The Rangers ended 2015 in fine fashion with a 5-2 win over the Lightning. That victory was the team's first in nine road games and second win in their last three contests. New York is off until Saturday, when they face the Panthers in what is their annual year-end excursion to Florida.
To me there were two keys to the win: much better forecheck and improved defensive structure. The forecheck resulted in the game-winning goal by Dominic Moore; created by the strong pressure by Tanner Glass, who continues his solid play since his recall. The defensive structure was better, not perfect, but better. The D seemed to be for the most part in the right spots while the forwards picked up their men and cycled correctly in the defensive zone.
The fourth line was huge in this win. Glass, Moore and Viktor Stalberg, who was bailed out when his 170-foot Hail Mary to an empty net was answered, were strong throughout the game. Even Glass' penalty on Brian Boyle, which by rules was the right call but aided by Boyle's alligator arms, which is why he didn't touch the puck, was the proper play. They were good in all three zones and rewarded late by getting sent out by AV to protect a one-goal lead that resulted in the empty-netter.
The other questionable call in the game was the no-goal, goal by Anton Stralman, where the whistle blew before the puck crossed the goal line. The call was then reversed and goal awarded with 7.1 seconds left in the second period and came as a result of the penalty on Glass. Here is the the NHL’s official explanation:
“At 19:51 of the second period in the Rangers/Lightning, the Situation Room initiated a video review to further examine a play at the New York net. The referee initially signaled “no goal… but after huddling with the other on-ice officials, the call on the ice was changed to “good goal… because the puck crossed the goal line on a continuous play resulting from Anton Stralman’s original shot. Rule 38.4 (viii) states, in part, that the video review process shall be permitted in “situations whereby the Referee stops play or is in the process of stopping the play because he has lost sight of the puck and it is subsequently determined by video review that the puck crosses (or has crossed) the goal line and enters the net as the culmination of a continuous play where the result was unaffected by the whistle (i.e., the timing of the whistle was irrelevant to the puck entering the net at the end of a continuous play).… Video review supported the final on-ice decision – good goal Tampa Bay.…
Of course, the rationale doesn't appease the Rangers' fans at all, as we still believe the screw the Rangers button exists at NHL HQ. Plus, if the situation was reversed or occurs in future where NY initially had it called no goal, how many believe that it would be overturned?
Most of us likely felt that the goal would then be the springboard for a loss. That might have been the case had Marc Staal not knocked the puck off the goal line, though in full disclosure and honestly I thought it was in, early in the third. But no goal was awarded and Moore tallied his just 3:16 into the frame for a 3-2 lead.
I didn't particularly love the 1-4 format utilized by the Rangers the rest of the game, where they basically had one forechecker and the rest laid back by the neutral and d-zone. It worked but it's not a great model for success. You would like to see some offensive pressure generated while also being defensively responsible. But maybe AV, after seeing all that transpired over the last month, opted for caution resulting in that defensive format.
Two wins in their last three. Better defensive posture in each, which was on display the middle part of the game against Nashville before the meltdown. Maybe just maybe, they are figuring it out. I will have to see a lot more games like this before I truly believe it but it's a step in the right direction and good end to 2015.
Congratulations to Ryan Gropp, who was signed to an ELC by the Rangers today, Gropp, selected 41st overall on the 2015 draft in the pick acquired from Anaheim in the Carl Hagelin deal, has skated in 32 games with the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League (WHL) this season, registering 18 goals and 14 assists for 32 points, along with a plus-five rating and 24 penalty minutes. He has the skills and talent to be a possible top-six forward down the road.
As Jimbo posted in the comments to the last blog, here is likely the best moment from 2015: