You’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it 1,000 times, and if the Rangers face elimination in Game 6 and can’t solve it at sunrise on Saturday, you’ll likely hear it 1,000 more times this offseason alone.
Teams that rely too heavily on the power play to thrive will be told they don’t stand a chance in the playoffs, and it will be delivered with an “I told you so” tone.
And unless their fortunes reverse in Game 6 on Saturday, the Rangers — their leadership, staff and players — won’t be able to say a word of rebuttal.
The Blueshirts are in trouble after losing Game 5 at the Garden, 3-2, on Thursday, playing better than they did in the previous two games in Florida but still unable to pull off a win against a team that was slightly better in every category except goaltending.
For the Rangers, staying alive on Saturday isn’t a matter of will or determination. It’s a matter of execution — and maybe even whether coach Peter Laviolette understands the struggles of his first unit enough to elevate Alexis Lafreniere to every game.
In fact, Lafreniere scored on a deflection in a 6-on-5 situation after the Panthers had scored an empty-net goal to put his team up 3-2 and score his fourth goal in the last three games and eighth in the last 10 games.
No. 13 ended up playing 18 minutes, 9 seconds of ice time on a night when the Blueshirts relied on roughly seven forwards over the final two periods, but somehow Lafreniere averaged 60 seconds less five-on-five playing time in the playoffs than he did in the regular season, and it’s unclear how that happened.
The Rangers came out with energy and were able to advance the puck, and held up physically, but were awarded a power play at 4:31, but the Blueshirts couldn’t score. Just two minutes after Chris Kreider’s shorthanded goal at 2:04 of the second period gave the team a 1-0 lead, the Blueshirts had another chance to extend their lead on the power play, but it fell short.
The Panthers tied the game at 8:21 of the second period. The Rangers had their third power play at 6:58 of the third period but couldn’t get anything done. About a minute and a half later, Anton Lundell beat Igor Shesterkin from the left circle on a counterattack and Paddy Tutts gave them the lead at 10:22.
The Post follows Rangers coverage in the NHL playoffs
The power play epitomizes the Rangers’ offensive identity. It gives them confidence in their step. It’s made up of their marquee five. The Panthers reached into the Blueshirts’ chests and took the heart out of their man advantage.
The Blueshirts are losing confidence in their play. They’re being pushed to the outside. Their puck movement is deliberate. They can’t find shooting lanes. They’re not recovering as many pucks as they should. Their entries are shaky. They’re not playing Washington anymore.
The Blueshirts are 14-1 in this series.
“We’re not going to score every time we get on the power play, but we want to at least get some momentum going,” said Zibanejad, who played a spirited game. “We did it in some of our chances, but we know we can do better.”
“Let’s talk about that. [Friday] And let’s see what we can do.”
Hopefully the coaching staff will discuss this and realize that putting the same five players in over and over again and expecting different results is the definition of insanity, and if it doesn’t work, that’s great coaching.
No. Lafreniere has to be on the first power play unit, otherwise what are they doing?
The Rangers have one 5-on-5 goal in their past two games, a deflection by Lafreniere on a game-tying goal in the third period of Game 4. Other than that, they had one goal by Vincent Trocheck on Tuesday and a shorthanded score by Kreider and a 6-on-5 goal by Lafreniere in this game.
Filip Chytil returned to the lineup after missing Game 4 as a replacement. The Rangers have been one of the league’s most solid teams this year and are by no means a risk-reward team, but with a player like Chytil who is nowhere near 100 percent, they have to monitor him nearly every shift.
Chytil started on the right wing with Kreider and Zibanejad but only played 2:57 in the second period and 3 minutes in the third. The BFF have been joined at various times by Jack Roslovic (oh wow), Artemi Panarin and Lafreniere. They don’t have a solid second-six. Their bottom six is a jumble.
The Rangers’ defense has only scored two goals this playoff season, both shorthanded, one by K’Andre Miller and the other by Jacob Trouba.
Laviolette gave Matt Rempe just 2 minutes, 43 seconds of playing time. Will Caille played 4 minutes, 27 seconds in the first two periods. A bench without the injured Jimmy Vesey took a back seat. The Rangers will need a slightly bigger team to take on Paddy Tutts on Saturday.
It’s not a question of will. It’s not a question of commitment. It’s a question of can the Rangers be better. Because to get this conference final back to Broadway in Game 7, the Rangers and their power play have to be better.
