The Rangers try to move from 'new' to 'old' territory Thursday in Toronto. That hopefully shift from new to old is a migration from losing three straight to getting back to the win column. That other move from 'new' to 'old' also includes the play of Henrik Lundqvist.
"Hank's had some moments in the past, probably never to this degree," Alain Vigneault said Wednesday. "So he's in new territory, we're in new territory to some extent."
"I think for us right now, there's no doubt there's a confidence issue with Hank, and sometimes that can trickle down a little bit with the other guys when something happens on the ice," the coach added. "It's important with our group right now to stay real positive, to give them direction."
As we have discussed a lot, confidence - especially for elite athletes - can be fleeting. Just when all seems to be going right, a slight bobble or misstep can change everything. All of this is mental and gets down to focus and mindset. If you believe and perceive you are playing at the top of your ability, then you likely are. If not, then you likely will struggle.
If you look at baseball, a small issue can get exacerbated. If a player struggles at the plate, he starts looking at where his hands are, where his feet are, his swing path, his pitch recognition, his reaction time, etc. By the time all that is 'fixed,' more times than not the issue said mental. The same may be the case here with Lundqvist.
Lundqvist's ability to focus, read the game and anticipate all have contributed to his stellar record. Currently, all of those aspects had fallen off. In addition, as I have said, I believe he is too deep in his net and going down too soon, leaving him vulnerable to deflections. But the technical aspects of his game are to a certain extent less of an issue than his mental focus. It's a domino effect since one bobble or mistake, especially if on the first or second shot of a game, results in a loss of confidence by Lundqvist and the fan base at a game and possibly by his teammates, making Lundqvist question his own play during the course of a game.
It's a chicken and egg or catch-22 situation. You can't have confidence unless you have success and success results in confidence. Right now, Lundqvist, who is 37th in the league with a 2.89 goals against average and 38th with a .902 save percentage in 32 appearances, has neither. Lundqvist got off to his usual slow start in October but righted the ship in November. Since then, the wheels have fallen off, bottoming out in the last three games. We know the defensive issues, and fixing those would help Lundqvist, but unless Hank somehow resolves the issues he is having, it could be a long few weeks on Broadway.
The lineup tonight will be slightly tweaked. Just when it looked like the band was getting fully back together, it was announced yesterday that Jesper Fast (upper body) will be out seven-to-10 days, keeping him sidelined through the All-Star break. In addition, Matt Puempel practiced Wednesday, but still is going through the concussion protocol and didn't travel to Toronto. But Puempel could be back for the next game. With Fast and Puempel out, Oscar Lindberg scratched Tuesday, gets back in and will skate with Brandon Pirri and Jimmy Vesey. The other lines, Kreider-Stepan-Zucc, Nash-Zib-Buch and Grabner-Hayes-Miller remain the same. This of course presumes no after effects for Nash after getting body slammed into the post late in the game against Dallas, which doesn't appear to be the case, and Kreider, whose wallet is $5k lighter following his fine for using Cody Eakin's own helmet against him in his fight Tuesday.
The blueline, and yes, unfortunately we have to talk about it, also remains the same. Marc Staal, out since January 3, is still in the concussion protocol. He skated again Wednesday after a day off Tuesday and will skate on his own Thursday. He is inching closer for getting back in action. But since he has yet to practice in a non-contact jersey and will three games left before the All-Star Game after tonight, he too is unlikely to return until after the break.
What this means is that moribund six is back together. Seeing how poorly those three duos have played, AV needs to change it up just to get an new look. Pair Skjei or Holden or Clendening with McDonagh, who also has been a shell of his former self and not all can be blamed on him having to carry his linemate. Move G to the third pairing with either Clendening or Skjei. Take whoever remains and play him with Klein. If you really want to get crazy, call up Ryan Graves and play him sheltered third pair minutes to see what he could provide due to his youthful energy and strong shot.
New York Rangers Blogger • 
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