Out is October and in is November. The New York Rangers so far this month are 2-2-4 and sit in a tie for third place in the Metropolitan Division with the New Jersey Devils, who also have 18 points. The 7-6-4 Rangers are slowly getting their team back together with players coming off the disabled list and starting to evolve into the roster that was expected at the beginning of the year.
As far as the team’s progress at this point, it has been inconsistent at times. One night, they play like the Eastern Conference Champions of last year and pull out some big wins against some of the National Hockey League’s elite teams! On other nights.. well, the Rangers may not play a full 60-minute game and sit back against teams they are fully capable of dominating. The Blueshirts are struggling to find a consistent rhythm thusfar – be it a clear winning streak, protecting a lead, putting games away or even trying to finish one off. One can even say it has been hard for the Rangers to get the job done on most nights.
Rangers Fans Sound Off!
“I think they are very inconsistent” said Rangers fan PaulaGeraci. “But this attributes to the changes on the roster and being early in the season.”
17 games in, there has been plenty of new faces in and out of the Rangers lineup. It shouldn’t be a surprise to many fans, since losing some key players to free agency in the offseason put a dent in the chemistry. “[The Rangers] must improve on their consistency.” Albert Cardillo observed. “I expected a big step forward this year and haven’t seen it teamwise. Win one, then lose one isn’t going to cut it.” Steven James added, “The forwards have been firing generally but it’s the defense that has been hurt by injuries or suspensions. When you lose people like McDonagh, Boyle and John Moore, it takes a toll on the others who have to fill in.”
Considering the moves the team made with the roster, the Rangers first assigned forward Chris Mueller to the Hartford Wolfpack on November 8 to make room for Derek Stepan, the team’s unquestionable number one forward. So far this move paid dividends as Stepan made his presence known throughout the lineup and allows him to establish chemistry with linemate Rick Nash. So far, Stephan has four points in four games and is picking up from where he left off last year. It has made a world of difference for the Rangers all around.
Dan Boyle is a valuable key to NY Rangers’ chances of getting to championships.
Another guy the Rangers are glad to have back in the lineup is defensemen Dan Boyle. Boyle missed the last 14 games after blocking a shot with his hand in the season opener. He could provide the Rangers a spark on the power play, which continues to be the team’s biggest undoing. What else could you ask for from the guy who was successful for the past six years with the San Jose Sharks? He scored 12 goals and recorded 24 assists last season and put up 18 points as the power-play quarterback. He moves the puck well and plays sound defense, which is something that the Blueshirts would love to have because they are going to need it to be successful.
Christopher Bucenec stressed that Boyle is a defensive liability going forward. “There are several times he realized, even with a sizeable head start he wasn’t going to beat the opposing player to the puck” explained Bucenec. “[Boyle] managed to find other ways to deal with his defensive responsibilities. This will be a major problem after a long season.”
Considering Boyle’s age at 40, the Rangers should at least come up with a plan B. While it’s great to have Dan Boyle anchor the power-play, the problems still remain as the team often sticks with four forwards and one defenseman. This would result in a lot of breakaways at the blue line and possibly shorthanded goals. The power play is an area that continues to be brought up and the team has to find a way to fix the problems that have plagued them time and time again.
On the other hand, Bobby Bevilacqua feels that having both Stepan and Boyle really helps the Rangers. “Step adds depth at center and allows Martin St. Louis to play on the wing again” said Bevilacqua. “He’s got four points in four games and is very good on special teams. Boyle provides us solid defense. He can run the power-play, he’s not afraid to shoot, and moves the puck well. It’s very nice to have him back.”
The team awaits the return of captain Ryan McDonagh.
Regarding the acquisitions the team has made recently, defensemen Mike Kostka has played a lot better after his first game against the New York Islanders and racked up solid minutes. He has been sent down to Hartford to make room for Boyle, as Matt Hunwick is still the sixth man on defense until captain Ryan McDonagh comes back to the lineup.
The Rangers did call up forward Jesper Fast and sent down defensemen Connor Allen and forward Ryan Malone. The move for Allen was done to bring back John Moore and head coach Alain Vigneault opted to stick with Kostka and Hunwick until their big guns return. Malone, who was brought in for a professional tryout with the Rangers at the start of year, hasn’t really produced on the score sheet and only has 14 hits. Although he isn’t directly responsible on the score sheet, Malone has gelled on the fourth line with Dominic Moore and Tanner Glass and the club is 5-0-1 when Malone plays. The fans would seem to agree that Malone has played well when called upon. “I would like to know why Malone has been dog housed” said Bucenec. “He clearly is, based on his career, a better fourth line player and brings more to the table than Fast on such a line.” “I don’t get the whole move with Fast” said Geraci. “He contributes to nothing.” Fast played very well in Hartford since his demotion. He scored one goal and recorded eight assists in 11 games since rejoining the Wolf Pack. Fast chipped in a point in seven of his last eight games and also had a six game point-streak with the Rangers’ AHL affiliate. Since being called up, he hasn’t done much yet but he’s got to earn some minutes and feed into Vigneault’s system if he wants to stay up. So far, it’s best to not give your hopes up on Fast yet because of his play in Hartford. If Vigneault is confident in his decision to bring up the promising wingmen, then hopefully it’s a gamble that can pay off.
The fourth line, although they have been effective, really hasn’t shown the flash displayed by the Rangers last year when they played aggressive on the fore-check, chip in the occasional game changing goal and even shutting down the opposition’s biggest line.
Anthony Duclair, who has been a sensation out of training camp, has been a healthy scratch in the last three games. This decision is questionable because of his potential and what he has brought to the team with six points in 12 games so far this year. It’s understandable that he is young and seems to be locked with playing in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League but he is a gamer and he continues to get better and better on the ice game after game. This kid is the future and not playing him while he’s hot is a missed opportunity. “The demotions were kind of expected, except for Malone, although he could add something” said Cardillo. “J.T. Miller won’t make it here I think. They need to send Fast down and play Duclair.” One player who has been making the best of his stay in New York is Kevin Hayes. He has three straight games with a point. His second goal of the year came on November 13 in the shootout lost against the Colorado Avalanche. He’s been fun to watch since training camp and has been terrific at center. Despite struggling in the faceoff circle, which is another problem for the Rangers, Hayes has been brilliant in other areas of the ice. He’s shooting and passing the puck, he’s able to use his size to maintain possession and he’s making good decisions with the puck. This was a good move on Vigneault’s part.
Greg’s Final Say
Despite still being early in the year, the Rangers are still looking to establish chemistry and continue to feed in Vigneualt’s system. They have to play full 60 minute games regardless of who they play and continue to work on the areas that continue to hurt them. “The injuries so early on didn’t help the chemistry situation either” said Wendy Sclafani. “I feel they are still missing some pieces.” “They held their own with the injuries” said Cardillo. “But now it’s time to start winning consistently!” If the Rangers can show more jump in their game like they did on November 11th’s blowout against the Pittsburgh Penguins, then they have the potential to be a dangerous team and perhaps even better than the 2013-14 Eastern Conference Champions.
