About Tomas Sandstrom (and breaking news)

First, some breaking news.  The Rangers signed another college prospect to an entry level deal.  They inked sophomore defenseman from Penn State, Vince Pedrie.  He led all Big Ten defensemen in goals and was First-Team All-Big Ten.  He is an offensive defenseman and is foregoing his last two years of college.  He will report to the Wolf Pack along with the other two college players recently signed.  Penn State was just eliminated from the NCAA playoffs.

In my last post, I mentioned Tomas Sandstrom.  He was a great goal scorer with a chippy side. That's a rare combination for a New York Ranger, something the current team could use.  He played five full seasons for the Rangers and averaged 30 goals per season.  His best season was 1986-87 when he scored 40 goals and had 74 points in 64 games. 

Sandstrom played a crucial role in the Rangers Stanley Cup win in 1994.   In January 1990, he was traded along with Tony Granato to the Los Angeles Kings for Bernie Nicholls.   Nicholls was coming off a 70 goal, 80 assist season for the Kings (yeah, there was more scoring in the NHL once).   After one full season, Nicholls (dubbed Broadway Bernie) in which he scored 25 goals, he was flipped after one game of the 1991-92 season to Edmonton for the Messiah.  As they say, the rest is history. 

More trivia.  When Messier joined the Rangers he was replaced as captain of the Oilers by Kevin Lowe. Alternate captains were Craig MacTavish and Esa Tikkanen.  For  those of you not old enough to remember 1994...they all eventually became Rangers on the Cup winning team. 

More trivia.  Nicholls was eventually dealt to the NJ Devils and he played on the 1994 team that lost the Matteau game.  He is best remembered for shooting a puck at Alexei Kovalev's head in a playoff game.  

More trivia.  Nicholls never won a Stanley Cup.  He missed the Oilers by two years.  He missed the Rangers by two years.  He signed with Chicago as a free agent in 1994-5, missing the Devils first Cup by one season.  Not good timing. 

More trivia.  Sandstrom DID go on to win a Stanley Cup with the 1997 Detroit Red Wings. 

One more piece of trivia. In 1987 the NHL replaced its All-Star game format with a series against the Soviet National Team.  Sandstrom made the NHL team as the Rangers representative after scoring 30 goals in 49 games (57 points).  As there is an inevitable black cloud hanging over the Rangers, he broke his ankle in the game against the Russians and missed about a month.   The All-Star series was called Rendez-vous '87 and the teams split the two game series,  played in Quebec.  The Soviet team was paid all of $80,000 for the series.  

Quick Update

First off, the less said about the Anaheim game the better.  There were a lot of reasons the team lost...the list is long.  Second game in two nights after a good win against a tough Los Angeles team. Lundqvist was rusty after a long layoff.  Klein was rusty after a long layoff.  The Ducks had more to play for. The defense was sloppy and couldn't handle the Ducks forecheck.  There was a goal disallowed that clearly should have counted.  Zibanejad was guilty of a no look pass that led directly to the shorthanded goal.  J.T. Miller had an awful game.  Brendan Smith had his worst game as a Ranger.  Etc, etc. etc. At any rate...it's over and done with and the playoff tune-up continues. SO, what else is going on.

• It was a  big night in the fight for a playoff spot. The Rangers magic number is now only one.  If Tampa loses one point in the next seven games, the Rangers clinch.   They haven't clinched the top wild card spot yet...but that is inevitable.
• In a must-win game for the Islanders and the Predators, Nashville came out ahead 3-1.  It wasn't  a bad game for Brooklyn, but to lose at home the second straight time was devastating. They are still in the thick of it for the last wildcard spot with Toronto, Boston and Tampa. 

• Clutch wins not only for Nashville, but also St. Louis and Calgary.   The Rangers have one more game to go on this west coast trip as they face yet another team with a lot to play for. The Sharks are riding a six game losing streak so they will be loaded for bear.

• The Rangers signed two college free agents in the last two days.  First, they picked up Bowling Green goalie Chris Nell to an entry level contract.  Nell is a big dude who had a great season.  He adds a lot more depth to the Rangers goaltending prospect pool.  The exciting signing is University of Minnesota center Vinni Lettieri.  Lettieri picked the Rangers over the Black Hawks.  After a decent college career, Lettieri broke out as a senior, scoring 19 goals and 18 assists in 38 games.  He's not a big player, only 5'10" and 180 pounds, but has a lot of speed. He is excellent in the faceoff circle winning 55% of his draws, something the Rangers really need.
  
  The Rangers clearly had the inside track on Lettieri as he played two season with Brady Skjei (who pitched him for the Rangers) and is the cousin of Ranger draft pick Tyler Nanne.  He has good bloodlines as he is the grandson of former Minnesota North Star Lou Nanne.  He will get a lot of playing time in the AHL and projects to be a good penalty killer and faceoff man with a decent offensive upside.   Clearly, the Rangers' ability to sign undrafted  or unsigned free agents (Hayes, Vesey and Zuccarello) has made up for their loss of draft picks.  Don't forget that Dan Girardi was an unsigned free  agent and he has played more games for the Blueshirts than any other player acquired that way.

• If you were watching the Anaheim game on the MSG Network, the trivia question of the night was to name the Swedish born player or players who had more than one 30 goal season for the Rangers. The answer was Anders Hedberg who did it four times.  Now, I have an issue with the question.  Swedish forward Tomas Sandstrom also scored thirty goals twice (40 goals one season) for the Rangers. However, Sandstrom was a Swedish citizen, but he was born in Finland.  Considering that Sandstrom was traded to Los Angeles and the question was during a Rangers-Kings game, it was totally misleading.  So there. 

I Love L.A.

If you didn't stay up until 1am, you missed another classic Ranger win.  On paper, it's a decisive 3-0 shutout win, the final start for Antti Raanta in his role as the number one goalie for the Blueshirts. Yes, it was a great win, but it was a typical effort from "Team Frustration."  Here are the highlights:

•  The Rangers were outshot 30-20 including 24-12 over the last two periods. 
•  The Kings spent extended periods in the Ranger zone (especially the Jeff Carter line).  That line kept the team penned in and had numerous chances.
• The game was an advanced stats disaster.  The Kings held a 70-41 lead in Corsi (shot attempts) for the game and a 60-32 edge in 5v5 play.
• The Rangers were 1-2 on the power play as their revival continues.  The one goal came four seconds into a PP on a faceoff won by Zibanejad and a shot from the point by Ryan McDonagh on a pass from Zuccarello (this goal was tipped by Mika, but they haven't changed the scoring yet). 
• The Rangers were perfect on the penalty kill as they stopped the Kings on two late PP's when a goal would have been catastrophic. The Kings rank 13th in the league on the power play. 
• The Rangers were awful on faceoffs, losing 33 of 55 (.400 winning percentage).

Individual efforts were numerous.  Here goes:

• Antti Raanta was outstanding, named the #1 star of the game.  When the Kings opened each period with a flurry of offense, Raanta shut them down. Seconds before the first Ranger goal, Raanta stoned rookie Jonny Brodzinski on a breakaway.
• Mats Zuccarello was the team's most dynamic forward, with an unbelievable effort.  It paid off with assists on the first two Ranger goals. He was responsible for the first goal, negating an icing, winning the board battle and making the pass to Smith for his shot and the rebound goal by Stepan.
• Derek Stepan scored.  Yes, he scored.  Let's see if this becomes a trend.
• Michael Grabner had about 25 outstanding scoring opportunities including three breakways, one wide open net and one empty net.  No, he didn't score.  I guess this is the bad hands Grabner that we had heard about. I'll still take the impact his speed has on the game.
• Vigneault reunited the Hayes/Miller/Grabner line and they were excellent.  They could have had two or three goals. 
• McDonagh and Skjei were fantastic. McDonagh played a NYR game-high 24:55. 
• Jesper Fast played an outstanding two way game.  His effort is something to see. Las Vegas would be foolish to pass on him in the expansion draft. 
• Dan Girardi played and had an impact on the penalty kill.  Of course, the Girardi haters will point out that his Corsi percentage of 17.39% was the worst for both teams and when he was on the ice, the Rangers were outchanced 38-8.  He blocked two shots including one point blank L.A. shot on the penalty kill in the final minutes of the game.
• Chris Kreider took two back-to-back penalties in the third period.  One was marginal, the other was just dumb.  Vigneault laughed about it the postgame...he would have been steamed if the Kings had scored. 
• Just after Grabner missed an open net goal that would have iced the game, Rick Nash did score on a shot from beyond the center ice line.  I guess it's all in the hands. 
• So, let me list some names:  J.T. Miller, Mika Zibanejad, Dan Girardi, Mats Zuccarello, Ryan McDonagh and Kevin Hayes.  What do they have in common besides playing strong games and impacting the outcome?  They were the six worst Ranger players in Corsi percentage. 

So, it was a typical Ranger win...outchanced and at times dominated, they rode solid goaltending and timely scoring to a big win on the west coast.  Some more notes:

• With their 27th win on the road, the Rangers are now tied for the third most road wins in a season in NHL history.  Second place is 28 held by the 1998-99 N.J. Devils and is definitely a mark that they could pass (4 road games left).   The all-time record is 31 (2005-06 Detroit Red Wings) and the Blueshirts would have to win all four to tie it. 
• With the win, the Rangers record against the Pacific Division is now 11-1. Their only loss was at home (of course) to Vancouver on election night. This just reaffirms my assertion that night that the biggest upset of the evening was NOT the Trump election, it was Canucks' win. 
• The Rangers' record against the Western Conference is 21-5.  Wow. 
• The magic number is now two points.  One more win by NY or a loss by Boston and the Islanders and the Rangers clinch the top wild card spot in the East. 
• The Blueshirts are still in contention for a better position in the Metropolitan Division.  The magic number to lock in that first wild card spot is a combination of seven points gained by Pittsburgh or Columbus or lost by the Rangers.
• Ottawa lost their third game in eight days to Montreal.  The Senators clearly have blown a chance to decide their own destiny in their Division.
• Believe it or not, the top three teams in the Pacific Division (San Jose, Edmonton & Anaheim)  are tied with 91 points.  The Ducks hold a game in hand.  They definitely have something to play for when the face the Rangers tonight. 
• Clutch wins yesterday for Boston, Montreal and Nashville.  
• Devastating losses  yesterday for the Islanders, Ottawa and Toronto. 
• What the hell is going on in the Central Division?  Chicago got blown out by the Panthers 7-0 and the Wild lost to the Canucks 4-2. Minnesota has lost 8 out of their last 10.  
• King Henrik in net for the Rangers tonight....he might be rusty. 
• Oh yeah, the Devils were eliminated from the playoffs last night.  What a shame.

Playoff Picture

As the Rangers head to the west coast riding a seven game home losing streak, it's time to take a look at the playoff picture. It is a little clearer with some teams out of the running and some interesting battles developing.  First, let's look at the Rangers.

This week made it clear that the team is not going to make this easy on us. By losing two games in the Metropolitan Area and only gaining one point (from the loss to New Jersey), the Blueshirts lost an opportunity to put some space between them and the competition and also clinch a playoff spot.   The reality is that they have only won two games out of the last seven with all of the losses coming to "desperate" teams except the loss to the Devils (who had the motivation of beating their cross-Hudson rivals).  Of course, the Rangers' Corsi was through the roof so even though they lost both games, the advanced stats mavens are pleased.  Yeah, right.

The bottom line is that after a shootout loss to Florida and a stirring victory in Minnesota, the Rangers played well enough to win both games.  They outchanced the Devils and the Islanders, but defensive lapses cost them as well as a relatively inept penalty kill.

The fact is that the Rangers have been playing without two regular defensemen in Girardi and Klein.   Girardi returns tonight against Los Angeles.  It will be interesting to see if the penalty kill improves (that will cause the Girardi haters to be apoplectic).  Klein is healthy again and will action on this road trip.  As far as the penalty kill,  Vigneault hinted that the Rangers have been too aggressive on the PK, too eager to counterpunch and they are forgetting the primary mission.  My bet is you won't see Hayes and Miller getting as much PK time in the next few games.

Here is the Rangers playoff picture. Buffalo, Detroit, Florida, New Jersey and Philadelphia are all eliminated from the "catch the Rangers" sweepstakes.  The remaining teams in the running are below (with their magic number for elimination):
      Toronto   9
      Islanders 6
      Boston    4
      Tampa     3
      Carolina  3

Even if the Rangers totally tank it is doubtful that the bottom three teams can catch them.  Either Toronto or Boston will finish in third place in the Atlantic Division. so that really leaves the Islanders as the only team that has a prayer of finishing ahead of the Rangers. If the Islanders do the improbable and win all of their remaining nine games, the Rangers would need seven points out of their remaining 16 to finish ahead of them.

The scary proposition is that the Islanders could finish ahead of the Rangers forcing a first round match up with Washington, Columbus or Pittsburgh.  As unlikely as that seems, it is still possible and I don't think anyone will rest easy until the Blueshirts have clinched the first wildcard spot.

Assuming that they will move over to the Atlantic Division it is still unclear who they would face in the first round.  Montreal is one point ahead of Ottawa with the Senators holding a game in hand. The two teams face each other for the last time tonight....a huge game with major playoff implications. Ottawa will loaded for bear after dropping two games to the Habs last weekend.  The rest of Montreal's schedule is fairly "easy" with five games against non-playoff teams and the other two games with Tampa.  Ottawa has a similar schedule with only two "must win" teams as opponents (Minnesota and Boston).  They play five non-playoff bound teams and have a game against the Rangers (number 81).  We could find ourselves in the same scenario as with last year's Detroit game (remember?)  with a loss to Ottawa helping the Senators to finish first and become their first round playoff opponent. Ugh.

As for third place in the Atlantic, it looks like Toronto will edge out Boston as they hold a three point lead and have a game in hand. Boston has a tougher schedule early.  Toronto has four tough games to finish the season (Washington, Tampa, Pittsburgh, Columbus).  It's very likely that the three Met Division teams will still be battling for home ice as the season winds down so those games could be pretty competitive.

As mentioned, only three points separate the top three teams in the Metropolitan Division so it looks like a dogfight the rest of the way. I'd have to give the Capitals the edge as they have a one point lead and have the pleaure of playing Colorado and Arizona three times in their last nine games.  They only play one "four point" game against Columbus.

The Blue Jackets are one point back and have four tough games in their last nine with two "four point" games vs. Washington and Pittsburgh.

The Penguins are three points out of first and have eight games to play.  They have three tough games with the one "four point" game vs. Columbus.  They do play the Rangers twice so the Blueshirts could play a big part in where they end up, though one of the games is the last one of the season and it could all be determined by that time.

As for the Western Conference, the Central Division is mostly set with Chicago a lock for first, followed by Minnesota.   The only question is third place with Nashville and St. Louis currently tied for with 85 points. St. Louis owns the tiebreaker (ROW).

The Pacific Division is a different story with only five points separating the top four teams and with Anaheim and San Jose tied for first and Edmonton only one point back.  The standings are changing there on a nightly basis.   The Kings are on life support and if the Rangers win tonight it could really hurt them. I guess that would be a small measure of revenge for 2014.

Some Notes:

• I guess I should write about opposition players more often.  Since my note about Brad Marchand's ascent in the scoring race, he has only one assist in his last three games and is now seven points behind Connor McDavid and five goals behind Cindy Crosby. 
• How much do teams in the West benefit from having the two worst teams in the league in their conference?   Chicago went 6-0-1 vs. Colorado/Arizona.  Edmonton was 5-1-1.  Anaheim was 6-1-0. San Jose was 4-1-2.  Minnesota is only 3-2-0, but still has two games remaining. If the powerhouse Met Division teams had Arizona or Colorado in their conference, each team would probably have six to eight more points.  Remember when Larry Brooks used to refer to the Met as the Leastropolitan Division?
• King Henrik returns to active play in goal in Anaheim Sunday.   How did Antti Raanta do in his absence?  He was 2-3-2, allowing nineteen goals in seven games His GAA was 2.69 and his Save Percentage was .909. Not great numbers and mostly the responsibility of the awful defensive play of the team. 
• You have probably seen it, but if you haven't, here is the amazing goals scored by Crosby against Buffalo this week. It's a one-handed backhand shot using his weak hand.  Simply amazing. 

Summing Up:

The Rangers traditionally have had a lot of success when playing the three California teams, but this season those teams have much more at stake.   Another successful road trip and the Rangers will come back home withe the first wild card slot clinched and the time to prepare for the playoffs.  Let's see how they do.

10 Game Recap

A Look at Games 61-70

I am a game late with my ten game analysis (22 inches of snow addled me).  How did they do?  Well, they went from their best ten game sequence (17 points) to their worst (10 points).  This was as frustrating a stretch as the Rangers experienced all season as they had to settle for a .500 record.

They started with a tight win in Newark, then were manhandled by Columbus and Washington.  After a nifty win (stolen by Lundqvist) in Boston, they were embarrassed at MSG by Montreal.  They sought their usual cure, a road trip, and sure enough they came home winners of three out of four. The final game in the sequence was a loss at home (what else is new) to Tampa.  They easily could have ended up with 12-14 points, but for a blown goalie interference call in Raleigh and and a complete five minute defensive meltdown against Tampa.  They were totally out of only three games.

Antti Raanta became the number one goalie seven game into this sequence and finished 1-2.  He was fabulous in Tampa before Lundqvist was hurt and decent the rest of the time.  However, he is not the King (I don't care what you think....it is a fact).

The injury bug hit the Rangers big time as they lost Kevin Klein, Dan Girardi, Michael Grabner, Rick Nash and Jesper Fast for assorted games.  The injuries were not the reason for the mediocre record.

No matter how they are playing, they still own one of the best records in the league and as previously discussed, they are a lock for a wild card spot.   After the heady results early in the season, I think Ranger fans should be happy with the team finishing in the top third in most categories. They are still one of the top offensive teams in the league though that is hard to believe considering the lack of scoring recently.

Perhaps the biggest red flag about this sequence is the team's inability to win at Madison Square Garden.  They played four games at home and lost them all and were outscored 16-6.   The spin has been that the fact that the Rangers are a great road team will be helpful if they have to open the playoffs on the road, but I think any team would prefer home ice advantage in a seven game series. They don't have a lot of games left to right the ship.   As for road play, if they can keep winning at a five out of six clip, they will win the Stanley Cup if they can learn to win at home.

Looking Ahead

Only twelve games are left in the season so that will be the last sequence we look at.  They have five home games and seven on the road.  The first six should be key as that SHOULD be the number of games the Rangers need to lock down a playoff spot. That would give the team the last six games to prepare for the playoffs.  

They have only two games  against teams who legitimately have nothing to play for but pride (Philadelphia and New Jersey). Five of the games are against teams who should be in playoff tuneup mode (Pittsburgh, Washington, San Jose and possibly Ottawa).   That means five games against teams desperate to make the playoffs or looking for playoff positioning  (Florida, Islanders, Los Angeles, Minnesota and Anaheim).   They have a California swing (Ducks, Kings and Sharks) that is unusually late in the season.   Last season they went 1-1-1 on that trip.  In 2014-15 they went 3-0.   At any rate, they have been successful and hopefully their road excellence will continue this season.  

It's hard to predict how they will finish the last twelve games.  We had projected 12-14 points for the last ten games and they came up short.   Considering the competition and nature of the games, I would project 12 points out of 24 over the last 12 games.  That is a continuation of their .500 play and should be no way to go into the playoffs.  Let's see if they can make me a lousy prognosticator. 

Spoiler - Game 1 vs. Florida

I was at MSG for the game vs. Florida.  It was a typically frustrating Ranger shootout loss.  They came out gangbusters and scored two quick goals on three shots in the first 4:11.  The Rangers were totally dominant and Panthers goalie James Reimer looked awful, battling the puck.  They had seven shots on goal by the 13:32 mark.  So what do our heroes do? They DO NOT GET ANOTHER SHOT ON GOAL for 19:43.  Yes, almost a full 20 minutes before they get another shot on goal (a weak point shot by McDonagh). It's no wonder that the Panthers tied the game in the second period.  

The players postgame all admitted that they played a lousy second period, but it was more than that. When Florida was down and out, the Rangers could not find the way to score that third goal that would have put the game out of reach.  Hell, they couldn't find a way to even shoot the puck on net. 

At 3-3 at the end of regulation, they played a scoreless overtime and went to a shootout.  All three Rangers shooters couldn't score and Barkov put in the winner for Florida. They ended up with the loser point, eliminating Detroit from the "catch the Rangers" sweepstakes, but have to be dissatisfied with yet another disappointed home crowd and another lost point.  They did come back from a 3-2 deficit in the third to salvage that point, but no one leaving the Garden was happy. 

My theory (it ain't rocket science) is that the Rangers were in trouble because of the two goals they scored.  Both goals were beautiful results of tic-tac-toe precision passing.  They were things of beauty.  Zuccarello's PP goals was on the rush as they stormed the blue line and three passes later, they were celebrating.  Miller's goal was the result of solid board work and a spectacular pass from Brendan Smith.   Here's where they went wrong.  They became "pass happy" and were looking for the perfect play when they should have been shooting on Reimer from all possible angles, then storming the net for rebounds.  This happens over and over again...they look for the perfect play. Lucikly, this season their success rate was high.  It's no wonder the Rangers get outshot a lot.  The bottom line is that they just need to score some dirty goals. 

The only satisfaction from this game was the revival of the Ranger power play (1-3) and the fact that we all got to see the ageless wonder, Jaromir Jagr, notch two assists and get first star of the game.  Oh yeah, the Jagr "Mullet Men" were at the game tonight.  They are the fans who wear mullet wigs and uniforms from every team Jagr has played for and follow him around the country. 

The Corsi fanatics will be all over Vigneault for playing Tanner Glass (third worst Corsi % in the game).    It is odd that Glass got more ice time than Michael Grabner.   

It's a quick turnaround as they play Minnesota on the road Saturday night.  The Wild are in an epic battle with Chicago for first place in the Central Division and are currently in second place, three points behind the Hawks.  Like the Panthers, they are looking to end a three game losing streak agaisnt the Rangers. They will be very eager for a win. Hmmm.

Friday Rumblings

• So, another one bites the dust. With their loss to Los Angeles last night, the Buffalo Sabres are officially out of the "catch the Rangers" sweepstakes.   The official magic number remains 14 to eliminate Toronto and Boston.  Still in the hunt are the Islanders and Tampa (11), Carolina (8), Florida (7), Filthydelphia (6) and Detroit (1).   As I've been saying, they are pretty much a lock. 
• Last night was a huge one for the playoff contenders and it was rife with choke jobs.  There were a number of "must win" games and the response was not great.  The Devils thrashed the Flyers (put a fork in them).   The Jets beat the Islanders.  Columbus beat Florida.  Ugly night for desperate teams, though the Kings came up big vs. Buffalo and the Blues beat the Sharks. Detroit is on life support, but still won in OT against Arizona. Ditto for Carolina who came up big 3-1 vs. the Wild. 
• There were some great matchups with huge playoff implications.  Toronto spanked Tampa 5-0 and moved back into the second wild card slot.   Chicago eked out a 2-1 win over the Senators.  They opened up a three point lead on Minnestoa and kept Ottawa from taking first place in the Atlantic.  Minnesota had that loss to Carolina.  The Oilers bounced Boston 7-4 and moved back into third place ahead of Calgary.    
• Speaking of Boston, is everyone aware of the year that Brad Marchand is having?  He has taken over the league lead in Goals (37) and Points (79).  He has scored 12 goals in his last 11 games and 27 goals in his last 30 games.  Unreal. 
• On the injury front, the word is that Henrik Lundqvist is making faster progress than expected and may be back sooner than three weeks.   Dan Girardi is practicing with the team and looks to make his return to the lineup this weekend.  Kevin Klein is still out with a back injury, though he is skating.  Jesper Fast will make his return to the lineup tonight.  The lineup decision that will sweep the twitter/blogsphere will be if Buchnevich sits in favor of Tanner Glass.  Stay tuned for that hysteria.
• Personally, I believe that Vigneault has these priorities:  1) Win the Metropolitan Division  2) Clinch a playoff spot preferably with home ice for the first round meaning finishing ahead of two out of the  three teams ahead of them 3) Clinch the first wild card playoff spot.  As a result, he will continue to play the team he feels is best suited to accomplish that.  
• Therefore...he obviously thinks that Buchnevich has some learning to do.  Therefore, you won't see Pavel getting a lot of ice time until the Rangers accomplish one of those three things listed above.  The Rangers are six points behind Columbus and five points behind Pittsburgh.  The tiebreaker is ROW and the Blueshirts are ahead of Pittsburgh there and two wins behind Columbus. 
• For all of the chatter about the team being better off against the Atlantic Division, did anyone see the Ryan McDonagh interview where he was asked if the Rangers should try to finish 4th?  He was incredulous.   Professional athletes want to win. Armchair athletes like us engage in a constant process of "what if's."  
• That said, once the Rangers clinch whatever they end up clinching, it should provide Buchnevich (AND Pirri AND Puempel AND Clendening AND Kampfer) a chance to get some ice time and rest the regulars.  At that point it is all about tuning up for the post season.  If Vigneault doesn't do that, release the hounds.
• It's Saint Patrick's Day  and is the anniversary of one of my fondest Ranger memories involving my favorite all time Ranger, defenseman Reijo Ruotsalainen.  Ruotsalainen was only 5'8" tall and he weighed all of 165 pounds, Partnered with the hulking Barry Beck, they were truly an odd couple.
  
  
  He looked like he was twelve, but he could skate like the wind and fit perfectly into Herb Brooks system. On March 17, 1982, Reijo Ruotsalainen accomplished something that Brian Leetch would never do, scoring a hat trick in a 5-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.  Not only that, it was a natural hat trick.  Leetch did get a hat trick in the playoffs, but never had one in the regular season.  What happens when you get a hat trick on St. Patrick's Day?  Yup, the ice is completely covered with those cheap plastic and felt green hats they sell on the street. The unforgettable image was seeing Ruotsalainen and Beck side by side on the bench as they cleared the ice.  Beck reached out and grabbed one of the felt hats and plopped it on Reijo's helmet.  It was a priceless moment and I was there to see it.  
• That was one of the only hat tricks ever scored in the regular season by a Ranger defenseman. Brad Park (one of the all-time 100 NHL players) had three hat tricks for the Rangers including two in one season.  Ron Greschner scored three goals in a game in 1978, but he might have been used as a forward in that game as well.  As mentioned, Leetch scored all three Ranger goals in a playoff OT loss to the Flyers in 1995. At any rate...when Ryan McDonagh had two goals against Detroit and they pulled their goalie, if he had scored it would have been the first regular season hat trick by a defenseman in 25 years. 
• That's it...after tonight the Rangers have a tough road game tomorrow in Minnesota who will be looking to break a three game losing streak. Then the come back to play back-to-backs against the Devils in Newark and the Islanders at MSG. 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Wednesday Rumblings

SOME RANDOM NOTES....

* Breaking news - The Winter Classic to be played on New Years Day 2018 is apparently going to be at Citifield between the Rangers and the Buffalo Sabres.  Not confirmed, but very close to finalization.

* Although the Rangers lost on Monday, their magic number dropped to 14 (Toronto).   Here's the point totals (Rangers gained or listed teams lost) that will eliminate them from passing the Rangers in the standings:

     Atlantic Division:  Boston 16,  Toronto 14, Tampa 13, Florida 9, Detroit 3, Buffalo 2 

     Met Division:  Islanders 13,  Carolina 8, Philadelphia 8. 

* The Isles are back in a playoff spot after a horrible loss at home to Carolina. They beat the Hurricane on the road in OT last night to move into the second wild card spot, ahead of Toronto who got their own spanking from Florida.   Washington is back in first place, two points up on Pittsburgh. Seven points separate the top four teams in the Metropolitan Division. 

* In the West, Chicago is coming on and moved into first place of the Central Division by beating Montreal last night.  St. Louis and Nashville are battling for third place.  San Jose is firmly in first place in the Pacific with a dogfight for the next two slots between Edmonton, Anaheim and Calgary.  The loser of that battle will end up as a wild card team.   At any rate, unlike the East, the playoff teams in the Western Conference are pretty much set although Winnipeg, Dallas and Los Angeles all have a slim chance, but they really need to win pretty much every game they play from now on. 

* The Blueshirt's loss at MSG on Monday dropped their home record to 19-14-2 versus a road record of 25-9.  I really feel for the season ticket holders....it's not fair. Not to mention that the worst losses of the season have all been at home:  Pittsburgh 6-1, Minnesota 7-4 and 4-1 losses to Buffalo, Montreal and Washington. 

*  Even more home horrors....where were the only two times the Rangers have been shut out this season? Both at MSG.  Of the six shutouts pitched by the Rangers, four have been on the road.  Ugh. 

* A lot has been made about the Rangers record when they go into the third period with a lead (24-3),  but they also have an outstanding record when going into the third period tied.  That has happened 21 times this season and they have only lost four games in regulation with a record of 15-4-2.   When trailing going into the third period they have won five times in 22 games.  That's not a bad record, just not outstanding (Montreal is best in the league in that stat). 

*  Sometimes it is comical to read the web commentary about the Rangers.  All of the advanced statistics folks were very pleased with the possessions stats for the Rangers LOSS to Tampa on Monday night.  I guess if Corsi numbers are good, it doesn't matter if they win or lose. 

* Tampa winger Braydon Point scored two goals on Monday night and added another last night in Tampa's big OT win over Ottawa.  Did anyone wonder if he was part of the draft choice ransom we paid for Martin St. Louis in 2014?  The answer is no...he was a third round draft pick for Tampa (their own pick).  Ironically, the Rangers 2014 first round pick was flipped to the Islanders who selected Jonathan Ho-Sang.  Ho-Sang just got called up by the Isles and has caused a stir by choosing to wear number 66, showing utter disdain for the great Mario.  The two draft picks that went to Tampa in that deal both ended up as Islander draft picks.  Tampa traded their two first round picks from the Rangers for two second round picks each year.  Confused yet?

It's still too early to pass judgment on that trade, but the FOUR draft picks that Tampa got in those deals are all either in Europe or in Juniors.  Ryan Callahan is a perennially injured and has become a salary cap burden.  Meanwhile, the Rangers made it to the Stanley Cup Finals.  The Rangers flipped the second round pick that they got from Tampa as part of the Keith Yandle deal with Arizona. 

* Speaking of trades, the Caps have been getting some heat for disturbing their chemistry by adding Kevin Shattenkirk.  While that is a valid point, the key thing is that they kept him away from New York and Pittsburgh.   His impact on either the injury ridden Rangers or Penguins would have been significant and is probably more important that any negative effect he will have on Washington. 

* How is the TGI (Tanner Glass Impact) going?  They are 3-2 since he came up from Hartford. He is averaging ten minutes of playing time and has one goal and one assist.  

* No updates on the injury front...though Jesper Fast and Dan Girardi are skating again.   Coming up?  Tomorrow night the Rangers face a desperate Florida Panthers team at Madison Square Garden followed by a road game in Minnesota vs. the Wild who will be just as desperate to get back into first place.  One key question is when Marcus Hellberg will get a start with six games in the next nine days including three sets of back-to-back games.  I would guess it will be against New Jersey on Tuesday, but Saturday night vs. the Wild is a distinct possibility.   He is still looking for his first NHL start.  He has appeared in three games, all in relief. 

Till next time....

Rumblings

Some thoughts....

* Excellent road win for the good guys tonight in Detroit.  Nash and Grabner came back from injuries.  Derek Stepan scored for the first time in two months and Ryan McDonagh scored two goals for the second time in his career (one goal was shorthanded).  

* That was the Rangers ninth shorthanded goal of the season, one behind league leader Nashville. A reminder that they had only three last season.  Playing Hayes, Miller and Grabner on the penalty kill has definitely been a factor. 

* Speaking of Grabner, his speed was very evident tonight.  The Rangers are a different, more dangerous team when he is in the lineup. 

* The Rangers are now 3-1 with Tanner Glass in the lineup. He played 11:05 minutes tonight and had awful possession numbers (so did the whole fourth line).   He led the team with six hits. 

* Antti Raanta had another quality start to get to 14-6 on the season. You have to love that in the postgame interview on national television when they referenced a setback in Carolina, he said that they had played well.  He's still pissed about that non-interference call. 

* The road win improved their league leading record to 25-9.  The Detroit Red Wings had the best road season ever in 2005-06, going 31-7-3 for a winning percentage of  .792 that  the Rangers cannot equal.  They can tie the record for most road wins in a season by winning six out of their remaining seven road games. 

* With their win tonight, the Rangers magic number to clinch a playoff spot is 16.  Any combination of points totalling 16 (points won by New York or lost by Toronto) and they clinch a spot. The magic number to clinch the first wild card spot is 15.  What that means is if the Rangers go 8-5, the Leafs have to go 15-0.  If the Rangers go 7-4-1 the Islanders have to go 15-0.   It's pretty silly, but I'll keep updating that number as we get closer to the playoffs.

* Here's a nice fact...the first team in the East eliminated from catching the Rangers are the New Jersey Devils.  So sad.  Now, if they could only stop running that Marty Brodeur commercial for Enterprise Rent A Car.....

* The Canadiens had a big win on the road against Edmonton and moved back into first place in the Atlantic Division ahead of Ottawa (who has two games in hand).

*  The Capitals loss to Anaheim  puts them precariously close to second place behind Pittsburgh.  They are in a mini-tailspin.  They've lost four in a row and have scored 11 goals in their last 6 games...the last convincing win they had was that 4-1 win over the Rangers. They've lost seven out of their last 12 games.

* FYI....Kevin Shattenkirk got a two game suspension for a hit on Kings player Kevin Gravel. It was a high hit and was called a charge. Here is a link to video of the hit:

Click on this:  Shattenkirk suspension

Look at the video.  It was a nutty hit...he left his feet and went for Gravel's head.  Luckily, he has no priors so the penalty wasn't severe.  Of course, that means when he becomes a Ranger this summer, he WILL have  a record.   Oh yeah, he got a two minute minor for charging. Love those refs.

* Alexander Ovechkin has not scored a goal in ten games and has two goals and five assists in his last 16 games.  That's why they are not winning. The ten games is the longest drought of his career. Here'a a thought...he had 21 goals in 45 games before Trump became President and has had only six goals in 22 games since the inauguration.  Hmmm....

* There is a new hockey video game being released soon and it promises to be a "Slapstick" kind of game, with minor league teams and a lot of dirty penalties and fighting.  It's called "Old Time Hockey" and it looks like fun.  Here's a link:

Click on this:  Old Time Hockey

*  If the season ended tonight,  five out of seven Canadian teams will be in the playoffs.  Quite a difference from last season when all seven teams missed the post-season (resulting in the same kind of reaction in Canada that New Yorkers had to the Trump election).

That's it for tonight....

Playoff Picture

Breaking News

In case you haven't heard, Henrik Lundqvist's lower body injury will keep him out of action for 2-3 weeks.  The team has called up Magnus Hellberg to back up Antti Raanta.  The chief concern is if the injury keeps him out any longer.  A return in three weeks will give the King four games to tune up for the playoffs.   It's a concern.

Back to the Playoffs....

So, the Rangers lose two home games to two of the best teams in the NHL and the sky is falling. Agreed, those two losses were awful and demoralizing, but considering the competition and how well the Blueshirts had been playing, they were due.  It really did point out (as elaborated on in my last post) that the playoff path through the Metropolitan Division is something the Rangers should try to avoid.

Beating Tampa and Florida put the team on the right track (and they really SHOULD have beaten Carolina...more on that below).  We can pay attention again to the playoff picture.

First, let's get this perfectly clear.  Unless the Rangers go into an awful tailspin (REALLY awful), they will definitely make the playoffs.  They have 88 points with only 14 games to go, so it is almost mathematically impossible for the Rangers to lose out.  Let's look at some scenarios (as of 6pm Saturday).  

1)  Current Pace - If the Rangers maintain their current pace, they would finish 52-27-3 (107 points).  No team in the East could pass the Rangers in the standings.  The Islanders would have to go undefeated the rest of the season to tie the Blueshirts.

2) .500 hockey -  If the Rangers play .500 hockey the rest of the season -  They would finish 50-30-2 (102 points)   To finish with 103 points here's what the contenders in the East would have to do. Toronto would need to finish 14-1-1 (29 points).  Tampa would have to go undefeated the rest of the season.  No other teams could catch the Blueshirts.

3)  Disastrous finish - If the wheels come off and the Rangers only win 5 out of their last 14 games they would finish 48-32-2 (98 points).  Toronto would need to go 12-3-1.  Tampa would need to go 14-2.  Philadelphia would need to finish 14-1-1 and Florida would need to go 15-1.

4) The Unthinkable - If the Rangers lose ALL of their remaining games they would finish 43-37-2 (88 points).  Every team below them in the standings would be able to catch them but here's how they would have to finish:
                                    Toronto  7-8-1
                                    Tampa 9-7
                                    Florida 10-6
                                    Philadelphia 10-6
                                    Buffalo 11-2-1
                                    Carolina 12-5-1
                                    Detroit 13-3
                                    New Jersey 13-1-1

So, Ranger fans should rest assured that the playoffs are a certainty.  The only question is who should our heroes be gearing up to play.  Having discussed how the Rangers have played against Columbus, Washington and Pittsburgh, it is worth taking a look at the Atlantic Division opponents in play.

For weeks it has been assumed that if  when the Rangers finish in the #1 wild card spot they will play the Montreal Canadiens.  That is not necessarily so.  As of tonight, Ottawa is only two points behind Montreal and they have two games in hand. Even Boston is still there, trailing Montreal by eight points, with a game in hand.  It is pretty doubtful that the Bruins will catch the Habs, but it is 50-50 between Montreal and Ottawa as to who will finish in first place in the Atlantic Division and face New York in round one.

Montreal

The Canadiens are a known factor, still smarting from missing the playoffs last year and from their second round ouster by Tampa the year before (after finishing first in the Atlantic Division).  They have even more incentive to win by avenging their loss to the Rangers in 2014 in the Conference Finals.  No matter how well Dustin Tokarski played, he is no Carey Price and Chris Kreider will be a marked man if the Blueshirts play the Habs.  Knowing the NHL, if he comes within an inch of Price he will be penalized for interference.   Ranger fans should not delude themselves...Price's injury was the biggest factor in the Rangers success in that series...and if the two teams meet  this year, he will be as big a factor (ask J.T. Miller).

The Rangers have played 15 playoff series against Montreal, winning eight of them.  The last series was the Conference Finals in 2014. The Rangers are the only Original Six team that has a better than .500 playoff series record vs. Montreal.  Boston has lost 27 of 35 series to the Habs.  Ouch. 

The Habs are averaging 2.69 goals per game (middle of the pack), but they are a top defensive team, allowing 2.49 goals per game  (6th place).  There are no former Rangers on the Canadiens.  At the deadline, Montreal bulked up a bit, adding Steve Ott and Dwight King as well as defenseman Jordie Benn.  The only Ranger with Montreal roots is former draftee Ryan McDonagh. 

The Rangers played Montreal three times and had no wins to show for it, with two regulation losses and one shootout loss.  That said, the record against Montreal could easily have been 2-1. 

January 14 - Montreal 5, Rangers 4

 In their first meeting Antti Raanta started in goal, but had to leave the game with a "lower body" injury.  He was replaced by Henrik Lundqvist who showed why he cannot be a backup goalie, allowing five goals on 22 shots, including three goals in 1:02 in the third period.  This was one of the three games the Rangers have blown in the third period this season.  Before this season,  the Rangers had gone into the third period with the lead 192 times since 2010 and had blown that lead in regulation only three times.   They've equalled that number in only 26 games they held the lead. 

Except for that one minute span in the third period, the Rangers were dominant (as they have been on the road all season).  They pulled within a goal with five minutes left in the game, but couldn't knot the score.   Overall, it was an encouraging outing highlighted by the four goals the Rangers were able to score against the indomitable Price.

February 21 - Montreal 3, Rangers 2 (Shootout)

This was another game the Rangers could have won. In fact, it was Carey Price's spectacular diving save off J.T. Miller with only 3.7 seconds left in overtime that kept it from being a win for New York. The Rangers rallied twice to tie the game with Rick Nash's breakaway goal in the third period sending the game to OT.  The Canadiens second goal was notable as it was a Shea Weber bomb from the point on the powerplay that Lundqvist just waved at.   That goal came after a defensive zone faceoff loss...as the Rangers only won 47% of the draws...an issue that still plagues them.  This was Claude Julien's first win as coach of Montreal.  

March 4 - Montreal 4, Rangers 1

Ugh.  The Canadiens won their 6th straight game as they thoroughly trounced the Rangers just one week ago.  Hank was just okay in net and the Blueshirts were never in the game.  The less said about this one the better.  It ended a string of pretty awful games that included embarassing losses to Columbus, Washington and a game the Rangers stole in Boston.  Of course, the cure was to go on the road and they won in Tampa and Florida.  

Ottawa

The Rangers have split their two games with Ottawa this season with the rubber match on April 8th in their last road game of the regular season.  Under new coach Guy Boucher, the Senators are playing a much more conservative style and after allowing 247 goals against last season and missing the playoffs, they are on target to allow only 212 for 2.58 GPP  (fewer than the Rangers at 2.60). Their offense has suffered. Last season, missing the post season, they averaged 2.87 goals per game and this season they are averaging 2.64 (compared to the Rangers 3.18).  

There is some history between New York and Ottawa.  First off, there is Derick Brassard who consistently raised his game in the playoffs. (18 goals and 44 points in 59 playoff games).  Tom Pyatt plays for Ottawa and he was a Ranger draft choice who went to Montrreal in the Ryan McDonagh/Scott Gomez deal.  Finally, the Sens added Viktor Stalberg at the deadline and he played very effectively against the Blueshirts with Carolina.  Speaking of deadline deals, the Senators also added Alex Burrows from Vancouver at the deadline for scoring and grit. On the Ranger side, both Mika Zibanejad and Matt Puempel are former Senators who have something to prove.  

The Rangers have played Ottawa only once in the playoffs, winning a seven game conference quarterfinal series in 2012. 

November 27 - Ottawa 2, Rangers 0

Ottawa won their fourth straight game as the Rangers were stoned by Craig Anderson in one of those lousy Madison Square Garden losses.  Antti Raanta was in net for the Rangers, who couldn't muster any kind of attack.  The highlight of the game was the tribute to Derick Brassard.  Mika Zibanejad and Matt Puempel and Brassard were all kept off the scoring sheets in this one.  All in all, a pretty forgettable loss. 

December 27 - Rangers 4, Ottawa 3

The Rangers won at the Garden to end their first regulation two game losing streak of the season. Nick Holden and Derek Stepan both scored two goals as they came back from two two-goal deficits to win the game.  The teams began the third period tied 3-3, with the only remaining goal scored by Holden just seconds after a Ranger power play ended.  Antti Raanta was again in nets for New York and had a strong game. 

Pick Your Poison

So...Ottawa or Montreal?  The Canadiens have a lot to prove and will be under immense pressure to win. Their playoff "window" is similar to the Rangers with Shea Weber getting older and  Ottawa may just be glad to reach the playoffs.  Does it really matter?  

Random Thoughts

*  The non-interference call on Thursday in Carolina was a joke.  There's a simple solution...all goals should be reviewed in Toronto.  Most are clean and would require minimal time, but a team of professionals who spend ALL of their time looking at 60 inch monitors for rules violations has got to be better than a refereee looking at a six inch screen after vehemently making the call that the goal was legit.  It's ridiculous.

*  Same goes for Off-Sides challenges.  It is laugable that the linesman are studying a six inch screen in a loud arena when there is a video room in Toronto that can do the same thing more efficiently. Also, on off-sides they should put a time limit on how much time has passed between the off-side and the goal and a challenge is allowed.  Another rule change should be that the blue line should be INCLUDED in the offensive zone. It is common sense that the lead skate will be ON the ice as opposed to the trailing skate slightly elevated. The image of skaters dragging their back foot across the line is ridiculous and is becoming more and more prevalent.   If the league wants to improve offense, just do it.  The calls would be easier to make, the games would be faster and there would be fewer challenges.  It makes sense. 

*  Larry Brooks of the Post stole Rich Trueman's line about Derek Stepan not scoring a goal since the Obama administration.  Rich has been a participant in this blog for years and he first said that a week before Brooks wrote it. 

*  If you want to laugh, go to Blueshirt Banter and read the in-game message board from the night the Rangers beat Florida.  All of the Tanner Glass/Alain Vigneault haters have been on a rampage over his call up...and when Glass scored they went absolutely nuts.  The advanced stats freaks have been curiously quiet about Glass, whose Corsi % has been one of the best in the team in the games in Florida and Carolina.  While I agree that statistically, Tanner Glass is one of the worst players in the league, he brings intangibles into play and I have no way of quantifying his impact in that area.  The players really like him and he brings a physical aspect to the team that they have been lacking. 

*  Magnus Hellberg is leading the league with a 1.000 save percentage and a 0.00 goals against average.  Then again, he has only appeared in one game and faced four shots. 

* I think we should fund a program to educate fans about the proper way to do the Zuuuuuc chant, especially for out of towners.  While it is great fun to hear him getting the salute at arenas all over the NHL, when they do it every time he touches the puck, it gets tiring (especially when they are losing). We may want to throw in a line about the "Potvin Sucks" chant and try to get folks to only do it maybe three times a game. 

* Did anyone see the last episode of "Homeland" that included a scene at Barclays during an Islander game?  It looks like they shot the scene during an actual game. To be totally snarky, I would have to point out that they could do it because the arena isn't sold out.  

* It amazes me that Stephane Matteau gets so much love at MSG. Beside two huge overtime goals in 1994, he played all of 117 regular season and playoff games for the Rangers, scoring 17 goals and 14 assists. 287 other players scored more than eleven regular season goals, the total that Matteau notched in his 85 games as a Ranger.  343 players played in more games than Matteau. Timing, just timing. 

* Nick Holden is having a pretty special offensive year.  He has achieved career highs with ten goals , 20 assists and 30 points and has more points at even strength than Kevin Shattenkirk.  Keith Yandle has all of three goals and 30 assists for Florida, if you are looking to compare.

* Even more special is the play of Brady Skjei at even strength.  He is fourth in the league in even strength assists (25)  ahead of such offensive luminaries as Dougie Hamilton, Victor Hedman and Shattenkirk.  It's amazing that the rookie is only three assists behind Brent Burns and two behind Erik Karlsson and Duncan Keith.  Is it time for Skjei to be seeing more power play time? 

Two more games before the next ten-game sequence analysis.   Considering the Rangers position, their many injuries and where we are in the season, all efforts should be geared toward playoff preparation, more than wins or losses.   Till next time. 

How Do They Compare

As the season winds down, the eternal question is whether the Rangers are a legitimate contender for the Stanley Cup.  Their record says that they are, though they are consistently rated behind their top Metropolitan Division competition and the Minnesota Wild.   Since they are pretty much assured of a playoff spot, the question is how they fared against the elite Metro Division teams: Pittsburgh, Columbus and Washington.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

After their disappointing showing this week against Washington and Columbus, I took a look at all of the games between the Rangers and their three Metropolitan Division nemeses.   They have played eleven games against these three teams and are 5-6.  It's a decent record and there are many variables, but by looking back we can try to answer the question.   Are they pretenders or contenders?

October 23 - Rangers 4, Capitals 2 - GOOD

The Blueshirts came back from a two goal deficit, scoring three quick goals in the second period...then hung on for the win, getting an empty net goal from Rick Nash to seal the win.   This was one of those "allow a goal in the first two  minutes" games as Lars Eller scored only 1:33 into the match.   This was also Jimmy Vesey's coming out party as he scored two of those second period goals.  Lundqvist stoned Ovechkin on the doorstep with Holtby pulled in the last minute.  It was Lundqvist's sixth straight win at the Verizon Center.

Shots on goal were pretty even and both teams were unable to score on the PP.  Overall, this was  a solid win for New York.

November 18 - Blue Jackets 4, Rangers 2 - BAD

Columbus set a new record with their seventh straight win at home. For the Rangers, it was the final game of a successful four game road trip. Though the Rangers outshot Columbus 27-24, they were dominated in possession time.  Going into the third period they were trailing 2-1, but scored after killing a penalty on a Mika Zibanejad one timer.   They also got a goal from Grabner on a semi-breakaway, his 11th goal of the season.

This was the game that was lost on a shorthanded goal scored by Matt Calvert who had left the game earlier after getting hit in the forehead by a Nick Holden slapshot.   The Blue Jackets scored into the empty net right after Bobrovsky stopped Ryan McDonagh point blank.  This wasn't a bad game for the Rangers, but was certainly not one of their best efforts.

November 21 - Rangers 5, Penguins 2 - GOOD

The Rangers had a lousy first period and allowed rookie Jake Guentzel to score two goals in his NHL debut, including one just over one minute into the game.  With Antti Raanta in net, it looked grim after 20 minutes. Over the next 40 minutes the Rangers scored five unanswered goals, including a J.T. Miller shorthanded tally.

This was a big win for New York.  It put them solidly in first place in the Metropolitan Division, four points ahead of Pittsburgh.  Ryan McDonagh had a beast of a game.

November 23 -  Penguins 6, Rangers 1 - UGLY

Awful.  I guess the Blueshirts were already starting on their Thanksgiving break when the Penguins got their revenge for Monday's spanking.  The ONLY good thing about this game was after Rick Nash's PP goal early in the first, the Rangers actually had the lead 23 minutes into the game.  After that, it was a disaster.  Lundqvist allowed four goals in the second period and was pulled,  Raanta promptly gave up a goal to Conor Sheary.

What was most discouraging about this game was the Rangers' inability to generate any kind of offense.  They put all of four shots on Matt Murray in the last 27 minutes of the game and in that time went almost 24 minutes without a shot on goal, including the first sixteen minutes of the third period. It was total domination by Pittsburgh, reminiscent of the playoffs last season.

December 21 - Penguins 7, Rangers 2 - UGLY

Ouch.  Antti Raanta got the start and despite making 40 saves, was shelled for seven goals by seven different Penguins.  There's not much to say about this road loss except that it was a disaster.  The Pens PP was 3-4.   The teams were tied after one period and when Michael Grabner scored two minutes into the third period, they were down 3-2 and it looked like it was going to be a big third period.  Then the barrage began and the Penguins scored four straight goals to ice the win.

In his post-game comments, Alain Vigneault said that he saw this one coming.  The Pens had scored one goal in the prior two games and the Rangers were coming off back to back shootout victories.

January 8 - Rangers 5, Blue Jackets 4 - BAD

Yes, this was a Ranger win.  Yes, they rallied from a 4-1 deficit, scoring four straight goals to win the game.   Yes, Michael Grabner got the hat trick on an empty net goal.  Yes, the Rangers ended the Columbus home record 8 game winning streak.  Yes, this victory came two games after the Blue Jackets ended their 16 game winning streak.  It just didn't feel right.

The big win came with Lundqvist in the nets for New York,   The Rangers did it against Curtis McElhinney, back up goalie who was waived only days later.  Again, the Rangers allowed a goal less than two minutes into the game.  They did kill two penalties in the first period against the best PP in the league, but all in all, this one felt incredibly lucky.

January 31 - Blue Jackets 6, Rangers 4 - UGLY

What a debacle, no matter that the Rangers made the game competitive in the third period.  Henrik Lundqvist was pulled after allowing three goals.  Antti Raanta allowed three goals on ten shots in his first appearance in two weeks. This was another one of those depressing home losses and despite the comeback, they still lost a game that they didn't show up for. 

The score is misleading as they didn't get their fourth goal until there was only about a minute left int he game.  It was just a bad game.  The only thing the comeback did was to hang the loss on Raanta, who allowed the winning goal. 

February 13 - Rangers 3, Blue Jackets 2 - GOOD

This was the last game of the Rangers six game winning streak.  With Antti Raanta in goal, this was a solid road win as Jimmy Vesey scored the winning goal in this seesaw game with about seven minutes left in the third period.  Highlights included a shorthanded goal by Dan Girardi and an outstanding game by Kevin Hayes.  This was Raanta's first start in a month and he came through big time. 

Although the Rangers won the game, it never felt like they were in control as they were outshot 32-23.  This was also the game that Buchnevich put the Rangers shorthanded when he shot a puck into the stands. Dubinsky scored just as the penalty ended and it dropped Pavel into the Vigneault chateau bowwow. 

February 19 - Rangers 2, Washington 1 - GOOD

This was a solid home win for New York as Henrik Lundqvist stood tall in the Rangers net,  A Mika Zibanejad goal was disallowed as Ryan McDonagh lifted his skate an inch off the blue line (therefore offside...this needs to be revisited).   Zuccarello scored the winning goal at 8:37 of the third period when he beat Philipp Grubauer five hole.  The only goal for Washington was a one timer PPG by Ovechkin from his "office."

This was an excellent, playoff-style win for New York, yet another game against a back-up goalie.  

February 26 - Blue Jackets 5, Rangers 2 - UGLY
February 28 - Capitals 4, Rangers 1 - BAD

With these two games fresh in our memory, there's no reason to go over them again except to note that they weren't pretty. 

Conclusion

That's four good games, three bad games and four ugly games.  So, what conclusions can you draw? Unfortunately, not great ones.  Although they have won five games against those teams, two were against back up goalies.   Three of the five wins were solid efforts with good goaltending, responsible defense and timely scoring.   Two of the wins just felt lucky.  I cannot emphasize how important it is for the "pass-happy" Rangers to get timely scoring.  The Rangers shooting percentage overall is almost 11%.  In their five wins, it was 13%.  In the six losses it was 7%.  The Rangers have to score on a higher percentage of their shots as they are not a good possession teasm.   They had better a better possession percentage (Corsi %) in only three out of the eleven games. In fact, their had worse possession numbers than the opposition in three out of the five wins. 

What this results in is perhaps the scariest thing about this team.  In in the six losses, the Rangers were outscored 32-12.   In their five wins, they outscored the opposition 19-11.   So, for the eleven games, the goal differential is -12,   The two games this week were a clear warning sign that the Rangers are unable to claim to be legitimate competition for the Eastern Conference title.  

This is all the more reason for  Ranger fans to hope for them to finish as the top wild card team so that they can draw Montreal in the first round of the playoffs.  Carey Price aside, the Canadiens look to be a much better option if the Rangers are to advance in the post season.  The only scenario that shows the Rangers making to the Finals is for them to beat Montreal, then to beat (take your pick) Boston, Ottawa, Florida, Buffalo or Tampa.  In the meantime, Ranger fans would have to hope that the team that emerges from the Met Divsion will have played two tough seven game series, setting up the opportunity for Henrik Lundqvist to steal a series. 

As previously noted, the playoffs are a marathon and injuries can have a devastating impact on a team.   If the Rangers can get to the Conference Finals, anything can happen. 

Next up, a look at how the competition did at the trading deadline and what that means for the Rangers.