Rangers/Bolts recap

The Rangers lost a tough one tonight, 4-3 to the Lightning in overtime.  The Blueshirts looked tired and we generally outplayed by Tampa for the better part of the game.  Henrik Lundqvist played very well and Brandon Dubinsky made a return to the score sheet.  No one likes to lose but there were definitely some positive takeaways from this one.  To the bullets…

• 1st Period
• Tampa came out strong in the 1st, outshooting the Rangers 13-3 at one point.  Henrik Lundqvist was very sharp early, weathering the storm until the Rangers could put one on the scoreboard.
• Artem Anisimov did just that with a nice quick shot past Garon’s stick side. 1-0 Rangers.
• Dubinsky didn’t play a whole lot in the first period, paired on a line with Rupp and Scott.  I do remember noticing how hard he was working along the walls creating pressure from the big 4th line.
• McDonagh took another penalty that the MSG cameras didn’t have a camera on.
• 2nd Period
• The Rangers started the 2nd killing McDonagh’s penalty but soon found themselves with a 5-on-3 advantage.  Torts used his time out, and the Rangers made the move work out.  Brad Richards set a nice pick on Adam Hall, which allowed a lane for Gaborik to develop.  He launched an absolute missile into the top corner.  PP goal, 2-0 Rangers.
• At this point, the Rangers were in good position despite being pretty severely outplayed by Tampa.  You just had that feeling that the Bolts would start chipping away.
• Tampa’s first goal came from a scramble in the crease, in which Tom Pyatt beat Ryan McDonagh to the spot in front of the net.  2-1 Rangers.
• It was about this time Sam and Joe told us that Toronto had fired Ron Wilson.  Never thought Burke would pull the trigger on that one.
• This was a game where the Rangers definitely missed Ryan Callahan.  When the Rangers get sluggish, Cally leads by example.  He would have been a huge spark tonight.
• Dubinsky continued to play well in 4th line duties.
• 3rd Period
• The Rangers began the third with a strong forecheck.  Their momentum wouldn’t last as a miscue on a defensive zone draw ended with Girardi kicking the puck to a driving St. Louis who fed the puck right on the door step to Teddy Purcell.  2-2.
• After Tampa tied the game, the Rangers responded well.  They began to control the play and a funny thing happened; Brandon Dubinsky started getting top 6 minutes.
• Tampa would again squash the Rangers momentum as Steven Stamkos sent a rocket to the top corner past Lundqvist about halfway through the 3rd.  3-2 Tampa.
• Carl Hagelin would end up taking a high sticking double minor about 15 seconds after Stamkos’ goal.  It would take the clock down to about 6 minutes for the Rangers to tie the game.  The penalty kill was phenomenal and actually gave the Rangers some momentum heading into the final minutes.  Hank made an enormous glove save on the penalty kill to keep the deficit to one.
• Brandon Dubinsky would get that tying goal after he moved into prime scoring position after Martin St. Louis lost his edge in the high slot.  Dubi ripped one over the blocker of Garon and gave the Rangers new life.  3-3.
• OT
• Brad Richards almost set Dan Girardi up perfectly a couple minutes into overtime.  He made a nifty move in the slot and send a perfect pass toward the Ranger d-man, but Steven Stamkos made a terrific defensive play to keep Girardi from getting the shot off.
• Ryan Malone would win it for the Bolts on a well-placed screen shot that beat Henrik Lundqvist at 1:58 of the OT period. 4-3 Tampa.

Obligatory Goaltending Analysis

• Mathieu Garon played well tonight.  None of the goals the Rangers scored were soft and came up with several nice saves on Carl Hagelin and Brad Richards.  It was a little disappointing to see the offense stymied by Garon to this extent, since he’s, you know…not very good.
• Hank ended up with 27 saves in this one, but the stats don’t do his performance justice.  He weathered enormous pressure in the 1st period and made several more difficult saves as the game went on.  This one could have easily been 3-0 Tampa in the first 10 minutes or so.
• This game was a prime example of why save percentage is a faulty stat.  Both Garon and Lundqvist played very well.  Their save percentages?  .842 and .871, respectively.

Random Thoughts

• I thought Richards played a strong game tonight.  He had a team high in shots and was generally more involved on both sides of the puck.
• I decided tonight that Mitchell irritates me on top-6 duty simply because he is too much Swedish and not nearly enough Finnish. (If ya know what I mean.)
• Stepan was a beast on the forecheck tonight.  He had his stick in every passing lane and played well in both ends of the ice.
• Carl Hagelin “just missed” about 5 plays tonight where his speed could have send him in all alone.  He played well, but that timing was just a little off.
• Marian Gaborik now has 23 points in his past 21 games.
• Steven Stamkos isn’t fair.
• I thought Torts handled Dubi perfectly.  He started him with the fourth line and Dubinsky played well enough the coach couldn’t ignore him anymore.  He had a jump and an edge to his game and never stopped working.  Torts rewarded him with well deserved top 6 minutes and Dubinsky came through.  Hopefully this is just what he needs to get going a little bit.

Off tomorrow and then a matinee with Boston at home on Sunday afternoon.  That one will be a 12:30pm start on NBC.

Game Day Musings

It’s another edition of Musings on a game day. How convenient. It’s also the first since the deadline came and went and the deadline day inactivity was a blessing or curse; depending on your point of view of course.

The biggest winner of the deadline day for me: Buffalo. I think Cody Hodgson should be a quality center for a long time to come and any team that can get a 1^st AND a 4^th for a guy that has never scored more than 12 goals in a season has done well. Paul Gaustad; good foot soldier, nothing more.

I wonder when Rangers fans will get to watch John Scott in red, white and blue for the first time, against Boston?

The Rangers had a little pre-deadline day wobble but anyone that saw the Devils game has to be impressed. The whole shenanigans didn’t make them deviate from their game and they stuck with what got them this far. This team is in sync, it’s hungry and maybe some people are right, they deserved a chance to go deep as the unit that they already are. Hey, they’re well ahead of their development curve anyway, right?

Ryan Callahan is having a monster year. That is all.

It isn’t Rick Nash or another marquee player that’s put Dubinsky’s Rangers career on shaky ground. It’s himself, but also Carl Hagelin. The young Swede is as dynamic a rookie as there’s been in a long time and he’s out hustling, out skating and out producing Dubinsky at the wing spot. Consider the kid a future star: 43 games, 27 points, 40 point season approaching. Nice.

Is there any way Mats Zuccarello even contemplates re-signing with the Rangers? And, is there any way the club even contemplate offering him a new deal? Answer: no. He’ll want an NHL opportunity that is not coming any time soon in New York.

Anyone else really, truly thought of the absurdity of Henrik Lundqvist’s save percentage this season?

Playoff potential: right now the Rangers are looking at a showdown with the Capitals which is as tough as a 1^st round could be. 1 point behind is the Jets which would be a great match up.  It seems, at this stage, to be one of Jersey, the Caps, Jets or least likely the Leafs. It could be a lot easier folks.

Five, FIVE (!) teams have losing records this season. Gary Bettman, thank you for your diluted product, where parity is the beige of sports. To make matters worse two of those teams are a two game winning streak from a .500 record which would leave a mere 10% of the league with losing records.

Following a little fit of production, Artem Anisimov has gone back to being a passenger. At what point do you believe he’s hit his ceiling? At what point do you believe he’ll never fulfil his potential? If Chris Kreider does make the roster sooner rather than later Anisimov has no chance of establishing himself as a top six player on this club.

Chances Ruslan Fedotenko gets another year with the Rangers next year? If Dubinsky or A.N. Other leaves and prospects aren’t considered ready; don’t rule out one of Tortorella’s favourite troopers coming back.

Question Time:

• John Tortorella; does he win the Jack Adams this season?
• Does Ryan Callahan break the top five in Selke vote getters?
• John Scott – fights as a Ranger: over or under 5?
• First to 20 points; Prust or Boyle?
• Rangers have 21 games remaining; Does Lundqvist reach 40 wins?

Tortorella Must Focus On Richards

The Rangers played two abysmal periods against the Devils Tuesday night and despite a better third (and a shocking refereeing decision in waiving off a late tying goal), they deserved to lose. That said, this is a tight-knit bunch who know how they need to play and (usually) play their style of game well.

The Rangers listen to their coach. Now that Tortorella has his team singing from the same hymn page, he needs to be spending a lot more of his time and energy on re-focussing his biggest issue right now, and that’s Brad Richards.

Richards’ sub-par play is a bigger issue than the power play. He should have been a huge upgrade on the regular line-up and should have been the biggest difference maker on the power play this season. Thus far, this has not been the case. The powerplay if anything has regressed.

We have seen Richards score clutch goals and we have seen the player he can be. However, we have not seen it nearly enough. The longer his sub-par play continues, the bigger a story it will become and a bigger distraction to all the good going on at the MSG.

Against the Devils, Richards looked lost. He looked devoid of confidence and most alarmingly, he made numerous bad decisions with the puck. It’s normally his confidence and decision making ability that sets him apart. One shift in the third period aside, Richards brought almost zero to the Rangers last night. That cannot continue.

Tortorella and Richards have a long standing relationship and if anyone knows what is going wrong with Richards it is Tortorella.  The coach needs to spend as much time as needed focussing in on the skilled center to find his spark. Given how the Rangers have managed to get to first place overall (despite an inept powerplay) Tortorella should realise, if he can get Richards firing on all cylinders then this could truly be a special season.

It doesn’t stop there though. Essentially, this was still a developmental year for the Rangers, so any significant success would be gravy. That said, Richards is going nowhere for a long time and we’ve seen how underperforming big-tickets get treated by the media and fans when they underperform. It’s crucial Tortorella gets Richards going, as much for the long term as it is for this season.

Tortorella has faced several challenges as Rangers coach. He has helped oversee a huge change in organisational concept and approach and has helped usher in a bright future with his emphasis on youth. Getting Brad Richards to be front and center of that future (where he needs to be) may be his biggest – and most critical – challenge to date.

Does Dolan Appearance Hint At Rangers Intentions?

James Dolan has been a rare visitor to the Rangers, at least publicly. After the Nashville victory he spoke to the Rangers media for the first time in almost seven years. The owner of the team spoke openly and enthusiastically about Glen Sather (who has done a tremendous job since the lockout on the whole) and the fact that he saw the Rangers close to a Stanley Cup.

Glen and I made a pact, I actually gave him something which I won’t reveal what it is. I said you can’t give it back to me until we win the Stanley Cup. And I think I’m pretty close to getting that thing back.

Dolan appeared to speak quite openly about the emphasis on development, youth and the turnaround in the organisational approach over the past seven years. It may have surprised many how much Dolan may seem to know about his team.

Dolan’s comment about the Cup will likely spark rumours of how aggressive the Rangers will be in positioning themselves for a cup run so assume any significant player coming on the market will be linked with the Rangers. Don’t forget, for all his shortfalls Dolan has always been willing to spend money on the team when Sather identified a need. Obviously that hasn’t always been a good thing as, for all the Gaborik’s and Biron’s there has been the Redden’s and Brashear’s.

Dolan is very much a Knicks fan first and foremost. Anyone watching the Knicks over the years has seen Dolan get actively involved, too much so in fact. Rangers fans haven’t had that aspect of his ownership to deal with. Truth is, his daily involvement probably won’t change but for the first time in well over a decade Dolan sees a possible championship team in New York and that may mean he puts pressure on Sather and co. to go out and acquire pieces for a run.

Coach Tortorella was (as usual) disapproving of championship talk straight after Dolan’s surprise flirt with the media. However it will be interesting to see if there is any change in how the Rangers go about their business over the next few weeks leading up to the deadline. Could the Dolan conference appearance be a watershed moment in the season?

Lundqvist, Gaborik, Girardi Join Tortorella In All Star Game

The NHL announced the rest of the rosters for the 2012 All Star Game, and joining John Tortorella for the festivities over the January 28-29 weekend will be Henrik Lundqvist, Marian Gaborik, and Dan Girardi. Lundqvist and Gaborik were the shoe-ins, with Gaborik among the league leaders in scoring (23-11-34 in 40 GP) and Lundqvist leading the Vezina race (1.85 GAA, .940 SV%, 3 SO).

That  brings us to Girardi, who garnered a lot of attention when Tortorella ripped the fan ballot, as Girardi’s name was not on the ballot initially. The fan write-in campaign fell short, but never fear, the selection process was fair and Girardi was elected to the All Star Game, and deservedly so. Girardi does not have the flashy numbers, nor does he have the big game physical presence that others bring.

No, instead Girardi led the young Rangers blue line that was without Marc Staal and Mike Sauer for extended periods. Girardi became the rock on the blue line that the Rangers needed during that time period, and helped lead them to an NHL best 27-9-4 record through the first half of the season.

Girardi’s selection means that Michael Del Zotto, having an All Star caliber season himself, was left off the roster. It’s tough to call Del Zotto’s omission a snub, considering the rest of the All Star’s selected.

Overall, the selection process was pretty fair when looking at the rosters, but there will always be people that have issues with it.

Mid-Season Report Card: John Tortorella

What more can I say about John Tortorella that I haven’t already said? I’ve covered his forechecking system, how players earn icetime within his team concept, and I gave you all insights into his line juggling strategy when many wanted to brand him a fool.

At this point I don’t want to beat a dead horse. I will say this; back in late October/early November we put up poll asking our readers if they thought Torts was the right man for the job and a little more than 50% said no. We are running a new poll (to your right) asking our readers their opinions of Tortorella post-24/7 and the results are staggering. Less than 5% think he’s a bad coach. Fifty percent to five percent. Wow.

The Good:

It’s not unique, but I am a proponent of Tortorella’s system. The 2-1-2 forechecking, the commitment to back pressure, dump & chase when a play isn’t there, getting defensemen involved in the OZ…it’s all part of his team concept and it is the right template given the makeup of this roster. A lot of other coaches use these strategies, but revert to trapping when they have the lead. Torts tells his guys to “not to let up” and “we’re going to keep coming at them.” It makes for exciting hockey and so far it is producing offense and wins.

Speaking of offense, so far this season our team is scoring almost three goals a game. When Tom Renney was let go, we were scoring just 2.4 goals a game. Obviously having our talent perform up to expectations has helped, but Torts positions his players deeper in the zone than Renney did, he is also great at making in-game adjustments, and it is paying off without sacrificing defense.

Much of the criticism from his bashers pre-24/7 focused around unfair treatment of his players. However, this was defeated thanks to HBO. Throughout those four episodes we saw motivational criticism directed at our star players as much as our grinders. Most of the time the tough love worked. We also saw him praise our defensemen on multiple occasions.

Where He Can Improve:

One reason why some of the fans didn’t see his strengths had to do with slanted media coverage. Obviously NYR beat writers aren’t going to go out of their way to write positive stuff about the guy when he’s constantly short with them. However, now that public opinion is on his side, he needs to do a better job of handling the media. Ultimately it doesn’t change our record, but it may one day influence his job status if we start losing again.

I’m sure some will point to our power play as an area that needs improvement, it does, but the problem isn’t in the formation, it’s in the execution. Pretty much every good coach in the NHL has presided over an efficient power play and an inefficient one at some point or another. Unless you have the Sedin twins, or Mike Green patrolling your blueline, there isn’t much consistency around the league. As young guys like Michael Del Zotto, Ryan McDonagh, Artem Anisimov, & Derek Stepan mature offensively, I believe their power play IQ will only get better. But that’s a post for another time…

Grade: A- 

*In case you missed it. We also wrote report cards for our bottom six forwards, top six forwards, defense, & goalies.

Credit To the All Star Coach

First of all, the news of John Tortorella coaching at the All Star game this season speaks volumes to what the Rangers coach has achieved this season. Several Rangers players have received media kudos and attention for the way they have worked their way to the top of the Eastern Conference this year and rightly so. However one person who has not received enough praise is the man that leads them, John Tortorella.

Perhaps overshadowed by the impressive play on the ice as well as the unnecessary, unfortunate handling of Sean Avery, Tortorella has proved this year that he is still an elite coach. The all star nod helps give the coach credit (for the record, the player voting by fans is a farce and totally de-values the event; however plenty of worth is still in the coaching choices).

Forget about being the winningest coach in US history, even though it’s a great accolade. Tort’s has stuck to his beliefs, gone with youth and transformed this club in to one with a huge future. Naturally there’s many elements of the Rangers return to prominence to tip your Broadway hat to; the great farm system, the great scouting, Sather’s ‘re-awakening’, player development etc, etc – they all deserve huge credit. However so does Tortorella.

The kind of guy Tortorella is, he’ll always have critics, people calling for his head and perhaps even after a Rangers Cup win might never be totally loved. He probably wouldn’t have it any other way. Indeed, here at the blog we’ve been critics of certain aspects of his time with the club, but he has always been the right guy for this team, water bottle tantrum or not.

During the Winter Classic (and well done to NBC for pointing it out – consider me shocked) Tortorella made subtle changes with the lines and tactics that tilted the game back towards the Rangers towards the end of the second period. His manoeuvring was integral to the Rangers comeback and it’s nice that it was acknowledged during the commentary.

Yes, it’s still the players that need to get it done on the ice but the coach remained focussed, calm and thoughtful throughout – even when the ever annoying Pierre McGuire was interviewing him. At the classic Tortorella out-duelled Peter Laviolette, another good coach by the way (when he’s not butting Dallas Stars players) and subsequently Torts sits proudly atop of the Eastern Conference with his team.

The Rangers are well on their way to cementing their place as a contender for this season and beyond. However despite the wonderful season the Rangers coach remains focused to the end, as evidenced by his refusal to acknowledge the team as a contender this season – just yet. It’s time to give a huge amount of credit to the guy that’s steering this team to unrivalled recent success. Tort’s has done well to earn 358 career victories and it’s a nice achievement. Maybe he’ll get to celebrate a second cup soon enough and really get the credit he deserves.

Tortorella To Coach At All Star Game

Per Dan Rosen of NHL.com, Rangers coach John Tortorella has clinched his spot to coach in the All Star Game. Tortorella clinched his spot with last night’s win over the Panthers, ensuring that the Rangers will have at least the second best record in the Eastern Conference. The best record may wind up belonging to the Boston Bruins, but Claude Julien is already pre-selected to coach because his Bruins won the Stanley Cup last year.

Essentially, the coaching staff is comprised of last year’s Cup winner (Julien and his staff), and the coach of the team with the best record in both conferences(either Julien or Tortorella from the East, and the coach from the West). Julien and his staff will have one team, Tortorella and the soon-to-be-determined Western Conference coach will lead the other team.

Tortorella is the first Ranger to be certain of an All Star Game appearance. It is likely that Henrik Lundqvist and Marian Gaborik will join him. Dan Girardi and Michael Del Zotto have a chance as well.

Tortorella Takes Shot At Wolski; Status Uncertain

In the preseason, Wojtek Wolski was slated to be the top line left winger on a line with Brad Richards and Marian Gaborik. After having a decent preseason, Wolski played in the first game of the regular season with the Rangers before missing the next four games with a groin injury. The Rangers eventually found a great replacement for him on the top line in Derek Stepan, which leaves Wolski’s status with the Rangers a little bit cloudy. Although he is now likely to slide into Erik Christensen’s spot on the fourth line, coach John Tortorella did not have very nice things to say about Wolski:

We can’t get him out of the tub,” the coach said, despite the fact Wolski  practiced yesterday after taking part in the morning skate on Tuesday.  Asked whether that meant Wolski was getting hot-tub treatment for the groin,  Tortorella said: “I guess.”

This is clearly a shot at Wolski, as it appears that Torts is very frustrated with the winger, and his inability to get back on the ice. Wolski, who did not hear about the coach’s comments, decided to remain silent:

“I’d didn’t hear and I’d rather not know,” Wolski, who has been sidelined  with a groin issue since the Oct. 7 opener in Stockholm, said after he remained  on the ice doing sprints and extra work following the morning skate preceding  last night’s 3-2 overtime victory over the Flames…I hope I get to play the next game,” said Wolski, who played 10:34 in the  opener against the Kings while on a line with  Derek Stepan and Mats Zuccarello. “If I can go full out without pain  [today], I want to play in Edmonton.”

Wolski appears to be itching to get back into the lineup, but the coach seems to think otherwise. Regardless of what either’s opinion may be, the fact remains that Wolski, although skilled, may not have a spot among the top nine forwards when he comes back. The top three lines have either looked good this year or looked good last year (Pack line), so it is unlikely that Tortorella will break them up. If that’s the case, then the fourth line is where Wolski will wind up. It’s either that or the press box.

Tortorella, Avery Involved In He Said/He Said

The drama with Sean Avery and John Tortorella continues. Avery was candid in his comments to Katie Strang of ESPN when asked about his shot at making the Rangers and if the Rangers will ever recall him. On being recalled:

Probably not. I doubt it.

On him being given a fair shot:

I’d say it’s pretty obvious. I’ll let everyone else decide for themselves.

Tortorella, upon being made aware of these comments after the Rangers skate in Vancouver, had this to say:

I’m so busy worrying about this team. This is the first time I’ve heard about it,” Tortorella said. “We go about our business here, and I know that’s a story I’m sure that’s going to be talked about a lot, because Sean was here and very well-liked, but again I’m coaching this hockey club here. Talk to Kenny (Whale coach Ken Gernander). I don’t know what’s going on down there. So I can’t comment on it.

It’s very clear that neither like each other. We’ve covered why keeping Erik Christensen over Avery for the 13th forward spot was the right move, even if unpopular among the fanbase. It’s not something we are going to continue to dive into, but these comments are interesting nonetheless.