Capitals 7, Rangers 3.
Click here to read my game story from lohud.com.
Click here to read my pre-game column on the slump. (or scroll down a couple of posts).
Click here for the boxscore with links to the game summary, etc.
Click here for Alain Vigneault’s post-game press conference video.
Thoughts:
1) “Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away. Now it looks as though they’re here to stay.” – Rangers fan Sir Paul McCartney. Now that’s an A-list celebrity.
2) “Helter Skelter,” he also sang, and this is where the Rangers now are, the parachute has a gigantic hole in it. The ground is coming upward at a million miles an hour. They have won three of 14. They have lost six of seven. This team built on goaltending, built to defend first, has allowed – get this – 29 goals in its last five losses. 7-5, 5-4, 5-2, 5-2, 7-3. Holy shishkebab! Bigger nets?
3) You look into their eyes and listen to their voices and, seriously, you can see that they care. You can see that they’re bewildered. You can see that they have zero answers. No idea what happened, how it happened, when it happened, or what it is going to take to get out of it. This is late-1990s, early-2000s Rangers stuff. John Muckler. Ron Low, Bryan Trottier … even the very end of Tom Renney (which is when I took over this blog).
4) The Rangers, I guess, can be thankful that they have an even-keeled Alain Vigneault, who believes in a system and in his players, is capable of pulling them out of this … assuming it can be done. I mean, I would take him a hundred out of a hundred times, over pretty much any coach the Rangers have had in my decades doing this job, in a situation like this. But I will add, I have seen a lot of coaches go into one of these and not make it out. I think AV has earned a leash that’s a lot longer than this, and that Jeff Gorton isn’t the trigger-happy fool some of his predecessors have been.
5) Frankly, I think many of the firings I’ve witnessed – some of them out of nowhere, some of them you’d have to have been an idiot to not see coming — were ultimately the right move. I’m pretty sure if this one ever happened, it could be a mistake of Muckler-ian proportions. But if this continues a lot longer …
6) The theory that’s really gaining traction out there is the one about the Rangers having played so much hockey these past four years, that they’ve got to be fatigued, physically and mentally. I’m not dismissing that at all. Not completely buying it, either. I mean, not only have they played a lot of games, but they’ve also played two tough styles and a ton of high-pressure games – Game 7s, down 3-1 in series. But it’s kind of too early in a season, I would think, for that to manifest itself.
7) But I imagine this is what Los Angeles went through last season, after playing all those series for all those seasons, including three seven-gamers en route to that 2014 Cup win over the Rangers. The Kings, in case you’ve forgotten, missed the playoffs the next season. Started slowly and, as (not Sidney) Crosby, Stills and (not Rick) Nash once said, “fizzled out all together.” On the other hand, Chicago hasn’t really gone through it, with three Cups in six years and continued excellence.
8) You do see mental strain here, and perhaps some slowed legs. So again, I’m not ruling out that theory. We’ll see.
9) I will tell you this. When the lockerroom opened last night, every player was in his locker stall. That might not mean a lot to you guys. It means a lot to those who are in there doing this job, and it means a tremendous amount to me because I’ve witnessed a lot of stuff over the years. To me, it’s a bad sign when the team hangs out the usual suspects to answer publicly for a loss like this, or a stretch like this. Apparently one of the captains told everybody to be there. I think that’s a sign of character. It’s a sign of togetherness. On the other hand, it’s a sign of immense frustration when there’s a verbal fracas and curse-out between one of the captains and a beat writer, as there was. Not a big deal, just some steam blown off in the form of unmentionable insults, and later apologies and forgiveness.
10) So the Capitals have won back-to-back games where Braden Holtby has LOL’d to deficits of 3-0 and 3-1. They have won five in a row, are 12-1-1 in 14. Their power play is awesome. Holtby, these last two notwithstanding, is in the Vezina conversation. He and their defense still make me want to see it to believe it in April and beyond. And the Capitals are one of two teams (Dallas is the other) to not yet hit a slump. It’s coming. Every team has at least one. They are eight points up on the Rangers with three games in hand. But the standings in December are irrelevant, and they are the least of the Rangers’ concerns right now.
11) AV trotted out the Renney Line Generator last night, with Viktor Stalberg deservedly playing the Petr Prucha role. Not that others couldn’t have done it. It was like Billy Martin pulling his lineup out of a hat. For a period, it worked. Well, maybe that wasn’t why the Rangers were up 3-1. It wasn’t why they gave up the next six, either. His options, with so many guys playing so poorly, are pretty limited, injuries to two of his – at least in theory – top four defensemen haven’t made it any easier. On the night AV coached his 1,000th game, the Rangers gave up seven and lost in Edmonton. Last night in the first period, they gave him a video tribute for achieving that milestone, No. 1,000. AV waived to the crowd, got a nice ovation, and his team gave up seven again.
12) Anyway, his line juggling that had Tanner Glass playing with Kevin Hayes and Mats Zuccarello almost broke Twitter. Vigneault also had Glass and Jesper Fast on for the last :30 of the first power play. I have no words.
13) Dan Boyle saved a goal early, on a deflected puck in behind Lundqvist. Boyle absolutely bowled over Justin Williams, swept it out with his glove. Good sign? Kevin Hayes, covering for Dylan McIlrath in deep near the offensive blue line. Puck comes back to him. What’s the one thing you can’t do there? Right. He fires one right into the Capitals player’s shinpads. Bad sign? Then Hayes and Emerson Etem let Chorney open at the left dot for a wrister that Williams, abandoned by Hayes and unchecked by Boyle, deflected home for a 1-0 lead.
14) The Rangers somehow figured out how to respond to that. They put up three before the period ended, for seven goals in four periods vs. Holtby this season. He should have flipped off his mask a few times. J.T. Miller, from Nash, gets one back with a neat move around Matt Niskanen, kicking the puck to his stick as he cut to the slot. Chris Kreider goes around John Carlson and beats Holtby. Etem goes around Dmitri Orlov, draws a penalty, and Boyle scores on the power play, from McDonagh and Zuccarello.
15) I know you were saying it, or thinking it, because I was too. This is not over. Up 3-1 entering the second, the Rangers allow Marcus Johanssen to walk in for a crossbar shot at :19. Lundqvist had to stop a wide-open tip right off the next draw. Then Oscar (the Penalty Machine) Lindberg takes his second penalty. That’s so typical of this stretch.
16) On the power play, T.J. Oshie and Nick (Geico) Backstrom are stopped with Ovechkin calling for the puck, then Ovechkin goes over and tells his teammates, quite demonstrably, that he wants the puck. Dominic Moore lines up for draw, Jesper Fast, on Moore’s right is going to the dot instead of going to Ovechkin in his office in the other circle, which would have been a disaster. But Moore gets chased and switches spots with Fast. When the puck is dropped (and Fast loses the draw), Moore goes to Ovechkin. Foiled. Temporarily.
17) Another good sign? How about McDonagh knocking Rangers-killer Jason Chimera on his wallet after he tried to kick the puck out from under Lundqvist’s glove.
18) Then came the two quick Caps goals. Hayes turnover, terrible change, Evgeny Kuznetsov wide open on right wing to roof a back-hander. Marc Staal and Kreider beaten by Oshie to a long bank-pass by Backstrom off the corner boards, and Lundqvist off-balance can’t stop him, just a bad goal. Chris Summers takes a penalty, of course the Rangers ignore Ovechkin in the low left circle. He has all sorts of time to tee one up. 4-3.
19) It still amazes me that teams don’t cheat and make the other four Caps beat them on the PP. Wide open Ovechkin is automatic. The other four are good, and they will beat you sometimes if you take away Ovechkin. But you have to take away Ovechkin and take your chances. It makes no sense any other way.
20) Tom Wilson was sure Timid Tom the first time he went into the corner with Dylan McIlrath, just like the last time the teams played. He did get involved in some stuff later, especially when Tanner Glass smacked Holtby for his slash on Zuccarello. Wilson actually did drop the gloves with McIlrath at one point, but I don’t know if he was really going to go with him, and he ended up taking a dumb penalty.
21) Poor Magnus Hellberg. He has to go in and clean up that mess, and his teammates gave him no help, including the risk that blew up in Keith Yandle’s face for the Chimera short-hander. Allowed two on two shots. Then finally made his first NHL save of the season.
22) When the Rangers have seven healthy D, I would make Dan Boyle a forward. He plays forward on the power play now and plays it well. He obviously has a shot and hand skills, and he battles. He would automatically be better than two or three of the Rangers’ current forwards. There are other positives, too. If he’s a forward and Dylan McIlrath takes a 2+5+10, you drop Boyle back to D for those 17 minutes. I’ve actually always thought that defensemen, particularly those destined to be 5-6-7 D-men, or those on the downside, should learn how to play the wing. Ron Greschner moved up to center and it stretched his career. Who knows? Maybe Stu Bickel could have been a fourth-line NHL winger.
23) By the way, that goal that Boyle scored was virtually the Ovechkin power-play diagram. Righty one-timer in the left circle. Same thing. Same shot. Same spot. He’s not Ovechkin, but it’s a play that works. If opponents are going to allow Ovechkin that shot, they certainly aren’t going to cheat on Dan Boyle. Or you could work it to the other side, but the Rangers don’t have a lefty shooter willing to shoot it other than McDonagh.
25) Some quotes:
Alain Vigneault: “I know that this group knows how to defend and can defend. They’ve proved that in the past. We’re obviously not doing that at this point in time.”
Henrik Lundqvist: “Right now, it’s a test for us mentally to turn this around. It’s definitely a challenge right now to try to get everything going in the right direction.” … “Obviously right now, when bad things happen we get out of structure a little bit. But I have to be better. I know that. We all know that.”
Chris Kreider: “(My) first year (after) the lockout in the NHL, we had a tough stretch, and it’s revealing. You learn a lot about yourself and you learn a lot about the team. If you don’t let it snowball …. It’s something we can use and learn from.”
Mats Zuccarello: “It’s frustrating. Everyone in here wants to win hockey games. We have to be better. We know that. There’s nothing more to say. We’re in a tough stretch. We have to stay positive.” … “Everyone knows we have to be better.”
Ryan McDonagh: “It’s kind of the same story this whole stretch …. We’ve know how to handle those situations. You give up one goal, you’ve got to focus and bear down and make sure the opposing team has to go 200 feet. You don’t give them any quick looks. …. It’s been repeated, I know.”
Rick Nash: “I’ve been through this a lot with other teams. You’ve got to stick together. You’ve got to keep your head up. You’ve got to simplify when things are going wrong – make it easy on yourself, make it easy on your teammates to get through a stretch like this.”
Sir Paul McCartney: “Try to see it my way. Only time will tell if I am right or I am wrong. While you see it your way. There’s a chance that we may fall apart before too long.”
26) Countdown to Festivus: Two days. Feats of strength!
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My Three Rangers Stars:
1. J.T. Miller.
2. Chris Kreider.
3. Dan Boyle.
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Your poll vote for Three Rangers Stars:
1. J.T. Miller.
2. Dylan McIlrath.
3. tie, Dan Boyle, Magnus Hellberg.
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Photos by Getty Images.
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