The Rangers found a way to win Friday, defeating the Flames 4-3 at MSG. While New York is still expected to be sellers at the deadline, the players that are still here are fighting for jobs and playing time and are expected to produce (more on that below). That is evident by some of the comments made pre-and post-game, on most of which I agree, one I am still shaking my head over. The Blueshirts kick off a four-game road trip in Winnipeg tonight with games against Minnesota, Brooklyn and Ottawa to follow.
Game recap:
MSG Post-game recap:
I am not going to mention a ton about the game, save for a few thoughts. First, if Rick Nash and Michael Grabner are on their way out the door as expected, good way to leave by getting a goal. Second, I am unsure when Ondrej Pavelev got injured, unless it was earlier in the period and unnoticed or he tweaked something on Brett Kulak'k goal. But Henrik Lundqvist appeared fairly shocked he was coming into the contest. Third, look at the shots allowed in the first period while Pavelec was in net and then the last two when Hank was between the pipes. Causation or correlation as to the defense letting down their guard at times, you choose. Fourth, fairly solid work by John Gilmour and Neal Pionk in their debuts. Last, nice to see the effort in the game. I don't believe effort at all times was the culprit for the issues this season. Clearly at times that was the case, especially in the loss to Boston, but for the most the effort has been there. The execution, however, has been lacking substantially.
The comments:
AV (the good):
“Well, I mean, I’ll tell you what I told my GM, what I told my president, what I told my owner — I’m going to try to win every game,” Vigneault said. “That’s what we have to do as a group.”
“These (the sell mode, lack of confidence from management in terms of his coaching status, expected changes up and down the lineup the next several weeks, etc.) are probably unusual circumstances,” he said. “My job is to coach and to get this team to win, their job is to play and find ways to win. We’re going to work together, we’re going to keep this in hockey mode.”
A little fire from AV, finally. Where has that been most of the season? Maybe he has said this behind the scenes in the locker room, but he has been placid and milquetoast at pre- and post-game press conferences. It's possible the realization that his job is squarely on the line and quite likely lost woke him up, but it sure seems too little and too late. The second quote is what he should be doing. Focus on getting the team to come to play nightly. If that happens, the chips will land where they may, but at least the effort will be there.
AV (the bad):
“I believe that we’re a goaltender getting on a roll here to being back in the hunt and back into the playoffs,” Vigneault said. “We started our season 4-7-2 and we were a little inconsistent in the goaltending department. I felt we were playing better than our record indicated. Goaltending got better, we went on a [18-7-3] run. Came back from the bye week and since that time, we’ve been on a [3-10] run. A little inconsistent in the goaltending department.
“I believe we’re playing better than our record indicates and I really believe that Hank and Pav can get on a roll and we can get back in the hunt and get back in the playoffs.”
Is AV really serious here? He is actually calling out his goalie, the one who has covered up for several stupid decisions by the coaching staff and management? Maybe AV is using reverse psychologically and hoping that the team rallies around Lundqvist to support him and show up the coach by improved performance. But are you really calling out Lundqvist and to a lesser extent, Pavelec?
Coaches call out their best players to send a message. In this case, seems to be a day late and a dollar short to motivate the team. I know that the Brian Leetch example of when he was benched by Mike Keenan was used in the blog, but if you remember, Mark Messier dealt with Keenan, telling him how wrong he was. It would not have shocked me if Lundqvist pulled a Patrick Roy and told management that he had played his last game here, butt that's not his style. The issues on this team are far away from goaltending, maybe focus on the offense and more important, the defense, rather than the rock that has been between the pipes.
AV (bad, part 2):
“There’s no doubt that when this story (in the NY Post on January 26 that the front office was preparing to sell) broke a couple weeks ago that the mindset in the dressing room was a little bit challenging. And with what happened [Thursday] might be a little bit challenging,” he said. “But it’s our job as coaches to keep our guys focused on the process, keep our guys focused on hockey. That’s what we’re going to do.”
This sounds like sour grapes and AV crying wolf. The team has to a certain extent underachieved. Maybe it isn't the most talented, but then adjust the system to the personnel. Instead, we saw the same mistakes nightly. Part, if not most, is on the players, but the coaches and system, especially defensively, are to blame. Management has shown the willingness to spend and bring in assets. So to now question the decision to sell and impact on the locker seems to selective memory. Your job is to coach and have the players ready regardless of what's going on around them. If the team hadn't fallen off a cliff prior to and since that announcement, the direction might - though it shouldn't - have changed. Coach the team you have and get them to perform.
Zuccarello (good):
“I’m not here to criticize anybody, but it’s only their opinion,” Mats Zuccarello told The Post following Friday’s soul-saving 4-3 victory over the Flames at the Garden. “No one on our team thinks the season is over and no one is going to approach these games any differently than we would under any other situation.
“We know we haven’t played well enough this year. Obviously we haven’t been good. But there are still [27] games to go, we’re not far behind, and we’re going to go out and do our best, block shots, sacrifice for each other and try to win games.
“That isn’t going to change because of what happened on Thursday.”
“We had talks among ourselves; different guys talking to each other,” Zuccarello said. “The coaching staff and us, we’re not giving up. The guys in this locker room are going to play for each other and hopefully we can show [management] enough that we can change their minds a little bit.”
“Everyone in here has pride,” Zuccarello said. “Talking for myself, I’m going to give 100-percent as long as I’m here, and I’m sure everyone else is, too.
“There’s a lot to play for. It’s not just for us, it’s not even just for the badge on the front of the shirt. It’s for all the great players who have been here before us. It’s for a lot.
“And we’re not going to give up.”
Zucc gets it. This is exactly what you want to hear. We haven't been good enough. We know what was said and the likely direction, But we are professionals and our job is to play, not just for the name on the back of the jersey but for the one on the front and those here before us. Perfectly said. Now hang it in the locker room and make sure others see it.
Nash (good):
“I’m not sure if that’s been the case yet. It’s been pretty quiet on my end up to now,” Nash, who has eight goals in his last 12 games and 17 overall, said. “I’m not going to include 30 teams, but I would take a look if that came up. I was asked to pick a certain number of teams, but I don’t want to say anything is off-limits.
“It’s a weird situation for me. I could be going someplace for a few months, but I also might wind up staying with a new contract, too. If I’m not wanted here, I’m open to anything.”
Nash invoked that phrase, “If I’m not wanted here,” a couple of times. He caught himself, paused, then amended it. “I shouldn’t really say that in that way,” he said. “I learned at an early age not to take these things personally. There is no organization in the league that treats its players better than this one does.
“But it’s no secret what the plan is here now. They held a press conference and sent out a letter to tell everyone. If they can get younger players and draft picks for me, then I won’t be here. It’s part of this business.”
“I’ve never been in this spot before,” said the 15-year veteran who is in his sixth year with the Rangers. “When I was traded here [from Columbus in July 2012], I had a complete no-move, so different options were presented to me that I could either approve or veto. This is different.”
“I kind of knew it was coming, but still, the first couple of days [after they asked for the list] were tough, for sure,” he said. “Imagine if your boss told you that they were sending you to another paper, but they couldn’t tell you exactly where, and as long as you were still at [The Post] to make sure you wrote your best articles.
“It’s weird. But as long as I am a Ranger, I’m going to play my hardest and do my best. I’m playing for the guys in the room, I’m playing for the Ranger logo, and I’m playing for the fans who spend their money to watch us. To me, that what comes with being a pro.”
Nash hasn't produced as we all hoped. But he has done everything else on and off the ice. A true pro. I would have liked a bit more fire, but once he is gone, hopefully others will realize what he has meant to this organization and just how good he really has been
In other news:
Pavelec will miss 2-3 weeks with a strained MCL. He joins Chris Kreider (rib resection), Kevin Shattenkirk (knee surgery), Marc Staal (cervical neck strain) and Ryan McDonagh (upper-body, likely ab, but in my opinion, sports hernia) on the sidelined. To replace him, the Rangers called up Alexandar Georgiev from Hartford, Overall, Georgiev has a 12-11-2 record, 2.97 GAA and .908 save percentage with the AHL's Wolf Pack this season, but he joins New York on a roll, having an 8-0-1 mark with a 1.76 goals-against average over his past nine games. With Pavelec out, look for Lundqvist to be even busier until the trade deadline.
The Rangers will welcome back tonight Jimmy Vesey, who had been out since taking an elbow to the mouth last Saturday in Nashville. In 52 games this year, Vesey has 10 goals and seven assists, though he had only one goal in his past 11 games before getting knocked out. The 24-year-old winger was cleared from the concussion protocol Friday and had no limitations Saturday, which is why he will play Sunday. Vesey will likely skated on the third line with David Desharnais and Jesper Fast.
Gilmour and Pionk were both in the lineup with Brendan Smith sent down to the AHL and McDonagh scratch. McD will miss at the first two games of the road trip, including Tuesday's contest in his native home, Minnesota. For all those thinking this makes sense to keep him healthy so that he can be traded. Do you really think a few more days will heal what he has, especially if it is a sports hernia or even a strained ab? In addition, what team will give full value for him based on the possibility the injury lingers the rest of the season and into the playoffs? His value is still high for next year, the last season of the six-year, $4.7 mill AAV deal he signed, but the injury to me clearly somewhat impacts his value this season.
As noted in many places, it was the first time since Oct. 2, 2009 (that season’s opener), with Michael Del Zotto and Matt Gilroy, that the Rangers had two defensemen make their NHL debuts in the same game. Hopefully, both pan out as a duo better than that combination did. But MDZ had a few solid seasons and did bring back Kevin Klein while Gilroy is now playing for Team USA in the Olympics. Gilmour and Pionk were paired together, with Pionk getting 18:44 of ice time on the right side that included 3:36 on the penalty kill. Gilmour got 17:11 on the left, including 2:46 on the second-power play unit, as well as 2:04 on the penalty kill. Let the kids remain as the third pairing and heap more responsibility on Brady Skjei, to see how he responds.
The playoffs are still a possibility, however unlikely that may be. Players will play and won't try to tank. Team management needs to focus on the good of the team long-term, which means building - not necessarily re-building and tearing it down - but building for the future. If that means certain players need to go but the return warrants it, then do it. But identify clearly who is a keeper and a component for the future and who is expendable.
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