Wow, what a difference a hot goaltender makes.
Four games into the season, the Rangers were 0-4 and looked like
they were shooting for the top pick in the entry draft. Now after
eight games, they look competitive and willing to fight you in a
back alley for those two points. See what good goaltending does
to a team.
Searching for the turning point at which Mike Richter's
goaltending went from uncertain to razor sharp? Look no further
than the moment referee Dan Marouelli turned and pointed to
center ice last Thursday night, awarding a penalty shot to the
Islanders' Claude Lapointe with 5:08 left in a game the Rangers
led, 3-2, and would win by the same score.
"I think it's a springboard not only for him but our whole hockey
club," Wayne Gretzky had said of Richter's save on Lapointe,
which prompted a roar not heard from Garden fans in a long time.
"Rickey made a great save and it wasn't only a springboard for
him but for our whole team and the arena. We haven't used the
arena to our advantage since the '96-97 season."
It's a springboard that has the Blueshirts unbeaten in their last
four. Todd Harvey has been jumping the highest off that
springboard with a couple of timely goals, drawing key penalties
and showing an uncanny ability to effectively get underneath the
opponent's skin; skills that have made him the team MVP in this
early season.
And fortunately for the Rangers and the Garden faithful, Harvey's
play has seemed to rub off on former power forward Kevin Stevens.
If Stevens can give John Muckler a solid 20-25 goals on the third
line, it'll really go a long way in helping to take some of the
offensive burden from the Gretzky line, at least until Neil Smith
goes out and picks up a Pavel Bure or Petr Nedved.
Karpovtsev Leafs: After three games and an 0-3 record, GM
Neil Smith traded away inconsistent Alexander Karpovtsev to
Toronto for Mathieu Schneider, who immediately was signed to a
one-year deal worth $2.75 million.
An underrated mobile defensemen whose luck has gone downhill
(Islanders, Leafs) since winning the Stanley Cup with Montreal in
1993, the 29-year-old will improve the Rangers puck handling and
passing skills from the blue line and give Brian Leetch a true
offensive defensemen to work the power play point with since
Sergei Zubov was in Ranger blue.
"We've been talking since last season to get a player who can
handle the puck and play on the power play and move the puck up
and get us out of the zone quickly," said Smith. "We even
brought Zarley Zalapski, because he had those attributes, and
that didn't work. Mathieu had been somebody I talked to the
Leafs about even going back to last season. Not since we had
Sergei Zubov here have we had as good a twosome on the point as
Matty and Brian. It helps us through the game five-on-five, and
it gives us a dramatic upgrade on the power play."
Having Schneider back on the point helps Leetch because Schneider
possesses a low, hard shot that allows Leetch to wander around in
the offensive zone. In five games with the Rangers, Schneider
already has scored a power-play goal and been involved in
numerous other ones.
"I wish I had asked for a trade sooner, knowing the outcome," he
said. "I stressed to Neil and my agent (Steve Reich) that this
is where I want to be for the rest of my career, and I think the
feeling is kind of mutual, as long as everything goes smoothly."
Notes: Muckler scratched rookie center Manny Malhotra for
the second time in two games versus the Flyers.
Harry York also sat out for the sixth straight game.
Scott Fraser, who has yet to have an impact after being signed to
a big three-year $4.3 million deal, also was scratched as winger
Brent Fedyk returned and P.J. Stock got a rare chance to dress.
Brian Leetch logged a whopping 31:56 of ice time against Philly -
the fifth time in eight games he's topped 30 minutes. But he was
held without a shot on goal for the first time this season, and
for the second time in three games, blocked a shot with his foot,
requiring ice afterward.
