The Rangers lost 4-0 to the Maple Leafs in a contest that wasn’t even remotely as close as the score might indicate. New York was unable to generate any form of sustained attack, failing most of the night to put together two solid passes in a row. In the few instances where there had a good look, Leafs goaltender Curtis McElhinney was up to the task in net.
Game Recap:
I was actually embarassed as a Ranger fan at the game. The section I was in had several Leafs fans, who were fairly stunned at just how bad New York looked. If this wasn’t their worst game of the season, it sure as heck had to be close.
Absolutely no emotion on the ice. The most emotion I saw was when J.T. Miller slammed the glass after whiffing on a shot attempt. At least he cares. He certainly didn’t play particularly well, but he was one of the few that actually looked annoyed by the display on the ice.
My seat was close enough to the action where I should have heard chatter between teammates. None, zero, nothing, no communication at all. How the heck do you expect to know what’s happening behind you if no one talks?
Puck possession was a mere pie in the sky thought. When not handling the puck on a silver platter to Toronto, New York was chipping it into the offensive or neutral zone. I haven’t seen a team all season that unable to solve a 1-3-1 or 2-2-1 neutral zone. It’s like they weren’t coached or just forgot how to do so.
Leafs finished with 69% score-adjusted Corsi tonight, by far their best game in terms of shot attempts this year. Their second-best was last night against the Islanders. They outscored both teams 9-0, not a bad few nights. New York allowed Toronto to get out in transition and didn’t make it difficult on them. Any attempt to wear down the Maple Leafs and make them chase in their own zone never materialized, largely because New York rarely had the puck.
Coach Alain Vigneault should have benched those who were just passengers, but that would have left him with not enough players for a shift. Rick Nash, who hit the post and barely got wood on a deflection attempt in front for two of the best chances of the evening, and maybe Michael Grabner showed up. The rest were invisible. The Garden faithful booed the team off the ice at the end of all three periods and didn’t save their vitriol for just those points in the contest.
On the first goal, Ryan McDonagh, who was as bad as bad can be, turned the puck over. Nick Holden and Peter Holland were too far up in the zone and Jared Holl scores his second in as many games thanks to a good screen on front. Until then, the game had been pretty even. After the goal, the Ice tilted and it was all Maple Leafs. On the second, more poor neutral zone play created a chance for Toronto. Mats Zuccarello, who looked as if he coasted all game and was moved to fourth line at one point, mishandled the puck at the blue line, creating the breakout chance. James van Riemsdyk beat Zuccarello down the ice and then put the puck past Henrik Lundqvist through the five-hole.
Early in the second, Brady Skjei turned the puck over in the neutral zone. Skjei blocked Name Kadri's initial shot, but Kevin Hayes leaked out early, leaving the high spot open. Patrick Marleau pounced on the puck and beat Lundqvist, who looked off his angle, with a 35-foot slap shot. Lundqvist’s night end not much longer after that tally. Zach Hyman and William Nylander worked a pretty give-and-go. Jesper Fast backed up giving Hyman a chance to go to the net and beat Lundqvist with a backhand up high.
Anyone blaming Lundqvist should go back and watch the tape. You could maybe argue he could have stopped Marleau’s goal. But he had no help from his teammates, who failed to show up at all. Lundqvist was rightfully replaced by Ondrej Pavelec. Why the heck AV didn’t cut back McDonagh’s minutes when the game was clearly out of hand is beyond me? The captain is playing hurt and was clearly was struggling, yet AV ran him there for 23 minutes. He scaled him back slightly in the third, but he should have just shut him down late a contest that was clearly lost by then.
To add injury to insult, Pavel Buchnevich left the game in the second period after taking an elbow to the jaw injury. At least his injury was real. The rest of the team just played as if they had no heart, which is even worse. Most of you guys know I am pretty even keeled and haven’t advocated major changes. But if the product on the ice and performance that was put forth Thursday is the norm, then blow this whole team up. Get rid of the UFAs. Trade some of those under contract. Consider moving some UFA. Fire the coach and start relatively anew, because this clearly isn’t working right now. Maybe it just was rust from not playing or the opponent, but those are convenient excuses.
Posting this again and will do so every blog until the trade deadline, or at least until a deal in either direction is made. “Thirteen games remain to the February 26 trade deadline. Toronto (lost 4-0), @Nashville, @Dallas, Boston, Calgary, @Winnipeg, @Minnesota, @Islanders, @Ottawa, Philadelphia, @Montreal, Minnesota and Detroit. Far from an easy task, based on the teams to be faced. It may not take the full 13 games for a decision on direction to be determined. If for example, New York went 3-10 or 10-3, that direction would be clearer. Knowing the Rangers, they will go something akin to 7-5-1, further making the waters murky.…
After tonight’s game, the direction in which to go should have become a lot clearer.