They have been up and down with a record just above NHL .500 over the past 10 weeks, but have won exactly half of their games since December 5th (10-9-1) and have won just over half of their games since Dec. The match is won. You might be curious to know if this represents a long-term blip, or if something unusual caused him to suddenly explode at 18-4-1 for the Rangers.
The answer is almost certainly somewhere in the middle.
For the Blueshirts, Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Kraken at the Garden was overall better than Sunday's 2-1 win over the Caps. It was significantly better than their four-game losing streak (0 wins, 3 losses, 1 draw). It was before that.
The problems that arose and worsened in the second quarter of the season became less noticeable in the final 120 minutes of hockey. The Rangers have gotten better at judging the puck, and as a result, are less vulnerable to odd-man rushes off turnovers. They are becoming more cautious. Discipline improved.
Creating sustained pressure in the offensive zone from a relentless forecheck has been a perennial challenge. The challenge is to get goals from the bottom six teams, a three-line without Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafrenière.
This falls into the realm of difficulty for the Blueshirts, who play an average of 48 out of 60 minutes a night at 5-on-5. “Difficult” might be a gross understatement.
Even after defeating Seattle 3-0 in a 5-on-5 game on Tuesday, the Rangers are 20th in the league in scoring percentage (49.72), with 88 goals scored and 89 goals conceded. They are 17th and 18th in points per 60 minutes and 00 seconds. Number of goals allowed every 60:00.
Frankly, this represents the profile of a bubble team trying hard to make the playoffs, not a team aiming for a Stanley Cup. No matter how strong the power play or how stingy the penalty kill, 5-on-5 is basically always decisive. The Rangers have to turn this around.
Yes, the bottom six were a black hole on offense until Blake Wheeler got the first one in this game and the second was an empty netter to break an 11-game drought. Barclay Goodrow, Nick Bonino, and Johnny Brodzinski have suffered extended droughts, and Jimmy Vesey and Will Quill have not been able to score for significant amounts of time.
But in reality, ever since Filip Sitil was taken down in the second period of Game 10, the Blueshirts have basically had two fourth lines centered around Bonino and Goodrow, with Goodrow on the wing on Tuesday. He has been playing mainly with Brodzinski, who has shifted. It shouldn't be a shock to anyone that the bottom six is being challenged offensively.
But you might be shocked to learn that Mika Zibanejad has scored 5-on-5 goals in just four games, and has scored 5 goals in total, including two 5-on-5 goals throughout his club's first 43 games and 42 games since. Or?
Would you be surprised to learn that while Chris Kreider has eight goals at 5-on-5, No. 20 has only scored two goals in his last 15 games and three goals in his past 21 games? ?
So perhaps the brunt of the blame for the club's failure at 5-on-5 should not be heaped on the compromised bottom six teams, but instead on the second unit, even now, whose production lives up to its billing. Should not be concentrated on the estimated top line. .
Zibanejad has been through stretches like this before. Many times. He always takes the long view. He believes that a goal is a goal, whether it's evenly matched or male-dominated. Scoreboards do not discriminate.
“If we're not scoring five-on-five, we've got to do things differently by producing on the power play,” No. 93 told the Post after one of his most impressive performances of the season. Told. A scoring chance to lead the rush. “It would be a different story if we didn’t score and were minus-50, but we were able to keep the puck out of the net and be a plus at 5-on-5.”
In fact, Kreider has scored 29 and 20 goals, leading the team in scoring at 59.18 percent. Zibanejad is participating with 26 votes in favor and 23 against. BFF together scored his 25 goals and 19 against. That's the winning number.
“Five-on-five is important and it's also the most difficult way to score,” Zibanejad said. He scored a rushing goal on Kaapo Kakko in the second period, and the Swede was denied a breakaway on a takeaway in the third. “But if we can increase that by maybe a percentage or two, our special teams can take a big step forward. We talked about that two years ago when we were running to the conference finals. I noticed that.”
However, power plays can be fickle. The Blueshirts were 2-of-16 in five games after the transfer of Zibanejad changed the tone of the club until Trocheck scored a 1-0 goal on a nice go-ahead feed from Panarin at 8:22 of the first period. He continued his winning streak. Up to the top, Panarin to the bottom. His more powerful 5v5 attack reduces the burden on PP1.
“I think we have a good balance. I want to find a better balance, but we are still winning games,'' said No. 93.
At least the last two.
