I left the game in Florida very perplexed. As I alluded to the post-game, I thought the possession numbers and defensive play were excellent, but the offense just had an off night. It was a backwards night for the Rangers who have been scoring three goals and getting shelled in shot attempts and scoring chances against all year. I wondered if the Rangers would ever be able to pull great defensive play and their dangerous offense together in the same game. Tonight they did putting forth one of their best efforts of the year.
The offense speaks for itself, six goals and a whopping thirteen high-danger scoring chances. The Rangers were buzzing all night and producing off of their possession – the complete opposite of the Florida game. As far as the defense, before you evaluate the Rangers defensively tonight, you have to understand that the Dallas Stars’ offense is like one of those megazords from the Power Rangers series. They average over 62 shot attempts and 32 scoring chances per game; two ridiculous numbers that both lead the league. Tonight the Stars got only 41 shot attempts and only 17 scoring chances. It was a fantastic defensive effort from the Rangers.
The offense was led by Rick Nash, Derek Stepan, and Jayson Megna, who were the three best players on the ice tonight. They were all over the scoresheet and all had great shot attempt differential, Nash leading the way with three assists and a +12. I know it was only one game, but I’d like to see Megna stick around for a few games and give that line a good, long look. I say that because chemistry-wise, it makes sense to me. You have a scorer in Nash, a playmaker in Stepan [although Nash was more of a playmaker tonight], and a guy who’s good along the boards in Megna, plus all three of them know their way around the defensive zone. I thought Megna was good in camp and at least deserves a look. Why not?
It was nice to see Kevin Hayes have a bounce back game. He was protecting the puck, making smart plays, and just looked more like the Kevin Hayes from last year. It’s only a start, but maybe -just maybe- he got the message from his benching. You have to hope so if you’re a Rangers fan. Derek Stepan, Oscar Lindberg, and Viktor Stalberg also improved on recent form.
The defense was led by very strong efforts from Kevin Klein, Ryan McDonagh, and Marc Staal. I thought Keith Yandle struggled in his own zone a little bit but he’s been solid there all year, and it was nice to see him get back in the goals column. Dan Girardi was Dan Girardi, going -12 in shot attempts, and was the only player in blue I really didn’t like tonight.
So tonight was a great night for the Rangers. Six goals, a wonderful defensive effort against the top offense in the league, and lots of struggling players finding their game. The question now is -and I feel like I’ve said this a bunch- whether or not the Rangers can build on it. To be fair, slowly but surely the Rangers have been a better possession team of late. The offense is almost always there, and if Henrik Lundqvist can get back to being the best goalie in the game, the Rangers might just have something here. They’re going to need it, as they face their arch rivals from D.C. on Saturday.
Three Stars
1)Rick Nash
2)Derek Stepan
3)Jayson Megna
Was there pizza? Six goals, free pizza! (no not really, unfortunately) Pizza record: 24-14-2
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