Dear New York Rangers, About Last Night…10/14/2014

You know that feeling after staying out late the previous night? When you walk in a daze and don’t want to remember what happened? Well, that’s what could be said for the New York Rangers embarrassing loss to the archrivals, New York Islanders. This type of game is more about bragging rights amongst the faithful. My team is better than your team. At this point of the season, it really doesn’t matter what place the teams are in the division. You just want to flat out beat your opponent and hang it over their heads till the next game. Well, last night’s bragging rights went to the Islanders and their fans. After a tight contest through the first two periods, the Rangers unravelled before our eyes. As I watched the game, I just thought to myself, “What happened?” I don’t know but what I do know is that team is in a three game funk right now and need to get squared away. Here are my thoughts from last night.

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In a loss like this, it’s hard to pick out something good. However, there are a few. The hottest player in the scoring department has to be Rick Nash. Last night, he scored two goals giving him his second multi-goal game of the season. With that, he is not tied for the NHL lead in points with seven and is the league’s goal scorer with six. Not only was he present in the scoring column, but he played some defense. Appearing to not be bothered by lingering effects of his concussion last season, Nash played a good two-way game. At times you could see him bumping his man off the puck, hustling down the ice, trying to make something out of nothing. For Rangers fans, this has been the Rick Nash we all have been waiting to see. Hopefully, he is able to sustain this type of play throughout the season for the team will need him, especially during this time. Once an outcast, he is starting to show he belongs on the Broadway.

Another good was the play of Lee Stempniak and Ryan Malone. Both offseason signings, they are starting to show what they have to offer. For Stempniak, the night was a good night in Rangers blue. Despite being a -1, he finished the night with a second period assist on Derick Brassard’s goal, which at the time was the go-ahead goal. However, it was play around the puck that earned him praise. As Joe Micheletti said on the MSG broadcast, “(Stempniak) was everywhere on the ice.” For Malone, it was much the same as Stempniak: positive play on the ice. In his Rangers debut, the 6’4 forward did all he could except score last night. He was around the net for a scoring a chance, finished his checks, and even drew a penalty while being goated by the opposition (Good try, Matt Martin). He appears to be a humble man who is enjoying playing hockey again. If he keeps his play up, then head coach Alain Vigneault will have to make him “fit” on the team. Personally, that line of Malone, Tanner Glass, and Dominic Moore could be a lethal one for the team.

Now for the bad. It was not a good outing for the Rangers defense. For a second straight night at home, the defensive corps gave up six goals. Henrik Lundqvist looked in good form through the first two periods, yielding two goals on 20 shots. Then, the third period happened. Most of those goals were just careless errors by the team in front of him. You cannot win making that many mistakes and assume your goalie is going to bail you out everytime. Or perhaps that is what we come to expect from Lundqvist. After all, he is our King. The whole team looked out of sorts in the last 20 minutes of the game.

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Eyes On Isles

Now the ugly. And the finger is pointing at…the whole team. I can’t put all the blame on one man, it’s a team sport. You win together, you lose together. What I witnessed last night was bad. I am the one who tries to think of things “half-full”. But I will admit, the Rangers played bad that last 20 minutes that caused me to lose my cool. Again careless errors with the puck. The team finished the night with six giveaways, a few led to prime scoring chances in front of Lundqvist. When you are staring at the puck that is 10 feet in front of you, you have little time to react. And that’s what the Islanders took advantage of. He was at their mercy. Their relentless pursuit of the puck led to anxious moments for the Rangers. And they paid the price. In response, I did not see the Rangers make the Isles pay. It seemed like they were content on trying to steal the puck off an Islander’s stick and carry it in the offensive zone. Not enough crashing of the bodies, making them pay the price. Of course, speed kills and their’s did. Cory Conacher was one of those. There was one play where he drove up the ice and blew by McDonagh as he swung his stick at his skates. You cannot play on your heels. McDonagh and company are much better than that defensively, as last year showed.

Let’s stop having hangovers like these where we regret what happened the night before, please Rangers?!