Rangers Get Just Enough

Gerard Gallant had seen enough. Through the first two games of this best of seven series with the Carolina Hurricanes, his team had managed just one goal. At the rate things were going, the Rangers were looking at a four-game sweep. Clearly something had to be done. So he shook up his top three lines. The new lines were as follows: Mika Zibanejad centering Chris Kreider and Filip Chytil; Ryan Strome centering Artemi Panarin and Kaapo Kakko; and Andrew Copp centering Alexis Lafreniere and Frank Vatrano.

An offensive onslaught it wasn't. But then in a series where goals have been as rare as an honest salesman in a used-car lot, anything was better than nothing. The Rangers skated with authority, took more chances in the offensive zone and, yes, surrendered more than their fair share of chances the other way. Thru two periods, the Hurricanes outshot the Blueshirts 35-23. But Igor Shesterkin stood tall in net, stopping all but one, while Zibanejad scored a power play goal in the first and Kreider padded the lead early in the second to give New York its first two goal lead of the series. An empty netter by Tyler Motte late in the third sealed the deal.

We now have a series; a series that will test the Rangers mettle in ways they could only imagine. Before the series began, I wrote that the Hurricanes were the worst possible matchup for this team. Well they played what was arguably their best game of the playoffs and they still needed everyone of Shesterkin's 43 saves to preserve the win. Things will only get tougher from here on out, you can count on that.

This is the assignment the Rangers have drawn; a seemingly impossible assignment, but one they seem more than eager to take on. And if they somehow manage to tie this series on Tuesday, they will at the very least succeed in forcing the Canes to defend their home ice advantage. Of course, should they lose, they face the dire prospect of going home for the season on Thursday.

To have any chance at advancing to the conference finals, the Rangers MUST win the special teams battle. Apart from Shesterkin, it's the one area in which they enjoy an advantage. Throughout the regular season, they posted the fourth best power play in the NHL, while the Hurricanes were only the thirteenth best. So far, Carolina has been a woeful 0 for 7 in this series and 5 for 43 overall in the postseason. If the Rangers can covert with the extra man, they will have a fighting chance.

And if the Hurricanes try and goad the Rangers into physical altercations, as both Max Domi and Tony DeAngelo did at the end of game three, that will only be playing into the Rangers hands. The Canes maybe the faster team in this series, but they are clearly not the bigger one. I doubt Rod Brind'Amour would be dumb enough to allow that, but in the event he does or can't stop it, expect Gerard Gallant to say, "Thank you."

This season has been full of surprises. If the Rangers can pull off a few more, who knows where they might end up?

Playing Not To Lose Is No Way To Win

Well at least Igor Shesterkin's save percentage is looking good. In the first two games of the Rangers' best of seven series against the Carolina Hurricanes, the presumptive Vezina trophy winner has a .923 and a .952 save percentage respectively.

That was pretty much it for the good news. In six periods of hockey, the Rangers have managed to score exactly one goal and generate a total of eight high-percentage scoring chances. To put that in perspective, in the first two games of the Pittsburgh Penguins series, the Rangers scored eight goals and generated twenty-two high-percentage scoring chances. 

So what's responsible for the power outage? Certainly the opponent has had something to do with it. Let's face it, despite the marque talent on their roster, the Pens aren't exactly the defensive stalwarts the Canes are. Head coach Rod Brind'Amour has his team firing on all cylinders. As I wrote in an earlier piece, "they are a better, younger version of last year's Islanders."

But there might be another reason for why the Rangers offense has been so anemic in this series, and it may have something to do with the results of their four regular season meetings. If you recall, the Blueshirts went 1-3 against Carolina; their lone win was a 2-0 shutout, courtesy of Alexandar Georgiev stopping 44 shots. But it was their first meeting back in January in which the Hurricanes ran circles around them on their way to a 6-3 rout that might be screwing with their heads at this moment. It is quite possible that the coaching staff and players have concluded that the best chance they have of winning this series, or at least avoiding getting embarrassed, is to play risk free hockey, capitalize on the rare mistake, and let Igor do his thing.

For 57 and a half minutes in game one, that strategy looked as if it might work. Alexis Lafreniere intercepted a Tony DeAngelo errant pass, skated into the offensive zone and fed Filip Chytil for the one timer. 1-0 Rangers after one. And it stayed that way until the third when Sebastian Aho picked up his own rebound and put it past Shesterkin at 17:37 to tie the game. We all know what happened in OT, so let's not rehash that.

The bottom line is that the Rangers find themselves in an 0-2 hole because they've talked themselves into believing that if they open things up against a team as quick as the Hurricanes, they'll be sliced to ribbons. That might be the case, but putting a leash on players like Mika Zibanejad, Adam Fox, Chris Kreider and Artemi Panarin is the equivalent of hoisting up a white flag. You get no brownie points for losing 2-1 and 2-0. Playing not to lose virtually guarantees you will. Ask any football coach what employing the prevent defense did for his team. The annals of sports history are replete with examples of over cautious teams that thought they could run out the clock on their opponents. Few, if any, succeeded.

When the Rangers take the ice Sunday afternoon for game three of this series, they must do everything within their power to generate some offense. If that means that head coach Gerard Gallant has to mix up his lines to do so, then do it. For a team with this much firepower to be held to only one goal after two games is unacceptable. That the Kid line is the only line generating anything resembling a forecheck in this seres is something that should raise eyebrows within the dressing room.

Panarin spoke of not wanting to do "some stupid shit" with the puck, but there is a huge difference between being reckless with the puck and being timid. And right now, Panarin and his line mates look timid. Worse, they look indecisive. That was painfully obvious during a four-minute power play late in the second period, when Fox, pinching to try and keep the puck in the offensive zone, got caught on an odd-man rush that resulted in a short-handed goal by, of all people, Brendan Smith: the only Ranger who stood up to Tom Wilson last year. Irony abounds.

If the Rangers have any hope of getting back into this series, Panarin must be the player he was during the regular season when he finished fourth in the NHL in assists. When he's on his game, he's one of the best playmakers in the league. Is there a risk that one of those cross-ice passes could wind up in the back of their own net? Of course there is. But the Rangers aren't paying him $11 million a year to play like Tyler Motte or Barclay Goodrow, and asking him to do so now, with the season on the line, makes absolutely no sense.

If this is some sort of master plan by Gallant and company to lull the Hurricanes into a false sense of security, it isn't working. Brind'Amour could care less whether his team wins 2-1 or 5-4. A win is a win. To borrow a baseball parlance, they all look like line drives in the box score.

Look, the Rangers are who they are. It's the reason they won 52 games during the regular season and it's also the reason they were able to beat the Penguins in the first round. Should they go down swinging against an admittedly superior Hurricanes team, they can at least hold their heads up high knowing they gave it their best shot. But if they go out with a whimper, the way they've done so far in these first two games, it could have long-lasting repercussions for the core of this team. Chris Drury is trying to mold the Rangers into the image of the Tampa Bay Lightning. But before the Lightning could learn how to win, they had to first learn how to lose. Before they stopped doing "some stupid shit" with the puck they first had to do "some stupid shit" with the puck.

Translation, Gallant has to let his players off the leash. Will it work? Probably not. Sadly, the Hurricanes are just too good. But it will give the fans something to cheer for these next two games at the Garden. Who knows, if they can get the power play going, maybe they can extend the series to six games. Absent that, we're looking at a four-game sweep with the boo birds out in full force Tuesday evening.

Before we got married, my wife had this plaque that hung on her bedroom wall that read, "Ships are safe in the harbor, but ships were never meant to stay in the harbor."

Words to live - or die - by.

NHL Playoff Preview (Second Round)

With round one now complete, the second round starts Tuesday with four series: two in each conference. Before we get to them, though, let's review what happened in the last round.

I went seven for eight, the only miss being the Minnesota Wild. While I thought that series would go the distance, I expected the Wild to emerge on top. I also didn't think the Dallas Stars would extend the Calgary Flames out to seven games before finally succumbing in overtime. Either Stars goalie Jake Oettinger is much better than his stats indicate, or the Flames aren't quite as good as the experts thought.

One thing that stood out was how many game sevens there were: five in all. In fact, the only series that wasn't remotely competitive was the one between the Colorado Avalanche and Nashville Predators. The Avs dispatched the Preds in four straight. That may not necessarily help them against their next opponent as they've been idle since May 9, but we'll see.

Like the last round, I will start with the matchup involving my Rangers and will continue to do so as long as they are in the playoffs. Let's hope both they and I stay hot.

Eastern Conference:

Carolina vs. New York: Both these teams took the full seven games to defeat their first round opponents. What was striking was how the Hurricanes did it. They went 4-0 at home and 0-3 on the road against the Boston Bruins. It's unusual to see such results given how tight this conference was during the regular season. Even more unusual was the margin of victory in each of the games. With the exception of game seven, there wasn't a single game in the series that wasn't decided by two goals or more. The Canes won their contests 5-1, 5-2, 5-1 and 3-2; while the Bruins won theirs 4-2, 5-2 and 5-2. By contrast, the Rangers series against the Pittsburgh Penguins was considerably closer. Only one rout, two overtime decisions and four empty net goals in three games, padding what would've been one-goal margin of victories. Bottom line: the Rangers / Pens series was far more exciting to watch.

So how do these teams measure up against each other? I won't soft soap it: the Hurricanes, despite being extended by the Bruins, are the worst possible matchup for the Rangers. It isn't just that they went 1-3 against them in the regular season, with the lone win owed entirely to Alexandar Georgiev having the best game of his life in goal. It's that their style of play has historically given them fits for years. Against the Pens they at least had some room to create in the offensive zone; the Canes smothering defense will take away even that.

The one advantage the Blueshirts have - and it's massive - is in goal. Everyone who opted to vote for Auston Matthews over Igor Shesterkin for the Hart trophy must feel pretty stupid right about now, given that Matthews is home and Igor is still playing hockey. Without Shesterkin between the pipes, the Pens, not the Rangers, would be opening up Wednesday night in Raleigh.

Mika Zibanejad had the best two games of his Rangers career in games six and seven. He will have to replicate that over a full seven games against an opponent that is both deep and talented. The Canes employ the same type of stick-in-the-lane defense that the Islanders are notorious for, only they do it better. There's only one way to beat it - assuming it can be beat - and that is by driving to the net and getting as many shots on goal as possible. The Bruins accomplished that three times, but failed in their fourth attempt. This incessant need to pass up a good shot to get a better one almost cost them against the Pens; it has stop now. When the Rangers have a scoring opportunity they must capitalize on it. And when the Canes have the puck, the Rangers must do a much better job in front of their goal than they did against the Pens. Shesterkin might be able to steal one or two games, but he can't steal four. He will need some help from his teammates.

The heart says Rangers in seven; the head says otherwise. Hurricanes in six.

Florida vs. Tampa Bay: The Lightning beat the Maple Leafs in seven, while the Puddy Tats needed six to dispatch the Capitals. That by itself should be all you need to pick the winner of this series. However, if Brayden Point, injured in game seven of the Leafs series, is unable to play or is hobbled, that changes everything. Assuming he only misses the first two games, it shouldn't matter that much. The Lightning have the experience, the defense and the goaltending to overcome the Panthers' vaunted offense. Bolts in seven.

Western Conference:

Colorado vs. St. Louis: The Blues have nine 20 plus goal scorers on their roster. That's called depth and they will need every bit of that depth against an Avalanche team that seems poised to go through the postseason tournament the way crap goes through a goose. The only potential road block might be the play of Blues goalie Jordan Binnington, who went 3-0 against the Wild and has regained the form that helped St. Louis win the Cup in 2019. Avs in seven.

Calgary vs. Edmonton: The Battle of Alberta. These two teams haven't met in the playoffs since 1991, the last season Mark Messier was an Oiler. The Oilers won that series 4-3. Thirty-one years later, the Flames hope to return the favor. They are, at least on paper, the superior team, with the better goaltender, even if Connor McDavid is the best player in the series. Edmonton did something no-one thought they were capable of doing: play a defensive system in beating the Kings; and Calgary surprised a lot of people by barely beating a team that had no business hanging around as long as it did. Oilers in seven.

As with all my picks, don't go bettin' the ranch on them.

7th Heaven

For the first time since 2017, the New York Rangers won a playoff series. And for the third time in eight years, they overcame a 3-1 series deficit to do it. A power play goal at 4:46 of overtime by Artemi Panarin, who despite his six points looked lost in this series, sealed the deal.

Make no mistake about it, the Pittsburgh Penguins were the better team throughout a good chunk of this series. After getting a split at the Garden in the first two games, they successfully chased Vezina trophy finalist Igor Shesterkin in games three and four, and led by two goals in games five and six and one goal twice in game seven before the Rangers mounted their comebacks. 

The low point was a 7-2 rout in game four, in which their coach Gerard Gallant accused them of playing "soft." The Rangers would never lose another game. The most resilient team in the NHL this season became the first team to post three consecutive come from behind wins while facing elimination in the same series.

But while game seven may have seemed like a given, it was anything but. The Rangers trailed 3-2 late in the third, and unlike the previous two games, there was no indication that they had anything left in their tank to mount another comeback. In fact, had it not been for Shesterkin standing on his head, the Pens would now be on their way to Carolina to face the Hurricanes.

Gallant did everything he could to jumpstart his team, going so far as to shake up his top two lines. He put Andrew Copp, Alexis Lafreniere and Mika Zibanaejad together and the combination finally came through. With less than five minutes remaining in their season, Copp out muscled a Penguins defender along the boards and fed Zibanejad for the game-tying goal. The Pens accused Lafreniere of "intentionally" pulling off defenseman Marcus Pettersson's helmet prior to the goal, but like the accusation that Jacob Trouba deliberately injured Sidney Crosby, it was just a lame excuse to try and justify yet another postseason failure. The fact is that since 2019, Pittsburgh has failed to advance past the first round. If coach Mike Sullivan is looking for a scapegoat, he and his team should look in the mirror.

So how did the Rangers pull off this most improbable comeback? 

Igor Shesterkin settled down after his less than inspiring performance in games three and four. Indeed, the team MVP saved 217 of 232 shots for a .935 save percentage in games one, two, five, six and seven. And since the game one triple OT loss, he has not allow a goal after the second period. Penguins fans may have had some fun serenading Shesterkin earlier in the series, but in the end, it was Shesterkin who got the last laugh.

Mika Zibanejad finally woke up. Going into game six, the all-star center had only four points - all assists - yet recorded three goals and seven points in the final two contests. I've watched Zibanejad since his arrival from the Ottawa Senators prior to the 2016-17 season and this was, by far, the best I've seen him play. Any doubts some may have had about the contract extension Chris Drury gave him hopefully have been put to rest. With all the hoopla surrounding Crosby, it was Zibanejad who came through when his team needed him most.

The return of Ryan Lindgren and Tyler Motte. Since Barclay Goodrow and Lindgren both went down in game one, the Rangers have had problems in the own end. While Goodrow's status remains week to week, the return of Lindgren in game five, followed by Motte - who was injured, ironically, against the Pens earlier in the season - in game six, has given this team the lift it so badly needed. Both will be invaluable against the Hurricanes.

Gerard Gallant pushed all the right buttons. In addition to mixing up his lines, the Rangers' coach called a timeout at the beginning of the overtime power play in game seven that gave his number one unit the rest it needed to stay on for the full two minutes. Without that timeout, Panarin likely would not have scored the series clincher and who knows what might've happened. But even before that, his calm and steady demeanor throughout this series allowed his team to stay focused even when they weren't playing well. I never want to hear a peep from anybody again about this man's ability to motivate his players. This team has grown leaps and bounds since David Quinn was sent packing.

So, round one is in the books. Round two begins Wednesday. I will unveil my predictions for all eight of the remaining teams in my next piece. Not to toot my own horn, but I got seven out of eight correct in the last round. Almost as good as Shesterkin.

Rangers Shouldn't Count Their Chickens Just Yet.

Things couldn't have been going any better for the 1991-92 New York Rangers. They had won the President's trophy and defeated the New Jersey Devils 4-3 in the divisional semifinals. Now they were looking to do the same to the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins in the divisional finals. 

They were ahead 4-2 midway through the third period of game four and were on the verge of taking a 3-1 stranglehold lead in the series, when at 10:37, Ron Francis, from just outside the blue line, wound up and took a slap shot that flew past Mike Richter to trim the lead to 4-3. The crowd came alive, and a little over a minute later, Troy Loney tied the score. The Pens eventually won the game in overtime and took the series 4-2.

But the most crushing thing about that defeat, apart from the fact that once more the Rangers failed in their quest to capture the allusive Cup, was that the best player in the NHL that season, Mario Lemieux, was injured by a slash from Adam Graves in game two and missed the rest of the series. It's bad enough losing, but to lose to a team whose best player is unable to play, well that really stings. The moral of the story is don't assume anything.

No doubt the Rangers are relieved that Sidney Crosby will not be playing in tonight's game, courtesy of a Jacob Trouba hit that, despite what the Pittsburgh press is saying, was perfectly legal. I've been watching Trouba play for three years now, and let's just say that if Trouba really wanted to hurt Crosby, Crosby would've been carried off on a stretcher. It's time to move on, guys.

But if I'm the Rangers, I wouldn't be making any plans for a game seven at the Garden on Sunday. For starters, while Crosby has lit up the Blueshirts in this series, he is NOT the principle reason why they find themselves on the verge of elimination. Yes, their defense has been putrid, especially in game four, where they humiliated themselves. The two biggest reasons why they are in this predicament is 1) They have been unable to sustain a consistent forecheck against the Penguins, which has hampered their ability to generate offense; and 2) Their Vezina trophy finalist goaltender Igor Shesterkin, since game two, simply hasn't played up to his billing.

Regarding #2, there's no gentle way to put this. Anything other than a stellar performance in game six and it won't much matter who dresses for Pittsburgh. The Rangers season will be over. Come hell or high water, Igor must be Igor.

Regarding #1, this has been the most frustrating aspect of this series to watch. When the Rangers have been able to successfully establish a forecheck, the Penguins have had no answer. Put succinctly, when the Rangers turn on the spigot, Pittsburgh can't seem to turn it off.

Witness the first period in game one, the second period in both games two and three, and that three minute stretch in the second period of game five. Once pinned in their own end, the Pens have been unable to get out of their own zone without giving up successive scoring chances, some of which have wound up in the back of their net. With a few notable exceptions, the Penguins have gotten their goals from either odd-man rushes, deflections or transition plays. In short, Pittsburgh has been the quicker team, but not necessarily the better team in this series.

So how do the Rangers solve this problem? Well, let's be optimistic and assume that Igor regains his form tonight. The first thing that has to happen is the Rangers need to stop those long breakout passes they've been attempting. Pittsburgh's forwards are stepping up and intercepting them before they get to their blue line. This has led to several odd-man rushes that have led to goals. To get around this, the Rangers must attempt shorter passes through the neutral zone and then once across the red line, dump the puck in and chase it.

I know this strategy doesn't sit well with players like Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad, but like it or not, this is the playoffs and adjustments have to be made. The reason the Kid line of Filip Chytil, Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafreniere has been so successful is because they've been dumping the puck in and - surprise, surprise - successfully retrieving it. In fact, they've been giving the Pens fits the entire series. It would behoove Panarin and Zibanejad - who has been abysmal this series - to watch and learn. Who cares how you gain the offensive zone so long as you get possession of the puck?

But even if they do alter their style of play, the other thing that has to happen is that once they get a scoring chance they have to capitalize on it. Throughout the entire series, the Rangers have played musical chairs with the puck; passing up good shots to get the proverbial better one. In the first overtime period of game one, Adam Fox had the puck ten feet out from the Pittsburgh goal, and rather than shoot it, decided to pass it to Ryan Strome who, clearly not expecting the pass, flubbed the shot.

While that may be the most egregious example of their overpassing tendencies, it is emblematic of a flaw that has afflicted them throughout the regular season and now threatens their postseason aspirations. It undoubtedly was the reason they were unable to score on three consecutive power play opportunities in game three, when just one conversion might well have gotten them a win. Whether committed by Fox, Panarin or Zibanaejad, this reluctance by the Rangers to take what the defense is giving them is making Louis Domingue's life a lot more bearable than it should be. The third-string goalie has managed to win three playoff games so far and, despite some major flaws in his technique, is in position to win the first postseason series of his career. 

And if the Rangers let that happen, it will haunt them the entire offseason. 

Soft Served

Before I skewer the Rangers, I wanted to say a few words about the dismissal of Barry Trotz. While the news took a lot of people by surprise, if you examine the history of Lou Lamoriello, it really fits a pattern. In his 28 year run as President and GM of the New Jersey Devils, he fired eleven coaches, three of whom won Stanley Cups for him. Stability and loyalty are not part of his vocabulary.

But while Lamoriello certainly has the right to fire anyone he wants, Trotz was not to blame for what happened to the Islanders. The culprit here is Lou himself. As I wrote last month, "there is a staggering dearth of elite-level talent on the roster." Seriously, take away Brock Nelson, Anders Lee and Mathew Barzal and you've got the Arizona Coyotes. If anything, Trotz probably got more out of this bunch than most coaches would've been able to get. Good luck replacing him.

Now onto what happened last night in Pittsburgh.

The good news for the Rangers? They scored the first goal of the game. The bad news for the Rangers? The Penguins scored seven of the next eight.

This was a total embarrassment. Larry Brooks of The New York Post, summed it up best. The Rangers "dishonored themselves with a humiliating effort." This is eerily starting to look like a repeat of the 2016 series against the Penguins: a split in the first two games, followed by three woeful losses in which the Blueshirts were outscored 14-4.

Gerard Gallant said his team was "soft all over the ice," and called the 7-2 loss "a team effort." Somehow that word "effort" seems strangely out of place given what we witnessed on the ice. If anything, it was disheartening to watch athletes who get paid a lot of money phoning it in like this.

How bad was it? Of the five goals the Penguins scored in the second period, four of them came in under a minute: two in a span of 24 seconds at the start of the period, and two in a span of 35 seconds to close out the period. Four goals were deflections that took place without a single Ranger anywhere in sight; two directly from face-offs in the defensive zone that were cleanly won by the Pens. Igor Shesterkin should sue for abandonment.

The Penguins were allowed to skate into the defensive zone virtually unimpeded. Sidney Crosby, who was fairly contained in game three, put on a clinic in game four. When the Rangers did have the puck, which wasn't long, they were unable to establish, much less sustain, a viable forecheck. And for the second consecutive game they lost the special teams battle.

I don't wanna hear anything about playoff inexperience, or about how this team is still one of the youngest in the NHL. Artemi Panarin is 30, as is Chris Kreider; Mika Zibanejad and Ryan Strome are both 28; and Andrew Copp, Frank Vatrano and Jacob Trouba are all 27. By any standard that is hardly young. They, along with Adam Fox (23), might as well have been in the witness protection program for all the good they did last night. Indeed, the only players who put in even a modicum of effort was the kid line of Filip Chytil, Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafreniere. It was, by far and away, Gallant's most effective line all night.

I have been a fan of this team since I was ten years old and I have never seen a lay down like this. Not even the four game sweep at the hands of the Devils in '06 comes close. That team at least had an excuse: Jaromir Jagr injured his shoulder in game one and was never the same afterwards. This team, apart from Ryan Lindgren and Barclay Goodrow, is fully healthy. They have no excuse for the way they played last night. Frankly, I was embarrassed by what I saw. Every player in that locker room should be ashamed of himself.

Consider that of the seven series that were 2-1 going into game four, the Florida Panthers, Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning, St Louis Blues, Calgary Flames and Los Angeles Kings all took care of business and evened things up. Only the Rangers failed to win and are now on the verge of getting out their golf clubs.

The only question that remains to be answered is whether this Rangers team can summon enough pride to stave off elimination and extend the series to a game six back in Pittsburgh, or whether this improbable season will come to ignominious end. One thing is for certain: if they play like they did last night, they will be mercilessly booed off the ice.

Relax, Rangers Fans, Things Aren't As Bleak As They Appear.

Want to hear something wild? Saturday night's game in Pittsburgh was the best the Rangers have played so far in these playoffs. I know the final score didn't reflect it, but the Blueshirts outchanced the Penguins in high-risk scoring opportunities 12-8; they owned the puck in the second period; and they held Sidney Crosby to a single shot on goal through two periods. Equally impressive is the way they shut down Evgeni Malkin for the second consecutive game. Had it not been for some uncharacteristic shoddy net minding by likely Vezina trophy winner Igor Shesterkin, the Rangers would be ahead in this series 2-1, instead of trailing 2-1.

Want to hear something even wilder? Had it not been for a bad call that disallowed what should've been a game-winning goal by Filip Chytil with three minutes to go in the third period of game one, the Rangers would be on the verge of a four-game sweep in this series. And, no, I'm not letting that one go. It was an atrocious call.

Unfortunately, in the real world, the Rangers' backs are against the wall. Game four is a must win. They don't dare return home trailing 3-1. Yes, they came back from a 3-1 deficit against the Pens in 2014, but that was a different Rangers team, one with far more playoff experience than this one. Having to win three in a row will be a tall order for this group. Come hell or high water, they gotta win Monday.

So how do they do that? Well, for starters, Igor has to, and will, play better. Even the best are entitled to a mulligan once and a while. Better to have it in game three than a potential game seven. But there's more to it than just that. On the second Penguins power play goal, the Rangers were lapse in their coverage. Yes, they got a lively bounce off the boards. So what? You still gotta clear the puck when that happens. You can't leave your goalie naked like that. It's inexcusable.

Another thing that's inexcusable is failing to convert on three consecutive power plays. After bitching and moaning all series about the lack of calls from the refs, they finally got what they wanted and rather than make the Penguins pay, they handed the game right back to them. If the Rangers have any hope of winning this series, that cannot happen again. They had the fourth best power play in the NHL this season for a reason. They have to capitalize on it.

Finally, despite an overall advantage in high-risk scoring chances, the Rangers can't afford to get into a shooting match with the Penguins. Yes, they have their fare share of elite players like Zibanejad, Kreider and Panarin, and, yes, they're getting better contributions from depth players like Copp, Vatrano and the Kid line, which had a damn good game Saturday, but in a shootout, the advantage would most definitely go to the Pens. The key to the Rangers success this season has been their defense: the second stingiest in the league. Opening things up would literally be playing right into Pittsburg's hands. Gerard Gallant needs to get them back on track, and fast.

And speaking of Gallant, let's knock it off with all the "he's getting out-coached in this series" crap. Right, the guy who's up for a possible Jack Adams award is getting out-coached by the guy who hasn't gotten his team past the first round since 2018. This is what happens when people with too much time on their hands forget to take their Adderall.

Look, it's not the end of the world. The Rangers aren't the only team in this tournament to fall behind 2-1. The Calgary Flames, Florida Panthers, St. Louis Blues, Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning are all in the same boat. Anybody think those teams can't come back? Didn't think so. If they take care of their own end, get the goaltending they've been getting all season long, and capitalize on the power play, they will advance. They're better than the Penguins; they just have to prove it.

Chill, people.

NHL Playoff Preview

The 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs are finally here, and for the first time since the league went with a regional alignment, the Eastern Conference saw all eight of its teams finish at or above 100 points. It was an enormous accomplishment, but it was only possible because six teams in the East are currently in the middle of a rebuild, one - the Philadelphia Flyers - which should be, and one - the New York Islanders - that got off to an horrendous start. 

Another incredible accomplishment is that of the sixteen teams in the tournament, no fewer than eleven have a legitimate shot at winning the Cup; seven in the East and four in the West. Below is a preview of the first round, beginning with the New York Rangers. As with most of my predictions, take them with a grain of salt.

Eastern Conference:

New York vs. Pittsburgh: Since the Penguins last won the Stanley Cup in 2017, they have been eliminated in the first round every year but one - 2018 - when they lost to the eventual Cup champion Washington Capitals. While they still have a potent offense, the loss of Tristan Jarry for at least the first two games of the series will hurt in goal where the Rangers already enjoy a huge edge with Igor Shesterkin.

The keys to a Rangers win will be 1) how well they fare on the power play, which was one of the best in the NHL during the regular season, but failed to convert once over the last three games; 2) whether Artemi Panarin and Andrew Copp are 100 percent after sustaining injuries; and 3) whether the "kid" line of Filip Chytil, Alexis Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko can provide enough offense to keep the opposition honest.

Both teams ostensibly play the same style of hockey, which means we will likely see the stars - Panarin, Zibanejad, Kreider and Fox vs. Crosby, Malkin, Guentzel and Letang - decide the winner. That should be good news for the Blueshirts who, despite the additions Chris Drury made over the off season, are still susceptible to teams that are aggressive on the forecheck, i.e., the Carolina Hurricanes and the Islanders. One additional note: since the trade deadline, the Rangers have been one of the best 5v5 teams in the league. 

I expect an exciting series, with both teams winning at least one game in the other's building, one that could go the full seven. But in the end, the Rangers should emerge on top. Rangers in six.

Florida vs. Washington: Even with a fully healthy Alex Ovechkin, this was an uphill battle for the Caps. If he's unable to play or hobbled by his shoulder injury, this could get out of hand quickly. The Panthers are not a particularly strong defensive team, which will no doubt be exploited at some point during the postseason, but not in this series. Panthers in five.

Carolina vs. Boston: To be honest, I've been impressed with the season the Bruins have had without a legit 2C and no Tuukka Rask in net. Credit head coach Bruce Cassidy for squeezing every last ounce of talent out of this bunch. The problem for Bean Town is that the Hurricanes have their own outstanding head coach in Rod Brind'Amour who just happens to have a much deeper team. Hurricanes in six.

Toronto vs. Tampa Bay: Auston Matthews will be the best player in this series. Unfortunately for the Maple Leafs, that's the only advantage they will have going for them. The Lightning are just too deep and too experienced. They also have the best goaltender on the planet in Andrei Vasilevskiy. Bolts in six.

Western Conference:

Colorado vs. Nashville: Imagine busting your ass over a full 82 game schedule just for the privilege of facing the Avalanche in the first round. The hockey gods are cruel indeed. The only way the Preds keep this close is if Roman Josi - a lock for the Norris trophy - plays like a maniac, and Juuse Saros steals a game or two. Otherwise, this could be a sweep. Avs in five.

Calgary vs. Dallas: And Joe Pavelski stayed for this? The Stars have the thinest roster of any team in the postseason, and that includes the Caps. Talk about a mismatch. Darryl Sutter has coached two Stanley Cup winning teams - both in LA. Calgary could be his third. Flames in four.

Edmonton vs. Los Angeles: If Jonathan Quick rediscovers his past magic, the Kings could make this an interesting series. But that's a tall order against the likes of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Another lopsided series. Oilers in five.

Minnesota vs. St. Louis: Only a league as inept as the NHL could have two of the best teams in one conference meet in the first round. Seriously, either one of these teams could go to the finals, that's how good they both are. The Blues have nine 20 plus goal scorers - the most in the league - while the Wild have Kirill Kaprizov up front and Marc-Andre Fleury in goal. Wild in seven.

I'll make my predictions for round two when round one is over. No sense spoiling the anticipation. 

A Tale of Two Drafts for Joe Schoen

Round one of the 2022 NFL Draft couldn't have gone any better for Joe Schoen if he had choreographed it himself. Thanks to the four teams picking ahead of him, he had the good fortune of snatching two of the best players in the draft at numbers 5 and 7: OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux and OT Evan Neal. Thibodeaux was considered the second best defensive prospect behind Aiden Hutchinson and Neal was the top-ranked tackle in the draft.

It's rare indeed when the Twitterverse is in agreement - sorta like a solar eclipse and the planets lining up in a row all on the same day - but suffice to say that by the end of the evening, if Schoen had decided to run for mayor of New York, he would've won in a landslide.

Unfortunately for Schoen there were six more rounds left in the draft: two on Friday and four on Saturday. Let's just say for the sake of argument that by the Friday night, most of the good will Schoen had amassed on day one dissipated, like air escaping from a balloon. It's not that WR Wan'Dale Robinson, G Joshua Ezeudu and CB Cor'Dale Flott aren't good players or won't contribute in some way to the Giants; it's that they could easily have been selected in the fourth and fifth rounds. The general consensus was that Schoen reached on all three.

He didn't stop there, though. TE Daniel Bellinger, S Dane Belton, LB Micah McFadden, DL DJ Davidson, G Marcus McKethan and LB Darrian Beavers were all taken in rounds four thru seven on Saturday. If Friday's picks were any indication, it's clear what Schoen's mission is: to replenish this organization's pipeline of talent that his predecessor Dave Gettleman neglected. Seven of the eleven players Schoen selected in the draft were either offensive linemen or defensive front seven. That, I can assure you, is no accident. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what's wrong with this team. Apart from figuring out whether or not Daniel Jones is a franchise quarterback - the smart money's on the latter - the line of scrimmage has been an unmitigated disaster for years. Fixing that has to be priority number one.

So Schoen, after hitting it out of the park in round one, opted to go for depth the rest of the draft. In fact, he even traded down twice in the second round so he could get even more picks. And based on where this team is right now, I can't say I blame him. When you take over an organization as ineptly run as this one was for years, your first order of business has to be to find as many able bodies as possible who can play. For head coach Brian Daboll to succeed, he has to have the horses.

None of us can predict with any degree of certainty whether the players chosen by Schoen in the second and third days of the draft will make any difference, this season or next. It took years for this franchise to become the train wreck it is. It will take several more years before the salvage project is complete. Think about it: in 2018, the Buffalo Bills were 6-10. Look where they are now. Miracles do occasionally happen.

I know patience is a four letter word for Giants fans, but for now, at least, Joe Schoen deserves the benefit of the doubt.

Mission Number One for Gallant: Get Rangers Ready for the Playoffs

With first place in the Metropolitan Division no longer a possibility, thanks to the Carolina Hurricanes - the best team in the East - taking care of business last night at the Garden, there's only one thing left for the New York Rangers to do over the remaining two games of the regular season: get ready for the playoffs beginning next week.

Because the real season doesn't start until game 83. Games 81 and 82 are superfluous.

I'll cut Gerard Gallant some slack for deciding to dress Andrew Copp and Filip Chytil, even though the prudent thing to do would've been to give both players another night off. So long as first place was within reach, as head coach he had a responsibility to go for it. I get that.

But now that that ship has sailed, his duty is clear. With Artemi Panarin (upper body), Copp (aggravated lower body) and Kaapo Kakko (also lower body) not quite at 100 percent, it is vital that Gallant get them that way in time for the playoffs. Because if this team, which has been one of the most resilient of the 2021-22 season, is not fully healthy by the start of the first round, there will be no second round.

And given the current state of the Eastern Conference, that would be a crying shame. Because while the Blueshirts were taking it on the chin from the Canes last night, the Penguins were humbled by the Edmonton Oilers 5-1 in Pittsburgh and the Capitals were humiliated by the Islanders 4-1 in Washington. At this point, it doesn't much matter which one of these teams winds up in third place in the Metro or which one gets the wild card. Neither has what it takes to survive a grueling best of seven series.

Unless of course that grueling best of seven series happens to be against a Rangers team that isn't at full strength. That's why if Gallant has to dress Johnny Brodzinski, Greg McKegg, Julien Gauthier and Libor Hajek tonight against Montreal, then so be it. Seriously, if you can't beat a Canadiens team that gave up on the season weeks ago, shame on you.

For this team to go anywhere in the postseason, it must have all four of its forward lines and all three of its defense pairings in tact. As much as I admire Dryden Hunt's tenacity, he's a fourth liner at best. He has no business playing in the top six. Chris Drury acquired Copp so he could play on the second line with Panarin and Ryan Strome. Making sure that happens is mission number one.

Think about it: the Rangers are 14-8 against Eastern Conference playoff teams; that includes a 3-1 mark against the Pens, one of their likely opponents next week. That's a pretty impressive record, don't you think? As outstanding as Gallant has been behind the bench - and I'll say it again: he deserves serious consideration for the Jack Adams award - it would be the blunder of his professional coaching career if he were to jeopardize the best season this organization has had since 2015 all for a couple of meaningless points in the standings.

I don't think Gallant is that stupid; I think he knows what's at stake. He's pushed all the right buttons so far this season. Just a few more left to push.

Lamoriello's Obstinance is Costing the Islanders

Before I get to the main topic, I'd like to say a few words about the late, great Mike Bossy who passed away this month at the age of 65.

While number 22 was not the fastest skater in the NHL, the puck always seemed to find his stick. And though he did not have the hardest shot in the league, it was, by far, the most accurate; around the net no one was more lethal. 

Unlike a lot of scorers of his day, Bossy never hung out in center ice looking for a breakaway. He took care of his own end first. And only when his team got possession of the puck did he head up ice. Much of that is attributable to his coach, Al Arbour, who instilled a team-first attitude in all his players. But the rest is owed to Bossy who bought in.

He never wilted under the spotlight; the bigger the game, the better he played. After a disappointing performance in the infamous 1979 semifinals against the Rangers, Bossy would go on to lead the league in postseason goals from 1981 thru 1983, including an overtime goal with two seconds left against the Vancouver Canucks in game one of the '82 finals. He was the epitome of a winner.

Until Alex Ovechkin surpassed him this year with his tenth 50 goal season, he held the mark, along with Wayne Gretzky, for most 50 goal seasons at nine. And had it had it not been for a series of back injuries which forced into retirement at the ripe young age of 30, there's no telling how many 50 goal seasons he might've had. Eleven? Twelve? The sky was the limit. 

As a Rangers fan, it pains me to have to admit this, but he was in a class all by himself. And I weep at what might've been had then Rangers GM John Ferguson selected him in the 1977 entry draft instead of Lucien DeBlois. Sadly, we'll never know.

Now onto the main course. 

Forgive me for being insensitive and perhaps a bit too blunt, but I've had it with all the apologists who insist that had it not been for the rough start the Islanders had this season - 13 consecutive road games to open the season, Covid outbreaks, injuries - they would've been a playoff team. Based on just a rough analysis of the available data, that assumption simply isn't true.

The fact is this team, which was largely intact before the arrival of Lou Lamoriello and Barry Trotz, isn't nearly as good as many - including yours truly who, truth be told, picked them to win the Stanley Cup this year - thought they were.

Our blind spot? We confused spit with polish. Yes, the Isles have been the hardest working team in the NHL the last three years under Trotz. They had to be. After their top scorer John Tavares bolted to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2018, they were forced to play a defensive system. And it worked brilliantly. In Trotz' first season as head coach, the Isles allowed a paltry 196 goals, the fewest in the league. However, they also were 21st in goals scored; a problem that has plagued the team ever since.

Lost in all the hoopla over their consecutive trips to the conference finals the past two seasons is the fact that had it not been for the suspension of all sports in the spring of 2020 due to the pandemic, the Isles would never have gotten into the playoffs. At the time the regular season was suspended, they were in 6th place in the Metropolitan Division. Only a qualifying round, in which they beat the Floridas Panthers to advance, prevented them from missing the postseason altogether.

This season, apart from Brock Nelson, who's having a career year with 36 goals, and Anders Lee, who's second on the team with 26, there isn't one player on this team who puts the fear of God into opponents. For all their blood, sweat and tears, there is a staggering dearth of elite-level talent on the roster. Mathew Barzal continues to be an enigma. After a promising rookie campaign in which he posted 22 goals and 85 points, he has struggled to become the offensive leader this team so desperately needs.

Part of the problem lies in the system Trotz employs; a system that while effective at limiting the number of scoring chances by the opposition, has had the unintended consequence of stifling many of their own. Then there's the toll that playing such a physical style of hockey exacts on the human body. Yes, it helped them beat the Boston Bruins in last year's conference semis, but it eventually caught up with them against the Tampa Bay Lightning. By game seven, they looked gassed.

But the real problem is Lamoriello himself, who since his hire four years ago has failed to address the lack of scoring. Why is that? Put succinctly, Lamoriello has long eschewed stars. Maybe it's because he doesn't like dealing with egos. This goes back to his days when he ran the New Jersey Devils. To be fair, the Devils did win three Cups and reached the finals five times. But they also had the best goaltender in the business in Martin Brodeur and one of the best defenseman to ever play the game in Scott Stevens. As good as Ilya Sorokin and Noah Dobson have been this season, they can't hold a candle to those two.

Since the beginning of March, the Islanders are 6-11 against playoff teams, and they continue to have one of the most anemic offenses in the league. But rather than cut his losses at the trade deadline by moving unproductive players like Josh Bailey and Anthony Baeuvillier (12 goals a piece) for badly needed draft capital, Lamoriello doubled down and extended perennial grinder Cal Clutterbuck another two years.

Much has been made of the Rangers offseason acquisitions of Barclay Goodrow, Sammy Blais and Ryan Reaves. But while they may have stiffened up their spine a bit, this is still a team that relies on stars like Chris Kreider, Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad and Adam Fox to carry them. The sad truth is there isn't a single Islander capable of doing that for this team. Not one. There is such a thing as having too much grit.

Ironic, isn't it, that the Islanders are wearing numbers 22 and 9 on their jerseys in memory of Bossy and Clarke Gillies, who also passed away this year. Those two hall of famers were members of one of the greatest dynasties in NHL history. They won four consecutive Cups from 1980-83; the last time a team won more than two in a row. Yes, they outworked their opponents; but they also dominated them, as well. I oughta know, one of those opponents was the Rangers, who had the misfortune of losing to them in '81, '82, '83 and '84.

At the end of the day, talent counts, even in a league as backwards as the NHL. It's time Lou Lamoriello woke up and smelled the caffeine.

Carolina Hurricanes Are the Team To Beat in the East

The good news? The New York Rangers are still one of the best teams in the NHL, capable of beating almost any team in the Eastern Conference.

The bad news? One of those teams isn't the Carolina Hurricanes.

For a period and a half, the Rangers out skated, out hustled, out checked and outscored Carolina in what was billed as a potential second-round playoff matchup. They played their best and most spirited hockey against the Hurricanes in more than two years, outshooting them 14-7 in the first period, and taking an early 1-0 lead 1:02 into the second; and they damn near made it 2-0 when Frank Vatrano hit the cross bar a few minutes later. But the relentlessness of the Canes eventually wore down the Blueshirts and the visitors came away with an impressive 4-2 win in front of 18,006 disappointed fans at the Garden.

Forget about the Florida Panthers - a team that I believe is deeply flawed and will be exposed in the playoffs - the Hurricanes are the team to beat in the East. They have the best blend of skill, grit, defense and, yes, goaltending to win the Stanley Cup. The only teams that could possibly stand in their way are the Colorado Avalanche and the Calgary Flames, both of which are in the Western Conference.

Consider the following: The Hurricanes don't have a single forward who will win either the Art Ross or Hart trophies, yet head coach Rod Brind'Armour has the depth to roll four lines. They don't have a single defenseman in the discussion for the Norris trophy, yet no team in the league involves its D more on the rush. They don't have a single scorer in the top 20, yet they're 9th overall in league scoring. They can skate, they can hit, they can defend, and they can put the puck in the net. They are a better, younger version of last year's Islanders, and if they can somehow find a way to extend Vincent Trocheck and Nino Niederreiter in the off season, they will be a nightmare for every team with championship aspirations for the foreseeable future.

The Tampa Bay Lightning? They are the champs until somebody beats them. But it's worth noting that since the Islander dynasty of the 1980s, there have been five teams that have won back to back Cups: the Edmonton Oiler twice, the Pittsburgh Penguins twice and the Detroit Red Wings once. In each instance, they were denied a three-peat. The odds are not in favor of the Lightning bucking history, especially with the way they've been struggling of late. Put succinctly, it's tough repeating in this league.

As I wrote in my last piece, I think Chris Drury has done a magnificent job since he assumed the duties of President and GM of this organization. The moves he made this season have transformed the Rangers into a legitimate contender. And head coach Gerard Gallant deserves serious consideration for the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year. It would be a mistake for anyone to take this team lightly. If their first round opponent winds up being either the Pittsburgh Penguins or the Washington Capitals, I fully expect the Rangers to prevail. But if they should meet up with the Hurricanes in the second round, as good as this season has been, it will come to an abrupt end. I can't see the Blueshirts winning more than one or two games against Carolina in best of seven series; that's how good they are.

That's not an indictment of the Rangers; it's just a fact. The gap between the two teams is simply too vast to bridge. For 30 minutes they gave the Garden faithful something to dream about: a trip to the finals, perhaps even a Cup. Then reality set it and the better team took over. The air went out of the balloon; the dream was deferred, for now at least.

I find myself the bearer of bad news today: the New York Rangers are not as good as the Carolina Hurricanes. There, I said it, and the sky didn't fall, did it? 

Rangers Have the Look of a Stanley Cup Champion

Tonight when the New York Rangers take the ice at Madison Square Garden against the Ottawa Senators, they will have the opportunity to clinch a playoff spot for the first time since 2017. After five long years in the wilderness, the most loyal fanbase in the NHL will finally be rewarded for its patience. And thanks to a last-minute loss last night by the Carolina Hurricanes at home to the Islanders, the Rangers will also be playing for first place in the Metropolitan Division for the first time since January 26.

There's simply no denying it: the acquisitions Chris Drury made at and before the trade deadline have turned this group of resilient, but overachieving, players that relied way too much on the acrobatics of their Vezina trophy-caliber goalie Igor Shesterkin to save their bacon into one of the league's elite teams.

Consider the following: they are 27-17-4 against teams with winning records; 18-14-1 against teams currently in the playoffs; and, more importantly, 14-5 against Eastern conference playoff teams, including an astounding 3-0 and 3-1 record against the defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning and Pittsburgh Penguins respectively, the latter their nemesis and likely playoff opponent. They lead the league with 25 come from behind wins.

It's time to admit that the "experts" who insisted this team wasn't for real and kept waiting for it to implode were wrong. Far from being a pretender, the Rangers are a bonafide contender. With Andrew Copp and Frank Vatrano filling out the top six, and Kaapo Kakko and Kevin Rooney returning from injury tonight, head coach Gerard Gallant will have arguably one of the deepest lineups of any coach heading into the postseason.

Can they win the Cup? Why the hell not? If the last couple of weeks are any indication, they are as good as any team in the East. And while Shesterkin hasn't had to play Houdini of late, I'd put him up against any goaltender out there with the possible exception of Andrei Vasilevskiy. Be honest, can you envision a team taking four out of seven games against the Rangers with Shesterkin between the pipes? Neither can I.

Look, I know what I'm saying sounds crazy. I mean, a year ago this team was finishing up yet another disappointing campaign. They were on year four of a rebuild that seemed like it would go on forever. Frustrated, owner James Dolan fired team president John Davidson and GM Jeff Gorton and gave the reigns to assistant GM Chris Drury. The prognosis did not look promising.

But Drury has done a magnificent job from day one. The hiring of Gallant was pure genius. He deserves serious consideration for the Jack Adams Award, that's how crucial Gallant has been behind the bench. The acquisitions of Sammy Blais, Ryan Reaves, Barclay Goodrow, Dryden Hunt and Patrik Nemeth and the calling up of Braden Schneider addressed the need for physicality that, fair or not, was ignored by the previous administration.

No longer are they the perennial doormats of the NHL, as evidenced by the way they responded after Tyler Motte was decked by Anthony Angelo in the Penguins game. You don't run this team anymore, not if you value your health. They stick up for each other like no Rangers team I've seen since, dare I say it, that '94 team.

Look, I'm not into making predictions, especially since they rarely pan out when I do. I will say this, though: I wouldn't dismiss this team's chances come May and June. I know, I know, it's pure fantasy for a team coming out of a rebuild to win the Stanley Cup in year one. It's never happened, right?

But with all we've gone through, a little fantasy might just be what the doctor ordered.