The Rangers didn't show up Saturday, plain and simple, and were waxed 7-2 by the Islanders. After a five-day break for each team, the road team remembered that games started for reason while the home was still on vacation. It was an embarrassing performance by the Blueshirts and for their reward, they get to face the Penguins who won 4-1 Saturday.
Game recap:
MSG Post-game:
I wish I could find a silver lining in the loss but it's almost impossible. Maybe it's Henrik Lundqvist trying rouse the troops when he went in (see MSG post-game highlights above and below) and he ripped his teammates after the loss.. Maybe it's like Ryan McDonagh at least sounded angry post-game instead of resigned to their fate. Maybe it's that a blow up may be possible, if you believe what Elliotte Friedman said on Hockey Night in Canada. Maybe it's that I am angry and embarrassed to be a fan right now of this team, who should have given those who should up today refunds after the game.
Lundqvist pep talk:
Hank with the pep talk before going in. pic.twitter.com/w8EjRyBvWf
— Merry Blinnsmas (@NHLBlinn) January 13, 2018
Lundqvist (after the game):
McDonagh:
Friedman:
#NYR pic.twitter.com/QeW2zA0Hfv
— Tom Urtz Jr. 🥅📊📉📈 (@TomUrtzJr) January 14, 2018
This is the transcript of what Friedman said:
“They’re in a playoff spot as we do this in the wild card but got lit up by Mathew Barzal and the Islanders earlier today, I think the Rangers are starting to look and say are there other moves that we can make, similar to the one with Derek Stepan and Arizona at last year’s draft.…“I think you are taking a look at their UFAs, Nash, Grabner, David Desharnais at center. But I think also some of their contracted players, Zuccarello, McDonagh, no guarantee they do it, but I think they are willing to listen."
Nash, who tallied his first point in 11 games Saturday, has been mentioned as a possible trade candidate for a while. If New York's season continues to tailspin, moving him, even if he may return, is almost a no-brainer. Grabner is a maybe for me. If you think you can re-sign him even if moving him, then i get it. But if the risk of moving him substantially outweighs the possibility of bringing him and that's not offset by the return, then you keep him. Desh, there is the door, goodbye, Holden, same thing.
Moving Zucc or McDonagh signifies a teardown. I love Zucc, as you all know. He leads the team in scoring with 32 points in 42 games and is signed through next season with a cap hit of $4.5 million. The Rangers’ alternate captain is a major fan favorite and took less on his deal to stay in New York. But he has just one goal in his last 13 games and i looking to maximize return, he would being back a big one, though a deal might not happen right now. But if he does go, you may find me balled up in a corner sobbing.
McDonagh has had a difficult season. His assist Saturday was the Rangers' captain first in 10 games. McD has struggled to take the next step forward in his game, likely not aided by his pair mate. But we said the same thing last year, so that argument will get a bit tiresome. McDonagh turns 30 the summer he would hit free agency and is expected to want a big raise over the $4.7 million he is making now. Dealing him would really signal a major change in mindset of this team, more tear down and revamp than replenish.
AV:
AV said in his post-game: "I think in the past a lot of players have proven that they’ve been able to do it, but I’m more in it for what you are doing for me right now. As a group, we need to step up and we need to step up with a much better game on the ice."
My comment to that is: bullshit. Explain to me where that has been the case this year? AV sat Brendan Smith, I give him that, but who else that should be sitting sat? Did you sit Holden and play Kampfer? Did you give Smith anither chance when warranted? Why did Desharnais play over Carey yesterday/ The fourth line has been the only consistent line this year and you broke it up to play Desharnais. Buchnevich hasn't been great but why has he been singled out and dropped down rather than others? You overplay Lundqvist early, then with two huge games, you sit him Saturday (though I doubt it would have matter). The team claims they are prepared, yet go out and fail to show that they are nearly every game.
If the players don't fit the system, change the system to fit the players. The Rangers have allowed 30+ shots in each of the last 14 games -- the most by any NYR team since 1992-93 (19) and second most in the last 30 years, if not longer. That's on the system. The inability to suppress shots and possess the puck is also on the players, but the approach used isn't helping. When the same mistake is made repeatedly - leaving the slot so two players chase behind the net - then it's the coach not the players.
After the game, Vigneault publicly ripped his first line of Mika Zibanejad, J.T. Miller and Mats Zuccarello saying “Barzal’s [Mathew Barzal] line just dominated Mika’s line the whole game, I had three of my top players there and they were dominated the whole game.… Here is my question, then why the hell did you stikc with that trio together or not get another match up out there. If you had sat Desh, Miller could have been moved to center, Buch could have moved up, Nieves might have skated with Carey and Fast, which should be the fourth line, or Lettieri, yet you mucked up the lines by putting Desh in and Miller on the top unit. So who is at fault here?
This team looks like a flawed team, which also means that GM Jeff Gorton has to be taken to task. I will admit i was wrong because I liked several of the moves this off-season but there is no heart and passion left on this team, save for a few. Plus the pieces have not meshed together at all, in fact, they look like a jigsaw puzzle missing several pieces. No one has been able to wake them from their slumber and put the squad on their back and carry them. Lundqvist has tried but it really should be a forward or a blueliner. Shattenkirk certainly hasn't stepped up, nor has Skjei, which to me is one of the bigger disappointments this season. Maybe what we see is what we get and it has been fools gold until now.
Change may be coming, and like objects in the mirror, they may be closer that they appear.