N.Y. Rangers: Another Poor Performance at the Penguin Palace

From the desk: RAISE GRESCHNER WITH THE GREATS

Penguins Lead Rangers; 5-1

I - PITT 4; NYR 3

II - PITT 3; NYR 2

III - PITT 5; NYR 4

IV - NYR 3; PITT 1

V - PITT 5; NYR 1

VI - PITT 4; NYR 2

Who's On First, What's On Second, Who the Eff Is In The Middle?

How did the Rangers have more shots on goal than Pittsburgh?  Where did all these opportunities come from, because I just didn't see it?  Maybe someone can please inform me of the Rangers' time of possession for Tuesday's game?  

I kept telling my wife ... watch when they enter the offensive zone how quickly they lose possession of the puck.  Then she asks/yells/tells me ... why isn't anyone in the effing middle?  Look, it's empty out there; why isn't someone near the net?  So then I said ... that's because we don't have anyone big and rough and tough enough to win battles in the corners and make good passes to the so-called skilled players.

😠

However, in a brief moment of joy, I was pleased to see Kaako/Chytil/Lafreniere on the same line and the return of Jacob Trouba.  Otherwise, Jack Johnson's first period goal means little to nothing for me.

Brett Howden is averaging roughly 13:00 minutes through 24 games to date.  The man has just two shots on goal in his last ten games.  He has just 18 total shots on goal, but eight came within the season's first six games.  Which is to say, since Jan. 28, Brett Howden has registered a mere ten shots over his last 18 games.  Just to be a jerk, Casey Cizikas of the Islanders has 33 shots on goal through 26 games, with four goals and ten points.

By the way, Penguins centermen accounted for five points, while all Rangers' centermen accounted for just one point, a power-play goal by Ryan Strome in the third, his sixth of the season.  That's an improvement.  Because on Sunday, Blueshirt centermen accounted for just four shots and one goal from Mika Zibanejad.  In comparison, Penguins centers took nine shots on goal, tallying three goals and four assists for seven points, giving them 12 points in two games versus an inconsequential two points for the Rangers.

Making his 18th appearance of the season, Pittsburgh goalie Tristan Jarry faced 35 shots, stopping all but one at even strength.  

In only his second start of the season and back-to-back against the Pens, Keith Kinkaid faced 21 even-strength shots allowing three and faced 26 shots overall.  The Rangers were outscored by the Penguins over the last two games by a 9-3 margin.  Said another way, Pittsburgh tripled the Rangers output.

• Artemi Panarin Count: 16 days; the Rangers are 4-4-0 in his absence.

Where's Phil Esposito when you need him?

N.Y. Rangers: Blueshirts Pick Up Against Boston Where Long Islanders Leave Off

From the desk: RAISE GRESCHNER WITH THE GREATS

FEW AND DISTANCED FANS RETURN TO 

MADISON SQUARE GARDEN

FRIDAY

Bruins  2

Rangers 6

FINAL

Third Time Is A Charm; Blueshirts Defeat Division Leading Bruins

Brad Marchant, very early in the first period, tried setting the tone for the rest of the evening, pinning Adam Fox in the corner, even dropping his gloves.  But Fox refused to oblige, and Marchant ponderously escaped without a penalty.  Marchant was nonetheless successful, as the shorthanded Rangers on this night decided they weren't having any of it, and so the tone indeed was set.  Big hits, obligatory crosschecks, scrums, and bad words abounded.  

In their first meeting against the Bruins, the Rangers were plus-eight in hits but a woeful minus-16 in face-offs and minus-three in shots on goal en route to a 3-2 loss.  Then despite a tighter 1-0 defeat in the second meeting, Boston was in clear command, outhitting the Rangers 31-22, going plus-five on faceoffs, and a plus-nine on shots on goal.  Through the first two games, each team went scoreless on the power play.  Boston was scoreless in eight opportunities, and the Ranger came empty in six chances. 

On Friday, the correlation between winning face-offs, possession, drawing penalties, and shots on goal works in the Rangers' favor for a change.  The Blueshirts were plus-four in hits, plus-one in face-offs, and plus-one in shots on goal.  In the second period, Colin Blackwell scored the first power-play goal of the series by either team, while Boston was once again held to 0/3 on the man-advantage.

At 13:16, Julien Gauthier opened the scoring assisted by Ryan Lindgren, who clashed with David Pastrnak during the game.  Ryan Strome opened the second period scoring on a beautiful feed from Alexis Lafreniere at 2:32, but Patrice Bergeron scored just 1:30 later.  Afterwhich the roof caved in on Boston.  The Rangers scored twice in the closing two minutes of the second period on a power-play goal from Colin Blackwell, then just twelve seconds later on Chris Kreider's ninth of the season assisted by Strome.  Picking up where they left off, the Rangers strike quickly in the third on Pavel Bushnevich's fifth of the season at 1:45, and Jonny Brodzinski's first goal of the season and only the sixth of his career at the 3:43 mark.  Brad Marchant added an inconsequential goal at 7:51 to cap off the night's scoring.

I'm pleased to see Brendan Lemieux's minutes were increased.  He mustered three shots on goal and, late in the third, got stuffed on a good drive to the net.  Alexis Lafreniere registers just his second point of the season.  Chris Kreider now has five goals in his last three games and a team-leading nine for the season.  Rangers' centermen generated 13 (38%) shots on goal with four goals and two assists for six points.  However, Bret Howden has just one point in his last 13 games and only two for the season.  With three more points against the Bruins, Ryan Strome unexpectedly leads Rangers centers this season with 13 points.

This is the second straight night the Bruins have gotten their doors blown off.  Thursday, on the front end of back-to-back nights, the Long Islanders drubbed the Bruins by a 7-2 final at Uniondale.  The Islanders centermen joined for 14 shots on goal with two goals and three assists for five points.  

The Rangers and Bruins resume hostilities again on Sunday.

N.Y. Rangers: Devils Cleared to Resume Play

From the desks: THE BRICK CITY STYX & RAISE GRESCHNER WITH THE GREATS

BATTLE of the HUDSON

TUESDAY

DEVILS

vs.

RANGERS

FROM

Eighth Ave Ice Hut

Brick City hadn't played since Jan. 31, when they defeated the Sabres at Buffalo.  After which, their next five games were postponed.  Upwards of nineteen players were placed into COVID protocol.  Eight more players have recently been cleared to play.  If any of the remaining five players tests negative on Monday, they will be made available to play Tuesday night.  Jack Hughes is cleared to play as it presently stands, but Nico Hischier and Travis Zajac are not.  Through nine games, the Devils established a 4-3-2 record.  The rest of the league to date has generally played anywhere from 13 to 17 games.  New Jersey defeated the Rangers on Jan. 19 at Madison Square Garden.

After practice, Coach Quinn listed Artemi Panarin as out for Tuesday's game.  Sure, that puts Coach in a bind, but his decision to start Colin Blackwell on the first line with Mike Zibanejad and Chris Kreider is somewhat questionable.  We'll see in the next few games to come whether or not this decision is in reaction to recent slippage from Pavel Buchnevich.  Meanwhile, the teenagers Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafreniere will be joined together and centered by Ryan Strome - that's intriguing.  But I still need more Brendan Lemieux on the ice.  Let him play this game with Buchnevich and perhaps Brett Howden or Kevin Rooney.  

Of course, I won't get my way.

N.Y. Rangers: Mix and Match Madness

From the desk: RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS

THURSDAY

Rangers    3

Sabres       2

FINAL/OT

Nice way to score your first NHL goal ... Colin Blackwell recovers the puck in the neutral zone and handles it into Buffalo's end.  He finds Alexis Lafreniere on the left wing, who wrists the puck past Buffalo goalie Linus Ullmark's stick side at the 2:47 mark of overtime.  It's Lafreniere's first NHL point through his first seven games.  To date, he has taken 13 shots on goal for an average of 1.8 shots per game.  However, four shots came Thursday against Buffalo.  It appears, then, Lafreniere is getting a little more comfortable.  

Now, if only Coach Quinn can just stop shifting Lafreniere up and down the lines.  That said, Coach Quinn, this season, also had Lafreniere switch sides and played him on the right wing.  It just makes me wanna scream, STOP!  Can we please give this kid some stability and line continuity?  The loss of Filip Chytil complicates matters.  Do you want Lafreniere playing with Ryan Strome or Brett Howden?  If you're going to play him on the first line, keep him on the first line.  If you want him playing on the third line, keep him on the third line with Colin Blackwell and Philip Di Giuseppe?  At least Di Giuseppe brings some physicality to the ice.  The point being, stop coaching in a panic, and let's settle the third line.  Start giving the lines some routine and stability.

How about winning some more face-offs!

The Rangers' biggest problem has been in the net.  But as I keep saying ... you can't be disappointed with what you do not expect.  Like the forward lines, just let the young goaltenders play.  Making his fourth start, Shesterkin faced 25 shots and stopped all but two (one even strength, one on the penalty kill) en route to his first win of the season.

N.Y. Rangers: Education of the Young Blueshirts Continues

From the desk: RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS

DEFENSE

Fifteen Goals Against 

3rd Least East Division

PENGUINS SHMENGUINS ... ON TO BUFFALO and #SABRESMAFIA

Two blown third-period leads, two straight losses against the Penguins, and three losses in a row.  The Rangers are now 1-3-1 in a 56 game regular season.  

I don't mind, because I have no expectations.  Into the fire, let them play.  For now, I'm content with letting these young Blue Shirts learn how to lose.  By that, I mean coming to understand the fine line between playing sixty minutes and everything else.  It's part of the process.  If I may, the devil is in the details.  This is still a rebuilding team.  Therefore, I'm more interested in development, improvement, and progress. 

In the meantime, my eyes are peeled on Filip Chytil.  The biggest reasons are because on occasion he centers Alexis Lafreniere just as Coach Quinn has a tendency of shifting Kaapo Kakko up and down in lines.  Chytil, 21-years old, through five games, has two goals and one assist while averaging just under thirteen minutes of tice time.  Meanwhile, through five games Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko have posted a total of just two points.  Chytil assisted on Kaapo's second period goal in their second tilt against the Islanders.  Sunday's game against the Penguins was another instance wherein Kakko was lined up with Chytil and Philip Di Giuseppe who by the way has four assists in four games.

On that note, I prefer Coach roll out four lines more consistently.  What coach on occasion wouldn't want to add Artemi Panarin next to Zibanejad and Chris Kreider.  But I ask discipline of my coach.  I also want to see Brendan Lemieux more, and if that means next to Brett Howden and Julien Gauthier or Di Giuseppe on an acceptable rotational basis, so be it. 

CENTERS of ATTENTION

• Mika Zibanejad - 5 games; one goal; one assist; (-2); leads team w/ 16 SOG; 19:57 minutes.
• Ryan Strome - 5 games; one goal; no assists; (-1); second on team w/ 14 SOG; 20:11 minutes.
• Filip Chytil - 5 games; two goals; one assist; (+3); 12 SOG; 12:56 minutes.

As we know, the defense was a big problem last season.  So far, they've allowed the third least goals within the eight team East Division.  Only the Devils and Islanders have yielded less.  Adam Fox is fast becoming a star, and for the moment, Ryan Lindgren is winning the day.  Along with Jacob Trouba and K'Andre Miller, the four are settling the blue line.  Lest we forget the Rangers potentially still have more talent on the way.  Therefore, this is still a work in progress.  In the meantime, I can do without Jack Johnson's experience.  He is wasting roster space and stealing minutes away from, say, Tony DeAngelo and Brendan Smith.  I imagine Tony DeAngelo is still trying to regain a comfortable space within the locker room, but his play, coming off a 53-point season in 68 games, speaks for itself.  Brendan Smith is still capable on a third pair for as long he's not opposing top line forwards.  But I'd still rather see Smith with DeAngelo in a somewhat regular rotation than having Jack Johnson on the ice.

UPDATE: Jan. 26, 2021, 1:26 p.m.

NYP - FILIP CHYTIL OUT FOUR TO SIX WEEKS