Rangers Fall Flat To Isles

It’s been a long time since the Rangers hit the ice in an NHL game, what with them missing the playoffs for a seventh consecutive season followed up by last year’s lockout.  In the intervening time the Rangers have re-made their roster, jettisoning much of the remainder of their roster and publicly embracing the long sought after rebuild.  If last night’s game is any indication (and we’re not saying it necessarily was), they have a long way to go, both in rebuilding and credibility.

Icing a largely inexperienced team (only 9 of the 20 players had more than 65 games of NHL experience), the Rangers were both outworked and outmaneuvered early as they quickly fell to a 3-0 deficit in just over five minutes of play.  The visiting Blueshirts looked ill-prepared for the NHL’s crackdown on obstruction (taking two quick penalties in the first four minutes of play) and distinctly disorganized in their own zone as they unsuccessfully tried to kill off the first three penalties.

The scoring for the Islanders started early, when Alexei Yashin took advantage of a Michael Nylander penalty to put the home team up 1-0.  The newly named Islanders captain caught Anders Eriksson backing into the zone and, used the Rangers defenseman as a screen from the top of the left circle, easily beating Weekes on the glove side.  The Islanders made it 2-0 just two minutes later when Zhitnik needed just 10 seconds to convert on their second power play of the night, beating Weekes square-on from just inside the blueline with traffic in front.  Ninety seconds later and Weekes gave up a third goal (again to Zhitnik), and it was clear that the new Rangers netminder will need to be a lot sharper when the regular season rolls around if he hopes to keep the team even close to being competitive.

On the positive side Weekes did manage to settle down a little as the game went on, as did the entire team generally.  While never looking completely comfortable in net, Weekes positioning improved and he made a couple of useful saves in the 17 shots he faced in 30 minutes of work.  By contrast his replacement the rookie Swede Henrik Lundqvist, looked poised beyond his year, demonstrating his speed almost immediately in denying Jason Blake a low opportunity on the open side with a quick move to his left and folllowing it up with a strong glove save minutes later.  Lundqvist finished the night with just one goal against in 17 shots, though perhaps could have had that one back too, giving up a goal across his body on a shot from the low right circle off the rush.

As in years past, the Blueshirts once again displayed weakness on the blueline and on the penalty kill.  The veteran trio of Tom Poti, Marek Malik and Eriksson looked almost constantly outclassed, with all three beaten on more than one occasion around the outside.  Each of the three took a hooking or interference penalty and struggled with the NHL’s new crackdown on obstruction, often caught missing an opponent or taking a penalty to avoid a scoring chance.  Poti did manage to prevent one scoring chance off of a backboard rebound with the Rangers netminder out of position, but showed very little offense or defense in a performance that will no doubt just encourage his detractors.

By contrast their lesser experienced counterparts looked much more poised.  Marc Staal was clearly one of the few bright spots on the team despite taking four penalties during the course of the game.  The 18 year old Staal showed strong skating and agility on the blueline and was rewarded with extra ice time and the green light to rush the offensive zone on more than one occasion.  While he is probably not ready for the NHL, Staal appears to have staked his claim for inclusion in next year’s Ranger roster already.  Fedor Tyutin, himself still technically an NHL rookie played a relatively conservative game with few mistakes, as did Grenier who played a simple game in his limited time on the ice.  Of the three, only Grenier was on the ice for any of the Islander goals compared to four for Poti, three for Malik and two for Eriksson

On the penalty kill the Rangers looked disorganized, and were often caught out of position pursuing the puck carrier.  The visitors gave up goals on their first three penalty kills before settling down a little and stopping the Islanders on their final eight attempts.

The only Rangers goal of the game went to Jamie Lundmark who came off of the bench on the delayed penalty with the Rangers already on the power play.  The 24 year old center picked up a nice pass from Michael Nylander and one-timed the puck past DiPietro from the left side of the slot.  Lundmark who had been shifted back to center the second line with Martin Rucinsky and Petr Prucha, started the game well but generated little offense outside of the first period.

The veteran line of Jaromir Jagr, Michael Nylander and Martin Straka as expected, generated the bulk of the Rangers offensive pressure, but were often caught up ice in the quick transition.  Of the three Straka appeared to generate the most opportunity in the offensive zone, but was often pushed off or dispossessed of the puck before being able to finish the play.  Jagr by contrast looked disinterested, playing well below his ability and demonstrating an inaccurate and ineffective shot for much of the game.  Both Nylander and Straka generated breakaways in the third period, but were unable to finish.

Of the remaining forwards, Blair Betts and Jed Ortmeyer were amongst the best Rangers on the night.  Ortmeyer was the best penalty killer for the Rangers, and had hard working shifts at both ends of the ice, while Betts was one of the few physical forces for the Rangers and was able to generate several scoring opportunities on the forecheck that his line was unable to finish.  Their line mate Alexandre Giroux had a number of good shifts, but perhaps needs to work on his strength if he hopes to make it in the NHL, giving the puck up a little too easily and mustering only a couple of weak shots on goal.

The fourth line of Garth Murray, Craig Weller and Ryan Hollweg had their moments, with Murray in particular showing some good energy (if not stickhandling ability) and Weller causing at least one turnover.  Hollweg was unexpectedly quiet and one wonders if the coaching staff asked him to tone down his game and focus on playing rather than bringing his normal agitating style.

The game also represented the first look we’ve had at the new rules in action.  The elimination of the red line for two line passes was utilized by both teams on a number of occasions, particularly on line changes to generate offense.  The defensemen in particular looks unsure about what to do including one instance where Michael Nylander seemingly skated right between two Islander defensemen unmolested.  Overall there was more offense generated in this game than in year’s past with even the third and fourth liners of both teams getting their opportunities in their opponent’s zone, but the trade-off was a parade to the penalty box.

The match finished up with a shootout despite the score, with the league looking to use the preseason as an opportunity to iron out the bumps for the regular season.  The Rangers selected Nylander, Straka and Jagr for their three shooters and needed just the first two attempts to take the game 2-0 and the shootout “victory”.  At the other end Henrik Lundqvist stopped the first shot he faced from Alexei Yashin and saw Miroslav Satan whiff on a puck that appeared to stick on the newly resurfaced ice.

Overall the Rangers looked clearly outclassed by their opposition and have a lot of work to do if they hope to draw fans to their games throughout the season.  The number of power plays clearly limited the opportunity for some players like Petr Prucha and lead to a dissatisfying result in terms of a spectacle worth watching.  Ultimately the league appears to have cracked down too much on the interference and one can only hope that things will improve as the season progresses.