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.