The Rangers limp into the Xmas break off a pair of losses, the latest a 3-2 defeat at home to Toronto on Saturday. The issues that have existed lately - and one could argue the entire coach Alain Vigneault regime - were on display again Saturday. Despite all that, New York had a chance to tie it, and actually did before it was rightly overturned on replay, but were unable to earn a point as they did Thursday versus New Jersey even with another superlative effort by Henrik Lundqvist.
Merry Xmas to all celebrating, hope you have a great holiday with family and friends.
Game recap:
MSG Post-game recap:
Larry Brooks highlighted an issue we have discussed repeatedly, albeit with a new twist (see bolded)
But it seems as if Rangers defensemen are instructed to attempt to outnumber opponents at trigger positions in the defensive zone, no matter if that leaves the front unattended or the responsibility of the center.It happens all time. Two defensemen behind the net. Two defensemen chasing the puck carrier on a wide entry. It makes no sense. If anyone can tell me what impact first-year assistant coach Lindy Ruff is having on the team’s defensive structure, I’m all ears.
We have repeatedly railed over the slot getting left open. I thought - possibly mistakenly - that leaving the slot open was on the players. But Brooks seems to indicate that it’s a system issue causing this. If so, that may be the stupidest system I have ever heard. I get trying to overload but not what you don’t have the appropriate coverage in your own zone, including the handoffs. Now maybe the problem is the other three players don’t adapt correctly, causing the lack of slot coverage. Regardless of the reason, this system isn’t working. What this means that the team’s struggles aren’t solely the fault of Ulf Samuelsson or Jeff Beukeboom or Lindy Ruff but the system itself.
The two most recent losses have started up the Fire AV bandwagon. In each, the same issues have arises causing that sentiment. Add in the benching in the third period of Kevin Shattenkirk on Thursday and Mika Zibanejad plus Pavel Buchnevich on Saturday and it’s no wonder the fanbase’s anger has been stoked. On the latter, I had no issue with ‘Kirk on sitting versus New Jersey due to his poor play. The same with Zib against Toronto, since he has yet to regain the form he had before the concussion. On the flip side though, sitting talent, especially in a game where scoring is required to rally from a deficit and one play - as we saw on Buch’s pass to J.T. Miller for his goal - could be the difference maker, adds to the fanbase’s ire.
If there is an argument to be made, it's that the game started with Miller on the fourth-line wing, next to Boo Nieves, who was playing his first game back after being a healthy scratch for the previous two. Miller needs to be in the top-six, if not the top-nine. With New York struggling, Vigneault juggled his lines starting in the second period, when he began to sit Paul Carey and Nieves. He put Miller back in the middle between Chris Kreider and Pavel Buchnevich, while Kevin Hayes went between Michael Grabner and Mats Zuccarello. That left Jimmy Vesey on a line with David Desharnais and Rick Nash and Zib on the outside looking in with Carey and Nieves. Vesey scored a goal in the second, thanks to miscues by Jake Gardiner and Frederik Andersen, Miller added one in the third, aided by Buch's brilliant feed and a solid forecheck, and Grabner had one that was overturned, so the shifting did pay some dividends. The one true positive was that late in the game, he finally retried Shattenkirk with Ryan McDonagh but that's after pairing 'Kirk with Staal and Brendan Smith with Brady Skjei in an effort to re-trigger the offense and fix the defense.
Lundqvist was brilliant again against the Maple Leafs, taking his game to another level. Of his 14 saves in the frame, three were on breakaways from Auston Matthews, James Van Riemsdyk and Patrick Marleau to keep the Rangers in the game. New York had the chance to tie it and Kevin Hayes lost where he was on the ice. Per rule, it's an offsides, no doubt. While it didn't impact the play because Hayes was at the opposite side of the blueline, by rule, the call was correct and no arguing should result, Unfortunately, it's another example where a failure to pay attention to detail cost New York, as Michael Grabner's howitzer of a shot beat Frederik Andersen, but it was overturned on replay. In this case, Hayes' mistake cost the Rangers possibly a point and maybe two, since after that call, the Rangers were unable to tie the game and finished with a loss.
The holiday break comes at a good time for New York. It's a chance to reset and regroup. For Lundqvist, it's a chance to rest, which he sorely needs, since he has been under siege. I am not advocating a chance behind the bench. But more games like we have seen the past week or so, especially where inane mistakes are made and ones that shouldn't occur, the drumbeats for a switch will grow louder, as they did earlier this year.