The Rangers played one of their most, if not the most, complete game of the year Monday. Solid play in all three zones, improved special teams and strong goaltending were all on display against San Jose. As was the case the past two years when Cam Talbot played, the team rallied in front of Antti Raanta, and no, this is not a mandate for him to start more often.
Antti Raanta made 22 saves in his Rangers debut to help stop a three game losing streak in the team's 4-0 win over the Sharks. While he wasn't the only reason for the win, whenever Raanta was challenged, he was more than up to the task. Raanta came into the game with a healthy amount of pressure.
As Pat Leonard wrote, in the three recent seasons the Rangers have advanced to the Eastern Conference finals or later, Lundqvist’s backups Martin Biron (12-6-2) and Cam Talbot (33-15-5) had a combined 45-21-7 regular season record. Raanta came in with that mark in the backdrop as he tried to show that he deserved the backup role and would be ready when called upon during the year. It's only one game, but Raanta passed that test with flying colors. This win should allow AV to rest Lundqvist liberally when needed, which should mean about 20 stars.
Up front, the offensive line changes paid dividends. Rick Nash had his most engaged game of the year, as he was physical throughout. Chris Kreider meshed fairly well with Jesper Fast, who seemingly was all over the place and scored on a breakaway. Zuccarello got his fourth of the year, aided by a Nash screen and yes, Virginia, there truly is something called a power play goal.
When New York can use their speed up ice, it opens up tremendous opportunities for the team in the offensive zone. They got pucks on net with traffic in front, resulting in the first two goals. Plus, when they have puck movement along with players who are not stagnant, it leads to scoring chances.
The blue line was good as a group. Marc Staal continued his fine early play with a goal, thanks to a Fast screen, and screen while Kevin Klein was also good. The defense transitioned from D to O with quick outlet passes, resulting in break opportunities. In addition, they blocked 21 shots in front of Raanta. The struggles of The Dans - Girardi and Boyle - weren't eliminated Monday but they each were slightly better than they have been to date.
Of course, as Larry Brooks wrote, the team, especially the blue line, could be feeling the after-effects of three long playoff runs the past three seasons. Last year, the defense was banged up during it. Ryan McDonagh played the final three games of the Tampa Bay series with a broken foot. Girardi played through the conference finals with an MCL sprain and badly bruised foot. Staal played through the entire tournament despite a hairline ankle fracture. It's possible they all are not up to speed following the quick summer turnaround, but of course, as hockey players, they never will say anything and most will dismiss this as excuse making.
Carp wrote the following on Zuccarello's power-play goal. "Honestly, it was as simple and fundamental as a power play could be. First of all, they started it with two defensemen on the points. That should be the plan every time, even if it means Keith Yandle has to play the full two minutes. All the good point men do. Nash recovered Stepan’s lost draw and goes to the net. Boyle gets the puck to Zuccarello, and instead of looking to force a pass, Zuccarello gets the puck to the net, through Nash’s screen and in off Jones. It’s not that complicated." Keep it simple stupid. Puck movement. Player movement. Pucks on net. Traffic in front. Sounds and should be simple but so far, breakdowns in one or all four those aspects have been all too frequent.
It's amazing what happens when you play with urgency, which is what Nash pointed out. He said, “It’s urgency. Good teams don’t let these things slide. They stop them right away. And I believe we’re a good team. We were urgent.… In addition, for some reason, and it may be character or resiliency, the Rangers are 12-1-1 in the second game of their last 14 back-to-backs.
It's one game. We have discussed don't let the highs be too high or lows be too low. Plus, a team is never as good as they look when playing good or bad when they are playing poorly. But unless they follow it up with a good effort against Arizona, this contest gets viewed as a one time occurrence. New York needs to build on it and maintain it moving forward, this time with Hank between the pipes.
Now on Tanner Glass. He was placed on waivers for the purpose of sending him down. If he clears, which he likely will, $950k of his salary counts on the cap with $500k of cap relief enabled by sending him down. Glass is what he is. He was grossly overpaid in terms of years and dollars. If he was signed to a one-year or even two-year deal at $800k, we would have been annoyed but not as up in arms as we have been due to the cap hit. This gives NY a bit more wiggle room and also allows them to make a call up - Brady Skjei anyone - when the need arises.