Rangers 3, Flyers 2 (shootout)
Click here for the boxscore with links to the game summary, etc.
Thoughts:
1) Let me get this out of the way. That is just an awful, awful way to decide a hard-played hockey game. I mean, it’s a bit absurd that, if Steve Mason stops that Mats Zuccarello shot in the contest, and Philly gets one in the fourth or fifth round, Saturday’s game is seen in a completely different light – a disaster, actually, instead of a needed win. I mean, the Rangers probably played as well or better in Brooklyn, and got nada. Nearly tossed away this one and got deuce.
2) That said, this is today’s NHL, so you better win those silly gimmicks when you get to them, because that extra point — when all these mediocre teams are stacked closer than pancakes – can be critical.
3) Again, I believe the Rangers are still moving forward, mostly, not backward anymore. Now they go to Great 8’s house to try for their first back-to-back wins since Nov. 21-23. Good luck with that.
4) While they dig out of December, the Rangers are doing a ton of things better. But they still are doing a lot of the same things poorly. Their defense around their own net is often still terrible, but not terrible as often. Does that make sense?
5) That power-play goal by Philadelphia in the third was so typical of the way the Rangers cover – or don’t cover – the front of their net. Wayne Simmonds went and planted himself in the crease. Ryan McDonagh ignored him, fronted him. This is obviously what the Rangers do by design. They front the man, don’t try to move him, don’t try to tie him up. So the Flyers moved the puck across, McDonagh has to abandon Simmonds, by design. Dan Girardi is stuck in the left circle where he was pursuing the puck, again, by design apparently, then doing a half a snow angel that prevented him from getting back to the net. Just too, too easy for the Flyers. John Scott could have scored that goal.
6) It seems the Rangers can’t stop that pass through the slot on the PK anymore, whether they’re in a box or a diamond. Too aggressive?
7) There are still too many poor defensive decisions and plays, too many wide-open opponents at times, but they are mostly isolated. I see a number of players getting better – still a way to go for most of them, but better. McDonagh, Marc Staal, Chris Kreider, Kevin Hayes, Oscar Lindberg, Jesper Fast, Tanner Glass, certainly J.T. Miller. Some are still stuck in neutral. Or reverse.
8) I’m not even going to say what I think about Nash’s last two games, because it doesn’t matter to you guys who know only one thing.
9) But if you look at the last five games (3-1-1), they smacked Dallas, had just a couple of terrible plays in an OT loss to Washington (which they nearly won in regulation, and nearly won in OT), were better than OK but not great in beating Boston, had two costly mistakes in the third period to lose in Brooklyn, then got two points against an improving Philly, despite more mistakes. It seems when they make them, they pay for them.
10) The best news for the Rangers is that two of the guys on whom they were counting to improve and be so much better this season both scored (Miller and Kreider), and even better, that their best player, their biggest cap-hit, won the game for them this time.
11) Henrik Lundqvist has done it many times over the last 11 years, and he’s the reason why their record remains decent despite what’s happened since late November, but he hasn’t done it in a while. He hasn’t really been terrible. But he sure hadn’t been great either. In Philly, he was – becoming the first goalie in NHL history to win 20 or more in each of his first 11 seasons.
12) Lundqvist made that save on Simmonds’ breakaway after McDonagh missed the net and Simmonds got in behind Kevin Klein in the third. Then in OT, he stopped Shayne (The Ghost) Gostisbehere, and robbeds Read after Derek Stepan gave it up in the corner. Lundqvist finished with the 3-for-3 skills competition. He also had an animated discussion with assistant coach Ulf Samuelsson (in Swedish?) apparently over the PK coverage, or lack thereof.
13) Lundqvist also assisted on J.T. Miller’s goal. He now has more power-play assists than Miller, and trails Nash and Hayes by one.
14) All day long, Claude Giroux vs. Derick Brassard was a complete mismatch shift after shift after shift. I imagine Barry Trotz will watch that video and know what to do about it with his much bigger guns Sunday evening. The Flyers had all sorts of offensive-zone fun when Miller, Brassard and Zuccarello were out there against Giroux’s top-heavy line. And let’s be honest, this isn’t new for Brassard and Zuccarello in recent weeks.
15) So there’s 10.8 seconds left in the crapshoot that is now OT and the Rangers get a power play, Brassard drawing the penalty. I had no idea how or why, after a timeout, they let Stepan take (and lose) the faceoff. Then I looked. Stepan had won 10 of 18 in the game, Brassard 5 of 15, Moore 6 of 15. … But Stepan had a tough game, despite the very nice assist on the Kreider goal. He took two penalties, got caught flat-footed in the defensive zone on the Brayden Schenn goal when he could have given Klein some help, lost the puck in OT after the save on Gostisbehere, forcing one last save on Read.
16) Stepan also got knocked on his tail again watching the puck. Boy, he leaves himself open for big hits.
17) Early on, Kreider misses the net, Klein over-pursues the puck near the blue line, gets no support from the forwards, and it’s a 3-on-1 down low. And another wide-open, completely uncontested goal for an opponent, Schenn. Shocker. Late second, Klein knocks Simmonds on his wallet in front. That’s the way you do it. Klein opened the second with a Kostka, moments after Kreider failed to get the puck out.
18) Then the Rangers get a power play, which gets one decent chance – Nash cuts to the middle from McDonagh. Steve Mason makes a good save. Rebound to Miller. He decides to try a pass that has no chance to get through rather than shoot. End of power play.
19) McDonagh’s all-around game is coming around. Using his feet again, making some terrific outlets. (yeah, I know, it’s better without Girardi on his right, blah-blah-blah … though Klein wasn’t much better than Girardi on the 1-0 goal, was he?) Anyway, McDonagh made the pass on Miller’s tying goal, terrific shot with speed at the end of the power play.
20) Maybe the Rangers should just go with rush attempts instead of setting up the power play, because the setup is really in the tank now. They really can’t have all these pass-first guys on the power play. I don’t get why they went away from that setup with Boyle in the left circle, which was working so well. They really stunk it up with that third-period power play and a chance to put the game away. Not a shot. Not one.
21) Kreider, despite his recurring troubles getting pucks out of the zone, and hitting the net, has looked better for a few games. At least he’s using his speed more, and he did it a couple of times in this game, including the missed shot that led to the Flyers’ first goal, and the goal he scored off the great setup by Nash and Stepan for a 2-1 lead. He just beat the second Flyer to the net … by a lot. His game still has a long way to go overall, but if he uses his God-given gifts, he’ll at least offset some of the mistakes. Our reader Aneirin pointed out that at mid-season last year, Kreider was 8-12-20 after 41 games (he had missed two of them). Right now, after 44 (he’s missed two) he is 7-13-20. So there’s that.
22) Good long pass by Staal to start that play on the Kreider goal, a won puck at the offensive blue line by Stepan, and a smart pass by Stepan to Nash. Then Nash found Kreider full-speed ahead to the net. Like the old Kreider.
23) Dominic Moore has picked up some penalties lately, but continues to be their defensive conscience. He bailed out Dan Boyle-Keith Yandle late in the second harassing the Ghost on the breakaway. I think Lundqvist got a little pices of it, too.
24) Tanner Glass — 23 hits in the last three games, many of then teeth-rattlers — has been an absolute physical beast lately (ducks). You also have to like the stuff with Cal Clutterbuck Thursday, and more on Friday. His linemate, Viktor Stalberg, has visibly picked up his pace after his vacation at the kennel.
25) I am really starting to like some of the relevant stats Steve Valiquette keeps: The Rangers have put 166 point shots on goal with no screen and the goalies are 166-for-166. Then he supports it with video of Rangers forwards not making enough of an effort to get there. Good stuff.
26) Nick Schultz has played 1,000 games? I would have guessed 400 or 500, maybe 600. Mr. Snider’s kids are a much faster team since they got rid of slugs like Braydon Coburn, Luke Schenn and knuckleheads like Tom Sestito and Zac Rinaldo, much better defensively, too.
27) Did you guys know this was the Rangers’ Moms trip? Also, Mrs. Staal apparently has two other sons who also play hockey.
28) Philly has the kid they call Ghost, so there were two ghosts in this game. Brassard, on the second-period PK with Stepan in the box, had Nash on a breakaway, can’t get it to him, turns it over at the red line, Flyers get a 2-on-1. Beginning of the third, up 2-1, Brassard in slot, odd-man break, wish-pass has no chance to get through, and doesn’t, odd-man rush the other way. During the 3-on-3, he tries a fancy-boy, blind, behind-the-back pass to nobody, ends up in a 3-on-1 and Matt Read shot high and wide from the slot. Or game over. He was a no-show in Brooklyn, too.
29) Here’s something I haven’t said in a while — or maybe ever — I thought that was a pretty well officiated game. Relatively speaking.
30) If Jayson Megna had played, it would have been the first NHL game with two players who were born in Florida (The Ghost being the other). Del Boca Vista was booing Alain Vigneault for scratching Megna.
31) So it’s on to D.C. where the Caps are ticked off about losing 4-1 in Buffalo Saturday. Nicklas Backstrom is already standing in the crease waiting for the game to start. Antti Raanta starts in goal. I wonder if Dan Boyle plays back-to-backs, or if Dylan McIlrath gets another shot.
32) Then the Canucks and Canes coming up this week. So excited. Yay.
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My Three Rangers Stars:
1. Henrik Lundqvist.
2. Chris Kreider.
3. J.T. Miller.
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Kenny Albert’s Three Rangers Stars:
1. Henrik Lundqvist.
2. Mats Zuccarello.
3. Rick Nash.
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Leif Skodnick’s Three Rangers Stars:
1. Henrik Lundqvist.
2. Mats Zuccarello.
3. Dan Girardi.
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Your poll vote for Three Rangers Stars:
1. Henrik Lundqvist.
2. J.T. Miller.
3. Chris Kreider.
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Photos by the Associated Press.
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