New York Rangers’ 4th line forward, Tanner Glass, actually played a real strong Game 3 vs. the Penguins. Can he build upon his performance for Game 4?
New York Rangers
New York Rangers‘ 4th line forward, Tanner Glass, believe it or not, actually played a strong Game 3, of the 1st round of the playoffs, vs. the
Pittsburgh Penguins in Pittsburgh on Monday night.
Though he did not score a goal in Game 3, a game in which the Rangers edged the Penguins by a 2-1 final score, Glass certainly impressed me, as well as many Rangers’ fans, with his performance.
The Rangers 4th line established a lot of offensive zone time in Game 3, pinning the Penguins deep in their zone numerous times, and that is mostly due to the play of Glass. This is essentially because for the Rangers’ 4th line, and really any 4th line on any team for that matter, can only be successful if all 3 forwards are on the same page and on their games.
Now obviously this can be said for lines 1, 2, and 3 as well but it is especially key for the 4th line given the skill levels of the 3 forwards on the line.
The lack of skill on the 4th line is what constitutes their jobs being mostly defensive, and the best defense is always controlling the puck in the offensive zone. But since Glass is a very poor possession player, he really has to be on his game for the Rangers’ 4th line to have any offensive zone time.
Not only did the Rangers’ 4th line establish a lot of offensive zone time in Game 3, but Glass also registered a shot on goal, attempted 3 shots, and was very noticeable on the ice throughout his 9:38 of ice time, making plays and using his body.
The question now is, can Glass build upon his strong Game 3 in Game 4 tonight in Pittsburgh?
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Being that Glass is a highly inconsistent player, I would not expect much out of him, although for the latter half of the regular season, and now in the postseason, Glass has definitely improved his all around game. Credit Rangers’ GM Glen Sather for this because I feel it is no coincidence that Glass has started to play better ever since the Rangers acquired James Sheppard at the trade deadline, putting Glass’ job in jeopardy.
I don’t know if he can have back to back really strong postseason games, but it is definitely promising that Glass has been improving his game over these past few weeks, whether you admit he is or not.
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