Rumors were sprouting late last week that Alain Vigneault was in danger of losing his coaching gig if the New York Rangers lost to the upstart Las Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday. They won, so his job is saved for another day. But how much time does he have left behind the bench on Broadway?
The New York Rangers’ win Tuesday night against the Las Vegas Golden Knights came with both good and bad.
Obviously, getting two points in the standings is always a good thing, so no complaints there. But long term, the win could set the team back for a little bit.
For starters, the third period was like putting lipstick on a pig. The Rangers played an awful game through two periods, being outhusled and outmatched by an expansion team on the second half of a back-to-back, playing their fourth string goalie in his National Hockey League debut.
And ironically enough, it was the KZB line– you know, the line that carried the team for the first two weeks of the season, was broken up because, well, no one knows, and is now back together with the coach who took them apart’s back up against the wall–that saved the game and Alain Vigneault’s job, days after rumors suggested a loss would his head coaching tenure.
So, as the Rangers came back from a 4-2 deficit and won 6-4, their coach lives to see another day. With that said, if the organization really does want to let him go, one win shouldn’t necessarily save him for too long. So when will the team let him go?
The team’s next game is against the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight in the Sunshine State. Would the franchise give him the ax if they lose tonight?
Probably not.
The Lightning are tied for the best record in the league with a 10-2-1 mark through 13 games. This is a team that will go into the match heavily favored. As much as it sucks to lose, it wouldn’t be right for us to berate the Rangers for dropping this one.
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Of course, sometimes this organization makes moves at silly times, so I suppose anything is possible. If I had to bet on it, though, I think he’ll be behind the bench against the Panthers on Saturday.
The Panthers have been just as bad, if not worse, than the Rangers have been this season. Offensively, they have a lot of guys firing on all cylinders. Evgenii Dadonov, Jonathan Huberdeau, Aleksander Barkov, and Vincent Trocheck are all averaging a point per game or better. Defensively, though, the team has looked lost.
This is a game the Rangers should be able to win against what should be an inferior opponent. If they lose this game, one that I imagine will be high-scoring, Vigneault could very likely have his contract terminated.
The fact of the matter is, the Rangers have not played well all season. They have dropped many winable games. In a league like the NHL where there is so much parity, dropping any more winnable games could cost the team a playoff spot.
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Vigneault shouldn’t have had the oppurtunity to last this long. If the team drops both games on their Florida roadtrip, don’t expect to see him coaching the team at the Garden on Monday night.