Blog Archives
The Problem with the Process
John Dundon
Photo courtesy of Bruce Bennett/Getty Images.
The Blueshirts started out the year strong but wound up limping past the half way mark of the season sporting a modest 26-16-5 record. One cannot but help wonder what the main underlying cause is for the team’s decline in play could possibly be. Not because they are hard-pressed to find issues, which have been plentiful and even overwhelming thus far through the 2015-2016 campaign.
It’s surprising though given the fact that right around this time last season, the Rangers took off. They dominated the league, even in the wake of losing Henrik Lundqvist for an extended period due to a freakish neck injury. Cam Talbot had replaced and even duplicated the edge that Lundqvist gave the Rangers night in and out. The Rangers finished the season on a tear and made a trip to game 7 of the conference final, where injuries eventually caught up to them in a humbling 2-0 loss on home ice. While the decline may be a surprise to some it didn’t sneak up on people who have looked at and made a point of the organizations failures, especially dating back to the offseason after that heartbreaking 4-1 Stanley Cup Final defeat. Read the rest of this entry
Vigneault finally used Yandle properly, and the Rangers were a better team because of it
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
When the Rangers fell apart against the Capitals on Sunday, a lot went wrong. The defensive coverage was bad, there were guys open in front of the net, the penalty kill was poor, and there were turnovers. I could go on and on. Needless to say, it was a bad performance from a Rangers team that had been playing much better, even in their losses.
Heading into yesterday’s game, I expected the Rangers to win against a pretty bad Vancouver team that was missing their best player (Henrik Sedin) and because they’ve been alternating wins and losses for a few weeks now. And although they ran into a red-hot Ryan Miller, who stood on his head all night long, they managed to get a win.
If you just looked at the box core, you wouldn’t realize that this was total and utter domination by the Rangers. At even strength, the Rangers led in shot attempts by a massive margin, finishing as a +35 on the night (70-35). They had 36 scoring chances and 17 high danger scoring chances. And they had 49 shots on goal, which isn’t including the six times that they hit the post in the game. If it wasn’t for Ryan Miller, and if they had a bit more luck, this could have easily been a 5+ goal night for New York. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers win overtime thriller against Vancouver; Stepan and Zuccarello break goal droughts
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
What started out as a very frustrating night turned into elation for the Rangers (25-16-5) when JT Miller gave the Rangers a 3-2 overtime victory over the Vancouver Canucks (19-17-11).
It was truly amazing that the Rangers didn’t score a lot more goals. They finished with 49 shots on goal, hit the goal post or crossbar six times, and faced Ryan Miller, who brought his A-game. But despite the frustrating sequence of events for the first 50 minutes or so, the Rangers battled back and earned the two points.
This was easily the team’s best offensive performance of the season, and you could argue that it was one of their better defensive performances too. The Rangers had 49 shots on goal, even more scoring chances that were blocked or went wide, and they only allowed 20 shots on goal for Lundqvist. They truly deserved the win and got it. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers look to continue home ice success against the Canucks
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Home sweet home.
That’s what the Rangers (24-16-5) must be thinking after another unsuccessful road trip, going 1-2-0 and failing to win back-to-back games yet again. While the road trips have not been successful, they’ve been much better on home ice, which is where they will face the Vancouver Canucks (19-17-10) for the final time this season.
The Ranger’s 5-2 loss in the nation’s capital gave them a record of 2-9-2 in their last 13 road games, but they’ve been really good at home despite their mediocre play since early December. In the last seven games, at MSG, the Blueshirts are 5-1-1. Going back even further, they’re 15-4-1 in their last 20 home games. Needless to say, being back at MSG is a good thing for a struggling Rangers team. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers look for revenge against the Capitals; Raanta gets the start
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
The Setup:
The Rangers (24-15-5) picked up a crucial two points in a divisional battle against the Flyers, securing just their second win in their last 11 road games (2-7-2), and drawing equal with the Islanders in the standings. Now they face another tough test against a divisional foe that sits 16 points ahead of them in the Metropolitan. The Washington Capitals (33-8-3) are having an incredible season, and they’re easily the most dangerous team in the NHL.
The Capitals are coming off of a 4-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on the road, and now they head back to the Verizon Center, where they play six of their next seven games. Washington is 17-3-1 on home ice this season, and despite the loss to the Sabres, they’re still 14-2-1 in their last 17 games. Read the rest of this entry
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