The match between the Rangers and the Canadiens will be presented at 7 p.m. this evening on RDS and RDS.ca.
PREMATCH
SPECIAL COLLABORATION
What a nightmare season for the New York Rangers.
After winning the Presidents’ Trophy and coming within two wins of a trip to the Stanley Cup Final, expectations were unsurprisingly high at Madison Square Garden. And what a disappointment.
The Rangers are just above .500 with a 22-20-3 record which places them 12th in the East. They are behind Columbus, Ottawa, Montreal and Philadelphia and are closer to the Buffalo Sabers than to the top-3 in the Metropolitan division. Imagine trying to convince someone of this scenario before the season starts.
But what went wrong in the metropolis?
Before diving into the statistics, it is simply impossible to ignore the controversial decisions made by Chris Drury and the Rangers management which are taking a toll on player morale. It got off to a rocky start with the Barclay Goodrow situation this summer. Goodrow signed a six-year deal with the Rangers after two Stanley Cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning that included a no-trade clause valid for 15 teams. Three seasons later, New York placed him on waivers and he was claimed by his former team, the San Jose Sharks, who were on their no-trade list. Goodrow has publicly stated his dissatisfaction with the situation, particularly the lack of communication from the organization.
It only got worse when the Rangers forced another player’s hand. This time it was their captain, Jacob Trouba, who was traded to the Anaheim Ducks after being threatened with being placed on waivers, just like Goodrow. And that’s not an exaggeration, those are definitely the words used by Trouba.
“It was a threat,” Trouba said during a virtual press conference after the trade. “Yesterday it was accept a trade or we take you out of the lineup. I said okay. Then, it was accept a trade or we place you on waivers. I said okay. It’s a rite of passage to be sent back to Madison Square Garden. »
You simply can’t treat your captain like that without causing discomfort in the locker room and it shows on the ice.
-A defensive disaster
The Rangers currently find themselves in 18th place in goals allowed, but that doesn’t illustrate the extent of the club’s defensive problems. If you look at what they allow in terms of volume and quality of shots, they have more in common with the new teams of Goodrow and Trouba than with a club in the playoff race.
Rangers de New York
Blueshirts have an annoying tendency to shoot themselves in the foot over and over again. They are one of only three teams, along with the Chicago Blackhawks and Pittsburgh Penguins, to have allowed more than 300 excess starters this season. They also allowed 53 goals within 10 seconds of a turnover, the 9th highest total this season. Let’s say that with this kind of defensive performance, they are lucky to have a differential of only minus-7.
They can thank Igor Shesterkin, who has 21.7 goals saved this season. To give you an idea, Connor Hellebuyck, who is having one of the best seasons in recent years in net and even sees his name mentioned for the Hart by some, has 26.9 goals saved. Ranking 18th in goals allowed with a Vezina caliber performance from your goalie is simply unacceptable. The Russian goaltender deserves every dollar of the $92 million he received with his contract extension (signed the same day Trouba and his $8 million salary left for Anaheim), but that’s not even enough to really mask problems in the Big Apple.
Lack of opportunism
Unfortunately, things are just as problematic on the offensive end, and it starts at the top. Last year, their top five forwards combined for 474 points: Artemi Panarin (120), Vincent Trocheck (77), Chris Kreider (75), Mika Zibanejad (72) and Alexis Lafreniere (57). These same five forwards this season have a combined pace of 335 points through 82 games, a drop of 139 points. The chances are still there, as the Rangers rank 7th in expected goals and 10th in shots from the slot per game. The problem lies more in the finishing.
Rangers’ lack of finishing
On average, that’s about one fewer goal per two games for New York compared to expected numbers, an absolutely huge difference in a playoff race that’s completely wide open in the East.
The new year seems to have been good for Rangers, who have won six of their nine games since January 1. They still have enough time to make a playoff push and give their aging core another chance, but they’re a far cry from last year’s dominant club. And with the 5th toughest schedule in the NHL between now and the end of the season according to Tankathon, the road to the spring tournament is far from easy.
