N.Y. Rangers: Strong Start Masks Weak Flank

From the desk of:  RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS

Back in the City

NEW YORK RANGERS: You can lead this Tex's Ranger disciple to water, but you can't make me drink the kool-aid.

The Rangers will pay for their lack of physicality

when the Tax Man Cometh in Spring

ICYIM:

NYR: The Coach Who Cried Wolf

In the spate of three games, Tex's Rangers knocked off the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks and the Columbus Blue Jackets both on the road, then completed a sweep of their home and home against the Blue Jackets in Saturday night's season opener at Madison Square Garden.

They accumulated six quick points along the way, while doubling up their opponents by a 12 to 6 goal margin.

That's quite a first week of hockey.

Game 1: Wednesday @ Chicago - Season Opener

After a lengthy Stanley Cup banner raising ceremony, the Rangers ruined an otherwise glorious night for Blackhawk fans.  In the days leading up to the season opener, the Miller/Stalberg/Lindberg forward line generated the most concern.  As such, Oscar Lindberg dampened the mood right away with an opening goal at the 1:48 mark of the 1st. 

The Blackhawks finally tied the game at the 14:24 mark.  But he Rangers responded with two more 1st period goals by Kevin Klein and Derek Stepan providing the difference in a 3-2 victory.

Game 2: Friday @ Columbus

MattZuccs opened the scoring, but despite a 1-1 tie through two periods, the Blue Jackets arguably outplayed the Blueshirts.  Columbus, however, was unable to convert on four power play opportunities.   

The Blue Jackets out-shot the Rangers by a 23-16 margin.  In the 3rd period, Brandon Saad's finally converted Columbus' fifth PP opportunity of the game giving the Blue Jackets a 2-1 lead.

Columbus then fell apart like wet toilet paper.  The Rangers registered three unanswered goals within span of just 1:14 allowing the Rangers to escape Ohio with their second victory of the season.

Game 3: Saturday @ MSG - Home Opener

An immediate fore-check resulted in three costly Blue Jackets defensive zone turnovers. The Rangers cashed in on all three, and led 3-0 after just 5:48 of play. Two Columbus goals late in the 3rd period gave Tex's Rangers opening night game its 5-2 final score.

When the Rangers have their choreography down, sometimes Vigneault's system is a true marvel to behold.  Look no further than Columbus, whom are regarded as an early Eastern Conference favorite, not to mention one of the Conference's toughest teams.  Yet, the Rangers took them completely out of their game, sparing themselves from Columbus' more punishing style of play.

The above reflects Alain Vigneault's emphasis on effort and proper positioning on defense, effective fore-checking, puck possession, then generally staying ahead of any disruptive physicality with quick decision making and passing, and of course, skating with speed.  He wants his defensemen passing the puck out of the zone quickly, and he wants his forwards in deep.

The Rangers will play well and accumulate many points this season.  I have no doubt they'll be an upper echelon Metropolitan Division force.  But, they will continue sustaining big hits along the way.  Just remember getting hit, exchanging hits, and initiating hits, all effect games differently.

Said another way, my eyes tell me very little regarding the Rangers overall condition has changed.

Vigneault wants to stay a step ahead, but opposing forwards are still following through and punishing his defensemen nonetheless.  The blue liners are blocking pucks, getting pounded from behind, and getting pushed off the puck by bigger forwards.  Teams know it's open season on Blue Shirts.  They know retaliation, for the most part, won't come.

And frankly, Tanner Glass is not the answer - at least not by himself.  Since I'm going there, when do you actually see Marc Staal use his body to separate forwards from the puck?  He poke-checks you death, but he won't hit you, much.  How many times can Girardi get blasted from behind?  How many cheap shots will the Rangers allow their goalie to endure?  I already witnessed my first questionable indiscretion against Henrik that went unaddressed.  The next incident is just a matter of time.

Yet, the Rangers get by defensively with superior positioning, stick work, and quick exits out of the zone.

Right now, everything is great.  But over the course of the season, this style will wear on them, again. Alain Vigneault wants to get things done based on talent, and talent alone.  But I will forever maintain you can't win without a complimentary measure of toughness.

If the Rangers were tougher, they wouldn't have gone as long as they did against the Washington Capitals, whom punished the Rangers, but succumbed to their better coach and collective skill.  By Round Three however, the Rangers were bruised, battered, and spent.  Their forward lines mustered nothing in Game Seven against the Bolts.

Simply put, the Rangers never had the forwards that get deep and punish defensemen off the puck.   Instead, the Rangers forwards are the ones getting pushed off.  When I watch Rick Nash get bumped around, I just shake my head.  He lacks killer instinct in that respect.  He's great when well fed, but left to stalk his own prey, not so much (not for his size and skill).

King Henrik's Taxes:

All this means Henrik Lundqvist will once again be asked to carry the heaviest load, and make 100 saves a game.  That said, Lunqvist (now 33-yrs old) has faced 106 shots on goal, and has stopped exactly 100 through the first three games of the season.

The problem is this:

• Game One - CHI 39 SOG; NYR 29 SOG
• Game Two - CBJ 33 SOG; NYR 25 SOG
• Game Three - CBJ 34 SOG; NYR 27 SOG
• Total - Opponents 106 SOG; NYR 81 SOG

The Rangers are operating at a deficit.

Never too early to do the right thing:

Performance wise, salary cap wise, locker room wise, and particularly fan wise, Dan Boyle has officially become the 800-pound gorilla on the roster.  He is a problem.

Meanwhile, there's a potential solution. Some of what the Rangers lack physically, and on defense, could potentially be addressed by giving Dylan McIlrath regular ice time.  It's not so much a case of Boyle's inadequacies, it's just that McIlrath addresses more important, physical matters that ultimately affect everyone, most importantly Henrik Lundqvist.

And let's face it - McIlrath can't do any worse.  Three games into the season may seem hasty, but this issue has lingered far longer than that.

The Rangers don't have to eat his salary, just make Boyle the odd man out.

The Rivalry: Islanders Show Rangers Who's Number One

From the desks of:

BROOKLYN'S FOSTER HOCKEY CLUB  &  RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS

THE RIVALRY

Islanders lead series 2-0

I - NYI 6; NYR 3

II - NYI 3; NYR 0

III - @Long Island

IV - @ Long Island

V - @ Long Island

Look What The Long Islanders Did To The Rangers..., Again!

That's twice this season the Islanders have beaten the Rangers by a factor of three.

The majority of Tuesday night's much anticipated game took place in the Rangers end.   Whatever offense the Rangers mounted, usually resulted in a blocked shot, a turnover, or otherwise ended quickly.  To their credit, they did hit 3 posts, but this ain't horseshoes, Tex.

The Islanders had 19 SOG in the 2nd period alone, and out-shot the Rangers 44-27 for the game; the most shots on goal the Rangers have allowed this season.

In the battle of net minders, Jaroslav Halak wound up making 27 saves, and faced just 6 shots in the 3rd period en route to a shutout.  At the other end, Henrik Lundqvist was pulled in favor of Cam Talbot after falling behind 3-0 after two periods.  Henrik faced 32 shots in two periods.

During intermission after that 2nd period debacle, Ron Duguay said the Rangers looked tired.

Okay Ron, I'll play.  The Rangers wrapped up their west coast trip on Saturday, flew back home, and had an extra day off to shake whatever jet lag....

Perhaps the Rangers were tired because they kept having to back peddle after numerous neutral zone turnovers, or a general lack of puck possession, and having to chase the Isles in transition.

Asst. Coach Ulf Samuelsson was a little closer to the truth.  After the 2nd period, he said the team's energy level was down, the Rangers were too slow, and that their execution was poor.

I'll buy that.

After the game, Ryan McDonagh said they didn't work hard enough.  I'll buy that too.

Dan Boyle said Long Island shifted into another gear, particularly in the 2nd.  That's troublesome.

Now here's my angle.

Plain and simple - the Islanders were more tenacious to loose pucks, and more physical around the net.

Matt Martin and Johnny Boychuk led with 6 hits each.  Boychuk put one particularly big hit on Rick Nash, and Derek Stepan was a game casualty with an undisclosed upper body injury.  Meanwhile, Lee Stempniak was the lone Rangers forward with at least 4 hits.

Fact is, Long Island's four lines are generally bigger than those of the Rangers.  If anything, the Rangers unfortunately waited for time to expire before finally showing a backbone (thank you 38-year old Dan Boyle).

The Islanders already had one goal waived off.  Then on Long Island's first official goal, Dan Girardi (6'2'' 203lbs.) could do little in the way of preventing Anders Lee (6'3" 230lbs.) from establishing position and cleaning up a rebound.

Michael Grabner, who is still getting his game legs back, likewise created disruptive traffic in the crease on Nikolay Kulemin's goal.

Frans Nielson's interception and shorthanded goal was just..., just...,

We know the Rangers are not a physical team.  Now the Islanders just wrote the book on how to neutralize their speed.

That's also troublesome.

The series will shift to Long Island for the remaining three games of this series.



Mike

N.Y. Rangers: Rick Nash TKOs St. Louis Blues In Opener

From the desk of:  RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS

NEW YORK RANGERS: Was that a fresh start or salt in our wounds?

Is there such a thing as an exasperating opening night victory?

When Rick Nash is involved, yes.

He scored the 1st Rangers goal of the new season, and wound up depositing the game winner in a 3-2 victory over St. Louis.

• Nash - 2 goals, assist
• Kreider - goal, assist
• St. Louis - 2 assists

Chalk one up to a fresh start?  Unlike how last season ended, last night the Rangers got that one last 3rd period goal they so desperately needed to avoid overtime - a small consolation, I know.

Rick Nash?  Well..., he continues to perpetuate his own growing myth by proving to be a great regular season player who disappears in the playoffs.  He already has more goals than he did in all of May and June.

An opening night goal by Kreider is a very positive sign.  In fact, with (center) Derek Stepan out, we have to like what we saw out of the {Nash, St. Louis, Kreider} line.

On to Columbus:

The Rangers 1st Metropolitan Division showdown....

Rangers vs. Blue Jackets has quickly become a very nice rivalry.  On Saturday, one team will leave the ice with their 1st defeat of the season.

This should be a particularly fun game for Rick Nash (again), as well as being another chance for Ranger fans to watch old friends (who now have it out for their former team).

There's a lot of stored energy in these Dubinsky players, and old scores to settle.  Although it's early, the Clash in Columbus should be very entertaining indeed.

Singing the Blues...

Down goes Boyle!

So much for making his Rangers debut - defenseman Dan Boyle will miss the next 4 to 6 weeks with a broken hand suffered while blocking a shot against the Blues.

That could spell trouble.  Defensive depth is supposed to be the Rangers strength.  Although he's 38-years old and one of the smaller blueliners on the team, he's smart and still very effective.

Boyle joins Derek Stepan on DL.




Mike