Did Christensen’s Trade Save Wolski?

When the Rangers traded Erik Christensen yesterday, they dumped a spare forward for some much needed AHL help in Casey Wellman. The Rangers had 14 forwards on the roster, including Wojtek Wolski, who had just been shipped to Connecticut on a two week conditioning stint due to lack of playing time. When Wolski returns, he returns as the 13th forward, not the 14th forward.

Most NHL teams carry a spare forward for two reasons. The first is the most obvious: a spare body in case of injury. The second is to stir competition and force players to come to play game in and game out. It is John Tortorella’s style to keep a spare player around.

That spare player right now is Wolski, whether we like it or not. Wolski’s $3.8 million cap hit is not that appealing to many teams, but team control for his next contract might be –Wolski is a RFA.

For the next two weeks, Wolski will be playing with the CT Whale in what is likely an audition for a trade or a future NHL job. But with Christensen gone, the Rangers are less likely to just dump Wolski like they did with Christensen. Wolski fits the “spare forward” role well, meaning that he is not a prospect that the Rangers need to groom and he is not someone who appears to be a key cog in the immediate future of the organization.

Maybe Wolski should be calling Christensen and thanking him, because with Christensen gone, Wolski has that roster spot as the spare forward.  For now.

Whale finally win, snap 11 game losing streak

Connecticut Whale 3, Albany Devils 2

By Brian Ring

Hartford, CT, February 3, 2012 - The Connecticut Whale defeated the Albany Devils, 3-2, Friday night at the XL Center in Hartford to snap an eleven-game winless streak. Kris Newbury, Jonathan Audy-Marchessault and Wojtek Wolski all scored for the Whale, while Mats Zuccarello and Brendan Bell added two assists apiece.

“It’s a good feeling in here right now, the guys are happy,” said Newbury. “The good news is we get to get right back at it and try to have a good weekend.”

Albany staked themselves to an early 1-0 lead, as Eric Gelinas’ shot from the right point was ripped past Whale goaltender Chad Johnson (20 saves) just 1:39 into the opening period. Stephane Veilleux and Darcy Zajac each assisted on the goal.

The Whale would strike back just over a minute later, as Newbury tied the game in his return to the lineup after missing the last two games due to injury. The puck hit off the end boards to the left of Albany goaltender Keith Kinkaid (21 saves) and out to a streaking Zuccarello, who hit Newbury with a quick one-time pass. Bell would also assist on the equalizer.

Jonathan Audy-Marchessault would give the Whale a 2-1 lead that they would carry into the first intermission with a power-play goal, his 16^th tally of the season, at 18:30. Audy-Marchessault managed to sneak a bad angle shot past Kinkaid, as the Whale All-Star had gathered the puck up and fired at the Devils’ goal line to the right of the cage. Bell recorded his second assist of the game on the score, with Andre Deveaux earning the secondary assist.

The Whale would extend their lead to 3-1 with 3:47 remaining in the second period, as Wolski tallied Connecticut’s second power-play score of the night for the eventual game-winner. Wolski fed Zuccarello for a quick give-and-go passing play, depositing the return pass in the top right corner of the Devils’ net. The goal came in Wolski’s first tilt with the Whale after he joined the team from the New York Rangers on a conditioning assignment, with fellow assignee Jeff Woywitka notching the secondary assist.

Joe Whitney would close the Albany deficit to 3-2 5:21 into the third period, as he stuffed a loose puck past Johnson. Zajac and Veilleux both collected their second assists of the night on the goal, Whitney’s team-leading 12^th.

The Whale, however, would hang on in the third period to preserve their first win since Dec. 31.

“We need to build off of this win and keep it rolling in here for tomorrow,” said Newbury.

Connecticut now heads to Hershey to face the Bears Saturday night at the Giant Center (7:00 PM).

The Whale will return home on Tuesday, when they host the Syracuse Crunch in their only visit to the XL Center this season (7:00 PM).

Tickets to all 2011-12 Whale home games, are on sale now at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, as well as on-line at www.ctwhale.com and through TicketMaster Charge-by-phone at 1-800-745-3000.

The Whale and the CT Hockey Hall of Fame will partner to hold a CT Hockey Hall of Fame night at the Whale’s home game at the XL Center Saturday, March 10 vs. the Norfolk Admirals.  That night will mark the enshrinement of a new class of 2012 inductees into the CT Hockey Hall of Fame, which has adopted eight members from the storied Hartford Whalers Hall of Fame.  The new inductees are: Connecticut-bred Hockey Hall of Famer Brian Leetch, ex-Hartford Whalers 56-goal scorer Blaine Stoughton, former Whalers goaltender Mike Liut, former Whalers captain Pat Verbeek, Connecticut Whale/Hartford Wolf Pack franchise icon, long-time captain and current head coach Ken Gernander, three-time Olympic medalist for Team USA and all-time NCAA women’s leading scorer Julie Chu, and one of the founders of the New England Whalers, William E. Barnes.  There will be an induction ceremony before the game, which faces off at 7:00 PM on March 10, and the new inductees will also be recognized on the ice during the first intermission.  Fans can take home a special souvenir of the March 10 night, as 5,000 Hall of Fame posters will be given away, courtesy of SuperCuts.  There will also be a special meet-and-greet event on March 10, details of which will be announced soon.  This will be the first class of inductees since 1990, and further details are available at cthockeyHOF.org.

College students can get discounted tickets to Whale weekday games with the Whale’s “Ditch the Dorms” deal.  For Monday through Friday home games, students who show a valid student ID at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center can get $2 off Upper Level tickets and $5 off Lower Level seats.

Save on your tickets, and get the best seats, with a ticket plan for the Whale’s 2011-12 AHL campaign, which are on sale now. For information on season seats, mini plans and great group discounts, visit www.ctwhale.com, or call the CT Whale ticket office at (860) 728-3366 to talk with an account executive today.

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Rangers acquire Casey Wellman from Wild for Erik Christensen and 7th round pick

It looks like the Rangers have at least temporarily solved their surplus forward problem, as they have dealt Erik Christensen and a 7th round pick in 2012 to the Wild for Casey Wellman.

Christensen had been a spare part for the Rangers for a long time, and hadn’t played in a NHL game since December 17. The enigmatic and inconsistent center had once shown some chemsitry with Marian Gaborik, but that was short lived. His inconsistent effort quickly made him an afterthought in the Rangers organization.

Wellman is a 24 year old center who has played 41 games at the NHL level over the past three seasons, totaling four goals and nine assists for 13 points. Wellman was an undrafted free agent signed by the Wild after his senior season at UMass-Amherst, where he was a point-per-game player. Per Hockey Wilderness, it doesn’t appear that Wellman got a legitimate shot at the top six in Minnesota, and spent most of his time playing with Brad Staubitz on the third and fourth line.

Christensen was in his last year of a two year contract that paid him $925,000 per season. Wellman is in the final year of a two-way contract that pays him $850,500 at the NHL level. Wellman will be a RFA at the end of his contract.

Woywitka, Wolski Sent To Connecticut For Conditioning

Per Katie Strang, the Rangers have assigned Jeff Woywitka and Wojtek Wolski to the Connecticut Whale of the AHL on a two week conditioning stint. This is to get them into some games so that they are not rusty, as neither has played much recently. Woywitka hasn’t played since December 30, and Wolski since January 15. Both had been serving as injury replacements in the lineup when need be.

Woywitka and Wolski are the second and third Rangers to be assigned to CT on a conditioning stint. Erik Christensen was assigned last month and has since completed his stint.

Rangers/Sabres Recap (updated)

So Suit caught the first half of the game, and I was supposed to catch the second half of the game. Unfortunately, that didn’t work out so well for me, but Suit had the first half of the 1-0 shootout win over the Sabres, so here’s his review of the first half:

• Rangers & Sabres are pretty evenly matched. They play the 2-1-2, they dont regroup much, defenders are given free reign to join the rush, they both collapse to the net, etc. First period was pretty evenly matched as a result.
• The only tilting happened when the Rangers took two lazy penalties and had to kill off a 5 on 3. The Rangers were able to do just that by coming up with key blocks, aggressive puck pursuing, and clearing the crease. Hank saw every shot pretty cleanly from the looks of things.
• Our defense’s recovery speed never cease’s to amaze me. They keep up with some of these small elusive forwards so well. A lot of their rushes are negated by just keeping up with these guys and forcing them wide.
• Both teams were pretty strong in their own end and we’re able to keep shots to the perimeter.
• Richards skated circles around the Sabres to open the second. He probably had the puck for a solid 20 seconds, disrupted coverages, fed an open Cally for a terrific chance, but Miller made a spectacular save. We need to see more of that.
• Anisimov had a three good opportunities on the next shift. Need to see more of that too.
• Random commercial break thought…The promos for the NHL w/ Hank & Richie in their hotel room watching highlights is interesting. I can never find the NHL on in any hotel.

Midway through the second, this is where I would have had my review, but work things got in the way. I apologize for that, but at least the Rangers got the win.

Update***

Suit actually caught most of the third period on from the rink (those late night games are a killer), here’s some additional thoughts:

• The Rangers were afforded a power play several minutes into the third period and after the Sabres killed it off pretty easily, the Rangers play went south.
• For a solid ten minutes or so the Sabres just dominated the Rangers in pretty much every aspect of the game.
• We couldn’t win a d-zone faceoff, our defensemen couldn’t make an outlet pass, just rimming everything around the boards, and our forwards lost pretty much every battle at the half wall to pinching Buffalo d-men. It was ugly.
• Thankfully Hank stood on his head and was able to fight off some pretty tough shots.
• During OT the Rangers were finally got some space thanks to a power play that was afforded due to a boarding call from Tyler Ennis on Dan Girardi.
• The Rangers 4-on-3 power play looked much better than their 5-on-4. They cycled well, they made the right reads, got shots on net from the point, etc. Unfortunately Miller was there to make the saves.
• During the coin toss that is the shootout, the Rangers won on an excellent top corner snipe from Ryan Callahan.

Game 49 Preview: Rangers at Sabres

Standings: Sabres (21-24-5), Rangers (31-12-5)

NYR Leading Scorer: Marian Gaborik (25-16-41)
NJD Leading Scorer: Jason Pominville (17-30-47)

NYR Goaltender: Henrik Lundqvist (36 GS, 1.87 GAA, .940 SV%)
NJD Goaltender: Ryan Miller (31 GS, 2.99 GAA, .900 SV%)

Rangers Lines (probable):

Carl Hagelin-Derek Stepan-Marian Gaborik
Brandon Dubinsky-Brian Boyle-Ryan Callahan
Ruslan Fedotenko-Brad Richards-Brandon Prust
Mike Rupp-Artem Anisimov-John Mitchell

Ryan McDonagh-Dan Girardi
Marc Staal-Michael Del Zotto
Stu Bickel-Anton Stralman

Henrik Lundqvist gets the start.

Scratches/Injuries: Mike Sauer (concussion), Jeff Woywitka (foot), Wojtek Wolski (healthy), Erik Christensen (healthy), Steve Eminger (shoulder)

Preview: The last time the Rangers met the Sabres was in December, with the Rangers coming out on top 4-1. That is to be expected, as the Rangers have made it a habit of beating teams they are supposed to beat this year, and the Sabres are no different. This will be the second meeting between these two teams, and the Rangers should be expected to win a few more with the Sabres struggling so mightily.

The Sabres made a big splash in the offseason with trades and free agent signings, but nothing has worked out as planned. Couple that with an off year for Ryan Miller, and the Sabres are in the toilet this season. It’s gotten so bad that the Sabres are already rumored to be selling off some pieces this deadline.

Buffalo used to be a team that gave the Rangers trouble with their speed and constant forecheck, however that wasn’t the case in December. This could be a dangerous game for the Rangers, but they’ve been able to handle these forechecking teams –aside from Montreal– all year. Expect this to be a faster paced game.

Crazy Thought: Ville Leino earns his contract over the next six years.

Opponent’s Blog: Buffalo Sabres Nation

Game time is 7:30pm on NBC Sports, AM1050, and XM92.

Getting Shots On Net On The Powerplay

Although I was unable to watch the full game last night, I caught the Rangers In 60, so I caught most of the highlights. The Rangers again went oh-for-the-powerplay last night, making their stretch of games without a powerplay goal something like 700 games. The powerplay has done some good things (although last night it stunk), but the end result is what matters, and the end result is still no goals.

The forwards on the powerplay have been relatively consistent. They are cycling the puck, they are getting decent shot opportunities, and they are creating open space. That part we can see. The problem is that those “shot opportunities” are few and far between. The reason being is that when the point men do not put the puck on net, the penalty killers can cheat a little bit and cut off passing/shooting lanes for the forwards.

Therein lies the issue: the point men are not shooting the puck. Brad Richards, Michael Del Zotto, Ryan McDonagh, and Dan Girardi need to start ripping shots on net from the point with the man advantage on a more regular basis.

Why? Because it will keep the penalty killers honest. Even if the shots aren’t the howitzers that Zdeno Chara and Shea Weber can rip, they are shots that will be on net that have a chance of going in. That in itself is enough to force at least some attention to be paid to the point men.

Another good aspect of shooting from the point? Rebounds. The Rangers have scored most of their goals this year from the dirty areas on the ice. Ryan Callahan and Marian Gaborik are crashing the net more and looking for those garbage goals.

Hockey Fundamentals 101: Shoot the puck low and hard from the point, generating rebounds, and crash the net.

That folks is what the Rangers are not doing on the powerplay. It’s a bit weird because they are doing it at even strength, but they seem to forget to do it while with the man advantage. I’m no coach, and I’m sure John Tortorella has said this ad nauseum to his team, but they appear to be too fancy with the puck while on the powerplay.

As RangerSmurf pointed out in the comments of a separate post, the Rangers are simply not getting the same number of shots on net that they got last year. The conversion rate (in shots per 60 minutes with the man advantage) is the same, meaning they are converting on the same percentage of shots taken, but they are taking significantly less shots. When they take less shots, they have less goals, hence the dip of almost 4% on their overall powerplay conversion rate.

With the Rangers, it’s simple. More shots equals more goals.

Guest Recap: JordanO

None of us were able to watch the game tonight, so BSB poster JordanO volunteered to pen the recap for tonight. Thanks JordanO, much appreciated. Enjoy folks.

After a week layoff due to the all-star break, the Rangers drew a rivalry game right out of the gate, facing the Devils for the second time this season. There would be no All – Star break hangover in this one, as the two teams battled into overtime in a game that changed hands multiple times. In the end the Rangers could not hold onto a late third period lead, coming away with just one point as the Devils prevailed in the shootout.

The Rangers got on the board first, tallying with just 32 seconds left in the opening period. Brodeur made a kick save on a wrist shot from Marion Gaborik, and Anton Stralman was there to put the rebound into the net. Stralman’s second goal of the year gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead heading into the first intermission.

In the second period, the Devils answered, finding the net to tie the game on a good play by their captain. Zach Parise collected his own rebound and fired a shot from a tough angle, beating Martin Biron over his shoulder on the blocker side.

The Rangers had a number of good opportunities in the 2nd period. The best chance came when a long pass from Stralman found Brad Richards for a breakaway, but Marty Brodeur made the toe save with his left skate.

In the final stanza, the action really heated up. The Rangers started the period on the power play, but it nearly cost them. After the Rangers couldn’t keep the puck in at the point, Kovalchuck got a breakaway attempt, but Biron slid over to make the pad save.

The Rangers then took a 2-1 lead on a play that left Brodeur flopping around his own crease. Stu Bickel took a slap shot from the point that hit Brian Boyle, and Boyle collected the pick and skated around the diving Brodeur, and lifted the puck into the open side of the net.

Late in the game Artem Anisimov took an ill-timed slashing penalty to put the Rangers on the penalty kill with just over five minutes left in the third. The Devils capitalized, as some good passing found Kovalchuck, who had pestered the Rangers all night. His goal tied the game at 2.

However, it took the Rangers all of 36 seconds to answer. Marion Gaborik did an excellent job of keeping control of the puck with the defender all over him, and slid a perfect backhanded pass across the slot. Michael Del Zotto released the one-timer for the Rangers to retake the lead.

It looked the Blueshirts would hold on to that lead, but the Devils scored with an extra attacker on in the final minute. NJ dumped the puck in, and a fortunate bounce off the end boards found David Clarkson right in front of the net, and he scored to send it to overtime.

The five extra minutes were played at a frantic pace, with each team having a golden opportunity to win the game. The Rangers dodged a bullet early when Ryan McDonagh made a spectacular play. Danius Zubrus nearly put one in the net, put McDonagh got his stick on the puck and forced it out.

On the other end, Derek Stepan made a beautiful play, but just couldn’t get the puck in the net. He stickhandled around the defense and tried to sneak the puck in from the side of the net. The puck slid directly across the goal line, but somehow did not go in.

With that, the teams went to the shootout. Kovalchuck beat Biron through a wide open 5-hole, and Brodeur stood his ground to give New Jersey the 4-3 victory, with the Rangers earning a point out of the ordeal.

Notes / Analysis:

• Tortorella made the decision to go with Biron in the first game out of the break with Henrik having in Ottawa for the All-Star festivities. Biron has been solid this season, and was strong at times today, but Lundqvist could have been the difference maker in this one. He had started the previous 32 games against NJ, instead he’ll face the Sabres tomorrow.
• The Rangers powerplay continues to noticeably struggle. John Mitchell was out their on the advantage in the second period to try something different.
• Two assists each for Gaborik and Hagelin, each time setting up defensemen. Stepan wasn’t very visible on that line until his great play in OT that should have iced a Ranger win.
• Similar story for McDonagh, a few defensive lapses for him early, but he saved the game with a great play in OT.
• Stralman played a good game at both ends. Had the first goal, plus a nice long pass to Richards to set up a breakaway.
• The Rangers defensemen continue to join the rush and become a big part of the attack. Not only did two defensemen score, but the Rangers had a good chance in the second period with Girardi and McDonagh skating up the ice on a 2-on-1.
• The Rangers had Brodeur out of sorts a number of times throughout the game, especially on the Boyle goal, but he came up strong in the shootout to deny Richards and Gaborik.
• Secondary scoring really counted in this game for NY, with Stralman (2nd of the year), Boyle (4th of the year), and Del Zotto (6th of the year) finding the net.

Don’t forget to follow JordanO on Twitter here.

The Myth Of The “Untouchable” Player/Prospect

The term “untouchable” is often tossed around on Twitter, on blogs, and around the interwebs in many different forms. “Untouchable” is a term that fans have given to players they have either grown attached to, think are special in some way, or are vital to the organization’s well being. In the business that is hockey, there is no such thing as an “untouchable” player. Everyone can be had in the right deal. Including the most important player the Rangers have had since Brian Leetch: Henrik Lundqvist.

Now, will Lundqvist be traded? Absolutely not. But let’s say the Red Wings came calling for Hank, and they offered up Jimmy Howard, Henrik Zetterberg, and a top prospect for Lundqvist. Only a fool would say no to that trade. We all love Lundqvist, but in this case, I make that trade. Remember: emotions have no place in the business of the game.

“Untouchable” is a phrase that is used for prospects as well, which is mind boggling to be honest. I again use the Bobby Ryan for Chris Kreider scenario. Ryan is proven, and still young. Kreider is still unknown, and at his absolute peak is what Bobby Ryan is today. If the Ducks ask for Kreider for Ryan, you make the trade (assuming the other pieces make sense of course).

The phrase “untouchable” is a phrase used by those who have formed emotional attachments to players, prospects, and picks. Any player, any prospect, or any pick can be had in the right deal. It is a general manager’s job to evaluate all possible trades and determine the best path for his team’s success. If that means trading the captain, or the top prospect, or the heart of the team, then so be it. It is the cost of doing business in the NHL.

Actually, the more I write this post, the more I realize there are a few players that are “untouchable”. Those are the players with no-movement or no-trade clauses. They are “untouchable” because they can’t be moved without their approval. But even then, they aren’t really “untouchable”, they are just more difficult to move.

Is there an end to the madness that is the phrase “untouchable?” Likely not, but might I suggest saying “It would take a big overpayment to get that player.” Much like the Lundqvist example above, the Rangers aren’t moving him unless there is a huge overpayment. No general manager would make that trade, but it’s a trade that would make Hank very, very movable. No one is “untouchable.” Period.

Time For The Offense (Powerplay) To Get Going

The Rangers have had a bit of an issue getting consistent scoring on a game-to-game basis. Every now and then they light up an opponent, but for the most part they are getting by on goaltending, defense, luck, and goaltending. That’s not to say there’s something wrong with that, but a balanced offense would make things a lot easier. The Rangers have just four players on pace for 20 goal seasons, down from five last year. Brandon Dubinsky and Brian Boyle were in that group last year, and will need miracles to get there this year.

That leaves just Marian Gaborik, Derek Stepan, Ryan Callahan, and Brad Richards as the 20 goal guys this year. That’s simply not good enough.

In the month of January, the Rangers have played 11 games, with tomorrow night’s game in New Jersey capping the month. The Rangers have gone an impressive 8-3, but when you look at the underlying goals scored, it’s not that impressive. In those 11 games, the Rangers scored three goals 7 times, two goals once, one goal twice, and got shutout once. Not one time did the Rangers score more than three goals. This wasn’t an issue in December.

The problem is likely within the powerplay, as the Rangers have just one player with double-digit points with the man advantage (Richards). Only four other players (Gaborik, Callahan, Michael Del Zotto, Dan Girardi) have eight points or more when on the powerplay. Can you remember the last time they scored with the man advantage? I can’t.

But, the powerplay has looked good in recent games. They are moving around, moving the puck, and getting good chances. The problem is they aren’t finishing. A 14.1% powerplay conversion rate isn’t going to get them far.

However, there is room for optimism. With all the talk about regression to the mean for the Rangers, the powerplay falls in the exact opposite boat. The Rangers finished last season at 16.9% on the powerplay last season. That is almost three full percentage points higher than their 14.1% rate this year, with an upgraded unit (on paper at least). There is room for progression to the mean here.

Progression to the mean is hopefully something that can be triggered by some people moving more towards their career averages in points as the season goes along. Brad Richards is one that is struggling to meet his career average of approximately 70 points. Brandon Dubinsky has a career average of  approximately 40 points, and he –like Richards– is going to have to have a strong second half to get there.

The Rangers are winning despite their offensive woes, where there is clearly room for improvement and room for the law of averages to take effect. If they continue to falter, then that weight on Henrik Lundqvist’s shoulders is going to get mighty heavy. There’s still two and a half months to get it right.