12/11 @ Rangers -- Did they get Otani?

[Troy McClure]

This one's an early start. 6 PM.

[ScubaSteve]

[#JTONTFJTGM]

After spending most of last year in the AHL, in seven appearances and four starts with the Rangers this season he's sporting a 2-4 record with a 3.45 goals against average and .899 save percentage.

[Stars2099]

I'm trying to figure out what was more depressing: Last season when they went back to being a shitty team or this year when they stayed a shitty team?

[#JTONTFJTGM]

[ScubaSteve]

I've seen this game before. Come out dominating but leave the first period down 1-0. Then collapse in the 2nd. Then Jamie gets his meaningless goal in the 3rd period. 3-1 or 4-1 final.

[Troy McClure]

I’m surprised you’re able to type. I figured you’d still be laughing about Benn being demoted to the third line.

[BigAl]

No, that’s the top line because Faksa is center. Jamie finally gets to play with a #1 C.

[ScubaSteve]

I’m surprised you’re able to type. I figured you’d still be laughing about Benn being demoted to the third line.

It's long overdue. He's been terrible for almost a month.

[Troy McClure]

Also demoted to the 2nd PP unit? Hitch is sending a message.

[Knives Out]

I can't wait to see the car in the stands on Wednesday in Brooklyn!

[ScubaSteve]

Oh hey Honka

[Troy McClure]

He didn’t pick the spot. It went off the defenseman’s stick.

[ScubaSteve]

"Better lucky than good" is this team's motto

[ScubaSteve]

Did anyone other than Razor think Elie was actually going to score on that breakaway?

[Troy McClure]

Did anyone other than Razor think Elie was actually going to score on that breakaway?

I also like how the refs didn’t call Elie for hooking Nash down. They were probably reluctant to put the fantasy camp guy in the box.

[ScubaSteve]

Gonna hurt to lose this one.

[BigAl]

I feel like Honka could have done more to secure that win in regulation. Really disappointed in him.

[One_Timer]

The kid earned himself another game or two and I’m glad. Epic goaltending battle at the end.

[One_Timer]

I’m surprised you’re able to type. I figured you’d still be laughing about Benn being demoted to the third line.

I kind of liked that look but Hitch is going to mix & match the forwards all season, game to game, top to bottom. I roll my eyes when fans throw out line combinations.

[Troy McClure]

I’m surprised you’re able to type. I figured you’d still be laughing about Benn being demoted to the third line.

I kind of liked that look but Hitch is going to mix & match the forwards all season, game to game, top to bottom. I roll my eyes when fans throw out line combinations.

After three losses in a row, I’ll never complain about trying something different.

[One_Timer]

They may have been motivated by Lindy Cameron Ruff being on the opposing bench, something FSSW didn’t promote whatsoever - accidentally on purpose.

[Jason]

Even if they scored only one goal, the game was much better. Hitchcock mentioned they needed to get way better at puck possession.
The PP's percentage over the past 13 games is under 5%.

[ToddM]

Watching Spezza and Nash struggle with sucking and being slow makes me feel old because I remember when they were drafted.

[Knives Out]

Wow. So apparently even Pavelec is elite now.

[#JTONTFJTGM]

I think it's fair to question this regime's coaching hires as well

The 22 shots on goal the Blackhawks had marked the first time they'd had fewer than 30 in their last 16 games.

At the 29-second mark Patrick Kane spoke about how unacceptable it was that they had only 10 shots on goal in the first two periods and was then asked what he chalked that up to considering how well they'd been playing over the last couple of weeks:

http://md-akc.med.nhl.com/mp4/nhl/2017/12/01/5429eee9-57a2-4785-a496-1be7d2b8bb2d/1512105257802/asset_1800k.mp4

This was the second time in their last seven games that the Stars' opponent had a total of 10 shots on goal in the first two periods of a game.

The Stars should be embarrassed that there was even a chance of them not winning that game.

If you believe that the Rangers “earned” the point they wound up with in Monday’s 2-1 shootout defeat to the Stars at the Garden, then your definition of the term is far more generous than just about anyone else’s.

And that includes Alain Vigneault, the coach of the team who presided over the shortest postgame press briefing of his five-year tenure on Broadway. Indeed, it was almost Tortorella-esque, minus the invective.

“There were two positives,” he said following the match in which Ondrej Pavelec stole the show with a brilliant 44-save performance that answered the question whether the Rangers should be confident with their backup. “Pavs played unreal and because of his performance we were able to get a point. Other than that, we weren’t good. I think I summed it up pretty good there.

“Thanks, guys.”

It was an abomination, that’s what it was for the Blueshirts, outshot 16-5 through the first period, 33-10 through the second, 41-19 through regulation and 45-25 overall. Those numbers were almost flattering compared to the five-on-five shot-attempt stats that were 34-12 (against) through one, 55-20 through two and 75-35 total.

“We couldn’t get anything in synch. We couldn’t get out. We were pinned in for shifts at a time just about the whole first period and a lot of the second,” Ryan McDonagh, who suffered through a dreadful night, told The Post. “We chipped it and couldn’t get it deep. Guys were caught on and couldn’t change. It’s definitely not the [first] 40 minutes we envisioned.”

The Blueshirts appeared inert from the drop of the puck, which they rarely possessed through the first 40 minutes and almost never without duress. When the Rangers did manage to have the puck, they passed it like Eli Manning and received it like Odell Beckham Jr. in last season's playoff game in Green Bay.

The Stars, who had dropped three straight, came in waves. And the Rangers seemed to have no idea what (or who) was coming.

“They get the puck to the net all night and we get stubborn and don’t do it,” said Chris Kreider. “East-west isn’t going to make it unless there’s a tap-in for a goal, and [in this game], you had to get it through three guys to make that play. But that’s what we were trying.”

[#JTONTFJTGM]

Ken Hitchcock said he has seen progress in Honka, who has been working a great deal with assistant coach Rick Wilson.

"Rick has worked really hard with him to understand angles and stick positioning and playing through people," Hitchcock said. "He's not a big guy (5-11, 186), but he's a strong guy. He's got a lot of strength in his legs. Rick has worked really hard with him to punch through people one-on-one, to use his stick and body to play through people. From a coverage standpoint, we think this time with us has really helped him and he's really improved. He's really shown the desire to get better in that area."

Honka scored his first goal of the season Monday and played 12:21 in a 2-1 shootout win over the Rangers.

He said he felt good.

"It's good to play, I want to play," he said. "I think I am learning, so I think playing will help more."

Hitchcock said that Honka needs to show what he has learned on a consistent basis to stay in the lineup. He said Honka needs to move the puck quickly in order to avoid mistakes.

"First play option, make it, and then move," Hitchcock said. "He's like a skill guy in that he wants to find 'that play,' and that play sometimes in this league gets you checked. If it's on your stick as a young player and you're past the count of three, you're usually in trouble. We want him to move the puck and join the rush because he's so mobile."

Hitchcock said Honka will remain in the lineup Wednesday against the Islanders.

"He'll stay in, for sure," Hitchcock said.

[B Kat]

Didn't see this one, but it sounds like it almost was another moral victory.

[ToddM]

So Hitch wants Honka to dump the puck as soon as he gets it?

No wonder he looks so mediocre.

[BigAl]

That game was pretty painful to watch. The Stars should’ve been able cycle the puck until NY’s defense collapsed into a singularity. But it felt like the Dallas game plan was to get as many shitty shot attempts as possible. No back door dunk attempts, if there was an opening of any kind then the puck was sent in the general direction of the Rangers net. It was pretty easy for Pavelec to get squared up to everything.
Dallas was faster but otherwise the skill level was pretty comparable, an over abundance of bad passing and bad shooting.