Often highly criticized, goaltenders take flak from fans, analysts and sometimes coaches. But a goaltender is only so capable of winning on their own.
The New York Rangers are no strangers to the concept of franchise goalies carrying them. Most notably Henrik Lundqvist and his golden years in New York. Lundqvist has won countless games for the Rangers on singular efforts alone. Much of Lundqvist and his career has been based on him.
While at the same time, he has had some lackluster defenses on the ice in front of him. The two most recent seasons it has been claimed Lundqvist has taken a slight decline from his normal play, and some credit this on the aging goaltender, while some, challenge the defense.
Advanced Damages
The Rangers defensive corps of late have had some questionable members. Highlighted by Nick Holden, Steven Kampfer, and Marc Staal. Lundqvist has played with questionable defensive corps but this one may take the cake. All sitting with their Corsi for percentage sitting around 46%, which is quite bad.
An average Corsi of 50% means your team has possession exactly half the time the player was on the ice. It is not uncommon to see Holden, Kampfer, and Staal make bad defensive lapses that lead to more dangerous shots on Henrik Lundqvist.
On top of the occasional defensive lapses of the Rangers defense, the players often lapsing tend to play more. Staal, Kampfer, and Holden all play under 20 minutes per game as they should. However, it would benefit the Rangers to have Neal Pionk, Anthony Deangelo, and Brendan Smith play.
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Wrong time to lapse
Of all the times where a lapsing defense would at least look bearable, this is not one of them. With an aging Lundqvist in net, it is inevitable that he will be slowing down very soon. He may even have begun to slow down, but with some more support from lighter equipment.
The defense has a singular job, and that is to shut down the opposing offenses from getting to Lundqvist. If the three aforementioned defensemen can pick up their game and at the least drive possession above 50%, Lundqvist could put up great numbers.
Even with players like Kevin Shattenkirk, Ryan Mcdonagh, and Brady Skjei, Lundqvist is not entirely safe. Despite the above 50% corsi of Mcdonagh and Shattenkirk, they cannot control offensive attacks on the other end when they’re not on the ice. Skjei is not far behind with a 48%, which is not terrible, but could improve.
Head coach Alain Vigneault should consider rerouting time from bottom pairings and getting some other players some ice time. Staal is often slow and hesitant to get physical, Holden is weak in the corners and is often entirely out of position, while Kampfer barely attempts to shoot on net.
Next: 5 Reasons why Lundqvist won’t win the Stanley Cup
Goaltenders are very reliant on their defenses to make their lives easier. A 6 man team on the ice is like a house, the three forwards being the foundation, the defense being the house, and the goalie is the roof. If the house cannot support the roof, it all comes crashing down.