Rangers 3, Canucks 2 (OT).
Click here to read my game story from lohud.com.
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) Didn’t the Rangers beat the Canucks 3-2 at the Garden on some other occasion?
2) I’m pretty sure I read somewhere that the Rangers are done. So …
3) Hey, seriously, this one game, or any game, isn’t going to declare the Rangers cured. It isn’t going to scream they’re over the hump and ready to roll. Not after what we’ve seen for nearly two months now, and if we are totally honest, for most of the 46 games. It just isn’t. And I don’t normally like to discuss a story written by a colleague, but it’s just that there was so much chatter on this blog about that yesterday.
4) But it’s also too crazy, IMO, in this Leastern Conference, to declare the Rangers dead. They may not make it to the finish line, or they might crawl over the line and last 4-7 games, or whatever. But to suggest that this group that has done so much for four years can’t have a decent final 36 games here, or have a chance against one of the other Many Mediocres, is a tad premature. Could they ultimately be an epic fail? Absolutely. Things change. Not long ago, Montreal and Dallas were, to quote Ali, kings of the world.
5) That said, quite obviously, the Rangers still have a ton of things to fix. And, again, this was a game against a team that doesn’t defend at all, and doesn’t attack all that well, either, especially when it is missing its best player (Henrik Sedin). Still, the Rangers, despite what nearly happened (a 2-1 loss, or an OT loss), were, in terms of dictating the play and the pace and possession, in complete control of this game from the moment Keith Yandle rang the first of five shots off the post behind Ryan Miller. …
6) … Who, I believe, is overrated in general, but is also completely capable of getting on a roll, or of playing single games as well as any goalie in the world. He was pretty spectacular last night, despite all the post-ringers and the three goals. How about Miller’s 6-foot-wide shoulder pads? … I mean, all goalies, including the guy down the other end, wear ridiculously-sized pads. But Miller’s, too me, seemed to be even more absurdly large. But, yeah, we need bigger nets.
7) The Rangers were again talking about the progress they’ve made recently, and that’s all well and good and true, when compared to that dark place they were in December. But all these games about “we did a lot of good things” … or “played well enough” … or any notion of moral victories … I imagine that’s what, for example, Toronto’s been saying all these years. Close only counts in Bocce. “We were aware the last couple of weeks we were playing pretty darn well,” J.T. Miller said. “Take away the scores of the games and I think we know we’re headed in the right direction and we’ve done a lot more good things than bad things. Today we put together a really nice game.”
8) The Rangers need to put some wins together, something they haven’t done since Nov. 21-23. So, in that regard, this was very much needed. No matter how well they played, they needed to win, even in the random crapshoot that 3-on-3 has become. And they need to win a bunch more, especially with this soft portion of their schedule that began last night.
9) The Rangers had a lot of jump, did lot of skating, gave it a lot of effort. They were physical, they were fast. They went to the net. Except for a few plays, they defended around their net … much better than they had in Brooklyn, in Philadelphia, in Washington. But … Vancouver stinks.
10) Two tweets I enjoyed last night: From @andyedelson: “JT Miller (8), Nash (7), Stalberg (6) = 21 Shots on Goal. Vancouver = 20 SOG.” And from @Sarge2622: “the only Miller who had a bad night was linesman Steve.” (ICYMI, Steve Miller was struck in the back of the head by a puck, but after being down for a couple of minutes, got up and toughed it out).
11) Ryan McDonagh lately = McMonster. Was awesome in this one, probably lost in the shuffle that he might have been the best non-goalie in the game (and the second-best Ryan). Great captain every other game, I guess (I kid, I kid). His game’s been coming, and other than a few coverage issues the last three weeks, has been the guy the Rangers expected to have back there. And, yes, his partners have let him down many times, perhaps dragged him down.
12) Another who’s game is turning sharply – and at first I think it was just some offensive contribution, but now a serious turnaround – is Chris Kreider, whose speed and muscle and shot were an absolute factor again.
13) If the Rangers are indeed going to get this thing righted, it’s going to take more players figuring it out, and that’s starting to happen.
14) Speaking of which, these were big bounce-back games by Keith Yandle, who was terrible in Washington — even Alain Vigneault said it — and just owned the puck in this game; and by J.T. Miller, who has been one of the better Rangers for a long time, but also committed the fatal cough-up that prevented any comeback against the backup goalie in D.C. Sunday; and Mats Zuccarello (minus his linemate, Derick Brassard, who had the flu), who’s been in a complete funk for weeks. Miller was just a beast, physically, speed-wise, and cranking shots (eight on goal, one missed). “Sometimes it takes a game where you have to look yourself in the mirror and I thought we did a good job responding from our last game in Washington,” Yandle said. “It’s that time of the year, at the end of the year, where you need to find ways to get points.”
15) “It could be frustrating, but at the same time you can’t be frustrated,” J.T. Miller said about trailing despite such an edge in play. “You’ve got to realize, and I think everybody did a good job of realizing, that we were carrying the play for the most part, had all our good looks, and trying to not let their goalie steal the show tonight. He played unreal. But we did a real good job of persevering through all that and making sure we got the job done.”
16) Almost-Daily Nash-O-Meter: Mixed bag for Rick Nash, but mostly good. Hit a post. Took a pouliot. Had a hand in both goals in regulation. He was all over the Canucks early. He busted it to negate an icing. The knowledgeable MSG fans could barely muster a golf clap. Then he lost his man as both Dan Boyle and Marc Staal left the front of the net to chase the puck. 1-0. Tanner Glass got more ice time than Nash in first. Not sure what in holy hell to make of that.
17) He’s been a major part of whatever offense the Rangers have created lately. That said, he needs to score goals. And yeah, I’m aware that you guys are aware of that, and he is too. His last 14 games, he’s got two goals. One of those was the second – the second! – empty-net goal in Tampa. The other one cut a Nashville lead from 5-1 to 5-2 in the third. Including those, he’s got four goals in the last 23 games. (if my math is correct, always a big “if”).
18) Anyway, it was Nash coming off the bench for an extra attacker when Kreider – just a different player now – drew a penalty. Nash went right to the net. Kreider one-timed Zuccarello’s pass. Nash deflected it on goal and Stepan banged in the rebound. Just a great shift by Kreider, who had a few more in the period, though he did force a 2-on-1 pass for J.T. Miller that had no chance of getting through, when he could have fired from the high slot.
19) On the delayed-penalty goal, I’m not sure what was more important, the Rangers tying the game, or avoiding the power play. Then Nash almost immediately hit the pipe.
20) It continued to be a tennis match for a while at 1-1, back and forth, Lundqvist robbed Sven Baertschi, Fast hit the post, Lundqvist stopped Vey’s redirection. Then, of course, Emerson Etem beat Jayson Megna out of the corner and set up Burrows for a left-post tap-in behind Kevin Klein. 2-1. Etem has now played two good games this season, one against his former team, Anaheim. One against his former team, the Rangers.
21) Zuccarello, with effort and skill we haven’t seen much lately, got the tying goal. After Nash dug out Zuccarello’s rebound and wound it to Yandle in the corner. Yandle made a tremendous goal-mouth pass – one of many, many sharp passes he made in the game – to Zuccarello for the redirection. 2-2. Zuccarello was his old self, using his speed, getting in on pucks, making (mostly) smart passes. Another crucial guy.
22) You know, somebody brought up the point in the last week, and it’s valid, and I should have thought of it earlier. A lot of us in the media should have, though few have been as critical of the Little Italian Kid from Norway as I. Maybe Zuccarello hit a wall, given all he went through over the off-season with the fractured skull, the concussion, the memory loss and the inability to work out early in the summer. But this clearly hasn’t been the same Zuccarello we saw earlier in the season. This is more like the Zuccarello in his first term here, when he was in the lineup mostly because he could win shootouts.
23) Zuccarello also made the big backcheck on the breakaway by E.F. Hutton in the overtime, and when Hutton whiffed on his shot because of the back pressure, it nearly fooled Lundqvist, who was really good again, after a superb performance in his last outing, in Philly. Let’s face it, the Rangers go as far as he carries them. That’s not breaking news. He has carried them for a couple of games. He robbed Sven Baertschi shortly after tying goal. Could have been another one of those crushing goals.
24) The special teams? Still in wait-and-see mode after each team had one power play and didn’t score. But the penalty kill really can’t get any worse, can it? We know from experience, the power play can always get worse. They have gone back to the Dan Boyle in Ovechkin’s office setup, and Boyle had one great chance shanked when the pass was too far out in front of him.
25) Again, Dylan McIlrath sits, and even with Kevin Klein back, Dan Girardi played on McDonagh’s right, Klein with Yandle, etc. Don’t ask why. I don’t know why. McDonagh-Girardi sure worked this time.
26) So after the game, I asked Zuccarello about the importance of getting points instead of all the “we did a lot of good things” and moral victories stuff, and as he started his answer, Larry Brooks came wandering over, prompting Zuccarello to switch gears quickly … “We need the points,” he said, before looking at Brooks and adding, “We’ve got to show that Zed is not dead, you know?” Then he left. Much as I’ve knocked him lately, he’s an easy guy to root for, given how he plays, what he went through, and how available, quotable and funny he can be.
27) A lot of what Brooks wrote in that “Rangers are done” column was dead-on. I think Vigneault deserves a little slack, though, with what he’s gone here, his calming influence, and all. The guy’s a great coach. He really is. Is he responsible, ultimately, for what’s gone on this season? Absolutely. To say the team doesn’t appear to be well-coached, that’s fair on a lot of nights, or when the same defensive issues cost the Rangers game after game. He even said so, to a point, about the special teams yesterday: “At the end of the day, special teams are my responsibility whether it be PK or PP. I sign off on what we do and how we do it.”
28) As for the press conference stuff, well, sure it can be a tad annoying when he doesn’t answer a question, instead going into his “it was a hard-fought battle by both teams” or when he switches his answer to something about the preparation for the next game, or when he tosses out the “Grade A chances” numbers that sometimes ignore the massive breakdowns that cost games. Yeah, a lot of times he refuses to let you inside. That’s not unique among coaches in pro or college sports. But that’s who he is. He is certainly honest and forthcoming, a lot of the time, when discussing players’ performances. He’s certainly a gentleman, and not confrontational as was his predecessor, who at times was “Must-see TV” and at times impossible.
29) I didn’t have to tell the Sedins apart last night, thank goodness. But which one is the lowlife? I forgot.
30) God, I love these non-conference games. The fans were so jacked to see Bo Horvat. Almost as exciting as the T-shirt toss.
*************************************
My Three Rangers Stars:
1. Ryan McDonagh.
2. J.T. Miller.
3. Mats Zuccarello.
*************************************
Kenny Albert’s Three Rangers Stars:
1. J.T. Miller.
2. Mats Zuccarello.
3. Rick Nash.
*************************************
Your poll vote for Three Rangers Stars:
1. J.T. Miller.
2. Mats Zuccarello.
3. Ryan McDonagh.
*************************************
Photos by Getty Images.
Click here to go to @RangersReport on Twitter.
The post Rangers-Canucks in review appeared first on Rangers Report.