With the New York Rangers set to play Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday, they need to focus on making their special teams as strong as possible if they want to make a run in the playoffs.
The Rangers have had their ups and downs on both the power play and penalty kill, but despite this, both percentages in both categories are up this season.
In 2016-17, the Rangers recorded a power play percentage of 20.1 to hold a tenth place position at the end of the regular season (up from 19.3 and thirteenth place last season).
Similarly, their penalty kill percentage — which has been a weaker area for the team in the last few years — has risen from 78.2% (26th) in 2015-16 to 79.6% (23rd) this season.
Breaking it down
The Rangers power play has been on an upward trend since their fall-off in the 2014-15 season. This is likely due to the changes on the roster over the course of the offseason.
New York Rangers
The addition of players like Mika Zibanejad, Michael Grabner, Pavel Buchnevich and Jimmy Vesey give the coaches options so they can run two dangerous power play units.
While success on the power play is important, statistics generally show that a strong penalty kill is essential to the success of a playoff team.
In the 2013-14 season (when the Rangers made their run for The Cup), they finished with a third place penalty kill percentage of 85.3. However, since then, their performance has dropped. They are ranked 23rd out of all NHL teams with a kill percentage of 79.6 this regular season. In a recent article, Scott Hartnett mentioned they are even worse at home, ranking 28th out of the 30 teams.
While the Rangers struggles at home this season are somewhat of a mystery, the overall change in their performance in man-down situations is likely a result of defensive changes on the roster — specifically moving Keith Yandle — as well as a drop-off in performance of some of the Rangers most important defensemen (i.e. Dan Girardi, Marc Staal and Kevin Klein).
Facing Montreal
Similar to the Rangers in the past three years, the Canadiens’ power play has also seen an upward trend. In 2014-15, Montreal finished 23rd in the league with a power play percentage of 16.5. This season, they finished the year with a power play percentage of 19.6 finishing in 13th, just three slots behind the Rangers.
Perhaps more impressive has been their success on the penalty kill. Josh Bolton at The Hockey Writers broke down the success down the stretch.
As of their game against Buffalo on April 5, the Canadiens went 7-2-1 and killed 18 of 21 penalties in 10 games for a power play percentage 85.7. However, Montreal played just two teams headed to the playoffs, and nine of the past 10 teams they played were ranked 18th or worse.
And they have issues similar to the Rangers — while the Rangers struggle with their penalty kill at home throughout the season, Montreal has struggled with their penalty kill on the road. While they have an 85.2% success kill rate at the Belle Center, they have a 25th place 76.8% on the road.
The Rangers Focus
Power Play
When it comes to the power play, the Rangers need to keep doing what they’re doing.
Assuming that the Rangers are playing all of their forwards, they need to be running all of their most effective forward on the two power play units.
A top unit of Chris Kreider, Derek Stepan, Mats Zuccarello plus the addition of Zibanejad would be dangerous. Zibanejad found success on a line with Kreider and Zuccarello and adds great speed and passing ability to the line. Plus, if there is ever a shorthanded chance, Zibanejad’s solid defensive skill is an added bonus.
On the second unit, J.T. Miller, Kevin Hayes and Rick Nash are obvious choices. Miller and Hayes are two of the Rangers top point scorers this season. Nash allows for a great veteran presence and solid defensive skill while also, obviously, being able to score goals.
Vesey and Buchnevich have both had success on the power play. Vesey has an ability to position himself in front to score. However, Buchnevich has a bit more impact when it comes to being able to control the puck and make passes and has a strong wrist shot.
Brady Skjei and Ryan McDonagh are best on the powerplay as they are the Rangers best offensive defensemen, consistently putting up points from the blueline. They are arguably also the Rangers top two strongest defensemen on the roster.
Related Story: New York Rangers: Five Reasons to Worry About Henrik Lundqvist
Penalty Kill
When it comes to the suffering penalty kill, first and foremost, the Rangers defense needs to step up and help Henrik Lundqvist in front of the net.
Lundqvist has been shaky positionally this year he is letting up more rebounds. With more rebounds comes more second (and sometimes even third) chances for opponents. This is important in 5-on-5 but even more essential on penalty kills.
Additionally, if the Rangers forwads who play on the kill can stop the puck up top earlier to take some of the pressure off the defense and Henrik Lundqvist, it would make a huge difference.
Getting in front of pucks and focusing on taking away lanes and passes is something that those players that have played on the kill can do. This can be seen in the nine short-handed goals the Rangers have scored this season.
Staying calm and getting back to the basics in these areas will vastly improve the success of the kill.
Final Thoughts
In the series against Montreal, the Rangers should try to stay out of the box. Period.
Since their penalty kill has been struggling, they have allowed 45 power play goals this season (16th in the league) and unless they start playing with more confidence on the kill this is a trend that likely will continue.
But if they focus on getting back to a clean, simple game there is no reason they can’t turn things around.
And when it comes to the power play, the goals should be the same.
Because Montreal’s penalty kill was so strong toward the end of the regular season, the Rangers need to focus on using their speed and ability to move the puck on the offensive end to force the Canadiens onto their heels. They need to focus on keeping it clean, moving their feet and making smart passes.
Next: New York Rangers: Five Keys to Defeating the Montreal Canadiens
Special teams are always an important part of playoff success and for the Rangers to get past a hot Montreal Canadiens team they will need to play smart, strong and fast in all situations.