How the New York Rangers can get back on top in Game 5
Game Five will be yet another test of character for the New York Rangers who hold their postseason fate in their own hands.
After taking a 2-0 series lead after impressive performances in Games One and Two, the Blueshirts saw first hand exactly why the Tampa Bay Lightning are a juggernaut in Games Three and Four.
Having shaken off any rust from a long layoff in-between series and having also rediscovered the peak of their powers, the Bolts showed their wealth of playoff experience in coming back to make this a tied series.
The momentum now appears to be firmly on the side of Tampa Bay, despite the fact that the series now shifts back to Madison Square Garden where the Rangers have won eight straight.
Lose tonight and the Rangers could be in very real trouble heading back to Tampa on Saturday, but find a way to win and the momentum could be shifted yet again especially if there’s a Game Seven in New York.
And, on that note, here’s what the Rangers will need to do if they are to win a ninth straight playoff game on home size and seize back control of this series…
Set the tone
What was apparent in Games Three and Four was the aggressive manner in which the Lightning came out swinging, resembling the fearless team with the ruthless mentality that has won the last two Stanley Cups.
Yes, the Rangers took a 2-0 lead in Game Three but they never looked in control and that lead was soon wiped out, while the Bolts took an early lead in Game Four and never looked back.
So, with that in mind, the Blueshirts need to maximize their formidable home ice advantage by coming out hard and setting the tone early in Game Five. Be that by a dominant and punishing first shift by the fourth-line or by getting after Andrei Vasilevisky early, a fast start will be crucial.
Give what will be a packed and electric MSG crowd something to cheer early and they have the ability to carry the team early. But, and as they proved in Game Four, the Lightning are a dangerous team with the lead.
Despite losing two straight, the Rangers should be confident given that they have won a red-hot eight straight playoff games on home ice, while the match-up situation will benefit them greatly at MSG.
Consider this; the Rangers have led at home in these playoffs for an incredible total of 292:45 minutes, while they have only been behind for 29:31 minutes.
That should give them confidence heading into tonight.
Furthermore, Gerard Gallant’s team average 4.22 goals for per game and 2.22 goals against per game, as opposed to 2.44 goals for per game and 3.67 goals against per game on the road.
It isn’t a stretch, then, to suggest that the Rangers are a far better team at home than they are on the road this postseason and, if they can find their groove early and jump on the Lightning, that will be their best chance of winning Game Five.
Be better 5v5
Generating more offense at five-on-five has to be the mission statement for the New York Rangers heading into Game Five. It is that simple.
In two games at Amalie Arena, the Rangers failed to score a single even-strength goal and they didn’t trouble Andrei Vasilevskiy much at five-on-five either.
That has to change with the series shifting back to New York, especially if the Rangers want to avoid a do-or-die situation heading back to Tampa on Saturday.
The Anthony Cirelli line – featuring Alex Killorn and Brandon Hagel – has done an excellent job of shutting down the Blueshirts’ top line in each of the last two games, proving that old school checking lines really are game-changers in the war of attrition that is playoff hockey.
Tampa, very much like the Carolina Hurricanes, is very aggressive on the forecheck and it did a great job of preventing the Rangers from getting out of their own zone smoothly and quickly in both Games Three and Four.
Again, being back at home the Rangers will have last change and that will allow Gallant to get Zibanejad and his top line away from the Cirelli line. When Zibanejad didn’t have the shackles on in both the Pittsburgh and Carolina series, he thrived.
And that should be the case tonight.
The good news is that the Rangers had 21 high danger chances at five-on-five in the two previous games at MSG in this series, compared to just 11 on the road. Zibanejad has also been playing at an elite level in these playoffs at MSG, and he will be the key to generating scoring at even-strength tonight.
Stay disciplined
There was no doubt that the Rangers’ biggest downfall in Game Three was their inability to stay of the box. They gave up two power play goals to Tampa and more penalties in the third period prevented Gallant from rolling all four-lines.
That can’t be the case in Game Five.
While the penalty kill went 3-for-3 against the Lightning in Game Four, you can’t give this Bolts team any kind of advantage, especially now that they have settled into a groove and are playing at the peak of their powers.
Instead, the Rangers will need to play a clean game and avoid being baited by the likes of Patrick Maroon and Corey Perry, who are paid to be pests and draw penalties by getting under the skin of their opponents.
Part of the Rangers’ struggle at even-strength on the road in their series has been their inability to create much momentum due to taking a lot of penalties.
And, as mentioned in the previous slide, given how good they are at five-on-five on home ice, it would be suicide to take away that considerable advantage by taking stupid penalties.
Playoff hockey is all about the fine margins and the little inches that make a big difference, so playing clean, disciplined hockey and remaining out of the box will be more important than ever tonight.
Next Man-Up
It is no secret that the New York Rangers are playing hurt right now with Ryan Strome, Filip Chytil, Barclay Goodrow, Ryan Lindgren and Tyler Motte all battered and bruised.
There will likely be others too.
This is postseason hockey, after all, and all three teams left standing will have a plethora of players badly beaten up and playing through the pain barrier with the tantalizing thought of lifting the Stanley Cup the only thing getting them through.
It is common this time of year for players to be banged up to the extreme, and we’ll know the full extent of just how bad some of those injuries really are once a champion is crowned.
However, because every team is in the same boat, the Rangers will need to get on with it, put on their big boy pants and adopt a next man-up mentality that is so often needed in the postseason.
If Strome and Chytil can’t play then the likes of Goodrow and Andrew Copp will need to step up to replace that kind of offensive production, while Kevin Rooney will have to win draws and play a real hard-nosed game in a fourth-line role.
Tampa’s missing players too, most notably center Brayden Point who has been ruled out for Game Five, so the Rangers will need others to step up and get the job done knowing full well the glittering prize on offer at the end of this grueling journey.
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