New York, off a 3-2 win at home against Chicago on Saturday, face the Blackhawks in Chicago tonight. The Rangers return home to take on the Avalanche tomorrow as part of their stretch of 10 games in 17 days. Tonight's lineup will be exactly the same as Saturday's, meaning Alexandar Georgiev will be back between the pipes. He could get the nod as well tomorrow, as throwing Adam Huska to the wolves to face Colorado would seem to be cruel and unusual punishment.
The beat writers spoke yesterday with
Ryan Reaves, who provided a few interesting nuggets. Foremost was the impact he has on a team, even though he only has one fight, a thought mirrored by his teammates. In addition, Reaves provided an insight into coach Gerard Gallant's approach and how he manages the team.
I was the first to question trading a third round pick and giving Reaves a one-year extension. But so far, clearly I underestimated the impact he might have with this team, not just for now but for the playoffs. In addition, Reaves' ability to contribute to the strong forecheck and enable Gallant to roll four lines without having to mix-and-match and shorten the lineup cannot be overvalued.
That (referring to the checking of the fourth line and presence of Reaves as a deterrent) has an effect of wearing teams down, and letting opposing defensemen know they can’t get away with everything. Ryan Lindgren described playing against a line like that as taking a toll on defenders.
“You kinda know in the back of your head, if you’re going back to get the puck, you’re gonna take a hit,” Ryan Lindgren said. “Those guys do a great job.”
Added Reaves: “If you catch a couple, especially D-men, with some big clean hits, I think they start throwing pucks away a little bit more. Maybe second-guessing whether they’re going into that corner first or they’re gonna let you go get it.”
Gallant’s approach, he said, lends itself to playing with confidence.
"A lot of times on the fourth line, you can go out there and have a bad shift and that coach is going to bury you a good chunk of that game," Reaves said. "Here, he's not going to do that. If we have a bad shift, he's going to come over and tell us, and then he's going to throw us right back out there and let us rectify that shift. It allows us to play with a lot more confidence. We're not so tight all the time."
“We’re not so tight all the time,” Reaves said. “And [if] we make a mistake, as we come to the bench and we know we’re gonna go out there and make sure that the next shift is our best one. It’s so much easier to play with a coach who has confidence in you and allows you to play your game.”
Larry Brooks in his Post Sports+ column broached the topic again of
breaking up Adam Fox and Ryan Lindgren. He asked the question to Gallant, who said there were no thoughts of doing so. But Brooks is looking forward to the playoffs, focusing on the punishment dished out to Charlie McAvoy by the Isles, which will be how teams play Fox. In addition, as seen in the Calgary games, teams are denying Lindgren the time and space to move the puck to his partner, resulting in turnovers and a stagnant attack.
One solution might be to flip Lindgren and K'Andre Miller, but Miller is not the physical presence that Fox might need. Plus, honestly, if it isn't broken, don't fix it, despite some of the bobbles we have seen occasionally from the Miller-Jacob Trouba duo. In addition, Brooks speculates as to who might be available, similar to what we have done on the site. Hampus Lindholm would be a great addition, as he could slot on the third line or move up if needed.
Is it possible that I am getting ahead of myself and that the landscape might look very different in another month or so after the Rangers play the Avalanche, Lightning and Golden Knights twice apiece and the Panthers and Oilers once each? Yes, it is possible.
Regardless, I do not have to take it one game at a time. That is not in the job description. I am looking ahead, the same way that president-general manager Chris Drury is looking ahead.
And, also looking behind with my head on a swivel, I saw the way the Islanders pounded the Bruins’ Charlie McAvoy into eventual submission in last year’s playoffs and I am seeing the way teams are getting into Fox’s and Lindgren’s faces more frequently this season as the opposition does more game-planning against the reigning Norris Trophy winner and his partner.
The idea, of course, is to deny time and space to Fox breaking out of his own end. That most often is much easier said than done given No. 23’s ability to escape tight spaces. But there is another way to limit Fox: by denying Lindgren the time and space to move the puck to his partner. That’s a strategy the Flames, for one, successfully used against the Rangers.
One update is that the
Rangers-Islanders game that was slated for November 28 and canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak has been rescheduled for St. Patrick's Day. I can only imagine how rowdy and raucous the crowd will be. This will be especially so if there is a blowout in either direction.
New York Rangers Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»