The Rangers fell 5-2 to the Blue Jackets on Sunday. All the good vibes from the comeback Saturday were lost against Columbus, as new York was a step slow and out of position most of the night. Columbus took advantage of those mistakes, making New York pay on the scoreboard. And hey, here comes Washington on Tuesday.
Many would say it's a good thing that New York lost. It allowed Columbus to move into third in the Metro Division. If the season ended now, Pittsburgh and Columbus would meet in round 1 while New York would face Montreal. But I ascribe to what Derek Stepan said after the game below. Now, my view may change post-trade deadline and as the season wings down, but for now:
"You can call me wacky if you want, but I believe in Hockey gods,” Stepan said when asked about finishing in the Wild Card spot compared to the second or third position in the division. “If you try to pick your spot, it’s the kiss of death. We can’t focus on where we end up. If NHL history shows anything, its that team’s that play their best hockey at the end of the year they can win.”
In short, to quote Herm Edwards, you play to win the game. You never know what will happen in the future or playoffs. As I said above, that could change in the future. But with 20 games left, it's a bit early to focus solely on the playoffs and positioning. In that timeframe, a major injury could occur. Another team could slump or Montreal or Ottawa or Boston or Florida could go on a run, entering the playoffs hotter than New York, riding a goalie on a roll. Then what will be the excuse?
Alain Vigneault moved Michael Grabner up in the lineup to play alongside Derek Stepan and Rick Nash. Jimmy Vesey played with Kevin Hayes and J.T. Miller during the second half of the game. I actually thought Vesey had been pretty good while Grabner hadn't done much. For all the focus on Stepan and his just seven assists and no goals in 17 games, Grabner is in tge midst of a slump as well, with no goals and one assist in his last eight games. Larry Brooks notes what we have discussed for a while. "The Rangers may have a greater need for a top-nine winger after having fallen into a offensive torpor, scoring two goals or fewer in five of their last six games." It's been a year of offensive streaks, and right now, the scoring is in the middle of a streak in the wrong direction.
The fourth line was the best line on the ice for New York. Oscar Lindberg, who could be a trade candidate, and Jesper Fast, who some seem to want to deal and could be lost in expansion, had great chemistry with a solid work ethic. Brandon Pirri was fine not great. If Pavel Buchnevich is over the flu, he should be in Tuesday. Start with Buch on the fourth line, Vesey on the second and Grabner on the third. If the team is struggling, move Buch to two. Vesey to three and Grabner to four.
The struggling power play went 0-for-2, and is now 0-for-11 in its last four games, 1-for-25 over the last nine and 3-for-45 over the last 16, dating to Jan. 19. I actually thought there was some pretty good puck movement on the PP with several good scoring chances. The team maintained possession, and when they lost it, were able to regain the zone. So it wasn't effort, just execution.
Nick Holden and Marc Staal struggled again, on ice for four of Columbus five goals. That duo has really fallen off after a good start. You wonder if a game like this will drive GM Jeff Gorton to make a move for a d-man or two, especially seeing who has gone already. Brooks speculates that the player they might need is already on the roster, that being Adam Clendening.
He nicely spells out the advanced stats versus eye debate in his column today. "Though I tend to be somewhat skeptical of Corsi as a reliable measuring stick, that doesn’t necessarily mean its advocates are wrong, at least not all of the time. Though Adam Clendening isn’t always the most dependable guy under heavy forecheck pressure and isn’t always strong enough in his one-on-ones, neither is Klein and neither is Detroit’s available Brendan Smith, an average skater who would be playing on his off-side if he comes to New York. The puck moves out of the zone when the mobile Clendening gets consistent playing time.. In addition, even though attempts for/against can be misleading because attempts aren’t even close to being created equal, the fact is that the Skjei-Clendening pair owned a 62.7 score-adjusted Corsi rating in 137 minutes while the Skjei-Klein tandem was at 48.8 in 441 minutes before Sunday, per Datarink.com."
Trade blog hopefully up tomorrow.
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