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Gut-check win at MSG on Sunday, we wait for cap room for Kane |
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The Rangers notched one or their weirder and most-gut check wins 4-2 over the Kings on Sunday. With Braden Schneider and Ryan Carpenter, called up to give the team a compliant roster, both sitting, New York started the game with 16 skaters. That number dwindled by one when K'Andre Miller was given a match penalty for spitting at Drew Doughty, leaving the team with just four blueliners. The Fab Four, especially, and 11 forwards provided a memorable victory as we all wait with bated breath for Patrick Kane to arrive.
Game recap:
A few thoughts:
1) Offense - despite only dressing 11 forwards, the offense actually hummed. Vincent Trocheck notched a pair of goals and assists to help the Blueshirts get a lead they didn't relinquish. Artemi Panarin made up for a bad pinch that led to a Kings goal but came back shortly thereafter to score a goal of his own while adding an assist. The coup de gras was Mika Zibanejad, after getting hit while blocking a Doughty slapshot on the inside of his right foot just above the skate and needing help to get off the ice late in the second, pulling a Willis Reed and coming back for the third. He capped the moment by completing the scoring with a typical one-timer, PPG from near the left dot.
Larry Brooks did a great job of highlighting how valuable Zib is to the Rangers.
2). Defense: With Miller tossed and Ryan Lindgren sidelined with a shoulder/collarbone injury suffered Saturday, the Rangers went with Niko Mikkola-Adam Fox and Ben Harpur-Jacob Trouba pairings for the last two-plus periods of the game. Those four were brilliant. Yesterday might have been Mikkola and Harpur's best game on the team. None of the four played less than 25 minutes, despite Sunday being the back end of a back-to-back.
Laf, who gave out the Broadway Hat, and the team twitter feed recognized the performance of those four (why Schneider was added, I have no idea). Lindgren, seen in the video without a sling on his arm, which he had post-game Saturday, is clearly a Cyborg with miraculous healing powers. It's possibly he could suit up Wednesday or Thursday, depending how he feels, what happens with a possible Miller suspension and when Schneider is recalled from Hartford, some of which depends on l'affaire du Kane,
3) Miller said all the right things post-game and in his tweet today. But the action resulted in a hearing with the Department of Player Safety. Unsure the league will believe the incident was accidental and would expect at least a one-game suspension. His contrition might save him from the three-game suspension that I expected, in line with what Hathaway received previously for a similar incident.
4) Igor Shesterkin - really good. Liked the call coach GeralD gallant made in going back to igor after he was pulled Saturday. He wasn't helped much by the D against the Capitals; that was not the case Sunday. The blueline was good and Igor was on his game in making 26 saves. Seeing an effort like that is huge for his confidence and for the team overall.
On to the trade deadline.
Larry Brooks said it best, the East is a Beast. Elliotte Friedman and Jefff Marek are calling it the Eastern Octagon. To date, most of the big moves have been players going from West to East or within the Conference with the West, to date for the most part, on the outside looking in.
With all the movement to date and a little under four days left to the deadline, you wonder what other dominoes will fall, Friedman and Marek on their 32 Thoughts podcast Sunday did a nice job of going team-by-team as to moves to date and what they have heard as to future transactions that may take place.
Boston brought in Dimtry Orlov and Garrett Hathaway to deepen an already excellent squad. Toronto added Jake McCabe and Sam Lafferty, a pair of nice supplementary pieces, to go with Ryan O'Reilly, who was brought in from St. Louis. Tampa surrendered a ton to bring in Tanner Jeannot, who fits their system and past acquisition history perfectly. New Jersey is all in after bringing in Timo Meier while not surrendering their top prospects or Dawson Mercer. Carolina has a ton of cap room with Max Pacioretty on LTIR and likely will be on Nick Schmaltz and one of the Coyotes D men. Add in New York, who are expected to have the Kane train by Friday at the latest, and the East is nuts. That's six of the eight playoff teams and at least two will be gone after Round 1.
Kane Cap Machinations: The Rangers will have minimal space once Kane arrives. Each extra day until that occurs adds a smidge to the coffers, though the team could have made similar AHL "paper" moves during the year to try and create additional cap space. Lindgren looks like he will avoid LTIR, but if Miller is suspended, his salary remains on the books.
The "issues" with Kane, in addition to Panarin and Vladimir Tarasenko is that defense is a dirty word, as is board work, as noted accurately by Bingo and others. Having 1 of 2 players, despite their elite offensive talent, who don't expend effort in either regard means that as many chances as you create, so too are the opportunities against you. The hope is that the positives and game breaking ability outweigh the possible negatives. To help balance this out, look for Tarasenko to remain with Zib, who has become a more than responsible defensive center, and Chris Kreider, who will become more of a grinder. To date though, the early returns of that trio have not been positive. Panarin and Kane should skate with Vincent Trocheck, who has shown signs that he can be the grinder on a line. Gallant might opt to swap Kane and Tarasenko, especially if the groupings don't mesh immediately, but the point just made remains.
The Kid Line of Alexis Lafrenière (LW) ⋄ Filip Chytil (C) ⋄ Kaapo Kakko (RW) will be the third line. That leaves a fourth line of Jimmy Vesey (LW) ⋄ Barclay Goodrow (C) ⋄ Tyler Motte (RW), which certainly is eons better than what we have seen most of the year. Now the question will be how will all the parts mesh.
The hope is that defensive issues, especially in transition, will be remediated by the set lines and a set fourth line. As Vince Mercogliano noted, the team ranked third in the NHL with a 2.59 goals against average entering the all-star break. But in 11 games since, they’re surrendering an average of 3.55 goals per game. Much of the uptick is due to poor defensive structure, especially in the neutral and own zone, and horrific transition defense. To advance once the playoffs start, this needs to be a material area of focus.
The power play also will be a work-in-progress. On the first unit, look for Kane to replace Tarasenko He has a better track record of PP success while also bringing a left-handed shot to provide balance among righties in Fox, Panarin and Zibanejad. Chytil, Kakko and Laf should remain on the second unit. Does Tarasenko man the point with Trocheck in the bumper spot or does one of them get bumped for Trouba or Miller?
New York Rangers Blogger • 
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