The day after is not quite as bitter after this loss. If you missed it, the New York Rangers loss in a shootout to the Winnipeg Jets, 1-0. The game carried a bad tone from the get go. The Jets seem to give the Rangers a bad time. Unsure why. They played rough and scrappy last night.
For a team near the bottom in the Central Division of the Western Conference, they sure did not play like one. Despite being outshot 25-38 to the Rangers, the Jets got into every lane possible: shooting, passing, even the right lane on Broadway. They seem to be everywhere. And when the Rangers got behind their defense, the Jets found a way to disrupt any scoring opportunities with good back checking.
The Rangers did not lose for a lack of trying. As mentioned before, they outshot the Jets by 13 shots. However, a big factor was the play of Jets goalie Ondrej Pavelec. He made some great saves at times you thought the Rangers would have scored. Coming off a shooutout loss across the Hudson River with the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night may have lit a match in him. Where the Rangers were, he was there. Even when you thought he wasn’t there, he was there. He got the better of the Blueshirts this time around.
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A thorn in the side last night was the play of Evander Kane. Last night marked the second game the Jets forward returned to the ice from a knee injury suffered early in the season. Not only did he lead the team in hits last night with six, but he layed out punishment that you would expect Dustin Byfuglien to perform. And he only had three hits. Kane didn’t register a point, but he sure made his presence known. Besides being the Jets hitman, he was one of the two goal scorers in the shootout. He showed no side effects from his injury last night. Moving forward, he could prove to be a key piece for the Jets to get back into contention, if he remains healthy.
A few Rangers headlines need to be addressed from last night. The big one was the loss of Ryan McDonagh for an extended period of time. Again if you missed it, the Rangers captain was injured on a play along the boards with Kane. Kane lined him up and placed a good, hard check on McDonagh, sandwiching him between him and the boards. McDonagh fell to the ice, face first. He left with a separated shoulder and it’s unclear how long he could be out for. We all hope for a speedy recovery for the captain.
Another key defenseman loss cause of injury last night was Kevin Klein. Early in the first, Klein was injured on a blocked shot. He took the puck off his ankle and left the ice and never returned for the game. It was ruled a foot contusion. He, along with McDonagh, will be getting MRI’s today. I believe Klein was just beginning to find his groove for the Rangers and when he was moved up to the second pairing with Marc Staal. He has been a key contributor in the previous five games and his presence will be felt if he misses any time.
Eyes On Isles
Already thin at the blue line with an injury to Dan Boyle early on and the five-game suspension to John Moore, the Rangers did not need two additional players to get hurt. However, last night, the defense managed to play on with four defensemen. You have to be impressed by what they did with what they had. Dan Girardi and Marc Staal earned their alternate captain designations with their play. Both lead the team in ice-time. Girardi had the most clocking close to 35 minutes while leading the team in blocked shots with seven. The play of Matt Hunwick and Mike Kostka is to be commended also. Both held the line when the Rangers needed them most. Hunwick has become a reliable defenseman Alain Vigneault can count on with each passing game. Despite his past two showings in the Rangers lineup, Kostka played well. He played responsible hockey, something we did not see early on in the preseason. Knowing the situation they were facing last night, both players stepped up their game. There are no negatives on the defense from me, after a game like last night.
One negative I want to get off my chest is the play of the offense. After exploding on Monday night with a come-from-behind win, you would think the Rangers offensive engine would start rolling. No, not tonight. Granted, they put shots on Pavelec. They had their opportunities. But they were shutout. All the way to the game-ending shootout. Their power play was and still is non-existant. Last night, they had five power play opportunities. All five of which they did not score. At one point in the first period, the Rangers had back-to-back power plays with no luck. And the first power play looked better than the second. The team had five days off to work on the power play, which by reports they had been doing. I don’t know how it looks in practice, but in-game it looks at times disoriented. Other times, they move the puck well and look prime to score. It’s just inconsistent and needs to be addressed.
Another negative I have noticed is that players are still too “pass-happy”. Be selfish. Don’t be cute with the puck. If you have an odd-man rush, shoot it at the net. Make the goalie work and create rebounds. There have been too many missed shots, which becomes a wasted scoring opportunity. Also, you don’t need to be patient. Kevin Hayes has been a prime example. He waits and waits, toe-dragging the puck waiting for the defender to get out of the way. If you have an opportunity to shoot the puck and you outnumber the defense, go for it. You don’t need to play hot potato and give it to nearest open man. Be selfish!
Despite the shootout loss and the loss of additional players to the roster, the team still wound up with a point out of last night. Something is better than nothing. Last night, the defensive corps was put in a stressful position, losing two key teammates due to injuries. But they held their own and got through it. Now, the team will need to regroup for Monday, as they play host to the St. Louis Blues, a rematch of the season opener for both.
Let’s see how Vigneault handles this situation.