That was a win you might say the Rangers didn’t deserve after the first 40 minutes. Outside of Lundqvist and Derek Stepan, it didn’t look like anyone came to play hockey. Though to be fair, the Rangers closed it out with a great 3rd period. Let’s break it down.
The Good
The King
Henrik Lundqvist showed everyone why he’s the King tonight. He fought off the Nashville shooting gallery in the 1st and 2nd periods while the rest of the team was on their way to the arena. Nasvhille had 25 shots in the first two periods alone and the King stopped every one of them. I thought Henrik Lundqvist was the only reason the penalty kill went 5-for-5.
The 3rd Period
The rest of the Rangers finally arrived at the arena for the start of the 3rd period and held the Predators to just six shots on goal. They were added by four powerplays, but powerplays come when you put pressure on the other team. The final frame was the only time tonight the Rangers were able to produce any sustained zone time against the Predators.
The Special Teams
The Rangers won the special teams battle tonight, holding the Predators to no goals on five opportunities while adding a powerplay goal of their own. I thought Henrik Lundqvist was the best penalty killer for the Rangers, but I’ll give the PK credit for sacrificing their bodies and blocking a lot of shots. The powerplay had some good movement, and Kevin Hayes in particular is really starting to look good there. The only problem is that the Rangers desperately need to get Keith Yandle more PP time. The Rangers didn’t trade Anthony Duclair so Ryan McDonagh could play 1:30 on every powerplay, and so the weak-shooting Derek Stepan could play the point. Yandle needed just a few seconds to add an assist on the powerplay goal.
The Bad
Too Many Penalties!
The last two games the Rangers have simply taken too many penalties. Some will always point to the officiating at times like these, but there’s no excuse. Most penalties happen when a team is in trouble in their own zone. The Rangers lost too many battles and gave away too many pucks in their own zone in the 1st period, and that’s what landed them in the box. Some will say the Rangers need to be more disciplined. I feel the Rangers need to be cleaner in transition, and the rest will work itself out.
The Glass
The 2nd Period
Even if you want to chalk up the 1st period to simple lack of discipline, what happened in the 2nd period? The Rangers were totally outclassed in the middle frame, getting out-attempted 20-9, and producing just 4 shots on goal. Assistant coach Ulf Samuelsson attributed the ugly 2nd to the Predators getting momentum from their 1st period powerplays, but this isn’t the first time the Rangers have seriously struggled in the 2nd period. What is it with this team and 2nd periods? It’s something that needs to be addressed.
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On Saturday night Lundqvist was annoyed with his team’s performance, saying “Nah, I’m still annoyed…Yah know? We need to learn our lesson here, especially after the last game. We’ve been talking about our winning streak, finding ways to win games. I think last game we found a way to lose a game, and we almost did it again here. So we need to learn from it, smarten up and we need to come back.”[1] Unfortunately the Rangers didn’t come back in this game, and again I can’t imagine Lundqvist is very happy with his defense or the penalties the team took. I believe the Rangers are a great hockey team, I’ve said so in the past. But I feel they got a couple of wins in the last two games where they skated on thin ice, and it’s time for them to get their act together.
Three Stars
1)Henrik Lundqvist
2)Derek Stepan
3)Kevin Hayes
Was there pizza? Yes, pizza. Pizza Record: 14-6-1
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