NYR Game Day Review – Dec 15th, 2015

There was a lot to like tonight and a lot not to like about the New York Rangers. At the end of the day it’s a win though, a much needed one, and I think there was enough positive to at least build on here.

Brady Skjei was a bit rocky in his first NHL game, but showed some good skills to build on.

First I want to talk about Brady Skjei. It was a big night for him and the Rangers as he took the ice in his first NHL game. I thought Skjei had a bit of a rough night at times. He was -11 in shot attempts. That being said, I think with the numbers, especially with defensemen, they’re different from what you notice. Things you might notice in a game are select moments which make up a smaller sample, while the numbers make up a bigger picture. That’s why it’s good to use both. The big picture is that the Oilers took it to the Rangers when Skjei was on the ice. There’s a reason for that and I think Skjei still needs work. That said, when I noticed him, I saw some very good things. So I think what you have here is a player that needs work but shows flashes of being a very good player. Which at 21 years old, is fine. I think he’s going to be a good player for the Rangers.

Now as far as the team as a whole, the problems tonight were the same problems that they’ve had all season. Edmonton had a big edge in shot attempts, 37-26, which shouldn’t happen against a team in the second half of a back-to-back.  This was highlighted by a second period where Edmonton held an 18-12 advantage including a 9-0 stretch, which was basically the difference for the game. The Rangers always seem to have these prolonged stretches during games where the other team is the only team on the ice. And it always seems to be in the second period. It has to stop.

Part of it is being shorthanded a lot, which hurts momentum. I don’t think any research has been done on it, but based on the eye-test, and keeping an eye on the numbers, teams always seem to carry the possession metrics in the minutes following a powerplay. Which is not good for a Rangers team that has been undisciplined, taking six penalties tonight. Again the Rangers had another episode where they could not stop taking penalties.

Here’s a team that can’t get through a second period without getting shelled and has had multiple discipline meltdowns this season. Sorry AV, but I have to look at the coaching there.

Now it definitely wasn’t all bad tonight. Edmonton held a big corsi advantage but only a relatively small advantage in scoring chances (16-12) and the Rangers actually had the edge in shots on goal (21-20). Lundqvist was good, but not once tonight did I have a “thank God for Lundqvist” moment. For all of Edmonton’s possession, they didn’t do much with it . Obviously you want to have better possession, but really not a bad defensive performance from the Rangers.

The special teams continues to be a positive. The penalty kill fell asleep on Taylor Hall’s goal at 5:12 of the second period, but they hung in there facing a lot of work. The powerplay continues to be excellent or the Rangers, and produced the winning goal, with Rick Nash tallying at 19:21 of the second.

Nash wore an A tonight for the Rangers, and earned it.

Speaking of Rick Nash, I thought he was brilliant tonight. Two points, played a power game, good defensively and on the penalty kill. Just a beast tonight. Since joining the Rangers, he has 23 game-winning goals. Only Alex Ovechkin and Max Pacioretty have more during that span.

Keith Yandle also stood out with two assists and a decent possession game. The best player for the Rangers though, was Ryan McDonagh, leading the team at +4 in shot attempts despite going up against the Hall line and being on his off-side. He looks like a new player away from Girardi. Now I’m not trying to pin this all on Girardi and say McDonagh has been great every night. I’ve been critical of McDonagh who is equally responsible for their failures as a pair. The takeaway here, as thay for whatever reason, McDonagh just plays a significantly worse game as an individual when he’s with Girardi. AV would be well served to just stop playing them together and not find out why.

At the end of the day, a good win for the Rangers, but still some lingering issues to figure out. They’ll have to to take down a tough Minnesota team on Thursday.

Congrats to Dylan McIlrath on his first NHL goal!

Three Stars

1)Ryan McDonagh

2)Rick Nash

3)Keith Yandle

Was there pizza? Yes! Pizza! Pizza record: 20-11-1