the black-and-gold’s core had peaked. Compounding matters for the B’s is the Atlantic Division, where the Bruins have the Sunshine State 1-2 punch teams to contend with.

Not only are the Lightning and Panthers tough outs, the Bruins also have to contend with one of their oldest rivals, the Maple Leafs. If that wasn’t enough, the Sabres, Senators and Red Wings all improved during the off-season.

Nearly 3,000 miles away from Boston, Sin City; the Golden Knights had their own can of worms. For the first time in their young franchise history, Vegas missed the playoffs in 2022, where injuries and a rotating-door of players were the main culprits.

Injuries continued to plague the Golden Knights heading into this season, especially when on August 11th, it was announced that starting goaltender, Robin Lehner, would miss the entire 2022-23 campaign due to surgery on his hip.

Fast-forward to today, and Boston’s “old” core, who like Vegas, also had injuries to contend with (Charlie McAvoy and Brad Marchand), are atop of the Eastern Conference.

The Golden Knights, the hometown team of the sportsbooks, were previously written off by the odd-makers in the city of bright lights. Today, behind a tandem of Logan Thompson, who entered this season with only 20 games of NHL experience, and Adin Hill, somewhat a Western Conference back-up goalie for hire – Cassidy’s new club are the kings of the Western Conference.

While yes, the “it’s still early” disclaimer applies; nevertheless, for two teams that many did not have high hopes for, both franchises are shattering expectations. And it all starts with the bench bosses.

When Montgomery replaced Cassidy, many were skeptical of how the once-troubled coach, mainly known for his work at the college ranks, would handle a veteran club. The answer? So far, so good.

David Pastrnak, who everyone knows will receive a huge contract soon, already has 18 points in 10 games played. Defenseman Hampus Lindholm, acquired at last year’s trade deadline, has 11 points in 10 games played. The ever reliable Patrice Bergeron, who at one point contemplated retirement this off-season, is also averaging a point-per-game with an even 10 points in 10 games.

And “The Rat,” #63, the player everyone loves to hate but wishes he was on their team, Brad Marchand? The long-time Bruin underwent double hip arthroscopy and labral repair surgery in May and wasn’t expected back until Christmastime. Instead, he returned on October 27th and for kicks – scored two goals and picked up one assist in his season debut. In his second game of the season, he added another goal to his ledger.

No one ever questioned if the Knights could score this season, but if you had doubts, they have been answered too.

Jack Eichel, now in his first full season with his new team, has 12 points in 11 games played. Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo has 9 points in 11 games played. A trio of original Golden Knights, William Karlsson, Shea Theodore and Jonathan Marchessault, along with team captain, Mark Stone, all have 8 points in 11 games played.

Most impressive in Vegas are the two goalies who raised eyebrows heading into the season. Both Hill and Thompson rank top five in the league in both save percentage and goals allowed – something that not even the most reckless casino gambler would have bet on.

Time will tell if these two teams can sustain their success and go wire-to-wire, but in the present moment, both clubs have given their fans something to root for – and there’s no reason to doubt either team for playoff contention.


Gallant’s in-game coaching decisions worked tonight, but it also looked like his team, especially defensively, ran out of gas.

Here was Thursday night’s line-up, where as it’s been for the last several games – Libor Hajek remains as the lone healthy scratch:

FIRST LINE: Kreider/Mika/Kakko

SECOND LINE: Panarin/Trocheck/Lafreniere

THIRD LINE: Vesey/Goodrow/Gauthier

FOURTH LINE: Blais/Carpenter/Reaves

FIRST PAIR: Miller/Trouba

SECOND PAIR: Lindgren/Fox

THIRD PAIR: Jones/Schneider

STARTING GOALIE: CZAR IGOR

BACK-UP GOALIE: THE HALAKNESS MONSTER


BOX SCORE time.

The following graphics and information come from ESPN.com:

SCORING:

PENALTIES:

TEAM STATS:

GOALIES:

BOS
SA
GA
SV
SV%
ESSV
PPSV
SHSV
SOSA
SOS
TOI
PIM
20 2 18 .900 17 1 0 0 0 60:00 0

 

NYR
SA
GA
SV
SV%
ESSV
PPSV
SHSV
SOSA
SOS
TOI
PIM
36 4 32 .889 24 5 3 0 0 59:39 0

As mentioned in the past on this site – I know why some fans hate these ESPN+ broadcasts. I like them, but I also say this as someone who has had ESPN+ from day one, just because of their UFC package. Adding the NHL just made things sweeter for me. Photo Credit: ESPN

Since tonight’s game was an ESPN+ exclusive – fortunately, we didn’t have to suffer through a thirty-minute Sieve Vagistat pregame show.

I thought ESPN knocked it out of the park with their pregame show tonight.

Hosted by Arda Ocal (a natural); the former host of “The M$GN Hockey Show” was joined by two members of the Ranger alumni, Ryan Callahan and Kevin Weekes.

Everyone knows how great Weekes is (is there anyone better today? I’d be hard-pressed to think of anyone better than Weekes), so I don’t have to push him on you. And ESPN received the memo – Cally > Vally.

What I really enjoyed the most, is rather than being bombarded with useless ANALytics and whatever else Vagistat is pulling out of his ass these days; is that instead, ESPN showed us the entire pregame warm-ups. A very nice touch if I say so myself!

While of course, ESPN had to push how great the reverse retro jerseys are, just as they, and every other media outlet, has to tell us how Arizona is  “SO MUCH FUN, YOU HAVE TO BE THERE;” I was fine with it.

However, it would be nice to see one accredited member of the media tell the truth – the reverse retro jerseys suck and Arizona is a black-mark on the league.

That said – you’re not going to get such commentary from a league partner, nor should you expect it.

There were a few entertaining and feel-good moments during the pregame show. ESPN caught Panarin giving his stick to a young fan – rather to one of these adult creeps (especially the ones who wear their jerseys backwards and stalk the families of these players).

As I always say, this tiny gesture, one that Panarin probably forgot about five minutes later, creates a new fan for life. That little girl will never forget that moment.

ESPN, unlike M$GN, acknowledged history, and ran a detailed video package on the Bruins vs Rangers rivalry, where yep, you guessed it – Milbury and the shoe was highlighted.

(And with two days off between games, I think between now and Sunday, I’ll write a “TOP TEN MOST HATED RANGER VILLAINS” blog, where admittedly – Tony DeAngelo, and the boos he received on Tuesday, is my inspiration. And spoiler – I’ll also talk about bringing back the “MacBeth Cup.”)

In what had the social media streets of Rangerstown, USA, cracking up, is when Mika Zibanejad called out some idiotic blogger during his pregame interview:


For those wondering, and I don’t want to dive into this anymore except to mention it – this blogger was the same guy who said that New York became “pansies” after 9/11. Ridiculous and disgusting.

And for all of my “HOT TAKES” and stories – I’ve never been called out by the team president or a player (as John Davidson did to Adam Hermtrans – who then went into hiding afterwards), nor this FullTilt character. (However, I’ve heard that Mr. Vagistat is no longer a fan of my work! I’ll live!)

Let’s face it – for everything I’ve ever said over the last eight years on this site, what’s the most controversial thing I ever said? How Lundqvist’s contract was horrendous? While that opinion was met with a lot of backlash at the time – who was right in the end?

(And I didn’t even bring up that I was campaigning for CZAR IGOR – in 2017. Oh wait, I just did!)

However, those days are behind us and there’s no reason to dig up old history. What’s done is done.

Plus as mentioned since he announced his retirement – I rather remember Lundqvist for his peak years; rather than still going on-and-on about that contract.

It’s easier to be positive than negative – something I always try to remind myself of whenever watching these games!

Furthermore – “The King” is the best damn analyst on that freakin’ M$GN today!

Take a deep breath – GAME REVIEW time.


Vitali Kravtsov still remains out. Imagine if he played in this game? He’d punch another hole in his “Visit Nine Times, Get Your Tenth Visit Free” ICU card. Photo Credit: M$GN

FIRST PERIOD:

Unless you like big hits – and man-oh-man, were there a lot of them tonight – not much went right for the Rangers during these first twenty minutes.

As noted above, once the horn went off – the Rangers only had four shots on goal.

In a game where both coaches went with their fourth lines to begin each period; Ryan Carpenter won the first face-off of the game, while former Ranger goalie, now the temporary back-up in Boston, Keith Kinkaid, watched.

I know I’ve brought this up before – but I have yet to see what Carpenter truly brings to this team. However, I don’t like to focus on fourth liners and third-pair d-men (especially as an excuse following losses) – but still – I’ve yet to see why he’s the best option as the team’s fourth-line center.

Where’s ROON DOGS when you need him?

Sammy Blais, who finished second-best on the team in hits (5), laid the body right away. You can see he’s getting more confident game-by-game – but you can also see why that top-six experiment was cut short after only one preseason game played.

2:45 into the period, Pavel Zacha (dormez-vous) went wide in front of Igor. On the other end, Linus Ullmark, who could’ve taken in a Broadway show during this first period, made his first save of the game on Panarin.

A minute after that, CZAR IGOR stopped a sneaky shot from Clifton, one from the blue line, and one that had eyes for the net. We’d soon see a lot of that tonight.

The turning point of the game took place just five minutes in. Take a look:


As you can see, Lindgren gave Pastrnak a nice, yet legal & clean, hard hit. In retaliation, Pastrnak blind-sided Lindgren with a hit of his own.

This hit took Lindgren out of the game.

As far as the specific injury? Ha! The Rangers and the NHL aren’t required to give us that info. They only demand us to gamble on these games instead!

Officially, the Rangers are saying “upper-body injury,” which can mean anything – arm, body or concussion.

As a Ranger fan (especially after what we later saw with Schneider/Frederic – more on that to come), this was cheap backyard stuff.

As an unbiased hockey fan (and perhaps a “boomer” too) – I get it. You want revenge and you don’t want to back down.

Put it this way – had the Rangers done what the Bruins did tonight – I wouldn’t be complaining about it.

As a result of Pastrnak’s sneak-attack; not only was Lindgren done for the night, but the Rangers now had an early power-play too.

Against the top penalty kill in the league (Boston’s PK had a success rate of 94.6% going into this game, and that figure increased after tonight) – the Rangers didn’t muster up one shot on goal. Instead, CZAR IGOR had to make a huge stop on Pavel Zacha (dormez-vous) with only five seconds remaining on the Rangers’ man-advantage.

As we neared the ten-minute mark, the Bruins were out-shooting the Rangers 4-1.

Down to 9:45 remaining, CZAR IGOR stopped Taylor Hall’s initial shot, and then made a sprawling save on the rebound. At this point, it looked like #31 was locked in, but that would soon change with 7:07 left on the clock, following a bizarre goal allowed to David Pastrnak.

While Pasta scoring isn’t bizarre, this goal was, as the soon-to-be-heavily-paid Bruin fired a backhanded shot from the circle to the right of Shestyorkin, a puck that went over his shoulder and just underneath the cross-bar.

1-0, bad guys – a shot Igor should’ve stopped, but then again, there’s a reason why Pastrnak is one of the best players in the league.

Following Pastrnak’s tally; Kakko tried a backhander himself – a save for Ullmark.

The rest of this period was a slog.

1-0 bad guys after twenty. Here’s what I said at the time:


You can’t knock the way Lafreniere and Kakko have been playing. After all, they aren’t the only two players on this team that can’t finish. For whatever reason, the Rangers either put a touchdown on the board or struggle to score one or two goals. There’s no in-between.

SECOND PERIOD:

If NHL games were a forty-minute affair, then you’d be raving about the team right now.

As it was officially reported by Emily Kaplan that Lindgren was done for the night, thus forcing Gallant to mix-match his defensive pairs; less than a minute in, Blais was hurting, after blocking a Stralman shot, a shot that hit #91’s left in-step.

In what was the best Rangers’ scoring chance at this point in the game; at the 3:30 mark, Panarin set-up Lafreniere right in front of Ullmark. A save for the B’s netminder – a puck that should’ve been buried behind him.

Igor, who wasn’t at his best tonight, was beat by Brad Marchand at the five minute mark on a wraparound attempt, but fortunately, and at the last second – “The Rat” lost his cheese. If he didn’t, it would’ve been 2-0.

Five seconds after that, Fox tripped DeBrusk, which meant that the Rangers’ penalty kill would be without their top two defensemen.

I thought Trocheck was the best penalty killer during these two minutes – two minutes that the Rangers survived.

Now down to thirteen minutes remaining, and following the kill – this is when the Rangers really picked up their game.

Once Fox left the box, the Rangers spent fifty seconds in the Bruins’ zone – their longest time of possession of this contest. The shift ended when Ullmark froze the puck after a shot from #23.

After Lindholm broke up a Trocheck try; Ullmark then stopped Blais at the half-way mark of the period/game.

Come 9:39 remaining, and with Gallant shaking up his lines (Vesey to first, Kreider to third), this happened:


1-1, as the Hobey Baker winner scored his first goal of the season, following a picture-perfect sauce pass from DJ Zibanejad!

The Rangers weren’t done yet.

Just thirty-six seconds following #26’s goal; Braden Schneider leveled Trent Frederic with a monstrous hit. If anything, this hit earned Schneider his “BABY TROUBS” nickname. And should Schneider ever repeatedly plaster the white boards with rubber marks after slap shots – then he’ll really be worthy of that handle!

Take a look at the most excitable moment of the game:


As you can see, while Schneider leveled Frederic with the force of a freight train – the hit was clean. However, because this keeps on continuing in the league – the Bruins immediately picked a fight.

I know that people hate that players have to defend themselves after big hits, but that’s what the league has become.

At least the officials got this right and awarded the Rangers a power-play here, as Greer also received an instigator penalty.

And just as said earlier (in regards to Lindgren) – if a Ranger got crushed after a big hit – then I’d want Ryan Reaves tossing his gloves and going after the opposition. All of this works both ways.

Anyway, Goodrow and Frederic fought to a draw while Schneider won his tilt with Greer.

However, and once again – the Rangers couldn’t do anything with this power-play.

Also of note – with Schneider boxed – this brought the Rangers down to four defensemen – albeit temporarily.

The Rangers’ best chance during this power-play came at the end of it, when Trouba found Blais in front of Ullmark. However, Blais couldn’t get the shot off and that was that.

Down to 3:11 remaining, the Bruins, who had the tables turned on them, put their first shot on goal in over ten minutes – a save for Igor. Twenty seconds later, Foligno came close to scoring, but a loose puck took a fortunate Rangers’ bounce.

Towards the end of the period, Ullmark prevented Vesey from scoring his second goal of the game/season.

1-all after two periods. Here’s what I said at the time:


I was really hoping that Schneider would pick up the Gordie Howe hat trick tonight (with a game winning goal to boot) – but it wasn’t meant to be. Either the Rangers gassed out during this third period or the Bruins wanted it more. You be the judge. Photo Credit: NYR

THIRD PERIOD:

It wasn’t all bad…

As mentioned, Trouba finished -3 tonight. He also finished with no shots on goal – but I’m sure he had something like 78686786789679679689 shot attempts.

For as much as I love these “TROUBA BOMBS” – it would be nice to see one of them hit the net, and beyond that – perhaps go into the net too.

After Trouba went wide again, the Bruins went up ice.

In a goal you could see coming from a mile away, the Bruins made the Rangers look absolutely foolish.

At the 2:56 mark, Lindholm wrapped around Igor’s net with Reaves trailing him. The star defenseman then dished the puck to Coyle, who was waiting in the paint, for one of the easiest goals that Coyle will ever score in his career.

All Trouba could do was watch.

2-1, bad guys.

However, no less than a minute later, the Rangers got their revenge:


2-2, on Fox’s individual effort from the slot! Both Kreider and Kakko padded their stats with assists on this goal, but don’t get it twisted – this was all Fox.

With fourteen minutes remaining, I said this:


Four seconds later, Trent Frederic scored.

3-2, bad guys, a one-timer from the circle, and probably another shot Igor should’ve stopped too.

This was the beginning of the end.

On the next Rangers’ possession, Schneider was alone in the slot but fumbled a puck. Come 12:30 remaining, Zibanejad was tripped, but no call (keep this in mind for later). A minute after that, Vesey made a great toe-drag, but had the puck knocked off of his blade before he was about to shoot.

After Trouba continued to pepper the boards; come ten minutes remaining, the Bruins took the rebound, and boom, 4-2, bad guys, following DeBrusk’s odd-man rush one-timer. Zac Jones tried to block this shot but didn’t come close.

Now down by two goals, with 8:53 remaining, Jones was boxed for holding Coyle’s stick.

The Rangers had the best scoring chance during these two minutes, but on a two vs one short-handed rush, Kreider, who had an all-day look at Ullmark, decided to pass to Mika instead. Turnover. That would’ve been fine if the Rangers were winning, but down by two, you have to shoot. A puck on pads rebound is better than no shot on goal at all.

Once back to full-strength, it was Panarin’s turn not to shoot, as instead of making Ullmark do something, he turned over the puck following a crazy attempt to get a pass through three Bruin defenders, where need I remind you – the Bruins were leading this game by two goals.

With 3:38 to go, and the Rangers sitting on two shots on goal for the period; Mika was boxed for tripping Hall. This was a penalty, but so was the trip Boston committed on #93 earlier. Then again, it probably didn’t make a difference.

To get to the end of the misery; with 57 seconds remaining, Lindholm scored from his own end and into the Rangers’ empty net.

5-2, bad guys, 5-2 your final.


You can accept the loss, but the Rangers are in trouble if Lindgren is forced to miss any substantial amount of time. Photo Credit: M$GN

This game was what it was – while the Rangers made a go of it – losing Lindgren hurt big-time. However, that doesn’t excuse the Rangers’ top six either.

Moving forward, the Rangers have the next two days off, before returning on Sunday, with a late matinee (5PM) scheduled against Detroit, where the club will see “OLD FRIEND” Andrew Copp.

It’s hoped that Filip Chytil will be able to return. Let’s hope that Lindgren’s out there too.

I’d also expect Jaroslav Halak to play on Sunday – and then let Igor host the Islanders on Tuesday.

And if you noticed – yep – my real-life job site (where I will soon be working from 3PM-11PM) got delayed again. Fingers-crossed, that delay will carry over through Tuesday – I don’t want to miss a Rangers/Islanders game! (And if you want to put money in my pocket in the interim – buy my books!)

I’ll return sometime between now and Sunday.

And if you need something to read, there are a few books out there, which brings us to…

PLUGS TIME!


On Wednesday night, our pals at “The Blueshirt Underground Show” returned for a new episode. To watch/listen, click the play button below:


The hardcover version of my first book, available now at Amazon.com

My first 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:

https://www.amazon.com/Rangers-Rafters-Madison-Square-Garden-ebook/dp/B09CM5N2WD

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/


Here are my last few blogs, in case you missed them:

NYR/PHI 11/1 Review: First-Place Rangers Need OT to Knock off Rivals in a Frustrating, Yet Exciting Fashion; Most Dramatic Win Yet, NYR Should Change Nets at M$G; Hart’s Ears Still Ringin’, Kakko Steppin’ Up, Tony DePotvingelo, Lundqvist & Vagistat, Reaves Brings It, Injury Updates & More


NYR/ARI 10/30 Review: Special Teams Lift Rangers, Special Night for “The Birthday Breadman;” Turk Lets CZAR IGOR Go Back-to-Back; Team Back on Track, A Shestyorkin Theory, M$GN, “The Mullett” & More


NYR/DAL 10/29 Review: Surviving What Could’ve Been a Debacle in Dallas, Super Trocheck Pounds Stars; Kravtsov Sees Stars (Again), Turk Presses Right Buttons, Power-Play Returns, “Old Friends,” New Signing, “Accrue,” M$GN & JULIEN GAUTHIER SCORED A GOAL!


If you haven’t already, subscribe to this blog for the next update:


Now on sale!

Don’t forget to order my new 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

@NYCTHEMIC on the Tweeter machine

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4 thoughts on “NYR/BOS 11/3 Review: The Curse of the Liberty Jersey Strikes Again; B’s Best Blueshirts, Lindgren Joins Walking Wounded; “Day-to-Day,” Schneider Statement Game; Invisible Top Six; Pasta Beats Bread, Mika Calls Out Blogger, Trouba Troubles, Boston/Vegas Domination Irony & More

  1. You are back on it. That is awesome.

    I thought that you would have so much work that it would be delayed a day.

    I haven’t even read the post yet.

    I just wanted to say thanks.

    Paypal sucks. Give me your Zelle.

    1. Might change next week, but I’ll do what I can lol

      I always appreciate your support. I don’t have Zelle, just paypal and venmo. If you want to send me anything, email me your address separately, so I can send you “Tricks of the Trade.” I always am appreciative of your donations – it means a lot.

      Sean

      1. i know a few contractors have paid me with Venmo. So I have an account there.

        Give me your stats. You know my email address.

        This Kentucky Deluxe us pretty bad. But it works.

        1. My Venmo is @Sean-McCaffrey-34.

          Email me your address separately (or put it in the NOTE section of Venmo) and I’ll send you “Tricks of the Trade.”

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