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.