Allergies to the Garden
It’s the most iconic venue in sports. With the Rangers struggling to find success at home with a 1-1 record at Madison Square Garden, that’s going to need to be something the Blueshirts will need to figure out. With only two games played at MSG, obviously, with more time, it will probably be ironed out by Peter Laviolette, his coaching staff, and the players, but being concerned about Halloween is justified.
There’s no need to outright panic, but with a game against the Coyotes that the Blueshirts needed to steal in the third period from a rebuilding team that caused them all sorts of problems and another where the retooling Nashville Predators committed a demolishing job on the original size franchise is worth a few thoughts. Again, the Blueshirts will have a chance to fix this soon, but it won’t be easy.
If we want to see the Rangers find a way to get deep into the playoffs, they will need to figure out how to win at home. If the playoffs started today, they would have home ice in the first two rounds, and that would be problematic if they cannot turn the Garden into a fortress. But it’s early in the season, and the Rangers will need time to continue to iron out the kinks. Hockey in October always differs from the rest of the year as teams knock the rust off.
There’s not been much to be concerned about as Ranger fans to this point, but it is worth noting that the Rangers’ early season has been wildly successful. A red-hot Rangers team sweeping a West Coast road trip does not leave much to be worrying about. But, on a day all about tricks and treats, there’s not been a lot of tricks from the Rangers in comparison to their preseason expectations.