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Game 41: NYR 2 FLA 1, S/O, Rangers Hit Midway Point Over .500 With Win |
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The Rangers closed out 2013 with a 2-1 shoutout win over the Panthers on Tuesday. The victory upped the Blueshirts' mark at the midway point to 19-18-2 and gave them back-to-back wins. The effort wasn't great and it took a late goal to tie the contest and send it to a shoutout, but a win is a win is a win.
Game Highlights:
Like I did in a prior blog, I will took on a few players rather than a game recap:
Henrik Lundqvist - The King wasn't overly tested, but when he was, he came up big, especially in overtime against Tomas Fleischmann. Lundqvist had little chance on the Panthers' goal, but besides that marker, he stopped all 21 shots he faced. After a good effort in the victory over Tampa, Lundqvist was even better in the win Tuesday. Whatever he is doing with Benoit Allaire, it worked the past two games and maybe the three games off when Cam Talbot started cleared his head and enabled him to focus on his technique.
Dan Girardi - obviously a bad turnover, but the past week or so, I think he has looked more like the Girardi of old than the one who started the season off so poorly. Nice job stepping into the open space in the offensive zone and shot to tie the game. He wasn't helped much by the Rangers' forwards on the ice on back checking even after the turnover but he has to do a better job on that play. Of course, as we have spoken about in the past, it would be nice if the team scored more so that every error and mistake isn't magnified, but given this team to date, that's crazy talk.
Marc Staal - played 23:45 in his return from a nine-game absence due to a Dec. 7 concussion. Saw a bit under nine minutes in the third period and reported “no issues all game long.” Having Staal back makes such a huge difference on the ice but you only realize what he brings when he is not on the ice. Coach Alain Vigneault had him paired with Conor Allen, but Allen didn't see the ice last 13+ minutes of the game, so Staal was re-paired with Anton Stralman, who returned from a one-game absence, played 21:29 and said his injured left wrist felt fine. That pairing is one that should stay together as they are clearly the team's best second group. AV should leave Allen in the lineup, as he has not looked out of place in the two games he has played.
John Moore - AV chose to make Michael Del Zotto a healthy scratch for the eighth time this season Tuesday, saying he has looked “jittery with the puck” and is “fighting” for a place on the third pairing on a game-to-game basis. Despite that, Pat Leonard wrote today that Del Zotto could replace Moore on Friday in Pittsburgh after Moore received a third-period tongue-lashing on the bench from Vigneault for not passing to an open Mats Zuccarello up-ice.
Either play someone or sit someone, stop jerking them in and out of the lineup, especially for one mistake. If AV is going to do that, what's the balancing act to determine if someone should sit. If Girardi hadn't scored, would he sit for his turnover earlier in the game? Make a call and stick with it. If AV keeps shuttling d-men in and out, there will be no continuity and you will have players constantly looking over their shoulders, which is no way to foster and build confidence or a team.
Stepan, Nash and Kreider - really good on the forecheck, creating the tying goal. For the Rangers to go anywhere in the second half of the season, that trio has to be eons better than they have been. It's interesting that those three are now on the second PP unit with Mats Zuccarello, Derick Brassard, Benoit Pouliot, Brad Richards and Ryan McDonagh the No. 1 unit by a far margin. Also, as Carp wrote, while AV likes set two-man units in the overtime, it's kind of crazy that Kreider doesn't get on the ice with a chance to use his size and speed in an attempt to win a game rather than stapled to the bench.
Moore, Dorsett and Boyle - As Carp pointed out, the set lines has enabled players to get comfortable and used to playing with one another. That clearly is the case with this line. They never will be big scorers but this trio has been very good on the forecheck and Moore and Boyle came up big on the four-minute penalty kill in the third period. The strong forecheck eventually wears down opponents late in games, which is the main goal for this line.
The victory Tuesday means that the Rangers have won 10 of their last 13 on the road, after starting the season 2-6 in the first eight games of that nine-game trip. In addition, the Blueshirts have now won four of their last five after going off the rails just a few weeks ago.
With Ryan Callahan set to return, possibly Friday against Pitt or Saturday versus Toronto, Taylor Pyatt, a healthy scratch every game lately, has been placed on waivers, the return of Cally will mean that the Rangers are the healthiest that have been in quote some time and possibly all season. Vigneault will have to figure out the line combinations once Callahan is cleared to play and returns to the lineup. As I wrote last week, what probably makes the most sense is to have Callahan on the third line with Pouliot or Hagelin and JT Miller, though I expect Brassard to move back to center the third line of Pouliot and Hagelin, Miller to be scratched and Callahan to play with Zuccarello and Richards.
Despite the horrible start, inconsistent offense, shuffling of defensemen, new style of play etc., the a Rangers are close to an automatic playoff spot as one of the top three in the division. The room for improvement is immense, ranging from Lundqvist, to Nash, to Stepan, to a healthy Callahan, return to form of Girardi etc., meaning that even a few of these occur, New York should be better off in the second half of the year than they were in the first. Forty-one games to figure it out, hopefully we have more answers after those 41 contests than we have now after the first 41.
Expect Callahan and McDonagh to make the USA Olympic Team with Stepan falling short.
Updated - Stepan surprisingly gets in. How there was no Bobby Ryan or Kyle Okposo over Stepan and/or Stastny is beyond me. Same with no Erik or John Johnson or Keith Yandle over Justin Faulk or Paul Martin (but that could change if Martin or Brooks Orpik not fully healthy). I would have taken Ben Bishop over Jimmy Howard, but if Jonathan Quick not 100 per cent, that switch could happen,
New York Rangers Blogger • 
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