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The Rangers started a line brawl. The Knicks lost Julius Randle for the season. The playoffs are looming. Oh boy!
We have just over two weeks to go until the real season starts. Let's check in on how things went this week.
New York Rangers
The Games
Saturday, March 30th | Win 8-5 at Coyotes
There was absolutely no defense played in this one whatsoever. The good news is that the Rangers are super talented and are really fun when things turn into a pond hockey game. Alexis Lafrenière led the way with his first career hat trick (and a 5-point game to boot). That's pretty impressive for the former number one overall pick (who many on Twitter still think is a bust). Panarin added 4 points of his own to stay on an absolute tear that should absolutely propel him into the Hart Trophy conversation.
Monday, April 1st | Loss 5-2 vs. Penguins
Jacob Trouba had a brain fart 20 seconds into this game and the Rangers trailed immediately. It was a classic case of playing a disinterested game against a very desperate team. Just one of those nights. I'm not going to panic over it, although it sure would be nice if we could try playing some defense down the stretch. I get that everyone is taking it a bit easy with a playoff spot already locked up, but you don't want to see any bad habits develop.
Wednesday, April 3rd | Win 4-3 vs. Devils
A full-on line brawl began 2 seconds into the game, causing 8 players to be ejected. At one point in the game there had been 156 penalty minutes assessed and no shots on goal. It was a pretty wild one. The Rangers dominated the first period, absolutely shit the bed in the second, and then came roaring back in the third to really cut the balls off of the Devils' playoff hopes (and sweep the season series of their Hudson River rival). Panarin is up to 45 goals with 6 games to play. Can we get him to 50?
The News
With his win over the Coyotes, Jonathan Quick became the winningest American goalie in NHL history. That's a pretty cool accomplishment for the Milford, Connecticut boy. Even if my feelings about him are very complicated after the 2014 Stanley Cup Finals. With his 110th point against the Devils, Artemi Panarin now has the second-most points ever in a season for the Rangers. He trails only Jaromír Jágr who put up 123 in the 2005-06 season (back when Kirk and I were still chasing Evan Williams with ice water).
The Good Signs
Hey! All of our injured defensemen are back. It's been a while since that has happened. Oh hey! We are still in first place in the entire National Hockey League and have a 3-point cushion in the race for the President's Trophy. I don't really give a shit about the President's Trophy, but sitting atop the league standings has to be considered a "good sign" by any definition you choose to use. This team is deeeeep, especially on offense with the third line putting up points night after night.
The Red Flags
Jacob Trouba looks like he might be the seventh defenseman on this team talent-wise. But you can't exactly scratch your $8 million per year captain. Unless you are John Tortorella. Hopefully he's just shaking off some rust and will play himself back into shape before the playoffs start. But yeah, that Penguins game was very hard to watch. Giving up 5 goals to the Coyotes, 5 to the Penguins, and letting the Devils run roughshod over you for 20 minutes isn't an inspiring defensive performance.
The Play of the Week
Laffy with the hatty.
New York Knicks
The Games
Friday, March 29th | Loss 130-126 at Spurs
Ugh. Despite Brunson's 61-point domination, the Knicks still somehow lost this one, falling to the Spurs 130-126 in OT. Wembanyama on the other side was just as stellar for them. It was the first time I really watched him this season and — wow, turns out that guy is really good. DiVincenzo finished with 20 points and set the Knicks’ single-season record for 3-pointers with 245. All in all a great watch that was spoiled by a crushing overtime defeat. Sports are fun/terrible!
Sunday, March 31st | Loss 113-112 vs. Thunder
This one was a heartbreaker. OKC snagged the last-second win 113-112 with a clutch shot by Gilgeous-Alexander who was returning after missing his previous two games (great timing for us, huh?!). Brunson was on fire with 30 points, and the supporting cast fought hard to the very end. This wasn't one where you can knock the hustle. The team showed a lot of grit and was right there. But it's still tough to swallow, especially after that close game in San Antonio.
Tuesday, April 2nd | Loss 109-99 at Heat
This was a tough one. We couldn't quite handle Miami, falling 109-99. Rozier was on fire for the Heat, hitting 34 points with eight 3s. DiVincenzo and McBride put up a good fight, scoring 31 and 24 points respectively, and Brunson wasn't far behind. The Knicks almost managed another late comeback, but Miami closed the door this time. A 3-game skid with Anunoby and Randle sidelined is not what you want. They are going to need to regroup quickly if they want a top-4 seed in the East.
Thursday, April 4th | Win 120-109 vs. Kings
The bad vibes continued early in this one, with the Knicks finding themselves down by 21. But Brunson was a beast with 35 points and 11 assists, and Hart dropped a season-high 31 points to lead the comeback. This was a huge win to keep the Knicks in the mix for home court advantage in the Eastern Conference playoffs. With just six games to go, things are going to get interesting over the next two weeks as teams shuffle for playoff positioning. Stay tuned.
The News
Julius Randle, who hasn’t played since dislocating his right shoulder on January 27, will undergo season-ending surgery. I'm not sure why it took over two months to figure this out. But it's a HUGE bummer, as the Knicks might have been a legit championship contender if they got him back. Now it seems like they will be relying on Brunson to do it all in the playoffs. Which will definitely win them a bunch of games, but it's hard to see them making a title run without some help.
The Good Signs
The Knicks were able to salvage the week with a comeback win against the Kings. They are currently sitting in 5th place, but have a legit shot to capture home court advantage in the first round with a couple more wins in their last six games. Brunson has been unreal, and if he continues to put the team on his back like this, they'll have a shot every single night.
The Red Flags
Losing three in a row when you're jostling for a playoff spot is never a good thing. It is also becoming even more clear that Brunson is basically this team's only chance. Most nights he can drag them most of the way to victory, but even when he goes off for 61 points, we can still lose because there is not another star to take some of the burden off of him. Losing Randle for the year is a complete bummer. It's hard to see them going very far without him. But in Brunson we trust...
The Play of the Week
Jalen Brunson puts up 61 points in a loss against the Spurs.
Garden Memory
This week was not the first time that the Devils and Rangers dropped the gloves off the opening face off. I was at this game in March 2012, sitting in a corporate box with a bunch of older executives and their families. When I saw our fourth line come out to take the face off, I started yelling to the entire box that there was going to be a fight. They looked at me confused and slightly appalled. But then this happened:
Sphere Watch
Preparations began this week for the Phish residency coming to The Sphere later in the month. All of the seats have been replaced with second-hand futons. A delivery truck full of hacky sacks could be spotted pulling into the loading dock late Thursday night. Plus, the world class culinary team announced their plans to open an all-you-can-eat cereal buffet, complete with a milk waterfall. It should be an exciting week of shows for the tie-died concert goers in Vegas.