N.Y. Rangers: Off-Broadway Deficiencies Center Stage Against Bruins

From the desk: RAISE GRESCHNER WITH THE GREATS

FRIDAY

Bruins      1

Rangers   0

FINAL

For Now, Boston is the Rangers' Measure of All Things

Two games against the division's top team, so how did the Rangers stack up?  They lost in overtime on Wednesday, then lost 1-0 at home again on Friday.

Outside of the obligatory costly mistake, both games were otherwise tightly contested.  The Rangers showed a lot of fight during the second go-around on Friday.  On Wednesday, fresh face Anthony Bitetto roughed up and tangled with Chris Wagner.  Brendan Lemieux in Friday's game exchanged potatoes with Trent Frederic, and even Pavel Buchnevich uncharacteristically fought with Jeremy Lauzon.  The Rangers also generated viable scoring chances, but goalies Jaroslav Halak and Tuuka Rask played exceedingly well in each game.  

It is what it is; I'll take this kind of effort every night.  This was merely another instance of playing well enough to lose.  Dare I say that's a good thing.  When you're a rebuilding team, the lessons learned via the hard-luck loss are invaluable.  Playing top competition is the best teacher.  The Bruins were able to shoehorn one goal by Igor Shesterkin.  Everything is fine.

With Artemi Panarin out, Coach Quinn had no choice but to dial-up Kaapo Kakko and Alexi Lafreniere's minutes.  With each entering the series averaging under fifteen minutes a game, Kakko played over 19 minutes on Wednesday and over 18 minutes on Friday.  Lafreniere skated for just 12:40 in the front end but 16:56 in the second game.  Neither player registered a point against the Bruins.

Through two games, the Bruins outshot the Rangers by a 62-56 margin.  The more significant disparity lay in face-offs, with Boston owning a lopsided 60-39 advantage.  Both teams were scoreless on the power play; eight opportunities for the Rangers and six for the Bruins.

At the end of the day, the Rangers scored just three goals in two games.  Perhaps because Boston is tied for third in the NHL with a +14 point differential.  They are the third stingiest team in the NHL and easily the stingiest within the division.

Fine, but what of the anomaly named Mike Zibanejad?  He skated 21:49 minutes on Wednesday with four shots on goal and no points, then skated for 24:21 minutes on Friday, managing zero shots on goal.  

In two games against the Bruins, the position of center generated 18 shots on goal but just one point on a goal by Kevin Rooney.  Six of those shots were from Ryan Strome in Wednesday's game.  But on Friday, Strome and Zibanejad joined for just one shot on goal.  The Rangers centermen accounted for just four shots on goal on Friday, whereas the Bruins centermen accounted for 14 shots.  Overall, Boston centers generated two points (on an assist by Patrice Bergeron and a goal by Brad Marchand) on 23 shots on goal. 

Lastly, I need more Brendan Lemieux on the ice.  He has a goal and three assists in limited action.  Meanwhile, he's been disciplined insofar as not taking dumb (keyword) penalties while very effectively adding much-needed physicality.  Confined within this division with six games left against the Bruins, Coach Quinn is gonna need him.