The Rangers saw their three-game win streak to start the season come to a crashing halt Tuesday evening. Winnipeg came into MSG and rode strong special teams to a 4-1 victory. New York gets a chance to get back on the beam with a contest in their house of horrors, the Bell Center, Thursday against the Canadiens.
Some thoughts on the loss:
1) I didn't think New York played that poorly. Unsure if their performance was much worse or better than the first three games. unlike those three contests, the Blueshirts ran into a hot netminder in Michael Hutchinson, who made 41 saves. Not every shot came from the outside, as they did have some solid scoring chances, but when there were in close, Hutchinson was up to the task.
2) Special teams were not so special. You just can't go 0-for-5 on the man-advantage, especially when all five chances come in one period, and expect to win the game. Then, when one of those opportunities results in a goal against and you surrender two power-play goals, your chances of winning are usually slim to none, which was the case Tuesday.
3) AV put Kevin Klein on the point of the power play since he historically has been someone who gets the puck on net. What happens? New York has a lot of puck movement but few good chances or shots. Winnipeg was aggressive on their forecheck when shorthanded, which blunted having Klein on the point, since he is not a great puck-handler. With the Jets out so high, it left openings that could have resulted in quality chances with quick or player movement. Neither was apparent Tuesday.
4) The first line was good. The second line was okay but they didn't do as much as might have expected, as Kevin Hayes is still searching for his 2014-15 sense while Chris Kreider has yet to take that expected step forward. The third line came back to earth as expected and the fourth line ended up penned in its own end all night.
5) Winnipeg was physical all night, just like Columbus, as Carp pointed out. In the games against the Blue Jackets, speed and skill beat crash and bash. Tuesday, NY was unable to use their skill to offset how the Jets played and then those who can be physical, really weren't, so you were totally behind the eight-ball.
6) If Tanner Glass can't make a difference physically, then he isn't going to play. Jesper Fast played the first two games. Glass the next two, Either Fast gets back in against Montreal, which would make sense as they need his penalty killing ability plus his capacity for making the smart play in his own zone. If not, Emerson Etem, who practiced in the fourth line, will get a chance. It's also possible that both get in and either Dominic Moore or Jarret Stoll, more likely, sit.
7) Dylan McIlath was solid. The roof might have come off if his first shot, which hit iron, went in. The special teams play in the second resulted in McIlrath spending much of the stanza on the bench. He played just 12:20 but I thought he acquitted himself nicely. However, Dan Boyle likely gets back into against Montreal, so NY has a "PP QB."
8) Whither Antti Raanta? Henrik Lundqvist blamed himself for not being able to locate the puck on all three goals he allowed. I was mildly surprised he played Tuesday, as that might have been a spot for Raanta. I get playing Hank both ends of the back-to-back because he hadn't played for six days between the preseason finale and season opener. Now, when does Raanta go?
Do you start him Thursday against a tough Canadiens team because Lundqvist has historically struggled there? If so, does that mean Hank goes Sunday against NJ and Raanta plays Monday versus San Jose, which would be another tough game. It looks like Lundqvist will go Thursday. Then, do you let him face one of the teams he loves to beat in NJ and give Raanta the hard match up against the Sharks or have Raanta face NJ and give Hank the tougher game on paper against SJ?
9) Carp noted the following:
I thought it was interesting that Ryan McDonagh was questioning the Rangers mental sharpness and preparedness, and when it was mentioned to Alain Vigneault, he started out by saying, “I’m not quite sure why Ryan would make that statement,” then added, “I mean, he’s in the room. He’s captain of that team. So he knows the usual focus and preparation that they need … if he thought that I’m sure he’s going to address that with his team. This game is about execution and execution on the ice is about preparation.”
On the one hand, you could say Winnipeg was the perfect trap game. NY came in having won three in a row, fresh off a weekend sweep against a divisional rival. In addition, next up was a game against a major conference rival who should be at the top of their division and likely the conference. The Jets were angry after getting embarrassed by the Islanders, they had some extra rest because Monday was an afternoon game and their goalie was the one who had a hot stretch last year and played a good first game. On paper, a clear trap game.
However, that's a bit of garbage. You need to always be ready in this league regardless of the opponent. The margin between winning and losing is so small that to underestimate a team, especially four games in, is pretty unlikely. I like AV putting it on McDonagh to make sure the team is ready, even above and beyond what the coaches. But it's also on each player, so I would expect a much better effort Thursday.
10) Congrats to Adam Tambellini, who Wednesday scored his first pro goal, an OT winner for Hartford. In addition, even though he isn't here and we can debate forever whether dealing was a smart move, congrats to Anthony Duclair for notching his first hat trick Wednesday against Anaheim.
New York Rangers Blogger • 
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