Now look at this.
Lets go back in time. We're going to the days of hockey before obstruction. A time where goalies were free to roam in their own zones to play the puck. The era prior to the infamous "Instigator Penalty" was inexplicably put into place. But most notably, the days before shootouts.
Back in those days, ALL of the Garden Faithful would be very concerned watching this 3-8-6 slide after an explosive 9-2-2 (in the non-shootout world!).
Come back to today.
The last two debacles against Montreal and Calgary have exposed holes and weaknesses in this Rangers team. The thing is that these weaknesses have been apparent ALL SEASON LONG.
Scoring, balanced scoring, the Power Play, scoring, defensive coverage and scoring. Yep.. that's all they're missing.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not asking Glen Sather for another fire-sale. This team is still in good shape if they can turn things around SOON. Still, the fact remains that we have some games-in-hand on teams- but those games are being made up. And, with 3-point games ever-present league wide, they're making up the points in the standings as well. Not to mention, again, that the Rangers have owned the EASIEST schedule in the league thus far.
What I am VERY concerned about is where the desire and the emotion that the Rangers played with in the first month of the season has gone. The team went from very entertaining (but still not scoring goals) to amazingly Devil-like in their approach. It's one thing to be a defensive coach with a defensive system, as Tom Renney admittedly is. It's another thing to pull back on the reins on the offensive creativity and production. I feel like those reins were never used on Jaromir Jagr.
In the beginning of the season, the Rangers were sharp and fast. Their passes were crisp, their back-checking relentless, and their hits jarring. No more. The Rangers are playing uninspired of late. Maybe even bored.
What do I suggest? Lets see...
1) Do what you have to in order to get Mats Sundin on the roster. This guy seems to be what the Rangers lack offensively, as well as in the locker room. Sundin allows Drury to move to a wing (a less pressurized position, and perhaps he isn't handling the Captain position too well either). The question is exactly what moves need to be made to make room Salary-cap wise to give him the $2.5-3 million he will demand. (Any takers for Roszival's gi-normous contract?)
2) Send down Kalinin, bring up Sanguinetti. Sure he may be a bit raw, but the kid can play. He's doing well in Hartford, and by being safe with his minutes, he can get the experience he needs, and provide some heart and excitement to the team. As far as Kalinin, it is addition by subtraction. He is simply inept on the ice.
3) Scrap the PP. Entirely. Bring on new combinations, a new formation (umbrella perhaps??) and a desire to shoot and crash the net. It honestly seems like the other teams are scoring more on Ranger PP's than the boys in blue are. I mean seriously... it's close.
4) Keep some lines together. There's a distinct line between looking for chemistry and not allowing your players to be comfortable, and Renney may be flirting with it. Sometimes (and apparently) chemistry doesn't come naturally between players- it must be built. Allow them the time to build instead of scrapping the lines after they go scoreless for a game, as we have seen Renney do lately.
Game Notes
Well, a few anyway.
- So Sam and Joe were RAVING about how the Rangers had stifled Calgary shooters, allowing 0 (zero) shots on goal for over 15 minutes. Then they get one, and the rebound of that shot is behind Henrik. Who didn't see THAT ONE coming? Honestly.
- Sorry for jinxing you Scott Gomez. Since I wrote about your inspired play against Pittsburgh, you're a -7, a lazy backchecker, a turnover machine, and an advocate of not shooting. Not a good combination.
- 8 Shorthanded goals? Eight? And you ate the whole wheel of cheese? I'm not even mad. That's amazing. Most teams don't give up that many in an entire season.
- It's upsetting to watch Henrik Lundqvist's numbers slipping because of awful decisions by his defensemen, and the equally inept goal-scoring abilities of his forwards. This man is, by far, the team's MVP.
- I thought the "sloppy seconds" chant at Flame's defenseman Dion Phaneuf, though maybe in bad taste, were very funny. Clearly there is still some love for Sean Avery at the Garden (though nowhere else).
- Best comment for the game goes to an anonymous Ranger fan, who proposed a brilliant roster move for this team...
"Maybe we should sign Plaxico... at least we know he shoots!"
-Rif
1 comment:
That's the problem, these guys have ZERO motivation right now.
Don't drop Kalinin just yet, wait until Redden is healthy and then start experimenting. You can't be playing Sanguietti and Potter on the same NHL roster, yet.
Here's an idea for the powerplay. STOP PUTTING ROSZIVAL OUT THERE!!
It's obvious, he SUCKS. He makes awful decisions and is usually out there for all of those shorties scored against us.
What I think is funny is that the Rangers lack shots on the powerplay. They lack chances in general. And take a look who gets no powerplay time: Mara and Staal. Even though Paul Mara may not be the most graceful skater, or even top d-man, HE. SHOOTS. He's one of the few people on the Rangers anymore who understands the concept of, "if I don't shoot the puck, I won't score. So hey, I'll throw the biscuit at the basket every chance I get because without chances, you won't have results." Staal also has a wicked shot and is more than mature enough to play on the powerplay and launch lasers from the point.
But no, every game, who's out there on the PP? Roszival-Redden, and Girardi-Kalinin. GET IT THROUGH YOUR HEAD RENNEY, ROSZ SUCKS!!
I have faith in Drury, he's a get guy, and has the capabilities to be a great captain. To me though it seems like he still can't shake being associated with Gomez, as they were signed at the same time. He really needs to set an example, go hard, make some plays, and show how great of a leader he really is. Captain Clutch hasn't shown up yet, but is the first 30 games really clutch time? Look for him to step it up for the rest of the season.
And Josh, drop the Sundin thoughts. There's just simply not enough cap space for him, and I was glad to see Sather moving on from his old style of obtaining players. We saw some exciting, young, fast-paced hockey in the first month. I'd like to keep moving that way, rather than sign a late 30s center (which we have too many of in the first place) who hasn't even set foot on the ice for an NHL game this season. We're already nearing the halfway point. He's more detrimental than a positive at this point. I don't want to see him in NY.
Although I do was Roszival GONE.
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