I simply don't understand the breakdown in the team's puck handling skills. Literally NOTHING is moving fast enough when the team has the puck. Passes aren't clean. If they're slightly off, the play fails completely. Tons of offsides. Tons of icings. Turnovers everywhere. For what this team's strengths are, it just makes no sense. None at all.
A couple of weeks before the playoffs started I stated that for a team to make it far in the playoffs, several intangibles need to come together at the right time.
One of those intangibles was to catch a hot streak. In a hot streak, a team is unusually uncanny at finding open men, making the right plays, being opportunistic, capitalizing, etc.
The Rangers have hit a cold streak. The best thing to do when you hit a cold streak is rest and replenish and enter the next game with as open of a mind as you can. Sometimes a fresh start is all you need. The schedule doesn't allow the Rangers to do that.
There is one more way for a team to get out of a cold streak on such short notice. The other team needs to give up momentum. I understand Fleury has limited us to under a 1 GA in the last 3 games, but if there's anyone that can give up loads of momentum up to another team, it is him.
Chances are slim. We are likely out. But those are the two ways to snap out of a cold streak (which encompasses frustration, sluggish playing, poor decision making, and overall incompetence) and the second one is not necessarily the most outlandish.
That being said. I'm even pessimistic about our outlook. It's not that I don't think we have a shot. It's that several of our players are in unexplainable funks that I don't think 2 days rest or even some luck momentum will snap them out of.
McDonagh, Girardi, Richards, Nash, MSL, Brassard, and Stepan are all simultaneously in a giant slump. Consequently, those are our best and most important players, too.
McDonagh is most likely playing through a shoulder injury. I don't think he's comfortable playing through the injury (not that anyone ever would be) but I think his discomfort is great enough for it to impede his decision making and focus (which are leading to the blatant footwork mistakes and giveaways).
Girardi is feeding off of that. He's slow to the loose puck and he's making some terrible decisions himself.
Richards should be bought out. Maybe he figures it out for another team but it's not working for this one. He's slow and what he thinks are "good shots" are actually pretty horrendous considering the time and the location he takes them from.
Nash is hot and cold. He's played 4 games (tops) with engagement and passion. That's 4 out of 11. Unacceptable. I don't care that he has the most shot attempts in the league this playoffs. Most of them haven't been the most quality. And when he gets quality chances, he can't find his spots. Call it what you want, he's not doing his job, and I can't see him scoring 11 goals in the next 3 to keep us in the playoffs.
What happened to MSL? Not like himself at all. He's not as fast as he was earlier in the season. Not shooting it as often. He doesn't even want to hold onto the puck for more than 2-3 seconds. Leads me to believe he is also injured. I've watched him for several years and this isn't the game he plays at all. This wasn't the game he was playing when he got here either - or even in the first half of the first round.
Brassard is hitting a rut right when we need him the most. He does this throughout the season. Disappearing act, then incredible hot streak, back down to disappearing act. He's hitting it at the exact wrong time.
Finally, Stepan. He's horrendous on face-offs. Can't shoot like he normally would. Can't skate like we're used to seeing him skate.
Doesn't look promising for the Rangers. Henrik has played so well this round too. As opposed to the last round where he was letting in some real head scratchers. I think he's been the backbone of the team this round, and the fact that they've even been in these games is a testament to his unbelievable ability. This is the level I think we all envision him playing on a consistent basis in the playoffs. If only every other player could reach this level, too.
