R1, Game 5: Not With A Bang But A Whimper

Hours of separation has lessened the murderous rage that imbued my spirit after the Rangers ended their season with a 3-1 loss to Washington. In its place is only confusion.

How could the team - led by their coach - talk about being ready for the most important game of their campaign and then produce ... that? The Rangers had a chance to win the first four games of this series; they had no chance this afternoon. Many have raved about the team's resilience and never-say-die attitude over the course of this season and yet the team simply folded after falling in double overtime in Game 4. All the rhetoric in the world couldn't bring back a team that left their hearts on the Garden ice.

The Rangers team that showed up in the Phone Booth played scared of making mistakes, scared of taking penalties and - with a few exceptions - scared of laying it all on the line for what they clearly believed to be a lost cause.

There is much left to be written about this team in this space but that will come in the days and months henceforth; this will stick to the loss. And on that, notes:

*Losing this game was acceptable in the grand scale of things - the team is young and had no real place in the playoffs to begin with, so the experience for the core was gravy. But in the moment, all it brings is sadness and disgust. Seeing Henrik Lundqvist sitting on the bench in the final minutes - very clearly wearing his emotions on his sleeve - was heartbreaking.

*Chris Drury's main reasons to be in the lineup over a Whale were his faceoffs and penalty killing ability. He went 6-6 at the dot and stumbled around the Ranger end while Mike Green scored the first goal of the game. He actually fell in front of Staal, allowing Green to get his second swing at the puck. And, to boot, Drury was completely and utterly outplayed by Boyd Gordon. Let that sink in; Boyd Gordon. Said it many times before, Chris Drury is the worst captain in the NHL and the worst in Rangers franchise history.

*No Ranger will make it into the three stars below but several deserve recognition. Mike Sauer was stellar, Dan Girardi did all that he could do, Hank was Hank and Sean Avery was the best Ranger on the ice. Say what you like about Avery's penchant for going offsides, the occasional bad penalty or the lack of goals but Avery has been at his best in the biggest games. If he had any kind of chemistry with any of his teammates perhaps the production would be there too.

*Unless NBC/Versus mixed their audio differently than they did in MSG, no Caps fans, you weren't louder. Sorry. But that was fun.

*Marcus Johansson > Artem Anisimov. That being said, Arty had a rush in the third period that was his best play in the last month. It was a flash of the ability he showed earlier this season; it is shame that Cally's injury cost us Callahan, Anisimov and Dubinsky.

*Dubi was a complete nonfactor.

*Semin's goal was the kind of thing Marian Gaborik was supposed to be able to do. And nice of Mr. Softie to get caught flatfooted at the Caps blueline, allowing Semin to take off like a bat out of hell down the ice alone.

*Hobey saved his hardest slap shot for Mike Green's face, which worked out as it knocked Green out of the game. It was too bad the Blueshirts couldn't take advantage of his absence.

*Marc Staal has done yeoman's work this year as the top defenseman but what the hell was he doing with Ovechkin on the second goal? He laid a weak stick check and stopped moving his feet, allowing Ovie to blast by and score. There are good penalties and there are bad penalties and that was a time for a good penalty.

*Bryan McCabe ended up with 14 PIM thanks to the scrum with 32 seconds left. It was the most life that he showed since his goal against Philly.

*It's not how you start but how you finish: Brian Boyle closed with just one goal in his last 24 games on 74 shots, five of them in this game. And he had all of three assists during that span.

*How does the Professional Hockey Writers make Michal Neuvirth the top star of the game when he didn't even have to break a sweat? The Rangers stopped crashing his crease and allowed him to see every shot.

*PHW Three Stars
3-Brooks Laich - two assists.
2-Alex Ovechkin - one goal and one assist.
1-Michal Neuvirth - 26 saves.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-John Carlson - The rookie swatted the Rangers away like they were flies. Screw you Del Zotto.
2-Brooksie - It will be very interesting to see what kind of contract Laich lands this summer. He has been solid secondary scoring and a stable footsoldier when needed.
1-Ovie - He's good.

Scotty's Solutions Pt. 1

“I take full responsibility for where this team is right now. That’s incumbent with the position. My job is to correct this, get us wining, get us feeing better about ourselves. I look to be a solution. It’s as simple as that.” -- Tom Renney, 2/15/09

It is getting quite tiresome seeing the many failings of this team so how about we try to step into Renney's role and find some ways to win? For part 1, let's address the biggest issue, the power play.

The man advantage has only proven to give an advantage to opposing teams this season so it is time to shake it up. There is no way to impart a new philosophy than adding new people so here are the two units I recommend:

Unit 1

Prucha-Drury-Korpikoski

Zherdev-Staal

Unit 2

Sjostrom-Dubinsky-Orr

Naslund-Mara

The biggest change from the current philosophy is that both units use a talent forward at the point. Let's face it, they are no more defensive liabilities than Rozy or Redden currently are and they actually add a scoring threat. Not to mention that it is much easier to quarterback a power play from up high then it is on the halfboards (unless you are a monster like Jagr was).

Unit 1 Details: Earlier in the season Zherdev proved that he knows how to backcheck when he wants to and let's face it, he is the slickest stickhandler on the team. Having him up high would draw the penalty killers up high, leaving more room for the forwards to swarm around the paint and cause chaos. Drury has shown a willingness to pay the price in front and Prucha has never shied away from crashing the crease. We have yet to see what the Korpedo can do, but I would love to find out. Aside from being the unit's defensive conscience, Staal would be the safety valve if Z can't get the puck down low, especially with that heavy shot he has - he just would need to use it more often.

Unit 2 Details: I've been pushing for Orr on a power play unit since Christmastime. Let the big man loose and see what he can do - he is definitely an improvement on Voros. Dubi is Dubi; he is still learning what his size is capable of and he has pretty good hands. Sjostrom is relentless, fast and can help defensive coverage if Naslund was to slide in from the point. Naslund has lost a step but he still is a saavy player and has shown that he is money in the high slot. It might be easier for him to get there cycling from the point then from down low. And Mara has been the steadiest presence on the blueline in all three zones so if his stupid fight with Asham hasn't cost him his season, he should keep a spot on the power play.

Key Omissions: Gomez, Callahan, Rozy and Redden. Gomez carries the puck across the neutral zone like no other but his little curl and dump garbage is a joke. He doesn't have the size, strength or shot of Jagr so his attempts to QB the power play from down low have been a complete failure. Cally is spectacular off of the rush ... once settled into the zone, notsomuch. Besides, keeping him on the bench would keep him energized to keep the opposition unsettled once they reach even strength. There is a good defenseman trapped inside Rozy. The Czech has shown flashes of it every now and again and he just needs to get the confidence back to be a top D all of the time. As for Redden, well, he doesn't belong in the NHL anymore, much less sitting on the point turning the puck over on a power play unit.

So what do you guys think?

11-5-1: Can't Run With The Kids

The Rangers went to a hockey game and a track meet broke out. The Blueshirts struggled to keep up with the young talent that Washington has done so well to stockpile. If not for that Swedish goaltender guy, they would have been blown out by the Caps, rather than falling just 3-1.

The most unfortunate thing that we are finding out about this team is that Henrik Lundqvist can't play on the power play. Yes, the lone Ranger goal tonight came with the man advantage but that was Tom Poti being Tom Poti by knocking in a goal on his own team. When the Rangers were gifted the perfect opportunity to at least force overtime with a power play in the waning minutes of the game, the special team was completely impotent - even when they went up 6-on-4 with Hank on the bench.

I have said that the Rangers record has been misleading and I am sadly being proven right. Don't be fooled by the trouncing of Tampa they other night, this is not a top flight team in Broadway. Most of the pieces may be there, but they aren't playing like it.

*The lone exception of that being Hank. His save on the wide-open Ovechkin in the slot was fantastic and seeing Ovie celebrating prematurely, then sitting there on the ice in shock was even better.

*You would think that having Hank mean so very much to the fortunes of the team, they would return the favour and protect him but they don't. In this one he was viciously ran twice and there was absolutely no retribution.

*Speaking of that, this goes back to the last game - without the instigator penalty and with the tighter calling of the rules, there is no protection for goaltenders. Tom Renney holds a tight rein on their physical play and will not allow his team to play tough, especially if it could result in a game misconduct. After Hank got knocked over, the first thing the Rangers should have done was run Johnson. When Voros finally made contact with Johnson, it was late in the period and it was Johnson's fault, as he was out of the crease. Unlike the power play, the Rangers penalty kill has been stellar so there should be little apprehension when it comes to sending a message. Too bad that isn't how Renney operates ...

*One guy who has continued to play tough has been Ryan Callahan, but the kid has to get more confidence in his shot. He too often defers to his linemates and he had a good first period break broken up by trying to feed Scott Gomez - who can't seem to score nowadays anyway, even if the puck had made it across the ice to him. He played 24 minutes, more than any other player in the game, and had just one shot on net. And he is getting paid how much?

*Chris Drury put in a hat trick against the Bolts so you would think it would have done wonders for his confidence but his half-assed attempt at the penalty shot was shameful. He barely made a deke and didn't seem to see Johnson coming as he reached out with the poke check.

*It is pathetic that the officiating is playing such a big part in deciding most every game nowadays. How Alex Semin was not called for goaltender interference when he made absolutely no attempt to avoid the goaltender is beyond me - the refs have called it on the Rangers for even less contact several times this season. Had Semin been sent to the box, then Poti would not have had a chance to score what would have been the game-winner. I don't ask for the officiating to work for the Rangers, I just ask that they do their job.

*Interesting stat of the game? Brandon Dubinsky went 1-12 at the faceoff dot. What happened to this kid? Is he broken up that his governor didn't make it to the White House?

*As frustrating as watching this loss was, it is a lot better than what the Islanders' five fans are struggling through. They stink. They've blown leads in four of their last five games to lose. Painful and pathetic. I almost feel bad for them. Almost. (Not really.)

*How is it that on a team with Gomez, Drury, Markus Naslund and Nik Zherdev that the best scoring chance that the Rangers got was by Colton Orr?

*PHW Three Stars
3-Boyd Gordon - one assist.
2-Henrik Lundqvist - 25 saves.
1-Brent Johnson - 28 saves.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-Hank - He managed to keep his head and keep the Rangers in the game despite getting hit twice and getting screwed on both Caps goals.
2-Alex Ovechkin - It didn't matter that Ovechkin didn't get on the scoresheet because he did everything else. He was a constant threat, he laid down big hits and he probably saved a goal by hooking Drury on that shorthanded breakaway.
1-Alex Semin - The other Alex had a goal, an assist, and a good hit on the goaltender that he got away with. That's like a Sean Avery Hat Trick or something.

While I Am At It ...

I just got up in arms over what Wyshy wrote about the Smith slash and I want to also say something to everyone who is praising the Ranger power play.

I wouldn't start patting Perry Pearn on the back just yet. The pp went 3-8, with one coming on a five on three. The other two came on the rush with the late man getting the feed. The other teams that have played the Rangers tough have taken that late man out of the play, even on the kill. Tampa sucks, they just aren't coached well enough to figure that out. The power play unit also blew another five-on-three (when Malik took his second bad penalty of the game). They pretty much stood in their spots in the Lightning zone waiting for Jaromir Jagr to come back from the Czech Republic to take the shot. He didn't, and Tampa's mediocre PK (79.4%) killed a two minute two man disadvantage. Weak ...

Washington will prove to be a tougher test for the Rangers as they have a better kill (82.1%). They are also unbeaten during regulation at home this season so the Blueshirts had better step up their game in the capital city on Saturday night.

(Did you like that last bit? If so, vote in the poll to the right and confirm that you want more previews (that will be much more detailed) here on the blog. The poll closes tomorrow so vote!)

Scotty Hockey Power Company

Of all of the major flaws with the Rangers, the biggest one that hurt them over the course of the season - outside of consistency - was the power play. Despite having weapons that would have impressed Patton (the general, not the singer), it scored at a meager 16.5% pace: good for 22nd in the league. That number - believe it or not - actually went up in the playoffs, to a whopping 16.7%. Wow, right?

Those numbers simply are not good enough.

Now how about 21.4%? That's better and was the regular season power play for the Hartford Wolf Pack. (Unfortunately, that number also is attached to 8.3%, the pitiful playoff success rate of the special team for the AHL squad, but we will ignore that). Now how does the Pack's success translate to the Rangers and next season?

I'll be honest: I saw the Pack play just twice this year on tv. Very disappointing but Hartford is a long ways away from me and MetroNorth doesn't go there so I can't say that they did right and what they did wrong. I know they loaded the special team with skill guys like P.A. Paranteau and Andrew Hutchinson who could deftly move the puck and were willing and able to shoot. They also had no problem with putting Dane Byers and Huge Bust, I mean Hugh Jessiman, out there to work the paint.

Tom Renney and company were quick to talk about not rushing prospects and how letting them spend time in the minors would allow them to learn the Rangers system. So how in the world did the prospects learn and execute the system better than the Blueshirts? Just what was wrong on Broadway, and how can it be fixed? Let's take a look:

*Assistant coach Perry Pearn stood up at a Ranger Season Ticket Subscriber forum and admitted that he was the coach responsible for the power play. Whether he wrote up the plan that didn't work or couldn't get the players to buy into it, he should be held accountable. Hopefully Florida will take him, because you can be pretty damn sure he won't be canned in Dolan's 'what are you talking about? Isiah was the man!' organization. So if/when he goes, the team should try someone new. I don't think that Ken Gernander is the fix (although he is a personal favourite of mine) so start combing the desert to find fresh ideas. Renney loves the WHL so why not give Spokane's Bill Peters or Tri-City's Don Nachbaur (the WHL coach of the year) a try?

*The power play essentially kneeled before Jaromir Jagr. As he lost a step and some zing off of his wrister, the predictable plan of attack was easily read and stopped. Allowing him to control the power play buried on the boards limited the amount of ice the power play could use. If he comes back (and it looks like he will), you fix it by ignoring the C on his jersey and forgetting his reputation; use him as you would any other winger.

*Get a power play quarterback. Rozy sure as hell wasn't it. Neither was Marty Straka (more on him in a bit). Get a bonafide puck mover/big gun to run the special team from the point. In theory you have a ton of room to work with from the blue line in so the team needs to stop getting itself caught in the corner trying to force passes and shots through defenders who know what is coming. Now Bobby Sanguinetti may hold that role in the future but someone has to step in for next year. Give Hutch a try; if you don't trust his defensive acumen, then put him on the third pairing. Mighty midgets Tobias Enstrom and Corey Murphy both did solid point work in Atlanta and Florida respectively and they can't play a lick of defense.

*Don't let the defenders know what is coming. The Rangers power play rarely cycled and - as I and everyone else mentioned - was exceedingly, stupefyingly, shockingly predictable. Turn on the playoffs; Philly (RIP), Detroit and Pittsburgh were 2, 3 and 4 in the league on the power play respectively and they don't stand still for minutes at a time.

*Put hungry players out there. For all of their many good qualities, Straka and Brendan Shanahan did not play hungry. Straka was the first to defer to Jagr and Shanny too often looked like late-career Brett Hull out there: 'Hey, I can shoot, pass me the puck. I can't stickhandle around many people anymore so I won't try. I'm old and slow so I won't really move to much. But pass me the puck! I can shoot!' Petr Prucha had 16 power play goals his rookie year and saw virtually no time on the power play this season. When he did, he was on the far side from Jagr and few passes made it through the crowd in front across to him. That has to change for next year if he is still going to be on the squad. The kid is a Timex, he "Takes a Licking and Keeps on Ticking" (did you know they dropped that tag line?!? stupid company), and he has to serve some purpose if he is to hold a roster spot.

Of course, many of these things were said over the course of the year but, after watching the Rangers go one for 18 in their four losses to the Pens, its blatantly apparent to even the blind (Sather) that some change has to be made. Because, let's face it, if the power play was more successful we would be preparing for the Cup Finals right now instead of watching Cindy's squad get a chance at Stanley ...