After months and three playoff games, the New York Rangers finally rediscovered their identity. If they want to continue to go further in the playoffs, they must stick to it.
When the New York Rangers replaced Tanner Glass with Pavel Buchnevich before game four in round one, the entire dynamic of the series changed.
After playing into the Canadiens physical style with Glass suited up, Buchnevich allowed the Rangers to roll four skilled lines. As they swept the last three games of the series, they were still playing physical but not at the expense of their speed.
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As the Rangers get ready for the first game of the second round tonight against the Ottawa Senators, a team that plays a style very similar to their own, they must not forget about this identity.
The key for the Rangers against the Senators is their transition game. In the regular season, the Senators played the neutral zone trap game against the Rangers which led to very little sustained pressure.
The Rangers are at their best when they are able to carry the puck over the blueline and into the zone. When they are forced to dump and chance, a lot of the times they really struggle to maintain possession long enough to do anything with it.
Not the Same Senators
With that said, I think the Rangers match up better with the Senators now then they did earlier in the season. The additions of Alex Burrows and Viktor Stalberg (Burrows especially) make the Sens a slower team, neutralizing one of their biggest strengths. This didn’t show against Boston in the first round because Boston, like Montreal, isn’t meant to play the speed game in the slightest.
The Senators defense is also not the strongest of units. Erik Karlsson is playing with two hairline fractures in his foot. Dion Phaneuf is solid but he is also not the quickest skater in the world. Cody Ceci is pretty solid overall but Mark Methot, Chris Wideman and Ben Harpur won’t exactly intimidate the Rangers at all. Aside from Karlsson, the two defenses are pretty even, to be honest.
Next: Rangers vs. Senators Series Predictions
So if the Rangers continue to push the pace–the way they play when they are most effective–they have a good shot at getting back to a conference finals for the third time in four years and the fourth time in six years. It won’t be an easy series though, especially with playoff performers like Derick Brassard, Clarke MacArthur and Bobby Ryan on the other side.