GDT: #11 - 02/08/21 | islanders @ RANGERS | 7:00 - MSG, NBCSN

[Gordon Bombay]

They played pretty good actually for what the Islanders do. These guys still need to learn how to win these games. Far too many cross ice passes looking for a pretty goal instead of driving the net and mucking it up. Look at the Islanders goals. That's what wins these types of games.

Varlamov was the better goalie as well. It's taking some getting used to, to not having the best goalie on the ice.

 

[Ola]

Sometimes you have to give credit where it's due. Panarin goes in on a breakaway in the 3rd period and Varlamov shuts him down. A couple minutes later here's Zibanejad and again Varlamov shuts him down. It could have been the other way.

So the positives I take from this---the Rangers have taken a significant step forward this year in the realm of defending. We don't often see big shot numbers against our goalies anymore. I thought the Howden, DiGiuseppe, Lafreniere line had some great shifts and it's probably (for me anyway) the best game that Julien Gauthier's played for us. As I said overall team defense has improved significantly.

This was anybody's game really until late.

The defense is improved at the cost of our offense though, which must be solved somehow.

The biggest reason we defend better is that we basically doesn't have a transition game/possession game anymore. Whenever we get the puck on our side of the ice we just move it up to gain the redline and dump it in before we go on a line change. Unless of course we can take the puck to the net directly. Hence we don't lose many pucks in areas that makes us vulnerable. This being fixed was a necessity, the way it has been fixed is quite extreme.

One observation is that we get into double trouble because the way we play right now, it is absolutely crucial to have offensive skill on the backend. We are one team offensively when Fox is on the ice and another without him. Not meant to be scientific, but it feels like we create 90% of our offense with Fox on the ice.

 

[leetch99]

The defense is improved at the cost of our offense though, which must be solved somehow.

The biggest reason we defend better is that we basically doesn't have a transition game/possession game anymore. Whenever we get the puck on our side of the ice we just move it up to gain the redline and dump it in before we go on a line change. Unless of course we can take the puck to the net directly. Hence we don't lose many pucks in areas that makes us vulnerable. This being fixed was a necessity, the way it has been fixed is quite extreme.

One observation is that we get into double trouble because the way we play right now, it is absolutely crucial to have offensive skill on the backend. We are one team offensively when Fox is on the ice and another without him. Not meant to be scientific, but it feels like we create 90% of our offense with Fox on the ice.

Life without Tony...well there was certainly going to be a drop in offensive chances without him . He always had at least a couple of long hard passes from our zone to a speeding forward that led to offensive odd man rushes and of course the obvious ...him being 30 % better on the PP than Fox . It is and will slow down our offense but the defense is better and Miller I think will end up being a good rushing Dman as he gains more experience . On the flip side...I thought the kids did well last night and Gauthier . We need them involved like that every night .

 

[Synergy27]

Laf played 11 games, 19 years old., Kakko 76 games, 19 years old. And they haven't shown enough? I guess we should trade every teenager who doesn't score 100 points right away then. Lmao only in NY

I simply think that people are in for a rude awakening if they think we can get Eichel for nothing. Eichel is a tier above even the best case development scenario for both of our top picks. It is not unreasonable for Buffalo to ask for one of those guys as part of the return, and it’s not unreasonable to be potentially willing to pay the price either.

All I can say is that I wish I had the same confidence as the rest of you when it comes to Kakko and Laf panning out. If they turn into Hischier level players, and we end up passing on an opportunity to have moved one of them for a top 5 forward in the league, we’re not going to be happy.

Look, don’t get me wrong, I’ve been advocating for a rebuild since the late 90s and am ecstatic to have finally been able to pick at the top of these drafts. That said, I am also a realist and understand that we didn’t get lucky and end up with Crosby/McDavid/Matthews tier players. The path to stardom for both of these players may be likely, but it’s in no way guaranteed.

 

[eco's bones]

The defense is improved at the cost of our offense though, which must be solved somehow.

The biggest reason we defend better is that we basically doesn't have a transition game/possession game anymore. Whenever we get the puck on our side of the ice we just move it up to gain the redline and dump it in before we go on a line change. Unless of course we can take the puck to the net directly. Hence we don't lose many pucks in areas that makes us vulnerable. This being fixed was a necessity, the way it has been fixed is quite extreme.

One observation is that we get into double trouble because the way we play right now, it is absolutely crucial to have offensive skill on the backend. We are one team offensively when Fox is on the ice and another without him. Not meant to be scientific, but it feels like we create 90% of our offense with Fox on the ice.

Last year we had two scoring lines though. This year with Zibanejad off to such a slow start there's really only one. Losing DeAngelo certainly didn't help our puck movement but before he left he wasn't playing very well either offensively or defensively. To some degree we're left waiting for Miller to do more. Trouba hopefully can pick it up a bit too.

 

[Larrybiv]

Couldnt agree more with what Ola said above. THAT was mostly what I took from last night. Team defense was pretty damned good and if that is what it looks like moving forward, then that'll be great. We had some chances, didnt cash in.
I dont want to turn into a lackluster offense like we had under Torts.
3 and now maybe even 4 is the magic # of goals needed to be scored. Yes, we will have good goaltending and a better defense, but again like above.......losing Tony, really hurts us offensively.
That is what I liked.

What I cannot stand, is lack of physicality. We play like a bunch of P___sies, seems Quinn is leading that charge. This is the main reason WHY teams like the Bruins and the Caps are successful.
And if we dont do diligence and up the ante and play with a little FIRE (No Smith, no Tony) well ......I just dont like it.

 

[mas0764]

I'm worried but also not worried about Zibanejad.

No, because he had covid and he's out of shape.

Yes, because is he just out of shape or does he have long covid? Long covid just doesn't go away in some patients, period. It will take many more months to understand cause and treatment. This might Zibanejad for the foreseeable future if that's what it is.

No, because after his current contract expires, I didn't think he fit into the financial scheme moving forward anyway.

Yes, because if he doesn't, who's the organization's top center?

The rebuild is not over. The org desperately needs a Lundell type at least, if not two. There is no banking on Zibanejad for more than a couple more years, he does not seem like the type who is going to be a 1C for the next decade to me.

Picking in the top 10 again this year will not be the worst thing in the world.

 

[Raspewtin]

Wow. He made one error. And, as I noted earlier, that pass was into a dangerous area but the Isles forward did a good job tying up our guy who was supposed to get the Hajek pass. How about Fox pinching early in the game and getting caught and Lindgren bailing him out on the Isle's 2 on 1? How about Fox allowing that centering feed to get by him on the second Isles goal? Everybody makes mistakes in a tight game. The top six not wanting to get dirty goals is the biggest problem right now, not the D.

it wasn't that one play for me, Libor has struggled a lot under pressure in this game and the last two periods of the Caps game. he's gotten better at battling for pucks but he still doesn't know what to do with them.

 

[TheDirtyH]

The defense is improved at the cost of our offense though, which must be solved somehow.

The biggest reason we defend better is that we basically doesn't have a transition game/possession game anymore. Whenever we get the puck on our side of the ice we just move it up to gain the redline and dump it in before we go on a line change. Unless of course we can take the puck to the net directly. Hence we don't lose many pucks in areas that makes us vulnerable. This being fixed was a necessity, the way it has been fixed is quite extreme.

One observation is that we get into double trouble because the way we play right now, it is absolutely crucial to have offensive skill on the backend. We are one team offensively when Fox is on the ice and another without him. Not meant to be scientific, but it feels like we create 90% of our offense with Fox on the ice.

I'm less concerned with our transition game as I am with what we're doing with the puck once we have it in the offensive zone. Miller, Trouba, Lindgren, and even Smith and Hajek can make good first passes up the ice. But from the blueline in B.Smith has probably been the most dynamic defensemen outside of Fox, which is not ideal, nor is it really necessary--Trouba and Miller have more to give there. Hopefully, we're witnessing the first steps in a process. Sometimes you have to go to a different extreme and build back from there--we have the personnel to score after all.

 

[True Blue]

Sometimes you have to give credit where it's due. Panarin goes in on a breakaway in the 3rd period and Varlamov shuts him down. A couple minutes later here's Zibanejad and again Varlamov shuts him down. It could have been the other way.

So the positives I take from this---the Rangers have taken a significant step forward this year in the realm of defending. We don't often see big shot numbers against our goalies anymore. I thought the Howden, DiGiuseppe, Lafreniere line had some great shifts and it's probably (for me anyway) the best game that Julien Gauthier's played for us. As I said overall team defense has improved significantly.

This was anybody's game really until late.

Agreed on all counts.

3 things directly led to the loss. 1) Varlamov decided to be Patrick Roy for a night. Yeah, he was that good. 2) Hajek's blind, backhanded up the middle pass. Pretty sure that is not what Martin preaches. And on the last goal, overpassing on the perimeter led to a give away. The Isled come down and score.

One of the things in the differences between the two teams was obvious. The Isles get the puck to the net first and then worry about it later. The Rangers worry about getting the shot first and all else comes later. That needs to change. You can also see it when the Rangers try to generate the offense off the rush instead of getting the puck in deep.

Have to love the structure for most of the night (aside from the Isles second goal and Hajek's mindless giveaway). Honestly, at least at this part of the season, I would expect the youngest team in the league that is playing a veteran, defense first lockdown team to have such results. As the learn and grow more, the results will change as well. But this was hardly unexpected.

Gauthier had his most memorable game for the Rangers. He is still, at least to me, the first to come out when Blackwell returns.

Finally, like it or not my fellow Rangers fans, the PP looked A LOT better with DeAngelo running it. Not to disparage Fox, but he is not as dynamic offensively DeAngelo is. DeAngelo would shoot from the point. Fox does not really do that. He does utilize his wrister to get the shot on goal, but more often than not, he is passing the puck whereas DeAngelo would do both. Also, with DeAngelo running the PP, he seemingly retrieved all pucks before they left the zone. The puck never seemed to leave the zone as he was darting around everywhere. Nothing that can be done now. Just an observation. At this point, they would be much better off getting the puck deep and then outnumbering the opposition's players down low.

 

[will1066]

it wasn't that one play for me, Libor has struggled a lot under pressure in this game and the last two periods of the Caps game. he's gotten better at battling for pucks but he still doesn't know what to do with them.

I see a different Hajek since his recall, and others have commented on it too. The Isles will make everybody make mistakes, and the Caps were naturally pressing with them trailing in the game. You might've noticed things that I didn't, but I'm ok with his play as a 5/6th dman. As long as he limits the bad plays and is not a liability like Johnson, I consider it a win.

 

[HockeyBasedNYC]

Hajek made that unforced error but he looked good enough to stick around imho. The one thing I've always liked about his game is he moves the puck up and out quickly. (most of the time up the wall or onto a teammates stick)

 

[NYRangers0723]

Until the end I thought the Rangers played well. Sometimes you just got to tip your cap to the other goalie. The biggest issue is Mika. I understand he must be dealing with an injury/Covid but when your top Center is completely ineffective it’s hard to win. Buch and Kreider are still getting goals but even an average Mika would propel that line

 

[Shesterkybomb]

It sucks because we are losing points in a short season but i like a lot about this team right now, the only issue is that we need Blackwell and Chytil to balance the lines out and ofcourse Kreider and Mika need to be better.

 

[True Blue]

I’m not saying I agree with it, but that’s the way it is. I said in my post that it may be unfair, but it’s the truth.

coach who has proven nothing gets second guessed until he deserves not to be. It’s pretty normal.

I understand, but my question remains. How much winning is expected from the youngest team in the league? Not just youngest but one that on most nights have been icing 4 players that are not of legal drinking age? And one that, due to brevity of camp and zero exhibition games, has to learn a new defensive system on the fly?

 

[Edge]

One big miss for @Edge.

They got four prospects out of the deal, one of whom is playing regularly for them, one of whom is a blue chip prospect and of the top defensive prospects outside the NHL.

Would be great if it was more, but right now it's about average.

 

[Shesterkybomb]

I think Hajek has to keep playing, he needs to be in the lineup to continue to grow. He needs to feel the confidence of playing every night imo

 

[RangersFan1994]

Until the end I thought the Rangers played well. Sometimes you just got to tip your cap to the other goalie. The biggest issue is Mika. I understand he must be dealing with an injury/Covid but when your top Center is completely ineffective it’s hard to win. Buch and Kreider are still getting goals but even an average Mika would propel that line

Mika should sit out. he is not hurting the team too much, but he is just there and not noticeable at all, not helping either.

 

[blue425]

In the context of puck support and disciplined structure. If they play like tonight, they should come away with the W most nights. Varlamov was lights out and they took advantage of our mistakes. It wasn't like we had no good looks (at even strength, PP still blows), because we did and their goaltender made our SOGs look like muffins.

Sums up last night nicely. Varlamov was the difference.

 

[CupSeeker]

Quinn is teaching defensive responsibility at the expense of the kids learning offense. I disagree, get them the reps for offense now, and the defensive will come later. But doing this, you’re lowering the potential offensive ceiling imo.

great point. You can see Laf and Kakko both staying high when there is an opportunity to keep a play going. I expect they will figure it out over time.

 

[Shesterkybomb]

Mika should sit out. he is not hurting the team too much, but he is just there and not noticeable at all, not helping either.

We don't have that kind of depth at C that he is our 5th best option. I think that line just needs to keep it simple and play north south, dump it in when you have no options and chase it down. None of them has the speed or atleast the will to go hard enough to beat the d so chip it in and chase.

 

[TheDirtyH]

When Varlamov stopped Panarin on the breakaway the game was over IMO.

Also, I may be on an island on this one but I thought Zibanejad looked very much like his old self last night.

 

[will1066]

Hajek made that unforced error but he looked good enough to stick around imho. The one thing I've always liked about his game is he moves the puck up and out quickly. (most of the time up the wall or onto a teammates stick)

I watched the play again. Clutterbuck put pressure on him in the corner, Hajek had Strome open as an option but chose to move the puck to Kakko. Now, under pressure from Clutterbuck, and facing the wall I can understand Hajek's decision not to move it to Strome because he was at the goal line and further out from the wall and instead went to Kakko who was closer to the wall. But Martin had body position on Kakko and tied him up, and the pass also kind of surprised Kakko.

 

[NYRangers0723]

Mika should sit out. he is not hurting the team too much, but he is just there and not noticeable at all, not helping either.

If Chytil was healthy it would be no problem but our lack of C depth in the organization is alarming

 

[NYR3]

They got four prospects out of the deal, one of whom is playing regularly for them, one of whom is a blue chip prospect and of the top defensive prospects outside the NHL.

Would be great if it was more, but right now it's about average.

Just because Howden plays for them doesn't mean the deal was worth it. Howden and Hajek are both pretty bad and Lundkvist isn't in the NHL yet. He looks great but nothing is guaranteed.