The Rangers and AV blew a game they should have won, falling 4-3 in overtime to the Canadiens on Friday. In a contest where Henrik Lundqvist stood on his head and deserved better, New York failed to seal the deal, as they did Wednesday. Rather than taking a 2-0 series lead into MSG on Sunday, New York is now tied 1-1 with Montreal.
Apologies if this blog is now a bit dated coming on Sunday AM. But after reading the Post, NY Daily News and Newsday, I spent most of the Sabbath stewing and annoyed at the end result and formulating a blog in my head. I watched the highlights and game recap as well as read some other viewpoints online to held consolidate how I felt. Larry Brooks did cover some of it in his Sunday column, but here goes.
Game Lowlights:
1) What do you notice on all the goals against? Defensive mistakes. On the first one, please explain to me how Brendan Gallagher goes through the crease, hitting Lundqvist's stick against the post, breaking it, yet nothing is called? Compounding that mistake, no one form the Rangers gives Hank a stick and Derek Stepan was unable to get the puck out.
On the second goal, it's a 2 on 2 battle behind the net. Then Chris Kreider leaves the sot, creating space for Paul Byron, as Mats Zuccarello lost sight or Byron and Stepan was late getting to the slot. Gee where have we seen this mistake before?
On the game-tying goal, Michael Grabner failed to get the puck out after Marc Staal put it up the boards. Grabs has to get that puck out, icing it if need be, but going with a soft clear backfired. Then, Shea Weber gets away with a cross check on Grabner, giving him space and the puck, uncalled of course. Nick Holden broke his stick on Tomas Plekenac for some inexplicable reason, which left him vulnerable in front. Staal was late getting over Alexander Radulov, giving him space, and because Holden has no stick, he goes down to a knee, enabling Plekenac to tip the puck past Lundqvist with just 18 seconds remaining.
On the game-winning goal, Montreal controlled the puck like it was a power play. But Mika Zibanejad was outworked by Radulov, allowing him to get two whacks at the puck and beat Lundqvist.
The above is just on the goals. That doesn't cover the myriad of mistakes made by New York throughout the contest. Many of those mistakes was covered up by the superlative play of Lundqvist. Unfortunately, that effort went for naught.
2) Players play, coaches coach. The players are supposed to expend their best effort while coaches are supposed to put players in the best position to use their skill and the best players out there at key moments. AV failed to do that and this loss is on him.
Justin Tasch was the only one to point out in Saturday's paper that Brady Skjei and Brendan Smith did not see the ice the final 2:26 of regulation. in addition, Grabner-Kevin Hayes-J.T. Miller got caught on a long shift. Larry Brooks points out that the Ryan McDonagh-Dan Girardi top pair was replaced by the Staal-Holden tandem with 1:15 to go while the Brady Skjei-Brendan Smith unit’s last shift ended with 2:36 on the clock.
How the heck do you go with your third best pairing that late in the game? Holden has regressed substantially since his fine start making turnover after turnover and poor defensive reads. In addition, the Staal-Holden pairing struggled all game, allowing Montreal repeated zone entries while getting pinned for stretches at a time in their own zone. Yet, AV doesn't go back to Skjei and Smith, rather turning to Staal-Holden when McD-G were swapped out. In fact, as Adam Herman pointed out, In the final 11:13 of the third period, with the Rangers clinging to a one-goal lead, the duo played two minutes. In the final 5:50, Skjei-Smith played 49 seconds. That is incomprehensible and a failure on so many levels.
3) I like that AV is loyal. That quality allows players to play knowing that a mistake won't staple them to the bench or result in a scratch the next game, thereby enabling players to avoid playing scared. But loyalty only goes so far. It's on thing in the regular season, a whole other item in the post-season. You can't ignore when the same mistake is made over and over.
AV has to promote Skjei and Smith to become the second pairing. Second, Holden needs to be a healthy scratch Sunday, even though it would be for the first time this year. Once that's done, who plays Kevin Klein or Steven Kampfer, since we know he won't scratch Staal and Holden?.
As Brooks points out, you can bet that Klein would take exception to Brendan Gallagher’s and Steve Ott’s crease-crashing tactics in a far less subtle or polite manner than Holden. Kampfer brings a different skill set, one that aligns more to how Vigneault, who praised Kampfer before the series starts, likes to play. Regardless of who gets in - and my bet is Klein - he and Staal have to become the third pairing. Especially because you gave up assets to get Smith, who played his best game Wednesday and was very good again Friday, yet wasted on a third pairing a la Keith Yandle.
4) Safe is death and the shell is broken. Remember under Torts when the view was safe is death? In addition, remember when the plan was and should be increase the lead and play to win rather than going into a shell and hoping Lundqvist would stone the other team? Well neither are applicable now. New York has taken everything Montreal has thrown at them and given it back. But it has come at a cost. The skating and ability to generate offense have been lost in a mucking type of contest. Granted, that's what the playoffs have mainly become, but save for a few counter attacks, New York isn't taken advantage of their speed. Montreal has done a good job of clogging up the neutral zone, forcing New York into this style of play, but for the love of all that is holy, try and generate some more offense.
In regards to the shell. While it worked in Game 1, that was less of a shell and more a defensive mindset while actually also trying to create offense. That was far from the case in Game 2. As Brooks noted: "the Blueshirts were pinned in their own end for one shift after another, incurring one icing violation after another throughout a period in which they were outshot 18-9 and out-attempted 33-12. Hence, seven icings in the third period. Thus, 15 third-period faceoffs in their own end over the final 20 minutes of regulation as compared to one — one — in Carey Price’s zone." In addition, as Adam Herman pointed out, over the final 10 minutes of the game, the puck was in Montreal’s zone for a total of two minutes and 38 seconds.
Those numbers are staggering bad. It's playing not to lose rather than to win. If it wasn't for Lundqvist, the game would have been tied and lost a lot earlier. This is on AV. He wasted a brilliant performance by Hank and may have cost the Rangers the series with this approach and player usage late in the game. Now, New York heads to MSG tied at 1 rather than up 2-0 and may have a quasi must-win game knowing how much they have struggled at home after a strong start.
5) Several players are getting the job done. On the blue line, it's Smith, SkieI, McD and G, each of whom have taken what Montreal can dish out and returned the favor plus. Even Staal to an extent hasn't been horrible and may just be brought down by Holden. Up front, Jimmy Vesey has shown why he was so coveted, playing a physical style while adding offense. Rick Nash has been an absolute beast the first two games and deserves way more ice time that he has gotten. Maybe you can criticize him for the neutral zone turnover that led to the game-winning goal but that's about it. Zucc has been his usual pesty self, as he absorbs hit after hit. Tanner Glass had 10 hits in just 12:26 of action in Game 2 and scored in Game 1. Jesper Fast continues to do the little things and had seven hits. Oscar Lindberg had the two shots that line generated, added four hits and won 9 of 11 draws.
But, right now, Hayes, Kreider and Zibanejad are not getting the job done. Hayes has been invisible through the first two games. Kreider should be relishing these types of games, as the officials are allowing a lot go, which would enable him to be physical and carve up space. But maybe he is so concerned about a penalty or getting too close to Carey Price that he isn't engaging a she usually does. I didn't expect Zib to be Big Game Brass but I also didn't think we would see Mr Invisible. If he wants a long-term deal rather than a bridge one, he needs to show something and soon. You could possibly put Stepan on that list as well, but at least he has been engaged and he has chemistry with Zucc.
I wouldn't be shocked if AV starts Game 3 with the same pairings as he did in Games 1 and 2. But if those players continue to struggle, he could swap Nash and Kreider, moving Nash up to play with Stepan and Kreider down to play with Zib to try and jumpstart him. It's also possible Zib and Hayes swap lines to try and jumpstart each. But as I said, AV usually doesn't like making change, but since it's after a loss, some might occur.
6) As much as we rant and rave, including myself, as we have seen from the playoffs, no lead is safe. Wednesday - Edmonton blows a 2-0 early lead and loses. St. Louis gives the tying goal with 23 seconds left but scores in OT to win 2-1. Thursday - Toronto blows an early 2-0 lead. Saturday - Boston blows a 3-1 third period lead. The Ducks blow a 2-0 lead before scoring a late third period goal to win. The only teams so far really able to consistently hold a lead have been the Penguins, up 2-0 on Columbus, and Nashville who surprisingly has a 2-0 series lead. So as annoyed as I am, I also have to give the other team credit and realize that basically no lead in the NHL is really safe.
A Game 3 preview blog will be up later today. As a reminder, scheduling update: I am out of the box for the last two days of Passover starting tonight until Tuesday night. If anyone wants to do a Game 3 recap blog and/or a Game 4 preview blog, please let me know before about 6pm today.