The New York Rangers just completed a two game set in Buffalo against the enigmatic Sabres. While the Rangers were able to escape with a win in the second game of the series, the two match-ups did little to help Rangers fans feel a big boost of confidence as they head back to Madison Square Garden to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins this weekend.
What stood out more than anything from a fan perspective is the continuous shuffling of lines from head coach David Quinn. Granted some moves had to be made with the injury to Filip Chytil but instead of simply inserting Brett Howden into the third line center position, the entire line-up was in constant flux for the two games against the Sabres.
While this should not be a very big surprise to Ranger fans, as Quinn has a history of mixing and matching his lines as soon as the Rangers appear to be in peril of losing any given game, it certainly is becoming a focal point for those who are not fans of the Rangers head coach.
Top teams in this league have top lines, and players who play together for full games….seasons even….despite the ups and downs they experience. If you want a team to develop consistency, it seems perfectly normal for coach to instill just that.
The kids are carrying the team
The Tuesday night game was painful to watch. While it looked like the Rangers were going to come out and really take it to the Sabres early on, those feeling quickly evaporated and turned to….all right…disgust….as the team just failed to compete on almost every level.
The magical Artemi Panarin seemed to be playing a different game. For the past few games he has been camping out between the left side face-off circle and the blueline looking to either shoot through a crowd or pass through the same. His feet were not moving.
Mika Zibanejad was suffering from the same issue. He was spending way too much time cruising and not skating. Look back at the highlights from last season before the shutdown, ZBJ was always moving his feet and he was dynamic.
Chris Kreider just refused to put it into overdrive and use his size and speed to influence the game in any way. He also misfired on a pass to Kappo Kakko late in the game that would have been an easy goal for the Fin and tied the game.
Ryan Strome was better, but he was still not the same player we saw last season.
The players that looked at least half-way decent in that Tuesday night game were the kids. Kappo Kakko looked good, Alexis Lafrenière continued to improve, but more importantly Phillip Di Giuseppe and Colin Blackwell were making a difference when they were on the ice. They brought some energy and effort to their shifts.
So when the team was down in the third period why was Quinn rolling his ineffective veterans and leaving the effective kids on the bench. It’s easy to say that he wanted his goal scorers out there when the team is down a goal, but sometimes it’s energy and effort that creates opportunities, not just innate talent.
Again, frustrating. As fans we only know what we see on the television screen but what we saw Tuesday night certainly left many of us wondering what the hell was going on with this team.
Thursday once again brings hope
Have to say that the lead up to the second game against the Sabres on Thursday night was filled with dread. If the Rangers laid another egg then it just seemed like the season was going to go south really quick. All the anticipation, all the expectations, fried up quicker than a piece of bacon.
David Quinn was still juggling his lines though, putting Colin Blackwell up with Strome and Panarin, Lafrenière with Zibanejad and Pavel Buchnevich and moving Chris Kreider to the third line with Kakko and Brett Howden. No issues there, but would how long would he stick with it?
Thankfully, you could see a change in the team almost immediately, perhaps inspired right away as Ryan Strome won the opening face-off. Before too long, Panarin took a pass deep in the offensive zone, skated behind the red line, and fed Strome for the first goal.
Panarin followed-up in the second period with the Rangers second goal by once again going deep into the offensive zone where he potted a sharp angle shot. He was skating, moving, going to every part of the offensive zone just like he did last year. That is a really good sign.
Zibanejad was better, Kreider was a little better, Strome is getting there, and Alexis Lafrenière had plenty of chances to score his first NHL goal, finally getting it in fine fashion with the game winner in OT.
The big difference in this game however was the choice by David Quinn to keep playing the “other guys”. Blackwell and Phillip Di Giuseppe were getting shifts, quality shifts, deep into the third period. There was no panic on the bench. Perhaps that is because the game was tied and the team wasn’t desperate for a goal but the fact that it happened is a step in the right direction.
The one question from the game Thursday is, why did Kaapo Kakko only get 9:55 of playing time. He has been one of the better players on the team through the first six games.
But there will always be questions.
A win is a win. Hopefully it is one to build upon.