This is going to be a little shorter than usual since I need to get to bed here in a few minutes.
If you read my previous semi-rant following the Rangers last win against the Lightning you knew that I was a little worried about this team. You could see little bad habits creeping into their game. Tonight they were exposed for their lack of effort in the first 30 minutes of this game and fell out of a hole they couldn’t dig themselves out of. Granted, they poured it on at the end of the game, and how they didn’t tie it on the Gaborik scoring attempt off the feed from Fedotenko or the Anisimov scoring attempt at the front of the net I will never know. But regardless, the Rangers didn’t come to play, and it cost them 2 key points. In this NHL you have to play 60 minutes a night, ever night. You can’t half ass half a game, or you will get burned. You have to respect the opposition and play hard from the puck drop. The Rangers didn’t and it cost them.
Towards the end of the game the Rangers seemed to get a little rattled by the Maple Leafs physicality. They started throwing some huge hits out there, just leveling player after player, and the Rangers just seemed to back off a little when that happened. It happened late, and that’s when you need to pick it up, not back it off.
Personally I was not happy with Dan Girardis game at all tonight. He’s usually one of the smarter players we have out there, and his ability to read plays and make passes are second to none, but tonight he just seemed to be unable to keep up with the flow of the game. Horrible pinches, awful reads, and out of position all over the place. It’s a big reason why the Rangers had such difficulty containing the Lupul & Kessel combination. Ok, that’s all for now, I have a crazy busy day tomorrow and it’s already 2 am. Night!
Once again the Rangers did not play their best game. Once again the Rangers found a way to win. But here’s the problem with this. In general I have observed the Rangers tend to go through a predictable cycle when stuff like this happens.
First, they put together a few wins in a row. They will win these games playing like coach Tortorella wants them to. They will forecheck hard, they will hit the way Cally destroyed Stamkos tonight, they will block shots, they will sacrifice life and limb to stop pucks from going to their net, and they will be led by their stars with the support players chipping in as well. Then, they will start to get a little cocky. They will maybe not backcheck as hard as usual. They will keep winning, and then they will say, you know what, I don’t need to backcheck that hard, we’ll win anyway. Then they’ll not chase a loose puck as hard in the offensive zone, saying, you know what, I stopped backchecking hard and we still won, maybe I can stop forechecking hard and we will still win. Then Henrik Lundqvist will have to turn into a God, and he will win them a few games. So a 2 or 3 game winning streak becomes a 7 or 8 game winning streak, but right now the Rangers will be playing very bad hockey only to be bailed out by their star goalie. The workload will then wear out a battered Henrik, who is forced to make pacts with (Miroslav) Satan to keep pucks out of the net, and he will start to falter. Henrik will start giving up some bad goals here and there, and all of a sudden, the Rangers who were winning while playing bad hockey, will start losing while playing bad hockey. They will go on an extended losing streak, and because of Henrik being so worn out from having to play like a God, they will lose a few games they should have won because their goalie has been overworked.
This is the precarious games the Rangers play, and I have seen it every single frikkin year since I started watching this team many many many years ago. Right now they are getting close to winning games they don’t deserve because of their goalie. They aren’t there quite yet, but you can see it starting to tip. It’s been 2 straight games where you can say, you know, we really didn’t play all that great, but somehow we pulled out a win. People will say, rightfully so, that good teams find a way to win when they don’t play their best. But what separates a good team from a great team, is not just finding ways to win when you don’t play your best, but to correct mistakes quickly, and to keep up the level of intensity, and execution that brought you here and persevere through the expected crash that can be creeping up on you.
Hopefully I am not the only one who noticed the Rangers lax play with the puck tonight. They were turnover MACHINES. They blocked a lot of shots so the shot differential maybe made it seem like they played an outstanding game, but they really didn’t. There were numerous times they were pinned in their own zone, only to have the Bolts hit the post, or inexplicably shoot the puck wide with terrific chances to score. The Bolts also dropped into their stupid ass 1-3-1 when they were up early in the 3rd, and when that happened I knew the Rangers would win. Sitting back and letting the Rangers attack is pretty much the worst way to defend against us. Want to know how to play against the Rangers? You attack them with speed. Come at the inexperienced D hard, and forecheck, forecheck, forecheck. That’s how you win. Sitting back and trying to hold a lead is just play idiotic in this day and age of hockey. I don’t get why teams still try to do it. Tom Renney pretty much got fired from the Rangers for trying to play that stupid brand of hockey, and I’d expect a very competent GM in Steve Yzerman to see the writing on the wall as well with his coach, barring some miraculous change in philosophy. This is a very good team playing some very stupid hockey.
Getting quickly back to the Rangers before I head to bed, you have to give a ton of credit to Derek Stepan and Artem Anisimov for this win. They attacked the net, they got pucks on net, and they got us a win. That’s huge. Now it’s up to Torts to get the team playing Rangers hockey again, because what I am seeing right now isn’t really the kind of hockey I see winning us games against better teams. I want to see that team that beat the Caps, Flyers and Penguins, not the team that narrowly defeated the hapless Canes and pitiful Bolts.
This wasn’t a well played game by the Rangers. Starting in goal, out to the D, and the forwards. They didn’t play a great game. It wasn’t terrible, by any means, but it wasn’t the same brand of hockey we saw the past 3 games. With that said, you can’t expect the team to play at their best night in and night out. It’s just not realistic. So it’s pretty damn awesome that the Rangers can still pull out a win when they aren’t at their best. Especially in a typical trap game.
The Rangers best player tonight, and most nights (not including Henrik Lundqvist) was Marian Gaborik. Gabby has been flying this season, as I always knew he would. Last year was a total fluke, and I am convinced it was related to the boarding incident early in the season. Gabby lost his shot, and with his shot gone from his game it made him a whole lot easier to defend. You just take away his speed game by backing off and forcing him outside. Now Gabby is shooting, he’s passing, he’s driving the net. In short, he’s back, and that can only mean good things coming for the Rangers. The Rangers are now ranked 4th in the conference with a 6 point lead on the outside looking in crew, with between 1 and 4 games in hand depending on which team you are more concerned about.
Martin Biron had a very up and down game. At times he made some good stops to hold the lead, especially some screen chances early in the 3rd, but he also gave up 2 semi-weak goals right off of faceoffs. Henrik doesn’t give up 3 tonight, Henrik gives up, at most, 1. That’s the difference between a backup and a starter I suppose. Still, the ability to win games with your backup goalie in the net is huge for a team that wants to secure home ice in the first round.
Next up for the Rangers are the Tampa Bay Lightning who do pose their own problem for us. Martin St. Louis seems to eat this team for lunch with this speed and passing game. I’m not sure why, well, the fact that he’s an incredible player has something to do with it I’m sure, but the Rangers just can’t seem to contain the speedster. The Rangers just need to play with the puck in the Tampa zone. That team is awful defensively and in net. The whole 1-3-1 uproar is a total crock because the trap just doesn’t work in this day and age. Look at Boston, even with their defensive system they are aggressive forecheckers. That is how you win. That is how all the teams that have won have done it. Go get the puck, keep the puck, put the puck in the other teams net.