New York Rangers vs. Cup Contenders: San Jose Sharks

Blue Line Station continues its look into how the New York Rangers stack up against the teams ahead of them in the NHL standings, as well as other Cup contenders.

The season is winding down, with just a month to go until each NHL team has played 82 games. The trade deadline has passed. Some teams are definitely out or definitely in, when it comes to the playoffs. And The New York Rangers are jockeying for seeding position.

The Rangers are on the inside, one of the top teams (points-wise), and officially on the stretch run of the season. Despite a veritable avalanche of injuries to key players such as Henrik Lundqvist, Rick Nash, Michael Grabner, Kevin Hayes, and Jesper Fast, New York has stayed above water.

But with Lundqvist out for 2-3 weeks, it’s looking more and more likely that the Rangers will find themselves playing cross-bracket, in the Atlantic Division, when the playoffs start. We already covered how the Rangers stack up against one likely first round opponent.

But today we’re going to be optimistic, and look about how the Rangers might deal with a potential Stanley Cup matchup against the defending Western Conference champions, the San Jose Sharks.

More from Blue Line Station

• Blake Wheeler’s Broadway Calling: Why He Chose the Rangers
• Rangers’ Playoff Redemption Recipe: Grit and Fresh Hopes
• Rangers’ Roster Chatter: Who’s Making the Cut and Who’s in the Penalty Box?
• Jacque Plante Trade Tree Between the Rangers and Canadiens
• These Rangers must learn Peter Laviolette’s ropes before they can fly

Measuring Up

At the team level, the Rangers and Sharks appear to be on a fairly level playing field. While the Sharks carry a significantly better percentage of shot attempts at even strength (50.94%, 10th in the NHL according to corsica.hockey), they’re shooting almost a full percentage under the third-best Rangers squad.

Where the Rangers would be dangerous to a team like the Sharks, though, is in their depth. With so much offensive talent, Alain Vigneault could roll four lines of skill against a Sharks team that’s primarily driven by their top-six.

In the tight-checking Stanley Cup playoffs, a potent bottom-six can make or break a team’s hopes—as the Rangers saw with their third and fourth lines in 2014. In 2017, the Rangers could ice even better players for those roles.

The Rangers third line for much of the season, featuring Grabner and leading point-scorer J.T. Miller on the wings of Hayes, has been lethal even when getting clobbered when it comes to advanced shooting statistics.

The speed of Grabner, the creativity of Miller, and the playmaking vision of Hayes have combined for the Rangers’ most consistently dangerous offensive trio this season.

          Star Power

With San Jose, the offense starts with Norris Trophy favorite Brent Burns. Burns is enjoying a stunning offensive season. Burns leads the Sharks in just about every offensive statistic: 27 goals, 43 assists, and 70 points in just 66 games. He’s going to be the first defenseman to score 30 goals since Mike Green in 2009.

The Rangers have no player who can stack up, individually, to Burns. Chris Kreider and Grabner lead New York with 26 goals apiece, while Derek Stepan and Mats Zuccarello each have 34 assists. No Ranger skater has 50 points.

Next: Lundqvist out 2-3 Weeks

          X-Factor

In a potential Stanley Cup matchup between San Jose and New York, each team would be looking for a different type of game-breaker.

For San Jose, any success is going to come from the top players. Burns is the most visible—it’s tough to miss the beard—but captain Joe Pavelski will be expected to carry the load offensively, especially on the Sharks’ extremely effective power play.

As for the Rangers, it will have to be forward depth that carries the day. Rookies Pavel Buchnevich and Jimmy Vesey will be at the tail end of their longest season yet. Still, timely scoring from the newcomers is just the ticket to get the Rangers through.

Both have had their struggles this season. Buchnevich was sidelined for two months with back issues before getting the infamous Vigneault treatment. Buchnevich was sent to AHL Hartford and recalled, healthy scratched, you name it.

Vesey, meanwhile, spent time on the fourth line and went through two ice cold months before being moved back up. Vesey then played with Nash and Stepan, where he’s rediscovered some of his scoring touch.

The Rangers will need the two youngsters healthy and effective to find success against a team like the Sharks.

Next: Rangers Playoff Predictions

While the Rangers won’t have an easy path to the Cup Final, they could end up against a Sharks team driven by high-end star power, but lacking the kind of offensive depth that the Rangers can use to secure their first Stanley Cup since the days of Leetch and Messier.