The Rangers completed a lost weekend with a 3-1 loss to the Oilers on Sunday. That defeat coupled with a 5-4 loss Saturday against Toronto made it a bust of a weekend. There were little redeeming qualities in each game, but if Saturday was merely disappointing, Sunday was an epic failure.
When you see, read and hear comments like: "wake-up call," or "we came out flat," or "we need to raise our level" that's a pretty bad indication of just how bad the team was. When assistant coach Ulf Samuelsson says after the second that the two period might have been the worst he has seen since he arrived on the team, that's an indictment of the entire organization. But Derek Stepan may have summed it best when he said: "you could throw hunger in the mix with all the things - reads, execution - that need to be fixed...we weren't even close."
Many of the above comments get to energy level and effort. Execution can come and go. Scoring can come and go. Physical mistakes can happen. But when you lack energy and effort, that's an indictment of the player as an athlete and the coaching staff's failure to get players up for a game. I don't want to hear post-Stanley Cup Finals hangover. Los Angeles didn't have it a few years ago, neither did Chicago, so to me, that's a cop out and easy excuse argument. Bring your lunch pail and hard hat nightly and get to work. Getting outworked and outhustled nightly shows a lack of accountability amongst the players and the organization. If this keeps up, the best way to send a message may be bench a veteran, and no, I don't mean Ryan Malone. Maybe Mats Zuccarello rides the pine as he did last year in order to send a greater message.
MDW7413 put it best, the Rangers lack an identity. Are they a physical or skating team? Are they a squad that is best puck possession or one that forechecks? Right now, they are none of the above, at least none of the above that they are doing well. You see pockets and snippets of each, but it hasn't been sustainable. Last year, they had a similar identity crisis but were able to figure it out. This year, the hope has to be that the injuries coupled with the new faces are the reasons for the sporadic and at times indifferent play. However, the repeated own zone mistakes, inability to mark players in the crease, the failure to go from D to O more than a few times a game all speak to a bigger problem that goes beyond lineup changes and has to be corrected immediately. If it's a result of that lack of accountability, then it's on AV and GM Glen Sather to send a message and fast.
For those already calling for a major shakeup, relax a bit, it's just 14 games into the season. No one, save for Pittsburgh and maybe Tampa have really run away. There is plenty of time, but you want to avoid falling too far behind and scrambling to catch up, as they did last year and most seasons, other than 2011-12. New York gets a major test Tuesday facing the Penguins. An effort like Sunday won'r result in just a 3-1 loss but the Rangers getting blown out. Even a good effort could end up with that result, but an embarrassing performance could send the fan base and coaching staff over the edge.
Following the lost weekend, changes were expected and that came today. Conor Allen and Ryan Malone were sent down. Neither came as a huge surprise, as John Moore's five-game suspension ended Sunday while Dan Boyle could be back from his broken hand this week. Several individuals suggested that Malone might have been a decent fit with Derick Brassard and Zuccarello - or at least tried there - but it is pretty clear that Vigneault had little use for Malone.
While Moore takes Allen's spot, the question was who would replace Malone? The Rangers opted to call up Jesper Fast. the rationale behind that must have been that with Kevin Hayes and Dominic Moore at center, calling up either J.T. Miller (10 points in 11 games) or Oscar Lindberg (eight goals) to play wing did make sense as each are better suited to play center. I could have seen either one promoted with Moore shifting to wing, where he played at times last season with Brian Boyle, or using Miller at wing, where he has seen some action in the past. Fast made the team out of camp, but was sent down, scoring a goal and eight assists in 10 games. He is not overly fast or physical, but did work on each of those aspects this off-season, which were apparent in camp, but not in regular season games.
With Fast up, expect Hayes, who was one of the few to have a good weekend, to center Carl Hagelin, also someone who played well in both games, and Anthony Duclair. I need to see more consistency from Duclair. You see a play or two a game in which he really shows his skills, but too often he has been a spectator rather than active participant. Since the only place he really can go is juniors, and once he is gone, he is gone for the year, look for him to continue to get chances. That said, unless he shows something quickly, I could see him watching again from the press box soon. If that becomes a pattern, then send him to juniors rather than have him stagnate here. One thing to keep in mid is that he can play for Team Canada and then come back, so if by early December, he is sitting more than playing but NY doesn't want to lose him for the year, expect him to play in the World Junior Championships.
The fourth line will likely be D. Moore with Fast and Tanner Glass. If that is the case, Lee Stempniak, who scored a few games ago against Detroit but saw his ice time reduced over the weekend, will be the odd-man out. I know every wants to see Glass sit and he has become the latest poster boy for the issues on the team, but that seems short-sighted. Yes, his Corsi stinks, but we expected that when he was signed. He is seeing lots of D zone starts, adversely impacted his numbers, but he is one of the few that play a physical game. I could see him sit and have Stempniak, rather than Glass, in against their former team. Moving forward, if Hayes struggles, that's when I expect to see either Miller, who hasn't gotten rave reviews from the Rangers scouts, or Lindberg up.
Can New York strap on their big boy pants and raise their effort against Pittsburgh or will we be subject to another lackluster effort? Tune in tonight to find out.