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Four-Point Weekend w/ Wins over Columbus & NJ But Work Remains. Phx Monday |
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There is no way to minimize the importance of the past weekend. Four points earned, and yes, I use the word earned on purpose as it's accurate, against a pair of teams who were either breathing down the Rangers neck or close enough to cause some damage. While Friday night's 3-1 over the Blue Jackets was big, following it up with a 2-0 victory against a Devils squad that seemingly has had the Rangers number all year was a big boost.
Game Highlights:
Friday we finally saw the Rick Nash we had been hoping for. As Larry Brooks wrote in his column, this was Nash basically telling the Rangers with his performance that they won't lose. In conjunction with that, let me say I was wrong. I wrote Friday that I thought the emotion would be at a 5-6 and that the Nash returning retuning to Columbus was overblown, but it turns out on both counts, I was way off.
This was an angry and chippy game on both sides, but no more so than by Nash. He played angry and drove hard to the net throughout, two components of his game that has been lacking all too often. We sometimes forget how big he is because he doesn't like to drop the gloves. But the shove to Sergei Bobrovsky, while not what we like to see and a move that if it happened to Hank, we would be up in arms, it showed that he wasn't about to any more garbage. Nash felt that he was chopped at by Bobrovsky and he was sticking up for himself. In addition, later on he dropped the gloves with Matt Calvert, and while the Rangers did fall behind 1-0, many felt this was a galvanizing moment for Nash and spurred the team on to the win.
This was a comment on the blog and it summed up well: "Here's what I am hoping happened last night. Nash's days of deferring a leadership role to the others on the team are over. Maybe last night was the night he became a Ranger. Maybe it was closure in his Columbus career and his role as a leader, an emotional leader on this team was established. You don't have to have a letter on your sweater to lead. He played with guts last night. Much needed effort if you ask me."
Maybe this is when the Rangers became Rick Nash's team, and he went from former Blue Jacket to current Blueshirt. The good part was that he followed Friday's effort up with another solid game Saturday, scoring the game-winner. I think to a man, the Rangers were impressed by what Nash did and backed him up by earning the victory.
First it was Derek Stepan - so much for his inability to score and be a top center - off a brilliant move and feed by Ryan McDonagh. Then it was Derick Brassard with a banked in goal. After that, and for a good portion of the game before those two goals. It was Henrik Lundqvist making save after save. The Blue Jackets outhit the Rangers 42-17, carrying play a good portion of the game but Lundqvist was up to the task. I don't think the D played great, though I recognize they were down to five blueliners when John Moore left with what was later diagnosed as a concussion. But the Rangers were able to hold on, sealing it on Carl Hagelin's 17th - who would have thought - of the season.
Game Highlights:
Heading into Saturday's game, it was a chance it push the Devils further down in the standings and solidify the Rangers hold on third in the conference, as Philadelphia won earlier in the day. With Moore banged up, Raphael Diaz stepped into the lineup playing the right side on the third pairing alongside Kevin Klein. In addition, Derek Dorsett, who ably replaced Daniel Carcillo on Friday and had a strong game, was scratched due to the flu and replaced by Carcillo.
Diaz, who many of us had wanted to see in place of Anton Stralman, had a solid game. He received 16:20 ice time that included 4:06 on the power play and showed a strong ability to move the puck quickly and decisively. You all know I was happy with his acquisition at the deadline, and given that Justin Falk was the seventh, I felt it gave the Rangers some depth there that was lacking previously.
Once again it was Nash with a key play. Chris Kreider drove to the net and either interfered with or was nudged into Martin Broduer, depending on your view, and Nash put the puck into the net from a ridiculous angle at the left hash to make it 1-0. New Jersey put on tons of pressure, hitting the post at least once but Lundqvist stoned the Devils throughout. The victory was sealed when Derek Stepan scored with 7.8 seconds to go and the shutout was Lundqvist's 51st, giving him the most shutouts in Rangers history.
The Rangers (39-29-4) now have won three in a row, four out of their past five, and are just one point short of the Flyers for second in the division. New York must be careful not to look past the Coyotes on Monday to facing the Flyers on Wednesday. It would not shock me if Cam Talbot got the nod Monday as Lundqvist will be between the pipes Wednesday, but I could see AV sticking with Lundqvist despite all the talk of giving him enough rest down the stretch.
Stepan. He is not your prototypical top line center. He likely will not be an 80-90 goal scorer, but he has shown he can productive enough, especially if you have production from the other pivot men. The goal and assist Saturday gave Stepan a team-high 50 points for the year, putting him one behind his career-high set two years ago. The 35 assists leads the team and has already established a high for Stepan. Since the Olympics, Stepan has five goal/ and 10 assists in 13 games. Rather than getting down from the lack of ice time in Sochi, Stepan used the experience to learn what it takes to play at the elite level and has used those lessons wisely since coming back to the US. In addition, what we all see but sometimes others don't is just how responsible he is defensively. That capability makes up for any defensive lapses by his linemates. The league recognized how good he is in his own zone, voting him top-10 for the Selke after last season. If your criteria for success is that Stepan must be an 80-90 point player to be a top center, then you will never be satisfied. But if 65 or so points coupled with top notch defensive play is sufficient, then Stepan fills the bill.
Another great comment, which sums up very well, was: "I love the heart and fortitude shown by this team the last couple of games. Pouliot dropping the gloves with Mackenzie in the Columbus game and chirping with Marty tonight. Nash going with Calvert and playing like a man possessed. Zucc is the grittiest guy in this lineup despite his lack of size. This team, playing with tenacity, physicality and doing a terrific job of limiting the opposition's chances can match up with teams like Boston in the East. They certainly have more skill with St. Louis, who I am fully confident will produce very soon, but I was worried they wouldn't match up with more physical clubs. The last couple of days this team has shown their toughness and I feel pretty good about where they are at."
In the past, the Rangers were a black-and-blue squad. They got away from that this year, but showed they can summon up history when necessary. In beating Columbus and New Jersey, they showed that while not big in stature, they can play big when needed. It's that willingness to take a hit to make a play. It's easy to shy away from one, but the teams that win absorb the hit to make the play. It could be as simple as chipping the puck out of the zone or as complex as taking a bit to clear the puck or make a pass leading to a goal. Whatever the play is, the Rangers lately have shown that willingness and ability to take the hit to end up with a positive result.
The one negative lately has been the power play. Stepan’s empty-netter against the Devils came on the power play but to me that's a faux goal on the man advantage. Including that goal, since it counts on the stats, the Blueshirts are 2-for-26 on the power play in their last eight games, with both goals recorded by Stepan, who scored in Minnesota on March 13. As I mentioned before, the back pass to create "speed" through the neutral zone isn't working, they need to get back to what they we doing during the hot streak rather than the mixing and matching that has gone since the Martin St. Louis acquisition.
The Playoff Race:
Starting with 12 games to go, scoreboard watching became the sport inside of the sport. As of March 24, as the Rangers sit third in the division, 39-29-4 with 82 points. When I do a recap or game preview blog, I will include this at the bottom of the blog. However, on non-game/recap days, I will run this daily since this is a huge topic of conversation and a large component of our focus.
Sunday, the Rangers got some help as the Islanders beat Columbus, Minnesota beat Detroit, though the Red Wings earned a point, and New Jersey beat Toronto.
Division:
Philly- won 4-1 over St. Louis on 3/22, five straight victories, 8-1-1 last 10, two games in hand on the Rangers, one point up on NY, in second place. (played 35 games at home, 35 on road, six left at home, six on road)
Washington - won 3-2 in shootout over Phoenix on 3/22, 5-4-1 last 10, no games in hand and is three points behind NY. (played 36 games at home, 36 on road, five left at home, five on road)
Columbus - lost 2-0 to Islanders on 3/23 , two straight defeats and 5-4-1 in last 10, one game in hand, fifth n division with game in hand. (played 35 games at home, 36 on road, six left at home, five on road)
New Jersey - won 3-2 over Toronto on 3/23, 5-5-0 last 10, no games in hand, seven points behind NY. (played 35 games at home, 37 on road, six left at home, four on road)
Carolina - 3-2 win over Winnipeg on 3-22, 5-5-0 last 10, one game in hand, 11 points behind NY. (played 36 games at home, 35 on road, five left at home, six on road)
Conference (teams within 10 either way, as Boston has a lock of Atlantic division, with second, third and wild cards up for grabs)
Tampa Bay - second in Atlantic, lost 4-3 in overtime to Pittsburgh on 3/22, 5-2-3 last 10, one game in hand on Rangers, four points up on Rangers. (played 33 games at home, 38 on road, eight left at home, three on road)
Montreal - third in Atlantic, won 4-3 over Toronto on 3/22, to Columbus, 5-5-0 last 10, no games in hand and is three points up on Rangers. (played 37 games at home, 35 on road, four left at home, six on road)
Detroit - tied for fourth place in Atlantic, but two games in hand on Toronto. Lost 4-3 to Minnesota on 3/23, 5-3-2 last 10, no games in hand and two points behind the Rangers. First Wild Card. (played 36 games at home, 35 on road, five left at home, six on road)
Toronto - tied for fourth place in Atlantic, lost five in a row, including 3-2 to NJ on 3/23, 4-5-1 last 10, played one more game than the Rangers, two points behind Rangers. Second Wild Card. (played 36 games at home, 37 on road, five left at home, four on road)
Ottawa - sixth place in Atlantic, lost four in a row, 2-6-2 last 10, two games in hand, 13 points behind the Rangers and 11 behind last Wild Card spot. (played 34 games at home, 36 on road, seven left at home, five on road)
Summary: Two huge wins over Columbus and New Jersey, but nothing is clinched. The Rangers the past several seasons have been excellent down the stretch, to lock in a spot, they may need to do the same thus year. A pair of home games followed buy two road ones this week. monday against Phoenix, who are in a dogfight for the eighth spot out West, followed by what should make the game against Columbus look like a walk in the park based on the clippings expected, with Philly in on Wednesday. The two road games this week kick off a huge west coast swing from 3/28 to 4/3. Remaining games overall are five on the road and five at home. Last three of four at MSG. The Rangers are going to get no help from others, so they will need to keep winning in order to make the post-season.
In order:
3/21- @ CMB - win 3-1
3/22 - @NJ - win 2-0
3/24 - Phx
3/26 - Phi
3/28 - @Cgy
3/30 - @Edm
4/1 - @Van
4/3 - @Col
4/5 - Ott
4/8 - Car
4/10 - Buf
4/12 - @Mtl
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