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.

33-14-9

The New York Rangers almost swept another week of games. The 7th win in a row came against the Oilers in an amazing 3-0 and then 4-1 comeback rally to win the game in a 6 round shootout. Tremendous determination and teamwork were on display. They almost did it again last night against Calgary. The Rangers started off being embarrassed in the first minute of the game going down 2-0. They slowly pulled it together, forcing the game into overtime but a penalty gave Calgary the edge they needed to win the game. Still, they stole a point and are 8-0-2 in the last 10 games. They haven’t lost in regulation in almost 3 weeks.

We are still seeing slow starts and far too many turnovers. Those put you on the defensive way more than you want to be. The powerplay has improved this week (moved up to 10th in the league!) and the penalty kill is still good but could be better. Tarasenko scored his second goal last night, Mikkola is playing well, Trocheck is playing better, and Kakko and Lafreniere are continuing to put up points. Kakko and Laffy more or less won the Oilers game (amazing 3rd goal in regulation with Kakko doing some hard on the boards to dish it off to Laffy to bury the puck in the net AND they both scored in the shootout AND Laffy tied last night’s game). Chytil’s point streak has stopped but it’s not for lack of effort.

In the big news today, Julien Gauthier and a 2023 7th round draft pick were traded to Ottawa for Tyler Motte. We are now seeing efforts into improving the 4th line which currently is barely being used. Motte was part of the big trades last season that made a huge difference. The team didn’t keep him, which is a surprise, but now he’s back and it’s expected he’ll fit in well again. He should be fantastic on the PK. I liked Gauthier but he didn’t make enough of an impact on the team to raise his station. Given the right team and system, I think he can develop and thrive.

The Metro division is a bit of a warzone right now and that’s making the Eastern playoff battle interesting. The Rangers are just 2 points behind the Devils for 2nd place. Buffalo and Detroit are pushing to steal the wildcard spot and the Islanders, Penguins, and Capitals are leaving the door open for them. This week is another important one and the first challenge is Winnipeg at MSG tomorrow night. We’re very close to the final quarter of the season so playoff madness is beginning and the trade deadline is just 2 weeks away. Another Rangers trade is expected to bolster the bottom six further.

30-14-8

The Rangers went undefeated in their 4 games, including last night’s 6-2 win against Carolina, the #1 team in the Metro division (2 of Carolina’s 10 regulation losses are from the Rangers). This pushes the win streak to 5 in a row.

The big news was the mid-week trade with the St. Louis Blues. GM and President Chris Drury worked his magic again. Last season he brought in 4 great players to patch up the team’s holes and those moves got the team to the Conference Finals. Now with the huge score of Vladimir Tarasenko (RW) and the lower-line defensive pickup of Niko Mikkola, the team has gotten stronger. Fans and those in hockey media have been saying for years that the team has needed a high-quality top line RW. After Pavel Buchnevich was traded to the Blues 2 years ago because the Rangers didn’t have enough money to resign him, it’s been a pretty glaring issue. Sammy Blais was the major acquisition in that trade and it didn’t work because he got a serious knee injury at the start of last season and he hasn’t been able to rebound this season. The Blues took him back in this trade along with a prospect and 2 draft picks.

Tarasenko is friends with Panarin and it shows. It’s been a while since we’ve seen the Breadman this happy. He got an assist on Tarasenk’s first goal as a Ranger. First shot, second shift, goal. It was nuts, which started the lead against Seattle, which they never gave up. And then Panarin went nuts last night and scored 4 goals! Mikkola is from Finland, and not only does Kakko now have a countryman right by him, they’ve played together in the junior league a few years ago.

So the Rangers’ locker room is buzzing and everyone is gelling on the ice. The power play has come back to life with Zibanejad leading the charge. Chytil, Lafreniere, Kakko or absolutely flying right now. They are all getting points all over the place! Together they are pulling off what we’ve hoped for years would happen.

If things continue like this, the Rangers are now incredibly dangerous. The skilled players are now spread out through all the lines making matchups much harder. There are way more defensive strategies opposing teams need to do now. There are goal-scoring threats all over the place.

Is Drury done? Can he make another move to shore up the 4th line even more? The trade deadline is at the beginning of March.

27-14-8

I haven’t written about the Rangers in a month, which is odd. I usually do it once a week, but the start of 2023 has been hectic. Thankfully the Rangers have kept themselves (and me) largely on track. A month ago their record was 19-11-5.

Going 8-3-3 means that more points than not have been added. That’s good but with competition so fierce, every point is essential. There were some tough OT losses (Devils and Toronto) and some outright terrible loses (Canadians).

The team wasn’t high-scoring this month. That’s in large part because the Power Play remains ineffective. There was one this week and something like 2-22. That’s terrible and has cost them games. The once-feared offensive special teams are now nothing to worry about—too much passing, too much waiting around, and not enough movement. Since a one goal lead is nothing in the NHL–if you are ahead or behind–getting the man advantage and scoring on it can change the course of a game. Last season’s special teams were integral to the long playoff run and that’s missing. The standings are so close that at the end of a week standings can look much different. Thankfully the penalty kill is doing well.

Galland seems to have found good remixed lineups this week. Kreider is on the second line with Trocheck and Vesey (Trocheck and Panarin haven’t clicked, unfortunately). The Kid line has been reformed and they’re thriving. Chytil is on fire with 8 goals and a handful of assists in the last 11 games. Sammy Blais has been sent down to the farm team in place of 2020 second round draft pick Will Cuylle. Blais’ knee injury has held back his play so much that it can’t be ignored any longer. Cuylle is on the fourth line to get used to the play of the NHL and he looks to be doing well and could likely take Blais’ spot. The fourth line is more or less a mash of misfit toys–by far the weakest line as it has been for years–but the win against Vegas last night showed that they can hang. And props to Halak for having his game of the season! He gave Vegas fits and the only one he let by was a fluke.

Turnovers and the power play are the most glaring issues that have been going on for far too long. Once again the moves at the trade deadline will be immensely important to patch holes in the Rangers’ game.

19-11-5

The Penguins stopped the Rangers’ win streak at 7 (just after their win streak was ended) marking the best run of the season so far. The Penguins have hit their stride as well, it was a close game marred by bad penalties. In the following game, the Rangers thundered back against the Islanders, making a 5 point lead in the standings. Right now the Rangers have a wild card spot in the playoff standings. We’re suddenly very close to the halfway point of the season which means the playoff race is now taking shape. Eyes are now on the prize.

The Rangers are 8-2 of the last 10 at the Christmas break so going back next week (Washington, Tampa, Florida) they have a great wave of confidence. It’s going to be put to the test as the only team in that trio that isn’t doing well are Florida (really odd that they are under .500). The Metro division is incredibly tight. Carolina is killing it now with 50 points for first. The Devils have hit a brick wall at the same time the Rangers jumped over theirs which has allowed everyone to catch up to their once ridiculous record (which is still very good at 22-10-2). The Rangers are now only 3 points behind them. There are only 2 bad teams in the Metro, the rest are very close to the point where at the end of the week, the standings could drastically change. Carolina is the only one with any cushion and they’re playing at the top of their game. Where the Devils have faltered, Boston has had no problems retaining their game. 27-4-2 which is ludicrous. That’s 6 points ahead of Carolina and Vegas has gotten wobbly but is at a fantastic 49 points. No Devil’s level panic for them.

The Rangers are playing like we expected coming off of last season. Kakko, Lafreniere, and Chytil are absolutely heating up now. We’re looking at head and shoulders gains in points for career best seasons with all of them, which is incredibly exciting. They’re going to be adding a stack of points this season, giving the team much needed scoring depth. Kakko in particular could be catching fire very soon. He made a bad turnover that led to a goal in Thursday’s game but he bounced back with a righteous game winning goal. Miller is making one fantastic play after another. Julian Gauthier has made his case for never being scratched in favor of Sammy Blais. Panarin and Trocheck are scoring goals. Trocheck in particular looks like he’s much more comfortable now (he’s an excellent linemate to Kreider). Trouba is making fewer mistakes and has scored 2 goals. Fox and Zibanejad are reliable as ever. Vesey is doing great, he’s really made a case for himself that he’s rightfully playing in the NHL after getting a professional tryout with this team. It helps that he played with Kreider at the beginning of his career.

The Penalty Kill has been doing well with one bad game against the Penguins. Power Play has regained its potency but still needs work. Too many teams have adjusted to Zibanejad being the biggest threat so changes need to be made to get the potency up. They were 1-6 against the Islanders. They’re currently 13th in the league and it needs to be top 10. They can do that.

There’s a whole lot of season to go, but things are looking good. The momentum also gives the same vibes as last season where the right moves at the trade deadline that’s coming in about 2 months could mean a deep playoff run. There are like 2 missing pieces to making a dominant team.

Lot’s to be thankful for! Stay safe and warm!

15-10-5

What a difference a week and a ton of panicking can do. Four wins in a row: Blues, Golden Knights, Avalanche, and the Devils last night. That is legit competition right there. The game against Vegas was the best, a sound 5-1 clobbering. The others were closer games and were much more trying.

The Devils game was a rivalry match for the ages. Before this season the Rangers had beaten the Devils 9 out of 10 games. They’ve been terrible for a while. Last year they were good but injuries plagued them the entire season. In the first go this season the Devils won after the Rangers gave up an early 2 goal lead. This time, the Rangers did the same to the Devils and won in overtime. There’s been a rivalry between these two teams for ages but the competition level hasn’t been there so the big targets were moved to the Penguins, Capitals, and the Islanders.

The drive to win has been reinjected into the team. The lines have been shifted-even midgame to try to fix match-ups and effort-and it seems to be working. Gallant is making better choices and giving more players opportunities Kakko, Lafreniere, and Chytil have all scored. Braden Schneider is making tremendous strides, he’s coming up like K’Andre Miller has been. Scoring depth has been a problem and that’s improved this week.

Goodrow is playing with Panarin and Zibanejad, Trocheck with Chytil, Vesey with Kreider. These new pairings with the “kids” getting more time together and a part is diversifying the lines and making it much harder for teams to counter. I think predictability (and terrible aim) has been a problem.

The Power Play and Penalty Kill units are working again and that’s an integral part to winning. All of these good things need to keep improving. This is probably the most hopeful the fan base has been all season. Toronto is next on Thursday and that’s another big test. Besting Vegas, St Louis, and New Jersey gives a lot of confidence going up against another top team. That confidence was at an all time low during the losing streak and having this momentum should help a lot.

The big problem remains turnovers. Trouba in particular stands out for this. Panarin has been getting better but the dumb high risk cross ice passes at the worst times are still confounding to watch time and time again. More diciplin on this is needed.

After Toronto, it’s Philly and Chicago on the weekend. Those are easy games, but only if the Rangers don’t fall into their lackadaisical trap. They have to show up for every 60 minutes. All of these points are adding up and making a difference. Losing to the bottom teams has to stop in order to make the playoffs. The remainder of the week is very important.

11-10-5

Every part of the Rangers’ game is regressing. The time for concern is over, we have reached a low point that is unacceptable. Something or some things are broken on this team and all of it needs to be fixed.

Lost to New Jersey by blowing a 2 goal lead. Lost to Edmonton by blowing a 3 goal lead. Beat Ottawa. Lost to Ottawa in OT after blowing the lead in the last minute of the game. Got completely embarrassed by Chicago last night. In the last 10 days, the Rangers have lost to the worst teams in the league. Wins are so far and few between it’s like putting a full 60 minutes of competing in a game is an afterthought.

None of the systems are functioning now. There is no structure. The first Power Play unit is getting nothing done despite a stacked roster. It’s like 28 million dollars out there and they’ve scored once or twice in 8 games. They’re like 2-22 or something ridiculous like that. Tumbled down to 22nd in the league I think. Could be lower now. The Penalty Kill is now falling apart. Used to be reliable, and kept the team in games, and now last night against Chicago, they let in 3 goals! Three powerplay goals from a team that had lost 8 games in a row! Face off wins are sliding down, hitting posts instead of the net (4 last night!), or outright completely missing the net. The stupid high-risk passing that was going on when Quinn was coaching for some reason won’t stop. The odds of you making a pass through 3 players with their sticks on the ice for a one timer is so low I don’t understand the thought process. Time and time again these passes fail and become turnovers.

Easy points are being tossed away and the next four games are completely stacked. St. Louis tomorrow, which is our best chance to win because the Blues are either switched on or off. Then It’s Vegas, Colorado, and New Jersey.

The dysfunction is so bad that it’s hard to believe that the team is listening to Gallant. It looks like they expect to lose now so they don’t try. This bizarre apathy is taking root and at this rate, the playoffs will be embarrassingly out of reach. This is turning into the most disappointing season in a long time. It’s awful to watch. If they don’t turn things around by Christmas, I don’t think it’s possible that Gallant has a job in January.

10-8-4

The New York Rangers spent a week on the West coast just before Thanksgiving. In the four game trip, they went 2-1-1. Losing in OT to Seattle was disappointing but the loss to Anaheim was a disaster. A team with the Rangers’ talent cannot fail to a team at the bottom of the rankings. That’s just throwing points out of the window and the best way to make it harder to make the playoffs. Then the Rangers followed up that disaster with an embarrassing loss to Edmonton at home. Blew a 3-goal lead in the third period to lose 4-3. Depressing.

The thing is, the first two periods against Edmonton were great. Active play on offense and defense. They kept McDavid and Draisaitl from doing anything. Stopped plays from progressing in the middle of the ice. Getting the Oilers to get called on penalties. Scoring five times! Two were called off due to goalie interference and offsides but the Rangers were largely in control for the entire game. Then they stopped in the third period. Penalties were called on the Rangers that turned into goals (2), the last being the game-winning goal by Draisaitl. The Oilers just got to do whatever they wanted to do. Mindboggling.

It feels like the Rangers don’t have the killer instinct to win. They get too confident and play down, which puts them into a ditch they can’t climb out of. The come-from-behind win in LA last week is I think the only come-from-behind win this season. If not, it might be 3 total, something very low. And they came back from being down 2-0 after the first period in that one. It was like watching last season’s team tear things up!

Games keep falling away from them. They should be 14-5-3, not this wobbly just over .500 run that feels like it’s ready to fall apart at any time. Panarin hasn’t scored in 12 games now. The Power Play has gone completely ice cold. You need those player advantage goals to win games. Against Edmonton, the Penalty Kill fell apart. You need that defense to win games.

It’s disturbing to see how this team is playing now. The lessons learned and the momentum they had from last season are gone. Sure they didn’t keep the end-of-season trades they made (Copp, Vatrana, Motte) but the additions over the off-season and the core of the team are solid. This caliber of play is all wrong. Is this a confidence issue? Is something up in the locker room? Are players hurt? Is it a coaching issue? Do the lines need to be re-arranged?

There’s a pivotal game tonight against the Devils who are having the best season in like a decade. 18-4? The top three teams in the league with Boston and Las Vegas. The Devils are clicking and the Rangers aren’t. The Rangers have to play like a functioning team or they are going to get run over tonight. This is a major rivalry no matter what, but some serious pride is on the line here. This is the first meeting of 4 this season so it’s only a sample of what’s to come but it could be a telling matchup showing a team that is going to continue succeeding and another that might not make it out of the regular season.