The Rangers hit the ice for practice on Sunday, still reeling after they blew a 3-0 lead in the third period in Saturday’s 4-3 loss against the Edmonton Oilers. The group held a players-only meeting led by captain Jacob Trouba, where the issues of closing out contests and staying disciplined as a team through 60 minutes were addressed.
Meanwhile, coach Gerard Gallant did what most bench bosses would do following a debacle like the one that transpired and switched up his lines ahead of Monday’s tilt against the Metropolitan division-leading New Jersey Devils at Madison Square Garden.
The latest episode in the carousel saw Filip Chytil move up to the second line, thus becoming Kakko and Artemi Panarin’s center. At the same time, Vincent Trocheck was dropped to the third unit with Alexis Lafreniere and Barclay Goodrow as his flanks.
Yet the question remains as to why Gallant won’t go back to what worked in the first ten games of the season when Kakko was with Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad. The pair are still together on the top line and will be rejoined by Jimmy Vesey after the winger was on the second line last game with Trocheck and Goodrow.
“I’m not with them anymore because we didn’t score enough goals, but we still played well. I felt I played my best hockey ever with Kreider and Zibanejad,” Kakko said when asked where he prefers playing. But at the moment, Gallant seems fixated on getting his top scorer in Panarin going, who enters Monday in a 12-game dry spell.
Monday will mark the first time Chytil plays with Panarin, as the 23-year-old has been operating at the NO3 position since he was on Broadway. Playing with the pass-heavy Panarin will also give Kakko a chance to shine, for the 21-year-old has had numerous scoring opportunities but only has four goals, eight assists, and 12 points to show for it.
Defensively, it doesn’t seem like much will change there, so expect the Libor Hajek-Adam Fox, Kandre Miller-Jacob Trouba, and Zac Jones-Braiden Schneider pairings to do it all again Monday.
In reality, Gallant could only do so much here, and it’s on the players to start producing.
The coach’s job is to put his players in the best position to win hockey games, but even then, it doesn’t guarantee anything. While Gallant has puzzled fans with his lineup decisions in the recent past, the new set seems to fit the current mold of the team just right. But will the players rise to the occasion?
KRAVSOFT:
It’s usually suspicious when the Rangers’ social media team has to cut out some of what was said during Gallant’s press conferences. That didn’t go lost amongst the folks on Rangers’ Twitter Sunday afternoon.
Someone above Gallant within #NYR heard about what he said and had his interview edited before posting it. Felt this was coming because his interview was uploaded last - his interview is always uploaded before the players. Very fishy and sneaky @nyrangers !
— BlueCollarBlueShirts (@NYCTheMiC) November 27, 2022
Cracking the case was as easy as pie because while the beat reporters mentioned an exchange with the coach about Vitali Kravtsov, the official video on YouTube revealed no such thing.
According to what was reported, Gallant called Vitali Kravtsov a liability and said he would miss his eighth straight game on Monday night.
“I like the kid, (but) right now, he’s our extra forward,” he said. “I’m happy with the lineup. The fourth line has been playing well for us. So, who am I going to take out to put him in when he’s played six games this year, and he’s been hurt and had (dental) surgery?”
How about scratching Goodrow or Ryan Carpenter, who’ve both struggled themselves? It would allow Kravstov to occupy a spot as a fourth liner between Sammy Blais and Julien Gauthier.
“Kravtsov has done nothing wrong. In the chances he’s had, he seemed to get hurt every time he had an opportunity – and that’s too bad. It’s not that I don’t like a kid, and I’m sitting him out because of that. I want other players.”
I get his points here, but it contradicts what the coach said at his introductory press conference back in June of 2021; “Younger players can’t sit on the fourth line (Or be healthy scratched) and get a lot out of that. You’ve got to allow them to play.” Despite the youth on the roster, these Rangers aren’t in rebuild mode because if that were the case, David Quinn would still be here instead of in San Jose.
The organization believes he’s the one that’ll lead the team to their first Stanley Cup since 1994, and he’s earned the right to be allowed to figure it out after last season’s Conference finals run.
It’s important to remember the Rangers brought Gerard Gallant on board because he’s an experienced coach that has been around the block before as a player and can lead in the form of good results rather than just a good process.
Despite that, You don’t know what you have with a player unless you give him a shot, which he’s been reluctant to do consistently with Kravstov and Jones, nor is he giving power play opportunities to Lafreniere which has hampered his development. Yes, the Rangers view themselves as cup contenders, but it would be good to test it out.
A RIVALRY RENEWED:
The battle of the Hudson has lacked intensity since the end of the Marty Brodeur-Henrik Lundqvist era, with the teams entering their respective rebuilding phases.
However, when the puck drops on Monday night, both teams will be in contention mode for the first time in several seasons, with the Rangers fresh off a conference finals berth and the surging Devils reaping the benefits of a recent 13-game win streak which has them atop the division at 18-4, and dreaming big.
They’re led by young lottery picks Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier, a duo that has starred in the forms; the Blueshirts hope Kaapo Kakko amount to be soon. The Devils don’t have any future generational talents in goal like New York posses in Igor Shesterkin.
Still, Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid have held down the fort well in the absence of Mackenzie Blackwood, who’s out due to injury. However, the strength of New Jersey has resided in their stout trap defense implemented by current head coach and former Rangers assistant coach Lindy Ruff.
With a plethora of budding young talent, New Jersey is on track to be a playoff contender this season and maybe become a part of the Stanley Cup conversation in the ones that’ll follow. Nevertheless, a new chapter of this long-standing rivalry begins tonight.