New York Rangers Daily Dose: McDonagh and Girardi Among Top Defensive Pairings
It may be Monday, but it’s also game day New York Rangers fans! Don’t forget to watch the boys in blue tonight at 7pm. They’ll be up against the New Jersey Devils at Madison Square Garden. But before the game, let’s talk about our Captain and our Iron Man.
Predicting the Top D Pairs – Bleacher Report
Bleacher Report listed the top 10 best defensive pairings around the NHL and at number three on their list are the New York Rangers‘ Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi. Ahead are Victor Hedman and Anton Stralman of the Tampa Bay Lightning at number two, and Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook of the Chicago Blackhawks at the top spot.
New York Rangers
Seeing McDonagh and Girardi crack the top three was admittedly a bit of a pleasant surprise. However, these two absolutely deserve to be up there when some thought is put into how much they actually do for the team.
The thing with McDonagh and Girardi is that they’re not fantasy hockey gold.
They don’t light the lamp as often as the other blue liners on the list do. And they’re not talked about as much because of that fact. But what they lack in offensive stats, they make up for in defensive strength.
McDonagh, Captain of the New York Rangers, has a hockey sense from the hockey heavens above. He pulls through for the team when they need it the most. Just take a look back at some of his top goals during the 2014-15 season. McDonagh even finished the season with the fifth best plus/minus rating in the entire league at +23. He also has a knack for stealing the puck away from the enemy. Last year, McDonagh placed 21st out of all NHL defenseman in takeaways with 40. Let’s also not forget that he led the Rangers to the Presidents’ Trophy.
More from Rangers News
- Blake Wheeler’s Broadway Calling: Why He Chose the Rangers
- Rangers’ Playoff Redemption Recipe: Grit and Fresh Hopes
- Brennan Othmann and Will Cuylle Set to Shine in the NHLPA Rookie Showcase
- Chris Kreider has had quite the Summer
- Andy Hosler Takes Helm as Head Athletic Trainer for the New York Rangers, Succeeding Jim Ramsay
Girardi, on the other hand, is one of the most resilient hockey players the NHL has ever seen. He had the sixth highest number of blocked shots last season with 184. The Iron Man also had the fifth highest number of hits with 224. So not only can he take a hit/shot, but he can dish them out as well. And he does this consistently. Girardi has only missed one single game in the past two years. No hard hit nor shot to the face can stop him. It’s unbelievable.
Bleacher Report says McDonagh and Girardi make it hell for forwards to get to their goalie. This is their reason for placing them high on their list, and I could not agree with them more for that after looking at all they’ve done last year.
Sure, they didn’t score as many points as Erik Karlsson or pick up as many goals as Oliver Ekman-Larsson. But they defended their house as if their lives depended on it. That’s what made them one of the top defensive pairings last year. And that’s what will make them one of the best this season.
That’s all for today’s dose. Make sure to check back in tomorrow.
Next: Training Camp Ends With Some Certainties
More from Blue Line Station
- Blake Wheeler’s Broadway Calling: Why He Chose the Rangers
- Rangers’ Playoff Redemption Recipe: Grit and Fresh Hopes
- Rangers’ Roster Chatter: Who’s Making the Cut and Who’s in the Penalty Box?
- Jacque Plante Trade Tree Between the Rangers and Canadiens
- These Rangers must learn Peter Laviolette’s ropes before they can fly