Consistency is key.
The Sabres made waves recently when they fired Lindy Ruff after 16 seasons as their head coach. Since then they’ve gone 3-2 under Ron Rolston. Under both coaches, the Sabres system is similar to what we’ve seen from the Flyers under Peter Laviolette, which is essentially two different looks.
The first look is the 2-1-2 forecheck, which the Rangers utilize as well. This is an aggressive system designed to create pressure below the dots and cause turnovers down low.
In certain game situations (i.e., the score, time left in a period, etc.) they tend to switch to a slightly more conservative 2-3 lock. This system also sends two forecheckers into the zone, but the third forward sits back with the defense up high. This ensures protection against odd man rushes, but also provides some pressure to create turnovers.
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Rangers going for the sweep.
The Lightning come to town for their third and final game against the Rangers, having dropped the previous two contests 3-2 and 5-1. This is where we would say something about how the Rangers own the Southeast, but they just dropped a game against Winnipeg with their B roster.
As stated in our previous previews, Guy Boucher has the Lightning running a 1-3-1 forecheck, which can be an aggressive forecheck or a neutral zone trap depending on the puck’s location, the score, how much time is left on the clock, etc. Tampa also utilizes a 1-3-1 power play, which creates four triangles to pass around and take one-timer shots. This system forces the defense to focus on the middle players causing the PK to miss coverages. When they’re on, it’s a deadly powerplay.
Still, the Rangers showed everyone that when they play their game on their terms, they can beat anyone. They shows some signs of life in Tuesday’s loss, so let’s hope that was the turning point for this club.
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The Winnipeg Jets of the Southeast Division…
Tonight the Rangers face off against the Winnipeg Jets, a team that is also struggling to find some consistency in this lockout shortened season. Aside from their records, the comparisons pretty much end there between these two teams. The Jets just play a different brand of hockey.
Claude Noel has the Jets playing a passive 1-2-2 forecheck. Their game plan is to sick back in the neutral zone and score off of transition rushes. This really isn’t a team that is going to press the issue with an aggressive forecheck and heavy hitting below the goal line like the Blueshirts. In a sense, the Jets are similar to the Canadiens, but they are not nearly as good at executing their system.
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Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images North America
Tonight the Rangers are in Montreal for a rematch with the Canadiens, but are doing so extremely shorthanded. The Blueshirts will be without Rick Nash (unknown), Darroll Powe (concussion), Arron Asham (back spasms), and may be without Michael Del Zotto (lower body) and Marc Staal (flu). Christian Thomas was called up and will play tonight in his NHL debut.
The Rangers struggle in Montreal, amassing a record of 64-198-40-2, which is just awful. The Rangers also haven’t won there since Markus Naslund was in blue. On the bright side, coach John Tortorella decided to start Marty Biron tonight, mostly because Hank is awful in Montreal for some reason.
Under Michel Therrien, the Canadiens have switched to a 1-2-2 forecheck, but do use a 2-1-2 style infrequently based on the score and puck location. The forechecking styles are similar to what we’ve seen with multiple Ranger opponents this year. In the defensive zone, the Canadiens differ a bit from the Rangers in that they overload the boards first, then collapse low based on puck location. It’s actually very interesting, as Therrien said they overload because of their team size (note: small), and they use their speed to their advantage to outnumber the opponent on the wall and force turnovers.
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Scott Levy/NHLI via Getty Images
Tonight the Rangers are without Rick Nash as they head to Ottawa, who is without Erik Karlsson and Jason Spezza. The Sens, like the Rangers, also had a lot of roster turnover, losing Filip Kuba, Matt Carkner, Zenon Kenopka, and Bobby Butler. All that while adding Nick Foligno, Marc Methot, Mike Lundin, and Guillaume Latendresse.
The Sens gave the Rangers fits last season with their style of play, and will likely do so again this year. The Sens forechecking strategy is a bit complex, as they are a hybrid aggressive forechecking/lock team. When they are trailing or tied, they’ll send two-three guys after the puck in a 2-1-2 forecheck. When they are ahead though, they lock it up with a 1-1-3 forecheck, a variation of the 2-3 LW lock. A 1-1-3 is how you would expect, with one guy deep, one guy high to pounce on a turnover, and three guys back at the blueline to protect against odd man rushes.
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Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images North America
Tonight, the Montreal Canadiens come to town, and it’s the return of old friend Brandon Prust. Prust is expected to get a warm welcome from the fan base, but once the puck drops, all that goes away.
The Canadiens have given the Rangers trouble in the past, but this is a different Ranger team that is built on speed and forechecking. The Canadiens play a 2-1-2 forecheck, similar to the Rangers, which is different from the 1-2-2 that caused so much havoc in the past. The Rangers have seen the 2-1-2 many times before and know how to break it.
In the defensive zone, the Canadiens differ a bit from the Rangers in that they pressure the point while also collapsing to protect the slot. This is a bit of a hybrid of the man-to-man coverage and low zone collapse that Suit spoke about this morning. In doing so, the Habs ensure that they are protecting the high-priced real estate, while not giving the point men too much leeway.
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Jason Szenes for The New York Times
For the first time this season, the Washington Capitals come to town to square off against our Blueshirts. The Caps weren’t too busy this offseason, but they made two significant moves that altered the makeup of their club. First, they let winger Alex Semin head for Carolina via free agency. Second, they traded for Mike Ribeiro to fill the role of second line center. Ribeiro has been better than advertised, and currently leads the team in scoring.
Under new coach Adam Oates, the Caps were got off to a horrendous start to the year, finishing January with a 1-5-1 record. They’ve played better hockey since then, albeit barely above .500 hockey. Oates represents the third coaching change in two seasons for the Caps, who fired Bruce Boudreau in the middle of last season, replaced him with Dale Hunter, and then replaced Hunter with Oates in the offseason.
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2012-2013 Records: Islanders (4-7-1), Rangers (7-5-0)
NYR Leading Scorer: Rick Nash (3-7-10)
NYI Leading Scorer: John Tavares (7-8-15)
NYR Goaltender: Henrik Lundqvist (11 GP, 2.48 GAA, .912 SV%)
NYI Goaltender: Evgeni Nabokov (10 GP, 3.00 GAA, .897 SV%)
New York Rangers Tickets.
Rangers Lines:
Marian Gaborik-Brad Richards-Ryan Callahan
Carl Hagelin-Derek Stepan-Rick Nash
JT Miller-Brian Boyle-Taylor Pyatt
Arron Asham-Jeff Halpern-Darroll Powe
Ryan McDonagh-Dan Girardi
Marc Staal-Anton Stralman
Michael Del Zotto-Matt Gilroy
Marty Biron
Scratches/Injuries: Mike Sauer (concussion), Chris Kreider (healthy), Stu Bickel (healthy)
Preview:
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2012-2013 Records: Boston (8-1-1), Rangers (6-5-0)
NYR Leading Scorer: Marian Gaborik (6-3-9), Brad Richards (2-7-9), Rick Nash (3-6-9)
BOS Leading Scorer: David Krejci (3-7-10)
NYR Goaltender: Henrik Lundqvist (10 GP, 2.44 GAA, .911 SV%)
BOS Goaltender: Tuukka Rask (8 GP, 1.97 GAA, .922 SV%)
New York Rangers Tickets.
Rangers Lines (unconfirmed):
Taylor Pyatt-Brad Richards-Marian Gaborik
Carl Hagelin-Derek Stepan-Rick Nash
Chris Kreider-J.T. Miller-Ryan Callahan
Arron Asham-Jeff Halpern-Darroll Powe
Ryan McDonagh-Dan Girardi
Marc Staal-Anton Stralman
Michael Del Zotto-Matt Gilroy
Henrik Lundqvist
Probable Scratches/Injuries: Mike Sauer (concussion), Brian Boyle (healthy), Steve Eminger (healthy), Stu Bickel (healthy)
Preview:
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2012-2013 Records: Tampa (6-4-0), Rangers (5-5-0)
NYR Leading Scorer: Marian Gaborik (6-3-9) and Brad Richards (2-7-9)
TBL Leading Scorer: Steve Stamkos (7-10-17)
NYR Goaltender: Henrik Lundqvist (9 GP, 2.61 GAA, .907 SV%)
TBL Goaltender: Mathieu Garon (2 GP, 2.03 GAA, .939 SV%)
New York Rangers Tickets.
Rangers Lines:
From practice courtesy of Andrew Gross:
Taylor Pyatt-Brad Richards-Marian Gaborik
Carl Hagelin-Derek Stepan-Rick Nash
Chris Kreider-J.T. Miller-Ryan Callahan
Arron Asham-Jeff Halpern-Darroll Powe
Ryan McDonagh-Dan Girardi
Marc Staal-Anton Stralman
Michael Del Zotto-Matt Gilroy
Henrik Lundqvist
Probable Scratches/Injuries: Mike Sauer (concussion), Brian Boyle (healthy), Steve Eminger (healthy), Stu Bickel (healthy)
Preview:
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