Random NHL Notes

∑ Someone please beat the Buffalo Sabres. They’re good, very good. But unbeaten? C"mon now, eventually someone has to penetrate Ryan Miller. Maybe.

∑ The Rangers started out well and have lost a few games in a row. How’s the new captain going to respond? How is the team going to respond? Their response, collectively and individually, will say a lot about how successful the Rangers season will ultimately be.

∑ Watching the Pens-Rangers game, I was struck by the finite amount of time the Rangers have, with Jagr, to transform themselves into a Cup Contender. The best days of players like Shanahan are already behind him, though he’s still a very good player. Jagr’s still a great player, but at 34, he’s not getting any younger. In contrast, I’m not worried about the time my Penguins have left to contend for the Cup. Because seriously—we have teenagers in our line-up! Babies! My Penguins have a finite amount of time, sure, but that time is 7 to 8 years, and I’m okay with waiting for 3 or 4 years because I can see what will be. But for Rangers’ fans? There isn’t time to wait. I know that’s traditionally said of Rangers fans, but in all honesty—with Jagr and Straka and Nylander and Shanahan actually being the grizzled veterans (still hard for me to believe), there just isn’t that much time left. Fans will—and should—respond to losses differently. Still, will the veterans respond with veteran savvy in New York—or not?