N.Y. Rangers: Killing Us Softly With Poke Checks

From the desk of:  RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS

UNDER SIEGE

New York Rangers: Who Fails To Answer The Battle Cry Of Henrik the Great?  Why Are There No King's Horses?  Where Are The King's Men?

Just as the Rangers were felled by the old one-two against the Islanders and Penguins back in October, they walked right into the same stiff jab and overhand right ... again.

Let me take you back to October 17; the Rangers play the Pittsburgh Penguins at Madison Square Garden.  Henrik Lundqvist faces 33 shots on goal and the Rangers lose 5-4 in overtime.  Two nights later, the Rangers host the New York Islanders.  This time Henrik faces 38 shots on goal, and the Rangers lose 4-3 in shootout.

This past weekend ... one day after getting KO'd by the New York Islanders, the Rangers allowed the Pittsburgh Penguins 46 shots on goal.

I repeat, the Rangers, on Sunday, allowed the Penguins 46 shots on goal.

What in the name of Lester Patrick ... forty-six freaking shots on goal..!

The Rangers entered the mid-winter recess losing two of three, sandwiching a victory over the lowly Coyotes in between a pair of losses against Chicago and Vegas.

That's when I decided to crunch some numbers.  Sure enough, my suspicion was correct - Henrik Lundqvist is facing more shots on goal this season than at any other time in his career.

Under John Tortorella, Lundqvist was facing an average of 28.5 shots on goal per game.  That number inched up to 28.9 during Alain Vigeault's first two seasons as head coach.  During the next two seasons from 2015 through 2017, that number shot up to 30.2 shots on goal.  This season, the opposition is now averaging a whopping 31.9 shots on goal against Alain Vigneault's system Henrik Lundqvist.

As previously noted, the soft Rangers were off last Monday through Friday.  So, in order to get Henrik a full seven-days week of rest, Ondrej Pavelec started on Jan. 7 at Vegas, where he faced 34 shots on goal.  He then started Saturday's return from the break against the Islanders.  But Alain Vigneault was forced to pull him, not because he faced 19 shots and allowed five goals in under 27 minutes, but because the rest of the SMURFS team failed to show up.  Lundqvist wound up facing 18 shots in just over 33 minutes of wasted time.

No day off for you!

Then Sunday happened.

In yet another slow start, the Rangers fell behind just 3:14 into the game.  However, thanks to (reliable veteran) Michael Grabner, (and the rarest of goals from) Brendan Smith, the Rangers took a 2-1 lead into the first intermission.

But the lead was short-lived.  After the Rangers bailed themselves out of trouble early in the second period with two successful penalty kills, opposing blueliners Brendan Smith and Jamie Oleksiak decided to go at it.  After which, the Rangers seemingly lost their fight(?).  Two even strength goals later, and Rangers trailed 3-2 after two periods.  Pittsburgh was able to unleash 18 shots on goal in the second period.  They took another 16 shots on goal in the third period en route to another pair of goals, and a 5-2 final score.

In two games against the Islanders, the Rangers have now allowed 75 shots on goal.  After three games against the Penguins, Lundqvist and Pavelec together have now faced a total of 124 shots on goal (Pavelec faced 44 SOG on Dec. 5).  It's no wonder the Rangers were outscored 14-29 in these five games alone.

Henrik turns 36-years old in March, yet has now appeared in 37 of the Rangers 44 games played to date.  This puts him on pace to appear in his most games since 2010-2011, when he appeared in 68 games as a 29-year old.  Unfortunately, the schedule only gets tougher from here on out.  Therefore, opportunities for time off will be far and few between.  You watch.

How can I be so sure?

Because here we are following the same old script: the SMURFS Rangers will grow increasingly desperate over the final twelve weeks of the regular season, invariably scrambling to snag a wild card spot.

Henrik Lundqvist knows this better than anyone in that locker room.  He knows damn well what lies ahead; he sees this as clearly as the nightly parade of bodies in front of his net with nary a Ranger jersey in sight.  He also knows the Rangers are spineless points differential is tanking - now down to only plus/three - and fading fast.

And then what?

On the chances they do make the playoffs, the media makes Henrik the scapegoat anyway.  So if you do not think these very matters were circulating through his mind while he admonished the team in front of a packed Garden crowd on Saturday, then I beg to differ.  He's been there, done that.

The proof is in the standings.

The Metropolitan Division is packed tighter than my kitchen junk drawer.  Washington, Columbus, and New Jersey, still maintain the all-important top three spots.  How long the junior Devils continue playing above expectations remains to be seen, although, I do believe their style is sustainable.  The Rangers fan in me also believes the Devils will somehow ultimately decide the Blueshirts fate on Apr. 3, when they meet at the Rock.

I digress.

Losers of three straight, the Rangers remain stalled at 49-points.  With Sunday's victory, the Penguins (51-points) move into fourth place ahead of the Rangers.  Tangled up right behind the gutless Rangers with 48-points are, Philadelphia, the Islanders, and Carolina.

And right on cue, the Rangers have also been bumped down to eighth place in the conference standings.

So start growing those beards now.  Must win hockey has begun ... in January.

New year ... same Vigneault crap.

Poke check that..!



UPDATE: THE RANGERS ARE NOW ON THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN.
Islanders (50-points) defeat Montreal; move into eighth place of Eastern Conference standings. Ninth place Rangers (49-points) face the Flyers (48-points) on Tuesday.