Three things New York Rangers must do to stay alive again
It is yet another elimination game for the New York Rangers and there’s three things they must address if they want to force a Game Seven in Carolina against the Hurricanes on Monday.
We’ve been here before, haven’t we? Yet again, the Rangers are in do-or-die territory as they attempt to extend their season just a little bit longer.
Having never led at any point throughout the course of the postseason so far, Gerard Gallant’s team have become pretty accustomed to looking in the mirror and rising from the dead to pull off the unthinkable.
In fact, tonight will be the fourth time that the Rangers have faced elimination this postseason, the most of any team in the playoffs, and they will feel pretty confident given that they haven’t failed to rise to the occasion and meet the challenge head on yet, no matter how daunting.
Game Six will perhaps pose the biggest test given that the Hurricanes are an absolute wagon, coupled with the fact that the manner of their win in Game Five just seemed different, almost as though the Rangers had finally seen their luck run out.
However, having carved out 27 comeback victories during the regular season, then another half a dozen so far in the playoffs, the Rangers are perfectly equipped to avoid absorbing the knockout blow yet again tonight and here’s how they can stay alive for at least another couple of days…
Bring out the playbook
As we mentioned here, the Rangers have a ready-made playbook for tonight and they must draw on its contents if they are to win Game Six and force a Game Seven.
The very DNA of this team has been built on character and a never-say-die attitude that has carried them to potentially two wins within of the Eastern Conference Finals, surpassing every single expectation set back in October.
It is fair to say that the very identity of this team is built on their resilience and their steely will to win at all costs, no matter the hurdles and obstacles placed in their path.
It is also fair to suggest that the Rangers got away from that very identity in an ugly Game Five, and it has been proven time and time again this year that this team are at their best when there is complete buy-in from everyone and when they have to dig deep and lean on all of their qualities and resources.
Therefore, while the Canes will look to get the job done tonight with the Tampa Bay Lightning waiting, the Rangers need to get back to what has made them ticked all year long and what has made this team such a fun one to root for.
If they can do that and if they can show the same refusal to quit that has propelled them this far, then there is no reason why we shouldn’t be getting mentally prepared for a Game Seven on Memorial Day.
Panarin, Kreider need to deliver
How do you solve a problem like Artemi Panarin?
More importantly, how do you solve a joint problem like Panarin and Chris Kreider?
While the latter hasn’t been as missing from these playoffs, the Rangers certainly need a lot more from the man who scored 52 goals during the regular season.
They also need a hell of a lot more from Panarin who, for the most part, has been a non-factor in the postseason so far.
As much as the Blueshirts have blown all expectations out of the water by getting this far, they’ve done it without ever really getting elite-level production from their normally reliable and potent top-six.
Panarin is very much at the crux of that mystery, with the Russian superstar having now been held to zero shots two times in this series by the Hurricanes. Additionally, he’s not been able to impact games as much as he would have liked and he’s been a turnover machine with 29 giveaways through 12 games.
Granted, there has been the odd flash of the winger’s godly talent, including the Overtime winner in Game Seven against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Round One, coupled with a strong outing in Game Four during this round.
However, Panarin has just three goals to go along with nine points in total during the playoffs, and his ability to take over a game and create something out of nothing has been missing far too often.
It has got to be only a matter of time until the 30-year-old has a typical statement Panarin game, and there is no better time for that to happen than Game Six.
As for Kreider, he’s had more of an impact than his teammate this postseason with eight points (six goals, two assists), including five goals in the First Round against Pittsburgh, but he’s been largely shut down by Carolina in this series with just one goal and no assists through five games.
That isn’t going to get the job done but, unfortunately for Kreider, a lot of his struggles have come down to the fact that the Rangers have simply not done a good enough job of getting pucks on net this series with a grand total of 127 through five games.
After recording just 17 shots on goal in Game Five, the Rangers have to do a hell of a better job in that department in Game Six and, if they can create traffic in front of net, then that will allow Kreider to do what he does best.
Kreider himself has admitted that he needs to do a much better job of getting to the wall, and the Rangers are a much better team when their potent scorer is in his office doing what he does best.
And, if the Blueshirts are to do what they’ve done all postseason and live to fight another day, then they will need both Panarin and Kreider to break out of their respective slumps and deliver the type of game-changing performances they are paid for.
Don’t mess with The Kid Line
Head Coach Gerard Gallant is paid to make the big decisions and he’s paid to come up with ways to spark his team and get the best out of them.
To Gallant’s credit, he’s tried his best in that department this series having tweaked his line combinations for the big wins in Games Three and Four, proving that he’s not afraid to break certain players up if that’s what is best for the team.
However, if there’s one line that Gallant shouldn’t touch tonight, it is The Kid Line that has come into its own during these playoffs.
Centered by Filip Chytil and with Alexis Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko on either wing, The Kid Line has without doubt been the Rangers’ best and most consistent line all postseason, getting better with each game.
That line was broken up for a chunk of time in Games Three, Four and Five but, as they’ve proven all so emphatically, Chytil, Lafreniere and Kakko are better together and they must remain together at all times and at all costs in Game Six.
There is no denying that The Kid Line is the heartbeat of this team now, the line that provides the jolt of energy and the spark that only leads to good things.
While the underlying metrics are positive when the trio is on the ice together, including a 48.75 xGF (expected goals for percentage), the eye test tells the whole story with the way they attack the offensive zone and torment their opponents incredibly encouraging.
Lafreniere has really come of age this postseason with five points (two goals, three assists), six blocked shots and 32 hits, which ranks fourth on the Rangers behind Jacob Trouba, Chris Kreider and Ryan Reaves.
Chytil and Kakko, meanwhile, have had their big coming-of-age moments this postseason, too, and you wouldn’t bet against the trio having another night to remember either.
They hustle, they attack, they play with no fear and Game Six is the perfect stage for Chytil, Lafreniere and Kakko to continue to prove why they are the very future of this franchise.
If the Rangers are to live to fight another day yet again, then putting their trust in The Kid Line to provide the energy they will so badly need in Game Six may be the best path to head down.
No one said this would be easy. light. Related Story