The Rangers uninspired effort against a the less talented, road-weary Panthers squad highlighted all of the serious problems that have plauged the team this season: no secondary scoring whatsoever, ineffective defense, an utter lack of grit and giving up soft goals.
But that's been true of pretty much every game the Rangers have played since the end of October. So here's a bold statement: this team is bad. They're not in a slump, they're not still putting together their lines and chemistry, they're not still learning a run-and-gun system that's totally unfamiliar to them. They play hockey badly, and lose most of their games.
The Rangers can't sustain offensive pressure, make countless turnovers in every area of the rink, and have literally no scoring outside of their top line. The players are not only struggling to keep up with opposing teams, they're also struggling to keep up with the pace of their own system. At this point in the season, some of the blame has to fall on Tortorella. Granted, benching players is difficult when the team is dealing with serious injuries to two of its top-six fowards, which also rules out sending veteran guys to Hartford. Instead, the system needs some tweaking.
From a fan's perspective, this is a bummer of a season. They're awful to watch and they don't seem to really care. Unfortunately, my roommate is an Islanders fan. Watching the Isles lose to the Blues the other night, I found myself thinking "I wish the Rangers played like this." And that's the biggest bummer of them all.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
11-9-1: If Your Record Looks Like This Then You're Doing It Wrong
This season, there are two crucial players on the Rangers: Marian Gaborik and Henrik Lundqvist. The Blueshirts go as Hank and Gabby go. Much like most other nights in the last month and a half, Hank and Gaborik were the only two Ranger players who made a difference in last night's game against OV and the Caps.
Since the beginning of October, nagging issues have become glaring problems for the Rangers. Secondary scoring is non-existant. No player except Gaborik scores on a consistent basis. In addition to having abosolutely no snarl, the defense lacks cohesion. The powerplay that roared out of the gate is hobbling along, and penalty kill has gone from good to mediocre.
Interestingly, the John Tortorella we saw in training camp is nowhere to be found. To be fair, if he were to try to hold everyone on the team accountable for their mistakes by benching individual players, then only Hank, Gabby and Vinny Prospal would play every night. But come on, Torts - where's that hot fire bro?! Have a public feud with a player! Get these guys going! Swear at Larry Brooks! Menacingly brandish a stick at a fan after squirting him with water! I'm tired of Even Keeled Torts. I want Bad Torts back - the Torts who claims not to know the names of all the players on his team, then sends the group of alleged strangers he's been hired to coach on a five mile run just because he feels like it. Bad Torts scares and punishes players until they win. Bad Torts got them to the playoffs last season, and Bad Torts sent them hurdling out of the gate like man-eating, goal hungry hyenas at the beginning of this season. We need that guy back.
A performance this dismal, though, can't really be blamed on the coach. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink - the team has to want to win. The Rangers horse hasn't been particularly thirsty lately, apparently. I wouldn't necessarily say that the Rangers are calling it in. They're not. The effort is there, but it needs to be more focused. The powerplay needs to get strong again, and the even strength attack needs to be more sustained. Most importantly, these guys need to start finishing on quality chances. This is a problem that's plagued this team sinces the lockout. Elite players bury the puck whenever they see daylight in the back of the net, especially when they're right on the crease. The Rangers fan on those kinds of shots pretty regularly, and those are the ones that can really make a difference in a game. One timers come around once in a while, and snipers like Kotalik and Gabby pick their spots whenever they can. But there are quality rebounds in every NHL game. The Rangers need to start capitalizing on them.
The Rangers don't play again until Saturday against the Panther at MSG. Hopefully, they're at the practice facility in Westchester right now, where Torts is punishing them until they do it right.
Since the beginning of October, nagging issues have become glaring problems for the Rangers. Secondary scoring is non-existant. No player except Gaborik scores on a consistent basis. In addition to having abosolutely no snarl, the defense lacks cohesion. The powerplay that roared out of the gate is hobbling along, and penalty kill has gone from good to mediocre.
Interestingly, the John Tortorella we saw in training camp is nowhere to be found. To be fair, if he were to try to hold everyone on the team accountable for their mistakes by benching individual players, then only Hank, Gabby and Vinny Prospal would play every night. But come on, Torts - where's that hot fire bro?! Have a public feud with a player! Get these guys going! Swear at Larry Brooks! Menacingly brandish a stick at a fan after squirting him with water! I'm tired of Even Keeled Torts. I want Bad Torts back - the Torts who claims not to know the names of all the players on his team, then sends the group of alleged strangers he's been hired to coach on a five mile run just because he feels like it. Bad Torts scares and punishes players until they win. Bad Torts got them to the playoffs last season, and Bad Torts sent them hurdling out of the gate like man-eating, goal hungry hyenas at the beginning of this season. We need that guy back.
A performance this dismal, though, can't really be blamed on the coach. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink - the team has to want to win. The Rangers horse hasn't been particularly thirsty lately, apparently. I wouldn't necessarily say that the Rangers are calling it in. They're not. The effort is there, but it needs to be more focused. The powerplay needs to get strong again, and the even strength attack needs to be more sustained. Most importantly, these guys need to start finishing on quality chances. This is a problem that's plagued this team sinces the lockout. Elite players bury the puck whenever they see daylight in the back of the net, especially when they're right on the crease. The Rangers fan on those kinds of shots pretty regularly, and those are the ones that can really make a difference in a game. One timers come around once in a while, and snipers like Kotalik and Gabby pick their spots whenever they can. But there are quality rebounds in every NHL game. The Rangers need to start capitalizing on them.
The Rangers don't play again until Saturday against the Panther at MSG. Hopefully, they're at the practice facility in Westchester right now, where Torts is punishing them until they do it right.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Feel Free to Concuss Our Captain
Last year, one of the few bright spots of the Rangers mediocre season was that they remained relatively injury free. The team lost very few man games, which paid off after the all star break as they made a push for the playoffs. No such luck this year. Even though Gaborik has avoided any major injuries thus far, Drury (concussion symptoms) and Dubinksy (broken hand) will be out for a while.
Curtis Glencross's hit on Drury was off the puck, to the head and flagrant. All four officials missed it, which is an indicator of a) poor officiating, and b) how far away from the play the hit took place. If they're going to have four officials clogging up the rink and obstructing plays, they might as well use their whistles to make a good call once in a while.
Aside from the hit itself, the most egregious part of the play wasn't the non-call from the officials, but the complete lack of a response from any Ranger player. I would guess that most teams in the league might actually take exception to their captain getting dropped inside their own blue line by a hit to the head. Well, not the Rangers. If no one on the team felt compelled to stand up for their captain, then there isn't much else that can or should be said for this team. Their play and their mentality brings to mind the regretful years between '94 and the lockout, when the players had little interest in representing the logo on their jerseys.
Not unlike those squads, this year's team can be positively brutal to watch. Gaborik will score some great goals, Del Zotto will wrack up some points. What else do they put on the ice that makes them worth watching? Their defense is soft. But they skate the puck in deep! Who cares. They don't (can't?) deliver big hits, and half of them can't keep up with Tortella's system in the first place. Also, outside of two forwards, Gaborik and Prospal, no onen on the team can score consistently. Dubinsky held out for a huge contract that he obviously can't play up to. He's a second line center who's going to put up 13 goals every year. Before they handed him 1.8 million a year, he would have been trade bait. Afterwards, not so much.
Frankly, since the 9th or 10th game of the regular season, watching this team has been like pulling teeth. No one wants to acknowledge it, but they were actually better last year, and their record at the end of the season will show that. So they can score on the powerplay now? This being the Rangers, they've found a way to score on the PP and still lose all the time. Tortorella's vaunted take no prisoners attitude seems mainly geared towards beat reporters and Dan Girardi. This teams is sliding towards .500 quicker than you can say all star break.
Curtis Glencross's hit on Drury was off the puck, to the head and flagrant. All four officials missed it, which is an indicator of a) poor officiating, and b) how far away from the play the hit took place. If they're going to have four officials clogging up the rink and obstructing plays, they might as well use their whistles to make a good call once in a while.
Aside from the hit itself, the most egregious part of the play wasn't the non-call from the officials, but the complete lack of a response from any Ranger player. I would guess that most teams in the league might actually take exception to their captain getting dropped inside their own blue line by a hit to the head. Well, not the Rangers. If no one on the team felt compelled to stand up for their captain, then there isn't much else that can or should be said for this team. Their play and their mentality brings to mind the regretful years between '94 and the lockout, when the players had little interest in representing the logo on their jerseys.
Not unlike those squads, this year's team can be positively brutal to watch. Gaborik will score some great goals, Del Zotto will wrack up some points. What else do they put on the ice that makes them worth watching? Their defense is soft. But they skate the puck in deep! Who cares. They don't (can't?) deliver big hits, and half of them can't keep up with Tortella's system in the first place. Also, outside of two forwards, Gaborik and Prospal, no onen on the team can score consistently. Dubinsky held out for a huge contract that he obviously can't play up to. He's a second line center who's going to put up 13 goals every year. Before they handed him 1.8 million a year, he would have been trade bait. Afterwards, not so much.
Frankly, since the 9th or 10th game of the regular season, watching this team has been like pulling teeth. No one wants to acknowledge it, but they were actually better last year, and their record at the end of the season will show that. So they can score on the powerplay now? This being the Rangers, they've found a way to score on the PP and still lose all the time. Tortorella's vaunted take no prisoners attitude seems mainly geared towards beat reporters and Dan Girardi. This teams is sliding towards .500 quicker than you can say all star break.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Rangers & Forsberg
Today, Larry Brooks reports that the Rangers are scouting Peter Forsberg, who apparently considering a returning to the NHL or a possible stint in the KHL. Apparently, other interested teams include the Flyers, Capitals, and Canadiens.
There's no cap space to sign Forsberg, and even if Sather was able to pull off another miracle salary dump (see Gomez, Scott), is Forsberg a solid investment? He's been plauged by injuries for years and at 36 is no spring chicken. Another injury prone star should not be on the Rangers' shopping list. It seems like Sather is more interested in other teams in the East not having Forsberg than he is with what Forsberg could do for the Rangers. Since the lockout the Rangers have more or less been able to reverse their trend of signing aging superstars who fail to produce. In fact they actually let a couple of them sign elsewhere (Jagr and Shanahan).
The hype that surrounds a potential Forsberg comeback isn't unlike the hysteria and speculation that surrounded Mats Sundin last year. Luckily, the Rangers were outdone by Vancouver's ludicrous $10 million offer (prorated, of course!). That's a huge chunk of change to spend on second round playoff run, which is essentially what the Canucks got. Would it be great to see the Rangers advance to the semifinals this season? Of course it would, but not if the cost is prospects, draft picks and/or developing young players. They'll get a few months out of Forsberg before he gets injured or retires, and in the end he won't be able to increase this team's postseason chances substantially enough to justify what he's undoubtedly going to cost.
Tempting as it may be to throw a few million his way and see what happens, the Rangers will, in the long run, be a better team if they let Forsberg become someone else's headache.
There's no cap space to sign Forsberg, and even if Sather was able to pull off another miracle salary dump (see Gomez, Scott), is Forsberg a solid investment? He's been plauged by injuries for years and at 36 is no spring chicken. Another injury prone star should not be on the Rangers' shopping list. It seems like Sather is more interested in other teams in the East not having Forsberg than he is with what Forsberg could do for the Rangers. Since the lockout the Rangers have more or less been able to reverse their trend of signing aging superstars who fail to produce. In fact they actually let a couple of them sign elsewhere (Jagr and Shanahan).
The hype that surrounds a potential Forsberg comeback isn't unlike the hysteria and speculation that surrounded Mats Sundin last year. Luckily, the Rangers were outdone by Vancouver's ludicrous $10 million offer (prorated, of course!). That's a huge chunk of change to spend on second round playoff run, which is essentially what the Canucks got. Would it be great to see the Rangers advance to the semifinals this season? Of course it would, but not if the cost is prospects, draft picks and/or developing young players. They'll get a few months out of Forsberg before he gets injured or retires, and in the end he won't be able to increase this team's postseason chances substantially enough to justify what he's undoubtedly going to cost.
Tempting as it may be to throw a few million his way and see what happens, the Rangers will, in the long run, be a better team if they let Forsberg become someone else's headache.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Pre-Gaming: Vancouver Canucks
Apparently, it's dangerous being a Canuck out there, because tons of them are hurt. Most notably, Daniel Sedin (0-4-4 in four games) is out for at least a month with a broken foot, and Roberto Luongo (.902 SV % and a 2.79 GAA in twelve games) is currently out with a cracked rib. Every year, Vancouver seems to get pegged as a Cup contender, but they always seem to fall short. After the Canucks were dismissed from the playoffs by the Blackhawks last year, the city of Vancouver collectively demanded that Luongo be traded, then collectively realized that without him, they're a bubble team with some flashy Swedes. We would never treat Hank like that! Never!
That's not to say that the Canucks (8-7) can't pull out a win. They just blanked the Avalanche 3-0 during a game in which Andrew Raycroft posted a shut out. Henrik Sedin (6-10-16), though he's struggled without his brother, is still a threat, as are Ryan Kesler (5-8-13) and Mikael Samuelsson (6-6-12). Also, the Canucks are at home and the Rangers, for some reason, have struggled in Canadian arenas the last few years.
After managing to beat Boston 1-0 following two low-scoring losses, the Rangers need to find their scoring touch again. Until some secondary scoring develops, this means that the top line of Vinnie Prospal, Marion Gaborik, and Brandon Dubinksy/Enver Lisin/Other Players need to find the time and space to produce consistently enough to put up big numbers almost every game. The Rangers will get a different look on offense than they did against Boston, who play a stifling defensive game. Much like the Rangers, the Canucks depend on production from their top line and big saves from their goaltender to win games. With 1/2 of the Sedins and Roberto Luongo sitting out, the Rangers need to capitalize on Vancouver's average blueline, and score consistenly on the power play (Vancouver's penalty kill ranks among the league's worst).
Also, in this game, someone besides Marion Gaborik will probably need to score a goal in order for the Rangers to win. One of the big questions coming into the next few games should be the status of Chris Higgins on the roster. It's a month into the season and he's yet to post a goal. P.A. Parentau potted one during his first call-up this year and no doubt Evgeni Grachev is itching to do the same thing. Higgins has been a 20 goal scorer in the past, but the main reason for the trade that brought him to New York (still not sure how Slats pulled that one off) was to unload Scott Gomez's contract, not necessarily to bring in a guy that can score. I'm surprised that Torts hasn't scratched him yet, and I'm inclined to think he will soon.
That's not to say that the Canucks (8-7) can't pull out a win. They just blanked the Avalanche 3-0 during a game in which Andrew Raycroft posted a shut out. Henrik Sedin (6-10-16), though he's struggled without his brother, is still a threat, as are Ryan Kesler (5-8-13) and Mikael Samuelsson (6-6-12). Also, the Canucks are at home and the Rangers, for some reason, have struggled in Canadian arenas the last few years.
After managing to beat Boston 1-0 following two low-scoring losses, the Rangers need to find their scoring touch again. Until some secondary scoring develops, this means that the top line of Vinnie Prospal, Marion Gaborik, and Brandon Dubinksy/Enver Lisin/Other Players need to find the time and space to produce consistently enough to put up big numbers almost every game. The Rangers will get a different look on offense than they did against Boston, who play a stifling defensive game. Much like the Rangers, the Canucks depend on production from their top line and big saves from their goaltender to win games. With 1/2 of the Sedins and Roberto Luongo sitting out, the Rangers need to capitalize on Vancouver's average blueline, and score consistenly on the power play (Vancouver's penalty kill ranks among the league's worst).
Also, in this game, someone besides Marion Gaborik will probably need to score a goal in order for the Rangers to win. One of the big questions coming into the next few games should be the status of Chris Higgins on the roster. It's a month into the season and he's yet to post a goal. P.A. Parentau potted one during his first call-up this year and no doubt Evgeni Grachev is itching to do the same thing. Higgins has been a 20 goal scorer in the past, but the main reason for the trade that brought him to New York (still not sure how Slats pulled that one off) was to unload Scott Gomez's contract, not necessarily to bring in a guy that can score. I'm surprised that Torts hasn't scratched him yet, and I'm inclined to think he will soon.
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