Blue Line Station
Fansided

Three improvements Rangers must make when hockey resumes

By Brendan Azoff

PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 28: Claude Giroux #28 of the Philadelphia Flyers reacts in front Ryan Lindgren #55, Marc Staal #18, and Alexandar Georgiev #40 of the New York Rangers after scoring a goal in the third period at the Wells Fargo Center on February 28, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Flyers defeated the Rangers 5-2. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 28: Claude Giroux #28 of the Philadelphia Flyers reacts in front Ryan Lindgren #55, Marc Staal #18, and Alexandar Georgiev #40 of the New York Rangers after scoring a goal in the third period at the Wells Fargo Center on February 28, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Flyers defeated the Rangers 5-2. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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Mika Zibanejad #93 of the New York Rangers (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

Improving Puck Control and Possession

On the surface, the New York Rangers look like a juggernaut offensively, scoring 3.33 goals per game, good for the fifth-best total in the league. That consistency in scoring usually means that you possess the puck the majority of the time, but in the Rangers case, that goal amount can directly be correlated to the team’s high shooting percentage.

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As a team, New York scores on 8.89 percent of their 5v5 shots, according to Natural Stat Trick. That is the seventh-highest percentage in the league, an astounding number considering that the Blueshirts are only 13th in scoring chances per 60 (26.53) and 16th in shots per 60 (30.63). In addition, the Rangers have six players who have played at least 50 games with a shooting percentage over 10, and eight players with a shooting percentage over nine.

What we are seeing at MSG this season is a team that is not generating the same opportunities as the top-flight teams in the NHL but capitalizing at a much higher rate. Eventually, that will even out and when it does, the Blueshirts will see their winning ways abandon them.

To correct this, the Rangers must improve their CORSI percentage, a metric that shows whether a team is controlling the puck more than their opponent. A team wants their CF% to be over 50%, but for New York, their CF% is 28th in the league at 46.73%.

The Blueshirts have proven that when given the opportunity to score, they will convert, so now they must start to control the pace of the game, holding the puck and waiting for openings to strike. By doing that, they eliminate the opponent’s chances and improve their own due to their high conversion rate.

If the other team does not have the puck they simply cannot score, and a simple tweak in how the Rangers control the pace of play will not only improve their CORSI but help them improve defensively and win more hockey games.

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