New York Rangers Turning Things Around At The Blue Line
During the opening month of the season, there were a plethora of question marks for the New York Rangers on defense. Will the departure of Anton Stralman haunt them? Are they capable of treading water with Ryan McDonagh and Dan Boyle sidelined? Can Matt Hunwick and Mike Kostka hold their own? Whether it was because of injuries or underachievement, the Rangers surrendered four or more goals four different times in October. This uncharacteristic play continued into November, and after getting tantalized by the Tampa Bay Lightning three times, the team found themselves sitting at a rather mediocre 11-9-4 as December rolled around.
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The Rangers have always been a team where their defense/goaltending has been their strong suit. Since the emergence of Henrik Lundqvist, General Manager Glen Sather has built a strong defensive core that has flourished over the past several years. Since February 6th, 2010, the Rangers are 125-1-9 when leading after two periods and since the start of the 2013-2014 season, they have allowed one goal or fewer in 41 games, which is the most in the National Hockey League. Even this season, the blue shirts are leading the league with eight shutouts, their most since 1928-1929. The real problem this season, thus far, has been consistency, or lack of it. Too many times the defense has strayed away from the standard of play and allowed the opposition to put up a 4, 5, or 6 spot on the scoreboard, making it near impossible for the team to win in those contests. So the fact of the matter is they need to turn things around rather than radically revamp the blue line. With a rather weak December schedule coming up, it’s time for the Rangers to make some noise, and it all starts with the defense.
After dropping the first two games of the month to the Tampa Bay Lightning and Detroit Red Wings, the Rangers caught fire. The team is currently winners of six straight, and the defense has undoubtebly come together. Most inportantly, McDonagh has started to look more like himself. The captain has picked up 2 goals and 2 assists over the win streak, including the game winner last night against the Carolina Hurricanes. He looks to be back into form defending and handling the puck in the defensive zone as well. Kevin Klein has continued his stellar play, picking up another crucial goal against the Hurricanes on Saturday to send the game into OT. Klein is currently tied with Brett Burns for the league lead for even strength goals as a defenseman with seven. Marc Staal and Dan Girardi have been steadier than usual as of late, perhaps due to the fact their ice time has decreased due to the lineup getting healthier. The Michigan product Hunwick has been a pleasant surprise as well, as his up-tempo style of play has fit perfectly into what Alain Vigneault wants out of his defenseman. He has become interchangeable with John Moore for the 6th defenseman spot, giving Vigneault some rare flexibility from a coaching standpoint.
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As a unit, the defense has done an outstanding job of limiting scoring opportunities. They’ve given up 2 or fewer goals in five of the six games during the win streak which directly correlates to the SOG totals. They allowed only 18 SOG against the Hurricanes last night, which makes 20 SOG or fewer in three of the last four games – first time the team has done that since January 2008. The defense has made the lives of Lundqvist and Cam Talbot easier as of late, by keeping the opposing forwards to the outside. After Sunday’s game against the Hurricanes, Talbot noted “I didn’t really have to do a whole lot tonight. The guys in front of me did an unbelievable job and did most of the work for me.”
Yes, the opponents recently haven’t been particularly strong. However, the Rangers have gone back to basics and returned to the way they know how to win – through their defense. Hopefully they will be able to continue their fundamentally sound defensive ways against better competition, starting with the Washington Capitals on Tuesday.