Time is of the essence. With 30 games remaining, the Rangers must come together. They haven’t won since Rick Nash went down to a suspected concussion.
Winless in four (0-3-1), the Blueshirts are back in action tonight when they host the Lightning at Madison Square Garden. After taking part in the morning skate, Nash could return. He’ll be a game time decision. Defenseman Ryan McDonagh is in after missing Tuesday’s loss to Winnipeg. Mike Del Zotto says he’s feeling better but is uncertain.
In a 48-game sprint, staying healthy is vital. Lacking depth due to the off season, the Rangers have fallen victim to the injury ninja. A term THW’s Chris Wassel has adapted. They’re far from the only team that’s lost players. Earlier today, Wassel noted that it’s already claimed 118. As injury lists grow, it creates more adversity. Last year, the Rangers persevered to win their first Atlantic Division since Bill Clinton was President. That team finished with the East’s best record.
As has been referenced here and from other Ranger bloggers, it’s not last year. That doesn’t matter. Even with some of the notable subtractions, there are still enough players who’ve been here long enough to turn it around. An underachieving team that currently sits 11th trailing eighth by a point isn’t what they signed up for. It’s time for the 2013 version to step up. Their season is on the line.
If you go up and down a lineup that includes Ryan Callahan, Del Zotto, Dan Girardi, Marian Gaborik, Henrik Lundqvist, McDonagh, Nash, Brad Richards, Derek Stepan and Marc Staal, no one has been consistent. Not even Captain Cally, who along with Girardi, define what it means to be a Ranger. The effort is always there from the club’s two warriors. That includes Lundqvist, who hasn’t matched the Vezina form from ’11-12. It starts with the goalie, who remains the team’s best player. The softies and leaky rebounds have to stop. The man Ranger fans call King hasn’t posted a shutout yet in 15 starts. Even with a weaker defense, the elite goalie is expected to have big nights where he backstops the team to victory.
In case you haven’t noticed, the offense still stinks. If Nash laces them up, he returns with just three goals. None have come on the power play, which remains a sore topic for Garden Faithful. Mike Sullivan is doing his best Perry Pearn impersonation. John Tortorella might be confused for Tom Renney. The way he’s coached this team is mystifying. A man whose motto Safe Is Death once led Tampa Bay to a Stanley Cup, has become obsessed with playing dull hockey that doesn’t win when it counts. The line combos may as well have come from the Renney generator.
When a team underachieves, it’s on everyone. Not just Chris Kreider, who’ll be a likely scratch assuming Nash returns. A year ago, he was the toast of the town- wowing us with his maturity to score five goals last postseason without ever debuting in the regular season. But his confidence has been shot. Five goals with AHL Connecticut and baffling mishandling from the Ranger organization hasn’t helped. If he’s not going to play, Kreider should be sent back to the Whale where he can hopefully rediscover what made him a first round pick.
The Rangers brought up Christian Thomas for a cameo before sending him down. He played fearlessly. Thomas has played well for the Whale, scoring 13 goals. He just isn’t ready. The team made the right call with him and 2011 first round pick J.T. Miller, who remains with the big club due to poise he shows. Miller looks like a keeper. He competes hard and has physical tools which could make him a second line pivot. It boggles the mind why the organization can make the right call on Miller and Thomas while having no clue what to do with Kreider. That must change.
At this critical juncture, we can’t concern ourselves with the team’s prospects. But rather the current roster which has been severely lacking the edge that made the ’11-12 Rangers more rootable. That team overachieved- making expectations sky high. Perhaps it was unrealistic to think they were Cup favorites. When you make personnel changes, you still have to take into account what you’re losing. Clearly, Glen Sather didn’t. You make the Nash trade for Artem Anisimov, Brandon Dubinsky, Tim Erixon and a first round pick every time. Anyone can see how talented he is. The tools he possesses are unlike any we’ve seen. Nash is explosive. He takes up so much room and made it easier for Stepan and Carl Hagelin.
It still falls on Gaborik and Richards to play earn their salaries. There are too many instances where they’ve been invisible. Toss out the stats. Gaborik’s scored five of his seven goals in two games. Both wins. He has two goals and five points in the other 16. Not enough production for the team’s top finisher. Richards’ struggles are well documented. He started out strong with points in his first three (1-3-4). In fact, both his goals and half his point production (2-4-6) came in the team’s first six. Since, he’s 0-6-6 with a minus-five rating and hasn’t scored a goal in 13 (1/26 vs Tor).
The Rangers can’t be a one line team. Tortorella hasn’t helped with his mindless line changes. Toss in the bench minors and it’s a complete lack of concentration from everyone. Have they tuned him out? Or is it just a case of a mismatched vanilla roster that won’t stand together? Unless they find consistency, it’ll morph into ’92-93. Right now, they make too many mistakes. That must change starting tonight.
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