We have an interesting lineup for the final four this year. Vegas and Florida have never won the cup (this is Vegas’ 6th season) and Dallas and Carolina haven’t taken the championship in quite some time.

With how everyone has been playing, I think the favorites for the final are Vegas and Florida. I have no idea how Florida and Carolina are going to match up. I think they play similar styles and it each game should be very close. I’d be surprised to see any blow outs and I think it’ll go 6 games.

Dallas is going to have their work cut out for them. Seattle pushed them to 7 games and Dallas did win pretty handily…it looked like Seatle ran out of gas. Vegas has been humming along, their power play is looking dangerous. I do think this will be a close series as well. I’ve seen more of Vegas play than Dallas, so I’m more in the dark on this series. The East starts tonight and the West starts tomorrow.

My prediction for the Rangers’ first round would be a win in 6 or 7 games. I thought no matter who won, it’d be close. What happened was the JV team showed up and handed the Devils their first pass to the second round in 12 years.

It started out well!

Two 5-1 wins on New Jersey home ice made it look like the Rangers would move on in 5 games. Then the Devils made some appropriate changes and won the next three games in a row.

2-1, 3-1, 4-0. That first one was close, it felt like either team could win like whoever made a mistake first would lose. The Rangers let that get away from them. The next two games were just a slide into the dumpster. The Rangers couldn’t get any sustained offensive pressure and the rookie goalie came across like he’d one the Vesna trophy multiple times.

Game 6, the Rangers rallied back 5-2. After falling over themselves it was back to a legit Rangers hockey game. Then another total collapse to lose Game 7 and the series 4-0.

So the post season matched the regular season. Inconsistent. Moments of brilliance pulled back into incompetence. There was an alarming amount of time when the team played disjointed. A lack of a clear plan and communication on ice. Terrible passing–turnovers got out of control and the Devils pounced on it.

Too many of the team’s all-stars didn’t show up to play hockey. Artemi Panarin is the worst offender. He had 2 assists in the first game and that’s it. He was more of a liability than anything with how much he was getting stuffed on offense and a parking cone on defense. One of the highest paid players in the NHL can’t do that. Scoring 90 points helps get your team into the playoffs. You also need to play to keep your team in the playoffs.

The better team of 7 games won, that’s the short end of it. There are a ton of things to complain about (stubbornness of only using the first power play unit, underutilizing the “kids”, not disciplining the veterans when they play like a baboon, and holy animal what happened to forechecking) but it’s all hot air now. Changes have to be made for next season as this is not a championship team.

A new coach? Maybe. There are a lot of factors to this question but knee-jerk reactions will just cause more chaos. Kane and Tarasenko did well, just not the high bar everyone was expecting. Kane was the most disappointing in the playoffs. New players? Probably but with what money and who do you let go? You need to know a replaced position will be demonstrably better. This solution could also be more drastic line changes with a little personnel change. The younger players need to continue to do strength, conditioning, and skate training through the off season. Everyone has to be better next season.

It’s been a terrible feeling of such a brutal loss with such a good roster. Tampa, Colorado, and Boston all lost too (Boston being the biggest disaster, so thanks for taking some of the shame spotlight best team in the history of the NHL!) so the Stanley Cup is completely up for grabs. Every series has been wild and so far the second-round matchups continue that trend. I’d like to see Seatle win for the Cinderella story and Toronto for the redemption arc. Edmonton winning would be good just for a Canadian team to finally get the Cup up north.

The Devils got smacked down 5-1 by Carolina in the first game…we’ll see if they can turn it around again. I’m thinking they won’t.

The fate of the known universe begins tonight! The 82 game marathon is complete. The 16 team, 2 month gauntlet erupts tonight. This is the most stacked bracket in years and while there are favorites to win, anything can happen. The playoffs are a different animal from the regular season. Endurance and focus are the ultimate tests. The Rangers and Devils contest starts tomorrow. For now, a hype video!

47-22-13

This was not how I wanted the season to end. A SO loss to Buffalo after they came from behind to force OT. Then the Rangers blew another leading game to a regulation loss against Toronto.

Buffalo was fighting tooth and nail to try to scrape their way into playoffs and while they didn’t end up making it, the effort was there. For too much of the game, the Rangers’ effort didn’t seem like it was there. Oh, we have the lead, we can take it from here easily. No. And that happened a lot this season.

For Toronto, both teams were locked into their playoff positions (Tampa vs Toronto) so the game didn’t matter. It started that way too as it looked like a pre-season game. Pretty slow, low impact. That was the whole 1st period. Then the Rangers scored in the second (fantastic shot from Kakko) and Toronto was like…Ya know, maybe we don’t want to lose the last game of the season, and they started playing harder. They scored, Schneider made an incredible goal to take the lead again and it was called offside and taken away. That annoyed the Rangers who went on a rampage when they went on the power play shortly after. Toronto scored shortly after that, which also happened a lot this season. Then with about 7 minutes left in the game, Toronto took the lead after cleaning up a rebound. The Rangers fought like hell to the end and had another goal get taken away, this time for Chytil kicking it in. Not the kind of momentum you want to go into the Playoffs.

The Rangers really should have taken second in the division instead of third. First really was in reach too. Those games that got away from them added up to the Devils’ finishing 5 points ahead. It is what it is, I guess. Maybe they were more concerned with being rested and healthy for the playoffs. Which they are. So that means no excuses for not hitting the ice at full power for game 1. It’s going to be an absolute war against the Devils and they can’t be sloppy against them. They know what that team is capable of after 4 games in the season where they were all very close games where mistakes left the door open for the Devils to come back and win. The coaching staff has some serious work to do to make a winning strategy. The most important games start Tuesday, the 18th.

As a bonus, the Capitals and Penguins failed to make the playoffs. That ends an 8-year and 16 (!) year streak! Both teams will likely have very different rosters come October as they have too many glaring flaws that can’t be patched over anymore.

47-21-12

The week started as well as we could want. A solid 6-3 drubbing of the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Rangers took control right away taking a 3-0 lead and managed to keep the lead for the entire game. Tampa hasn’t been playing well lately and that doesn’t bode well for the playoffs which are only a week away. A great pickup of points for many Rangers players, but the same outcome wasn’t on the table for St. Louis.

The Rangers were clearly exhausted from playing Tampa, overnight travel to St. Louis, and then lining up for the face-off 24 hours after Tampa. Sloppy plays from start to finish with turnovers being a massive problem. The Rangers managed to fight back enough to force the game to OT but another botched defensive coverage play meant the Rangers only stole 1 point.

A bounce back 4-0 finish against Columbus was great to watch, if not expected. Columbus is terrible so anything that wasn’t a solid win would have been bad. Heads up play, great defense, and very few penalties. Kane played which made the first full roster in a very long time. Everyone is playing well, so I feel the team is in a good place. Kane still looks like he isn’t 100% comfortable yet but I do get the feeling that he will hit his stride for the playoffs. I’m not sure if it’s nerves or whatever but he’s not making big waves. He did play well last night and got an assist so there’s not much to complain about.

The Rangers are comfortably in 3rd place so the final games against Buffalo and Toronto are meaningless in terms of rank. The odds of them playing against Carolina instead of New Jersey is up to the Devils, but the odds are the 1st round will be against New Jersey. There are many close wildcard races, the most eyebrow-raising being Pittsburgh trying to claw over the Islanders or Florida. It’s impossible to predict as it’s going to come down to which team loses one game and Pittsburgh does not. It’s only a 1 point edge! Tremendous pressure, I’m glad the Rangers aren’t in that position.

45-21-11

For the second season in a row, the New York Rangers have surpassed 100 points and still have 5 games left.

The loss to NJ was the worst…maybe. Losing in OT to Buffalo was probably more offensive since Buffalo probably won’t make the playoffs. In both games, the Rangers got scored on first and the rest was a game of catch-up. The Devils got 7 points out of the Rangers (to their 3) this season, a series that hasn’t gone that way in years. Every game was close, so the likely playoff series will be a non-stop battle where any mistake could turn the tide.

Columbus and Washington were nothing more than speed bumps to run over this week. Tampa and Toronto should be the only challenges remaining, depending on how depressed St. Louis is feeling on Thursday.

Kakko, Lafreniere, and Chytil are playing really well which makes the entire team harder to play against. There’s less reliance on the first line so that’s taking the pressure and the physical stress off of those players. Miller had a fantastic game against Washington and Mikkola has been impressive game after game. Since Lindgren has been out he’s getting more ice time. Tarasenko and Kane pop up for celebrity points here and there and the PK remains strong. The PP is producing again but it’s still too much of a struggle to get anything going. If the PP lines get their act together and can convert to something like a consistent 22% for the playoffs, it’ll make a massive and much-needed difference. I don’t think they’ll make it out of the first round without the special teams being a force.

43-20-10

Spring is here and we are heading into the last 3 weeks of the NHL season. The Rangers had a steady week, splitting the two games against Carolina and beating Florida. With the Devils’ week, they are just 4 points behind them for 2nd place in the division. The rivalry game on Thursday will be meaningful, to say the least.

The win against Carolina was probably the toughest regulation win of the season. The competition level was playoff game heights. Then, the kid line rallied the team behind them in the come-from-behind win against Florida. Kakko, Lafraniere, and Chytil all scored. After a terrible first period (3 shots on goal, behind 2 goals), they led the charge to turn the game around. Trocheck was a pain in the neck, which we love to see. Kane nabbed his 450th career goal and moved up one notch on the all-time points total for an American-born NHL player.

Things are looking good for this time of the season and my only main gripe is the terrible power play. Never-ending passing looking for the one-timer goal that hasn’t appeared in three games now. The good news is that the penalty kill is rock solid, keeping the scales balanced. Thankfully goals are coming at 5 on 5 which is what is winning games, albeit only with a one goal lead–21 come-from-behind wins this season. I’m also not liking the trend of letting a goal in shortly after scoring a goal. A bit of a momentum killer.

On the schedule: Columbus, New Jersey, Buffalo.

41-19-10

The New York Rangers swept the week. Got revenge on Washington, beat Pittsburgh two games in a row, and ate Nashville for dinner as an afterthought. It’s the stuff dreams are made of.

Washington has a lot of injured players and it looks like they won’t make the playoffs. After losing in OT to Pittsburgh in a close game, the Rangers took over in the next match-up thanks to Kreider. With Pittsburgh limping after that one, the Rangers buried them 6-0. All the lines have started to click and Igor is in Vesna trophy form. That triumphant night was followed up by a 7-0 win over the injured Nashville Predators (they’re missing 5 players). It was basically the same game back to back. The opponent started well in the few opening minutes and then the Rangers simply took over. No puck watching, fast feet, accurate passes, and more shooting. Special teams working well. All of the scoring threats on the team are making their presence known.

K’Andre had an amazing 4-point game last night. Trouba is playing at his best. Zibanejad and Kreider are flying high as both push their goal totals well into the 30s. Tarasenko is getting way more involved as is Kane. We’re starting to see them work well with multiple players now. Mikkola has been doing well with his increased ice time, he’s turning into a great defensive asset to the point where they may sign him in the off-season. Lafreniere and Kakko are monsters along the board and Chytil finally scored again. All three guys could use a bump in goals but they are contributing with the occasional assist and their line is simply difficult to play against. They are putting serious work in out there. Despite not having tangible points on the stat sheet to point to, they are making a difference. If they can start scoring again, forget about it. The fourth line of Vesey, Goodrow, and Motte is the best 4th line the team has had in years. This means more people are spreading out the time on ice which will reduce the chance of exhaustion. That’s really important in the playoffs.

It’s wild to see them hit this groove and Lindgren still isn’t back yet. With Carolina twice this week, I’m hoping they kept him out to ensure he’d be okay to play against them. Ben Harpur will likely sit when Ryan comes back. He’s been doing well recently but once Fox gets his long-time partner back, hoo boy.

The only question is if they can keep this focus and effort together. That test is next. Carolina is no joke even with them missing one of their best forwards to injury. My only complaint about the team is too many penalties (looking at Goodrow and Mikkola) but the PK has been strong this week. Fewer penalties are needed as giving your opponent an advantage needs to be avoided.

37-19-10

The Rangers got 5 out of 6 points this week which is a success. But each game was a struggle as they all went to overtime. The Rangers did not score first in any of them and had to play catch up. Against struggling teams like Montreal and Buffalo, that’s not a good look. Pittsburgh is much better than those two but the whole vibe of the week felt like the teaming was skating uphill.

Is it actual or perceived pressure to take off like a rocketship now that Patrick Kane is on the team? Are fans and press looking for too much too soon? Is the team not handling the attention and expectations well? The team has been depleted of its full lineup for weeks now (Lindgren is still not back) and that’s been a huge issue. But major moves were made during the trade season and not getting any better is unacceptable.

It’s an issue of time now. The Islanders and Pittsburgh have become real threats in the standings now. The buffer that the Rangers built up in their fantastic 10 game point streak is going away as the Rangers aren’t consistently winning anymore and those two are. There are only 16 games left and the pressure is on. Expectations are huge and it’s hard not to see and feel like the team is struggling. The special teams have been doing well until last night (Pitt with 2 PP goals, Rangers with 0) but scoring goals–especially on weaker teams–continues to be a problem. A one-goal lead is nothing and having to come back from a deficit game after game is not good. It’s too stressful and exhausting. While it’s good to see the never give up never surrender level of competition come out of the guys, it’s not sustainable.

The defense has been better and there are fewer but still too many turnovers. For a team that wants to get to the Stanley Cup, they aren’t playing like a team that can do it when the competition is so fierce. Getting knocked out in the first round would be a disaster.

There are a lot of all-stars on the team but there’s no breakout player now. There’s no one getting consistent points game after game which is weird. For example, Tarasenko has done well in the month he’s been on the team but he’s often hard to notice when he’s out there. Chytil’s gone cold as has Kakko. Kreider scores once in a while. Panarin frequently can’t hold onto the puck for long. Mikkola has been noticeable and Zibanejad is probably the most consistent. He’s out there every shift skating with real purpose and intent but his point collecting has slowed down.

I think it’s just a matter of being patient for things to gel again. Kane clearly needs more time to adjust. It’s just hard to wait because this week it’s the Capitals and then Pittsburg twice. The competition is here and there’s not much cushion to fall back on in the last month of the season.

35-19-9

This was a weird week that saw little success. The win against LA looked like a turnaround statement game but there was a lot of fallout from that game. Ryan Lingren was injured, he missed all 3 games this week. His return is currently unknown. K’Andre Miller was suspended for spitting, he’ll be back for Thursday’s game vs Buffalo. Ben Harpur was called up to replace one of them but he doesn’t have the skill they do. This also means playing with only 5 D men, putting a lot of physical strain on the group to play longer minutes. They managed to hold on to beat Philly but it’s clear that when the third period comes about, they’re running out of gas. A really disappointing loss to Ottowa and they competed with Boston until the third period when they lost control. Tyler Motte was also injured, dinging the 4th line, and the NHL didn’t allow the club to do an emergency call-up for some reason. The bench has been thin all week and it’s showing on the ice.

The huge news was the trade for Patrick Kane. One of the best American players in NHL history officially left Chicago for New York. He started his career with Panarin and now they’re back together. He’s a goal scorer and has a tremendous eye for developing plays. He’s one of the best players when it comes to the playoffs. He can make things happen. His stats have been down this season but the hope is that joining a playoff-bound team (which he said was the only team he wanted to be traded to) will kick his game back in gear. In his first two games, he hasn’t shown much. I think he’s had one practice with the team so far and that shows on the ice. He’s on the first power play unit and in the game against Boston, they didn’t function like a unit. With Kane on there, the positioning has changed and they don’t know how to work with Kane yet. They all just skated around looking for something to happen instead of making something happen.

In short, with all of these changes, the team has largely been dysfunctional. The four days off is a blessing. Practice is sorely needed so roles and plays can be defined and re-established. Kane has been with Chicago for 16 seasons, he’s never been in this scenario before. Tarasenko has had 3 weeks to find his space and it looks like he’s getting comfortable; I think he’s at 4G and 6A now. Niko Mikkola is also getting better despite all of his penalties. Panarin needs to re-align his game with Kane and not be so eager to simply pass to him every time he sees him “open”. The amount of turnovers Panarin is causing is a massive problem.

Chris Drury did everything he could to make the team better at the trade deadline. Now it’s up to the coaches and the players to come together and make that better team happen. There are 20 games left and the playoff race is getting rabid. The teams that the Rangers have had a large point lead against are playing well now and the Rangers have to regain their footing to keep them at bay. When the best teams are playing consistently well headed into the playoffs, you have to match that level or it’s going to be a quick out.

34-17-9

From a fantastic 7 Game win streak (and points in 10 games) directly into falling down and skidding into a wall. The overtime loss to Calgary was a rally that didn’t make it all the way. The loss to Winnipeg could be argued that the Rangers didn’t play poorly, the other goalie stood on his head and spun around like a tornado to make ridiculous save after ridiculous save. The loss to Detroit was crap and then to Washington was embarrassing (they were on a 6 game losing streak!).

The defense just…stopped playing defense. Terrible passes all over the place, bad penalties, and more turnovers that led to odd-man rushes than you should ever need to count. Shesterkin frequently looked like he was being surprised by shots coming at him which is bizarre to see (which is an understatement).

That brings us to the Sunday game versus the LA Kings. The Rangers team showed up for this one, thankfully. 5-2 win against an excellent team. Everyone contributed, the defense in particular was flying all night. Trouba played possibly his best game of the season. Trocheck has been the best forward all week and he nabbed 2 goals in this one that gave the team a huge early boost. I hope he keeps up his play…the schedule for March is a gauntlet.

There are days left before the trade deadline and it looks like the Rangers’ front office is moving mountains to make a huge, final deal. The remainder of the regular season is going to be nuts. There are very close races in every division.