Five characteristics of this New York Rangers season
By Rachel Nones
1. The defensive coverage is not cutting it
One of the quickest ways to notice New York’s mistakes is to compare how the opposing team defends. In recent games, the Rangers have been allowing the other team to pass effortlessly and set each other up to score.
If you’re looking for specific examples, think of the December 2nd Vegas game at Madison Square Garden. Alex Tuch broke in alone on the rush less than two minutes after the initial puck drop to score. Then consider Tuch’s second of the game, again, alone and able to capitalize on a pass from Nate Schmidt. Then, Reilly Smith was able to get on a breakaway and score on the first shot of the second period.
The blunders for New York didn’t end there, though. Max Pacioretty’s goal, the final of the game for Vegas came after a series of infuriatingly clean passes with Pacioretty wide open and able to send it home. Granted, it was on a power play, but no Ranger got even close.
The Vegas Golden Knights are an efficient team with solid defense, but in that game, it appeared the Rangers were basically handing the puck over. The Vegas game was not the exception but the rule. The man-to-man coverage has been in need of improvement as of late.
The Rangers need more from their veteran defensemen. Many of our players new to the league are doing quite well. Adam Fox, Ryan Lindgren, and Libor Hajek (currently injured) are making themselves known.
Brady Skjei and Marc Staal, however– that is a different story. Even though the kids can stand on their own, there is some mentoring expected from these veterans, and the young players are looking to learn from the vets. Yet it seems the seasoned defensemen are the weakest link within the Rangers.