New York Rangers: Stock market risers and fallers from 1/1-1/7
The New York Rangers started off 2018 with an overtime thriller in the Winter Classic. They then fell off with a 5-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks and a 2-1 shootout win over the Arizona Coyotes.
The New York Rangers continue to be an anomaly. Most teams in the league have a clear idea of who they are and where they are going. They know if they’re rebuilding or contending. The Rangers, however, are caught in between the two mindsets.
They bring talented youth into their lineup and then sit them for more experienced players. By bringing youth in, they signal that they are trying to rebuild on the fly, which is great. But then, they either sit them for veterans or let them rot in the minors. By not allowing talented players to show off their skills in place of veterans, the Rangers aren’t committing to a true rebuild. However, it also shows that they are not serious cup contenders either.
The Rangers barely squeaked out a win against the middling Sabres in the Winter Classic. The Rangers were on their heels for most of the second and third periods. Their luck ran out against the Blackhawks where they lost 5-2. The same issues looming, they took on the Coyotes and won the least convincing game of the season.
Up: Lias Andersson
This past summer, the Rangers traded backup goalie Antti Raanta and center Derek Stepan to the Arizona Coyotes for defenseman Tony DeAngelo and the seventh overall pick. The pick was used to select Swedish center Lias Andersson. This decision left some people scratching their heads, the team traded their number one center for a safe pick. Most were confused as to why the Rangers went with Andersson over more polished prospects such as Casey Middlestadt or Gabe Villardi.
Much like Filip Chytil, his play during the World Junior Championships has proven that he is the real deal. Team Sweden clearly highly values his leadership skills and named him captain of the junior team. Andersson is also starting to prove himself as a leader at just 19 years old. Although some may be opposed to how he reacted to winning a silver medal, it showed the competitive spirit within.
Andersson has been an offensive machine this tournament. Andersson finished with six goals and one assist for seven points in seven games. Sweden made it all the way to the finals where they played Canada for the gold medal. Unfortunately, Sweden lost 3-1 and were stuck with the silver medal.
Giving Lias Andersson the chance to develop in Sweden for another year has clearly been the right decision even though the team needs a center right now. Next year, however, he should be expected to make the NHL team out of training camp. The Rangers desperately need center help and players with good character like Andersson.
Down: Playing a Full 60
The Rangers have struggled to play a complete game for the better part of the last two seasons. The team scores one or two goals and then hunker down to protect the lead. This is not the mentality of a winning team.
Championship teams tend to have an explosive offense that never stops pressing. They continue to build on their lead and keep the puck in the offensive zone. Doing this allows for fewer defensive errors because the puck isn’t in the defensive zone.
The Ranger’s problem is that they rest on their laurels. In the Winter Classic, Paul Carey scored just under five minutes into the first period. Michael Grabner scored his 18th goal of the season a few minutes later. Once Grabner scored to make it 2-0, that was it. The Rangers shut off their offense and went into a passive defensive shell.
For the rest of the game and for almost all of the game against the Blackhawks, the puck was pinned in the Rangers zone. The team was not as lucky in their game against the Blackhawks where they lost 5-2, a score inflated by two empty net goals.
The Rangers need to learn that their complacency with a lead is a recipe for disaster. Expecting Henrik Lundqvist to bail them out every game is not the way to win consistently. For the most part, I believe this issue is a matter of coaching and could be solved with a change in personnel. However, the players themselves need to stop this complacency. The team needs to want to be better, not just expect good things to happen.
Up: Puck Luck
Puck luck is part of hockey but it is hard to quantify. Players talk about it frequently in interviews. The majority of the time it’s talked about is after a loss. You hear the same cliche responses in “getting pucks in deep” and about “not getting lucky bounces.” Henrik Lundqvist isn’t the only thing keeping the Rangers in games, they have had an incredible amount of luck this week.
Granted, the Rangers have not had the best of opponents this week. They played the Buffalo Sabres on Monday who currently is 30th overall in the league standings and the Chicago Blackhawks who are in last place in their division. However, during the Winter Classic, the Rangers came up as the luckiest team. The Sabres had many high-quality chances, yet couldn’t put the puck in the net.
The same thing happened against the Chicago Blackhawks. The score could have been a lot worse than five goals if the Blackhawks were able to bury more of their chances. Luck and a goalie doing everything possible to win have been the main reasons as to why the scores have been so close.
The unfortunate thing with luck is that it doesn’t last forever. The Rangers need to work on the things they can control, such as offense possession and playing a strong defensive game if they want to start winning games they deserve to win.
Down: The Offense
The Rangers’ offense on paper, while not mind-blowing, has the ability to be better than it is. The offense isn’t as explosive as it should be because of the team’s coaching. The team’s offensive system isn’t suited to the team’s personnel.
An ongoing problem the Rangers have had for many seasons is not shooting the puck. Players such as Mats Zuccarello, Kevin Hayes, and Mika Zibanejad have a lethal shot. However, Zibanejad is the only one of the three who does not hesitate to shoot. The issue of not shooting the puck and always passing in order to find the perfect shot is why the power play has been unsuccessful as of late.
Mats Zuccarello and Kevin Hayes underuse their strong shots. They are hard, accurate shots that pop off quick and instantly stun the goaltender. Unfortunately, we don’t get to see these shots too often as they mostly try to make plays for others. Both Zuccarello and Hayes are great playmakers in their own right, they just need to shoot more.
Another problem with the offense is how they play in the offensive zone and how they get there. If the forwards aren’t coming in on an odd-man rush, they either dump and chase or dump and change. Most of the time this results in the opposing team gaining possession and starting an offensive rush of their own. When your team is down by a goal or more, chasing the puck constantly isn’t the answer. Chasing the puck is the exact opposite of the need: sustained play in the offensive zone.
The offensive system is part of the reason the Rangers seem so downright lazy at times. A change in the offensive system would be most beneficial to the players on this team who have the ability to be offensive juggernauts.
Up: The Offensive Lines
Coach Alain Vigneault threw his lines in a blender last week. This week, the offensive lines have looked much better.
Chris Kreider will be sidelined indefinitely with a blood clot which means the KZB line (Kreider, Zibanejad, Buchnevich) is unfortunately broken up. Vigneault tends to demote Pavel Buchnevich to the fourth line when the KZB line is not together. This week Vigneault has kept Zibanejad and Buchnevich together and moved J.T. Miller into Kreider’s spot.
This is a fantastic move, not only does it keep 2/3 of the KZB line together, it puts Miller in a position to succeed. Miller has been looking better and better since being moved back to wing and I sincerely hope Vigneault keeps him there.
With Miller being moved up, the second line now consists of Grabner, Hayes, and Zuccarello. Michael Grabner’s speed and shoot-first mentality is a good complement to Hayes and Zuccarello’s passing and playmaking abilities.
David Desharnais is now centering the third line after Boo Nieves was called up from the AHL. Flanked by Jimmy Vesey and Rick Nash they make an unbalanced line that is weak in terms of possesion. Nash has been snakebitten all season long and the team desperately needs him to find his scoring touch.
Jesper Fast has returned from injury and is playing with Paul Carey and Boo Nieves on the fourth line. The fourth line has continued to play well. This turnaround has been welcomed, considering the fact that the fourth line was a weak spot at the start of the season.
Overall I am pleased with the lines this week. By putting players who have chemistry together, Vigneault is finally helping the Rangers succeed.
Down: Rick Nash
Nash is absolutely snakebitten. While he continues to do the little things well he has not been able to produce anything tangible. The last time Nash scored was against the Los Angeles Kings on December 15th, 10 games ago. He has not recorded an assist since the December 9th game against the New Jersey Devils where he had two.
Rick Nash was a superstar when he first came to the New York Rangers from the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2012. He backed that up with a 42 goal campaign in his second season as a Ranger. He has declined in goal production every year since but has still contributed offensively. Why has his offense taken such a hit?
He has been completely unlucky and I think he is overthinking things. He has completely flubbed quality scoring chances. If he has a breakaway, he shoots it directly into the goalie’s chest. If he has a wide open net, he misses wide. Earlier, I talked about puck luck. Unfortunately Rick Nash has not had any puck luck, but that certainly won’t last forever.
Next: New York Rangers: Top five agitators
The New York Rangers have a five-day break after Sunday’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights. The next game they have after the break is against the rival New York Islanders at Madison Square Garden. A week-long break should give the Rangers a chance to rest and reflect on their recent play and to get over this bad stretch of hockey.