NHL Notebook: Rangers beat the buzzer on Broadway

Let’s recap some of the major NHL headlines from on and off the ice over the last week.

Rangers rattle Sabres with last-second goal

A dramatic Sunday tilt between the New York Rangers and Buffalo Sabres was capped off by defenseman Ryan Lindgren’s goal with 0.7 seconds left in the third period, which secured the Blueshirts a 5-4 victory.

The Rangers thrice overcame one-goal deficits, including team leader Chris Kreider’s tying power play tally at the end of the first period.

Kreider is up to 13 goals on the season, and after not even being listed to win the “Rocket” Richard Trophy at the beginning of the year, he’s now sixth-choice at +1700.

Isles’ ills worsen at home

Things are not going nearly as well for the New York Islanders, who endured back-to-back losses on opening weekend at their brand-new UBS Arena.

The homecoming was supposed to be a shot in the arm for the Isles after going a modest 5-6-2 in their season-opening 13-game road trip. Instead, they endured consecutive three-goal defeats to the Calgary Flames and Toronto Maple Leafs, respectively.

They’ll host the Rangers in their next game on Wednesday night.

We’ve had Phaneuf

Former Maple Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf officially hung up his skates last Tuesday after 14 seasons and 1,048 games spent with four different teams. He had last played in the 2018-2019 campaign.

“The last couple weeks where I knew that I was going to formally announce my retirement, you do a lot of reflecting,” Phaneuf told NHL.com. “When I look back at my journey…I was very fortunate to make a living playing this great game. I enjoyed every part of the journey, I played with some great teammates, played for some great ownership. You don’t have enough time to thank everybody.”

Seattle cracking jokes

Capitals netminder Vitek Vanacek spent seven days as a member of the Seattle Kraken this summer. He was selected in the expansion draft, and subsequently traded back to Washington following the Kraken’s signing of Philipp Grubauer for a second-round draft pick. A mere historical footnote, right? Not for Seattle.

The Kraken decided to tweet out a “tribute” video for Vanacek just before the puck dropped on their game against the Caps. Despite being referred to as a “true kraken legend,” Vanacek never even flew out to Seattle.

Nordiques revival near?

Quebec Premier François Legault made headlines last week when he announced that Quebec City is very much open to hosting an NHL team once again.

“I spoke with [NHL commissioner Gary Bettman], and we have meetings with him in the coming months,” Legault told RDS. “You have to look at who is ready to invest. We have an amphitheater in Quebec that has already been built. We are in the process of making contact with Mr. Bettman. We are looking at what we need to bring back the Nordiques. I think we are capable of having a second team in Quebec.”

The Quebec Nordiques relocated in 1995 to become the Rocky Mountain Extreme Colorado Avalanche, but Quebec City offers the 18,000-seat Centre Vidéotron, which was built in 2015 to serve the QMJHL’s Remparts.

Expansion is probably off the table, but the Arizona Coyotes could be on the move in 2022, as the City of Glendale recently opted out of their joint lease agreement with the team.