Rangers 4, Hurricanes 1.
Click here for the boxscore with links to the game summary, etc.
Thoughts:
1) Heave Ho, two in a row! First time since Nov. 21-23, which is really not believable.
2) Let’s keep it in perspective. If a Vancouver player doesn’t kick Ryan Miller’s stick away on the Mats Zuccarello goal in the third period the other night, that might have been a loss – despite dominant play – and this one was just an awful performance by Carolina’s fumbling defensemen. But the Rangers, I thought, played two solid, up-tempo, strong-defense, hard-forecheck games. More their style. And they looked faster doing it.
3) The Rangers, 7-4-1 in their last 12 (since the 7-3 spanking by the December Cup champions), need to do it again. Then again. Then again. They need some good weeks, and a good month.
4) That all said, they might be playing better right now than they were playing back when they were winning just about every night early in the season. Certainly a growing number of their key players are, indeed, much better now. Still a number of them can be much better. You know the names.
5) If they play the way they have lately, that will be plenty good enough to make the playoffs in the Leastern Conference, might even get them a No. 2 seed. But they have to keep the upward trend to be re-considered serious contenders. I’m withholding judgment because of the inconsistencies of these first 47 games. But there’s not a chance in hell this team is as bad as it was in December.
6) Remember when J.T. Miller was not a top-six forward?
7) Through the first period, the Rangers had 66 shots in about 84 minutes of play the last two games. Through the second, it was 80 in 104. That the Rangers were outshot 12-1 in the third, as they defended the lead, ruined the stat’s theme. That all these shots came against two pretty bad teams, well …
8) Carolina’s still horrible. Sorry. Every team has a streak, and that team just had its streak. It might actually hurt in the long run, because if they stay in the race, the Hurricanes won’t sell off their assets and improve down the road. Though I suspect Ron Francis is smarter than that. It’s the NHL. Everybody gets a point, win or lose. Soon every team will get a Stanley Cup at the end of the season.
9) Daniel Paille. Too small a sample to draw any conclusions, especially with one PK shift available. But he didn’t hurt himself any with his debut, and his first NHL game this season, and without a practice with his new team. And he can still motor.
10) Henrik Lundqvist. One of the group of guys whose game is on the rise. Actually, the most important guy. Made a great save on Jeff Skinner, the ballerina, wide-freakin’-open, about six yards behind Keith Yandle and Dan Boyle. Then a terrific save on future Ranger Eric Staal (that name sounds familiar) on the third-period power play, the only one they faced (might be another reason they’ve been successful the last two games – keeping their PK units off the ice). Lundqvist has really not had much work the last two games, even if the number of shots were up higher last night. He just looks so much better than he did during that slide a while ago.
11) There’s still much room for improvement. The Derick Brassard, Mats Zuccarello, Rick Nash line didn’t do much offensively. In fairness, I thought Zuccarello had another pretty strong game, Brassard’s coming off a flu that cost him some pounds, and Nash got pretty banged up twice. That first one, when he twisted an ankle or knee then crashed into the boards, looked pretty bad. I was surprised to see him on the PK when he came back, and of course he got cranked by a shot.
12) Dan Girardi played in his 800th game as a Ranger, combined regular-season and playoffs, which brought about the MSG trivia question of who has the most in franchise history. It’s Brian Leetch, and whenever I see that stat, I still can’t believe he didn’t play a single playoff game as a Ranger after 1997. In his prime. Sad, really.
13) Chris Kreider’s coming back Sunday – assuming the Rangers get out of ice-covered Raleigh at some point late today – and it’s not going to be a really easy decision who comes out.
14) I spoke to Ryan McDonagh Thursday about his revival. He’s just McMonster again, all three zones. Had the great steal of a bad pass by John-Michael Liles at center ice, then and a great move – the best part of his game always was, and is again, his skating — and the shot. That came after a really strong shift by Marc Staal, who always plays his best against his bros.
15) So I guess McDonagh’s a good captain again. As long as they win.
16) With all these guys’ games coming around, maybe Kevin Hayes is next. He’s skating hard, at least most of the time, now. Made a dogged steal from Noah Hanifin, then showed off the mitts and patience, made the pass to Oscar Lindberg, who centered for Yandle for the second goal.
17) Yandle, despite his occasional gaffe in the defensive zone, the last two games has made so many terrific, subtle passes to his forwards. Some not so subtle. Every time he has a game like that, and/or every time the Rangers win, Jeff Gorton’s decision gets more and more complicated.
18) The Rangers’ forecheck is so crucial to their success, and it just went on vacation in December, and wasn’t so great even when they were winning games earlier. It’s back. And for that forecheck to get offensive results, the D-men have to be active, in this system. They can’t be active when the forwards are all over the place, as they have been so often, and not responsibly covering for an activated defenseman. One hand washes the other and both hands wash the face, as Ralph Kramden once said. Ralph also said, “How are they gonna know I’m a Hurry-cane, Alice?”
19) The Rangers’ D-men have 10 goals and 30 assists in the last 18 games – a stretch that covers when they were bad and when they’ve been good. So I don’t know what to make of that.
20) To open the second, Derek Stepan steals from Tarrytown’s Brett Pesce, goes in on a breakaway, goes stick side off the post. Steve Valiquette on MSG, said Eddie Lack has allowed the most stick-side goals, at least I think that’s what I heard. Great stat. Valiquette’s growing on me. He’s also articulate – when he makes a point, he makes it. I also like his term “Bar South” for shots that go in off the crossbar, like McDonagh’s did.
21) Dan Boyle stopped playing when hit in the mush with a stick by Andrej Nestrasil, was too busy arguing, stopped defending on the only Carolina goal. He’s got to know better than that. Still, Jesper Fast probably could have done a better job getting to Joakim Norstrom before the shot, and Lundqvist might be expected to stop that shot, though it did deflect. Of course, our fine, fine officials probably cost Lundqvist a shutout there, and didn’t miss it in the third when Girardi’s stick caught future Ranger Eric Staal’s face. Hey, ya never know. I don’t doubt that Boyle was in some distress if his eyes were all watery, but you can’t turn to argue at that point. The call is not going to change.
22) The Rangers’ forecheck got it back. On this particular one, Stepan caused a turnover, Fast got it to Miller, who buried it … stick side.
23) Miller then showed some serious paws after Jaccob Slavin handled it like a grenade. Miller took it from him, said thank you very much, then juked Lack out of his long johns.
24) The power play only had one opportunity, again. Guess the boys in stripes started their all-star break. I don’t mind them letting ‘em play, but they usually undo it by calling some cheesy penalty after allowing everything to go. This game was hardly dirty or overly physical or mean, so I didn’t think much was warranted. The one call vs. Carolina had to be made. Anyway, the Rangers’ PP has now scored once in 11 games, and that came off the rush, by Miller in Philadelphia. In that stretch they’ve had three games with only one power play, and one with none.
25) This 19-1 streak against Canes hasn’t always been easy. Last season, the Rangers beat Carolina 2-1 in a shootout, 3-2 in overtime, 1-0 (Cam Talbot shutout), and 3-2 in a shootout among the five wins. This season Lundqvist beat them 3-0 in a game that was close, as I recall, and that 4-3 game in which Cam Ward was comical. So last night’s was the most complete of the recent streak.
26) It didn’t turn out to be a bad omen, but on the second shift by McDonagh-Girardi, Girardi was over on the wrong side, Miller let Kris Versteeg walk right to the net for yet another wide-open, uncontested shot, Fast failing to chase him down – which would have been a goal if Versteeg hadn’t half-whiffed. Their next time out, Lundqvist had to stop an Elias Lindholm deflection, with both on the left side again.
27) You’ve got to like Viktor Stalberg’s game … when he wants to play. He hasn’t always. But he’s been terrific and tenacious on the forecheck the last two, and improving since his doghouse visit. He had five more shots on goal, seven attempted. Was credited with two hits … I think he was short-changed there.
28) I know it’s an impossible job, even with computers doing much of the work, to schedule 82 games for each team, with the right number vs. each opponent, and building availability and all. It’s not possible to say somebody screwed up, or whatever. But it’s crazy that the Rangers, just as an example, play all these three-in-fours, then will go seven whole days without a game around the all-star break. It’s also nutso that they are playing Ottawa at 3 p.m. Sunday when Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are having at it for a trip to the Super Bowl. I mean, there aren’t going to be a lot of U.S. eyes on Kanata, Ont. that day.
29) Why did the Rangers ever get rid of Justin Faulk? :)
30) Love these non-conference games with no passion. Oh, wait. … LOL at the P.A. guy hollering in that high-pitched voice late in the second period, hawking tickets to the upcoming Carolina-Calgary game. Yup, fans love to see the stars from the other conference. Yee-haw.
31) Did you ever notice how there’s always hair sticking out of the top front of Miller’s helmet.
**********************************************
My Three Rangers Stars:
1. J.T. Miller.
2. Ryan McDonagh.
3. Henrik Lundqvist.
**********************************************
Leif Skodnick’s Three Rangers Stars:
1. J.T. Miller.
2. Ryan McDonagh.
3. Henrik Lundqvist.
**********************************************
Your poll vote for Three Rangers Stars:
1. J.T. Miller.
2. Ryan McDonagh.
3. Henrik Lundqvist.
**********************************************
Photos by Getty Images.
Click here to go to @RangersReport on Twitter.
The post Rangers-Hurricanes in review appeared first on Rangers Report.