The New York Rangers made the postseason in the 2015-16 campaign, but the season was largely considered a mirage. When New York found themselves embarrassed by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round, all that saw through the Rangers’ successes were proven right.
This season, the Rangers have struggled in the possession game once again, but the story is different. That was shown in last night’s victory.
Down 2-0 early, the Rangers battled back to win 5-4. Last season, New York would have folded and watched the Columbus Blue Jackets walk over them. The differences between the 2015-16 Rangers and 2016-17 Rangers were evident in the victory, a positive sign in the best game thus far.
First off, the Rangers looked like their former selves in the first period. Columbus dominated play, embarrassing the Rangers into the locker-room with a 3-1 lead. Columbus found the scoreboard next, earning a 4-1 lead early in the 2nd period.
In 2015-16, the Rangers did not have the skill to battle back from such deficits. There were far too many weaknesses, and opposing defenses were able to focus on the top lines, as the bottom six lacked skill. This season, the bottom six represents a consistent sparkplug for New York.
Oscar Lindberg scored the first goal, but it was Michael Grabner that scored the second tally only a minute after Columbus’ fourth goal. Grabner later scored the game winning goal, one that we will get to later.
The bottom six has been a steady force for the Rangers. Led last year by the aging Dominic Moore, unable to finish Viktor Stalberg, and useless Tanner Glass, the Rangers were regularly pinned in their own zone. This year, despite seeing the lines shuffle with injuries, the bottom six has been able to move up and down the lineup without trouble.
See Grabner, Michael. Grabner was acquired to play on the fourth line, but injuries forced his way up the lineup. Considering Grabner owns actual hockey skills, he moved up seamlessly, scoring plenty of goals along the way. Tanner Glass could not do that, an issue that plagued the Rangers last season.
Three of the five Rangers goals were scored by players that began the season in the bottom six, or out of the lineup. One of the other two goals saw two assists by bottom six players. The Rangers are greatly improved throughout the lineup, representing a different challenge than last year’s inconsistent mess.
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The other change from last season is conditional. The change would not have been in the lineup had Marc Staal not suffered an injury. The change, Adam Clendening, scored the third and fourth goals of the game for the Rangers.
Clendening owns puck-movement skills, plays the right side, and can aid the struggling power-play. His power-play goal turned the tides in the third period, then his next goal tied the game. While Dan Girardi and Kevin Klein made costly turnovers, Adam Clendening worked to knot up the game.
Clendening’s inclusion in the lineup would rid the team of one of their greatest anchors in Girardi or Klein. For one night Clendening made the impact, but it is up to Alain Vigneault to allow the defenseman more opportunities to do so.
Regardless, the Rangers came back from down 4-1 in the second period because they are not the same as last year. While New York can be dominated, they also can dominate in the possession game. The forward group is so deep and the defense is filled with enough capable players to do so.
Jeff Gorton stockpiled forwards to prevent the Rangers from duplicating their struggles up front. The defense is moving in the right direction, and the forwards are strong enough to prevent them from pulling the team down to last year’s levels. This is not the same team as last year, but with a few moves, this team can be Stanley Cup contenders.
Next: Rangers Must Meet Blue Jackets in Outdoor Game
When a player signed to be a fourth line winger is on the ice with 20 seconds left and scores his 18th goal of the season, something is going right.