Category Archives: In the Crease
Boo Nieves might be more than just AHL depth
Bobby Bevilacqua
Cristoval “Boo” Nieves skates in his lone preseason game against the Flyers. Photo courtesy of Bruce Bennet/Getty Images.
The talk of the New York Rangers training camp and preseason has been the amount of talent in the forward group, as well as who will be playing on the fourth line? With the emergence of Brandon Pirri and Josh Jooris coming back for the last preseason game, everything is still a bit murky when it comes to the structure of the four lines.
However, one name that never seemed to be on anyone’s radar was Cristoval “Boo” Nieves, the Rangers’ 2012 second round pick who spent the last four years at the University of Michigan. He missed most of training camp with an injury suffered during the Traverse City Tournament, but suited up for the final preseason game against the Flyers. Nieves played over 14 minutes and was a -1 with three shots on goal and some time spent on the penalty kill.
In his senior season, Nieves scored 31 points (10-21-31) in 35 games, and in eight games with the Wolf Pack, he scored another five points (2-3-5). Nieves is a big, strong center at 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds. He’s always been known as a good defensive player and excels on the penalty kill. Read the rest of this entry
Changing the system: Alain Vigneault should roll with four skill lines
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Traditionally, a hockey team is structured with 12 forwards composing four different lines; the top two lines are the scoring lines and full of a team’s stars. The third line is more of a two-way line that can chip in scoring and play some defense. And the fourth line is the checking line, your penalty killers and usually not great at scoring.
Most coaches tend to try and structure their lines in this fashion and it’s how hockey has been played for a very long time. But this year, the Rangers need to try something different.
The group of forwards that the Rangers have brought into camp is the most talented group of players that I have seen since I started following the team closely. Buchnevich, Vesey and Zibanejad are some of the talented, young newcomers brought to New York in the offseason, and all of the offseason additions have injected a plethora of speed, skill and scoring prowess into the lineup. Read the rest of this entry
Postgame thoughts; Enforcers are pointless and the NHL needs to crack down on goons
Bobby Bevilacqua
This article was initially written for The Setonian, Seton Hall’s student newspaper. Please check out their website HERE and their sports section HERE.
Photo courtesy of Amy Irvin/The Hockey Writers.
Last night in the New York Rangers’ preseason game against the Flyers, perpetual goon Radko Gudas was at it again, this time targeting 23 year old rookie Jimmy Vesey with a blatant and deliberate hit from behind, resulting in a brawl and a game misconduct for Gudas.
The hit was extremely dangerous, driving Vesey’s head into the boards while he was in a vulnerable position. And the six-foot, 204 pound Gudas never stopped skating, hitting Vesey right in the numbers and sending him temporarily to the locker room. While Vesey turned to the boards, he was trying to play the puck and Gudas had plenty of time to avoid making contact. But he didn’t. He even adjusted his own angle to make the hit. Here’s the hit;
Gudas hit on Vesey pic.twitter.com/vWzHesVSKa
— Stephanie (@myregularface) October 3, 2016
Fixing the Pirri Problem; How to best use the new breakout Ranger
Bobby Bevilacqua
Brandon Pirri needs to get into the lineup one way or another, but which option is the best? Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
When the Rangers signed Brandon Pirri, my first thought was that there had to be a trade in the team’s future. Pirri is a goal scoring threat and an underutilized top-nine talent, so they needed to make space for him.
The Rangers had already signed Jimmy Vesey and Pavel Buchnevich, filled out their bottom six, and re-signed Chris Kreider and JT Miller. I was thrilled with the signing because I had been watching Pirri since his 22 goal 2014-25 season, but I was just a bit confused.
It’s baffling that Brandon Pirri hasn’t secured a regular roster spot anywhere because he’s been scoring at an elite rate in the NHL for a while now. He’s scoring at a right of 1.31 goals per 60 minutes, which is higher than Evgeni Malkin, John Tavares, James Neal, Brad Marchand and Zach Parise over the last three years. Read the rest of this entry
Reasonable expectations for the Rangers 2016-17 Season
Bobby Bevilacqua
Before the offseason started, there were talks about Jeff Gorton and the Rangers doing some minor tinkering and potentially entering the first phase of a rebuild. The team looked to have some major flaws and holes, an aging blue line and issues to address before opening night.
But Gorton made a lot of small, smart depth signings during Free Agent Frenzy, a trade for Mika Zibanejad, brought aboard a highly coveted NCAA prospect in Jimmy Vesey, and even made some changes to the coaching staff and management.
The moves made in the offseason show that the Rangers aren’t looking to rebuild and exit the first round this season, they’re looking to contend. Read the rest of this entry
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