From October through December of this season, the New York Rangers had the number one power play in the NHL at 30.9%. Since then, they have the 6th worst power play at 16.0%. Among playoff teams, only the Philadelphia Flyers (15.7%) and the Vegas Golden Knights (13.8%) are worse.
For a team that isn't exactly known for its 5v5 play, that's a non-starter. Put succinctly, the Rangers have no shot at a deep run in the playoffs if they can't score with the man advantage. So what happened? Why has one of the most potent power plays in the league gone ice cold over the last two months?
Last season, Mika Zibanejad scored 39 goals; 20 of them coming on the power play. He was the team leader in both categories. The year before that he had 29 goals and 15 power play tallies. Only Chris Kreider - 52 and 26 respectively - had more. This season, Zibanejad has struggled both at even strength and with the man advantage. He has only 19 goals, 9 on the power play.
With all the talk about Zibanejad's lack of production at even strength - his last 5v5 goal came against the Buffalo Sabres at the Garden on December 23 - it's his lack of production on the power play that has been the biggest mystery. His signature one-timer from the left face off circle has been off. When it isn't being blocked, it's missing the net altogether. And because the Rangers have become so dependent on that one-timer, when it doesn't connect, the power play struggles. In short, the Rangers don't have a Plan B when their Plan A doesn't work.
Head coach Peter Laviolette has been patient to a fault. His reluctance to replace Zibanejad on the first power play unit has only made a bad situation worse. And while no one can fault him for having faith in his players, especially with the team going 10-1 in February, that misplaced loyalty could prove costly in March, where the Rangers play 10 games against playoff caliber teams. One of those teams - the Toronto Maple Leafs - beat them 4-3 in a shoot out on Saturday. The Rangers went 0-3 on the power play against one of the worst penalty kill teams in the league. Only a goal by Vincent Trocheck with 1:07 left and the goalie pulled allowed the Blueshirts to come away with a point.
They are not going to be so lucky against the likes of the Florida Panthers - who they play twice - the Carolina Hurricanes, the Boston Bruins, the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Winnipeg Jets, the Flyers or the Colorado Avalanche. With the exception of the Flyers, every one of those teams are legitimate Stanley Cup contenders. If the Rangers can't get their power play going, their hopes of holding onto first place in the Metropolitan division, not to mention their Cup aspirations, will go up in smoke.
It is time for Laviolette to show some tough love; it is time for him to hold one of the leaders of this team accountable. More importantly, it's time for him to reward a player who has done everything the coaching staff has asked of him. In his fourth season in the NHL, Alexis Lafreniere is finally coming into his own. He had one of his best games of the season in Toronto with a goal and two assists. His 16 even-strength goals are 3rd on the team, and his two power play goals lead all players not on the first unit. If anyone deserves a promotion, it is him.
Swapping Zibanejad for Lafreniere makes sense. He's already playing with Trocheck and Artemi Panarin, so the three are familiar with each other. And Laviolette would be sending a very important and powerful message to his players: the team comes first. His predecessor Gerard Gallant sometimes had a problem with that, and the result was an early exit last Spring. If Laviolette wishes to avoid a repeat performance, he needs to act now before it's too late.
No one knows when, or if, Zibanejad will snap out of his funk. His resume suggests he will. But let's be honest: if he doesn't come around, if that one-timer of his continues to misfire, Chris Drury can resurrect the spirit of Guy Lafleur at the trade deadline; it won't make a difference. As great a season as Panarin is having, he can't will this team to a Cup all by himself. He needs help.
In the end, Number 93 has got to hold up his end.
No comments:
Post a Comment