There’s no breaking that one down. There’s no taking the good with the bad. There’s no “put this one behind you and move forward.” No, that was absolutely dreadful, and it’s a problem. Out-attemped 55-28. Beaten in chances 29-16. Not enough offense; not enough defense; beaten; dominated; outplayed. That just about sums it up.
I won’t sit here and harp too much on specific players because it was just about everyone. If you wore a white jersey today, you probably really bad at hockey this afternoon. It makes more sense to pick out the few who were strong. Henrik Lundqvist is obviously the main reason this was close. Dan Boyle somehow went +6 in shot attempts in this game with the team going -27, so that’s nice. Derek Stepan and his line were also strong. Zuccarello added two assists and was passable in possession. I could do without the rest.
I will point out one player, and that’s Keith Yandle. Not to single him out because, like I said, just about everyone was poor in this game, but rather to make a point about management. Yandle was poor in this one, going -12 in shot attempts. I’ve noticed a pattern, that when Yandle is poor in a game (which is rare) the Rangers are a really, really bad hockey team. They depend on Yandle because deadweight players (you know who you are) often prevent the other pairs from making a difference. He has arguably been the most important player on the team this season. And in the offseason, he is veyr likely to be let go. I think that says it all about this front office, and says it all about this organization. If today is a preview of the Rangers without Yandle full-time, then buckle up because this is just scratching the surface.
Here’s another bone I have to pick. Now, I’m a writer. As a writer I try to engage in evidence and facts, and keep my personal notions out of it. That’s why I’m an advanced stats guy. But I’m also a fan, and I don’t hide that. So I want to ask everyone now as a fan: am I the only one beyond sick and tired of this team blowing leads? Here are the follies over the last few months, and believe me, the list is extensive
Rangers after 55 minutes:
11/19/15 @ TBL: Allowed (Shorthanded) GWG (1:05 remaining), lost in regulation
11/27/15 @ BOS: Allowed GTG (3:46) & GWG (1:43), lost in regulation
12/11/15 @ EDM: Allowed GWG (1:34), lost in regulation after empty-net goal (0:38)
01/09/16 vs WSH: Allowed GTG (0:06), lost in overtime
02/12/16 vs LAK: Allowed GTG (0:30), lost in overtime
02/17/16 vs CHI: Allowed GWG (3:00), lost in regulation
03/06/16 vs NYI: Allowed GWG (1:28), lost in regulation after empty-net goal (1:01)
03/12/16 @ DET: Allowed GTG (0:30), lost in overtime.
All the credit for the research here goes to Amazing Kreiderman on HFBoards, he’s great. Thanks AK!
When did this become the norm? I seem to recall that for a long time after the lockout, when the Rangers got a lead late, the game was over. Done. Finished. In 2015-16, when the Rangers get a lead late, that’s just when it starts getting interesting. What happened? Where does the blame fall? Again, I think you have to look at a little bit of everyone. It starts with your coach, but you also have to pin some blame on the defense, the penalty kill, and even -at times this year- the goaltending. What I know for sure is, these are not the New York Rangers I know. These are not the New York Rangers that from 2012 through 2015, I watched ascend to one of the elite teams in the National Hockey League; the Rangers that used to lock games down when they got ahead. No, those Rangers are gone, and the team needs to figure out how to get it back real fast or it only gets worse from here.
With the playoffs looming, it’s another bad possession game, another embarrassing blown lead, and another road game where the Rangers failed to even look like an NHL team. I’ve run out of answers at this point.
Three Stars
1)Henrik Lundqvist
2)Mats Zuccarello
3)Derek Stepan
Was there pizza? No pizza. Pizza record: 36-26-6.
6GoalieDefense 