A deeper look at the numbers and turning points in this series

New York Rangers fans have made a lifetime of bemoaning bad calls, missed penalties, no puck luck and bad bounces.  Face it, that is precisely the criteria for being a fan of the Rangers.  At the same time, true Ranger fans are eternal optimists, always looking for and hoping for the best.  Sure, that sets us up for constant disappointment, but that’s sports.    Enjoy the great moments and roll with the punches.

So, in the world of eternal optimism, here a look at some stuff we may not have though about.

#1 They have been competitive (at least for a while)

Take a guess at this one.  Where have the Blueshirts been going into the third period of the four games in this series?  Would you believe that they have trailed going into the third period only ONCE in this series?  That was in last night’s debacle.

Game One they were tied 3-3 going into the third period.   Game Two they were up 3-2 going into the third period. Game Three they were tied 4-4 going into the third period.

The “won” Game One with a third period goal (disallowed).  They scored twice in the third period in Game Two to seal the win.  They wasted two third period power plays in Game Three.

Game One was a triple overtime heartbreaker that could have gone either way. Game Two was a resounding 5-2 win.  Game Three was a one goal game with the score bloated by two empty net goals.

So, two one-goal games (both losses) and two games with margins of three and five goals (one win for each team).

Anyone who is proclaiming that the Rangers have been badly outplayed and are being blown out in this series is reacting to an awful Game Four.  Sure, coming back from a 3-1 deficit is a mountain to climb, but it’s not like the Rangers are an AHL team playing the Montreal Canadiens dynasty.

#2 Leading/Trailing

On the same theme of being competitive, in terms of scoring, through the first period of Monday’s game,  Rangers scored 13 goals. Discounting the two empty net goals by Pittsburgh, the Penguins have scored 12.

In the first 12 periods of this series, how much time have the Rangers actually trailed?  In those 12 periods they have played 265 minutes and 58 seconds.  They have trailed for 35 minutes and 39 seconds.

How much time have they led?  81 minutes and 24 seconds.

That’s through the first period of Monday’s game.  That means the two teams have been tied for about 148 minutes.  That’s not domination.

#3 That disallowed goal

Yeah, yeah…we know.  It’s been talked about ad nauseum, but there were two goals scored the two last nights that make the call in Game One even more inexplicable.

In the Oilers-Kings Game Four, look at this one:

The overtime winning goal for Florida was interesting.

All we ask for is consistency and someone to explain the difference between the calls in all of these games. There have been six coaches’ challenges when goals were scored these playoffs.    The only goal that was called back was Filip Chytil’s.  There is a section of nhl.com that shows each of the coaches challenges decided by the situation room.  Take a look at them.  Just take a look.

But it’s more than that.  If the Rangers win Game One after Chytil’s goal, Ryan Lindgren doesn’t play 21 shifts after getting injured in the second period.   If Lindgren doesn’t aggravate his injury by playing on it through the overtime, maybe he is able to play in Games Three or Four.

Not only do they get one of the best defensemen back, but it gives Gallant the option of replacing Patrik Nemeth with Justin Braun and also makes Adam Fox a much better defenseman.   We are seeing how important Lindgren is to Fox’s style of play over the last three games.

If the Rangers win Game One in regulation, Igor Shesterkin doesn’t have to play for five hours and face 83 shots.  Did it affect him later in the series?  We’ll never know.

The goalie interference challenge was put in place after the 2014 Stanley Cup Final when the Rangers were the victims when Dwight King interfered with Henrik Lundqvist, leading to a goal that changed the momentum of the series.

It’s ironic that the very rule created when the Rangers were victimized by an uncalled goalie interference went against them in this series.  But that’s life for the New York Rangers.

And remember that in 2014, outside of the 3-0 Kings shutout win in Game Three, the Rangers trailed in the other four games for a grand total of nine minutes.

Can they come back and win this series?  Of course they can, but the odds are against them.  The good news is that despite an embarrassing Game Four, they have chance to go home and win and regain some momentum.  Win Game Five and anything can happen.

As shown, it hasn’t been as one-sided as you would think and with a raucous Garden crowd behind them it could get them on a roll.  Cross your fingers.