Now that we've all had time to digest the Blueshirts' 4-1 opening night loss in Glendale to the Coyotes, I will now attempt to make a rational and level-headed assessment of their performance. The hope is that it will talk some of the many irrational fans out of jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge after Game 1 of 82, but who am I kidding? This is the most passionate fanbase in the NHL, and a vast majority of them cannot handle losing.
Anyway, here the positives and negatives to take away from Thursday's game.
POSITIVES
1. The Power Play had life.
Although the ever-scrutinized power play "only" went 1 for 4, for the first time in a long while, you can sense a bit of confidence that this man advantage will eventually be one of the team's biggest strengths. The players had a shoot first, not pass first, mentality on the ice. They were quicker in their thinking, and quick with their puck movement. Although the Rangers don't have a Zdeno Chara-esque booming shot from the point, the point men on the power play, whether it was Del Zotto, Girardi, whoever, was willing to shoot the puck. However, one glaring weakness remains, which will be discussed later in this post.
2. Lots of puck movement.
As mentioned with the power play, one of the key phases of new coach Alain Vigneault's system was evident. We saw a lot of odd-man rushes, a lot of tic-tac-toe passing, and mainly an avoidance of dumping and chasing. The adjustment to AV's offensive-minded system will take time to flourish, but we saw signs that that players are buying into this new style of play. Imagine how good it will be by New Years'.
3. Marc Staal looks better than ever.
One of the Rangers' greatest concerns heading into the season was the health of arguably their best shutdown defenseman. After a career-threatening eye injury sustained on a slap shot to the face last season, Staal himself said he wasn't sure the eye would ever be the same. Well, not only is he back healthy, but he appears to have returned to his all-star form. Staal scored the lone Rangers goal Thursday night, on the power play, no less. Most importantly, he was the best player on the ice for the Rangers, effective in both zones. The fact that he appears to be healthy is critical to the team's chances going forward.
NEGATIVES
1. Way too much end zone play.
This was absolutely atrocious on Thursday night. The most glaring example is Phoenix's second period power play shortly after the Rangers tied the game at 1. The Rangers' failure to clear the puck and use their bodies along the boards led to Radim Vrbata's first goal of his hat trick. The penalty killing unit remained on the ice for nearly two minutes, and still failed to clear the puck after the penalty expired. This was a problem throughout the rest of the game, as well. This must change, otherwise the Rangers may average four goals allowed per game.
2. Indecisiveness on D.
Team defensive play is also a work in progress under AV's system. This was evident Thursday night. Rangers defensemen appeared to be confused about their defensive assignments, and this indecisiveness sometimes led to unnecessary scoring chances for Phoenix. Yes, the defensemen are keen on joining the rush. But they still need to remember coverages and defensive awareness are part of the game, too.
3. Not enough traffic in front of the net.
As mentioned before, this was the power play's glaring weakness. This was also a major problem at even strength as well. Credit Phoenix goalie Mike Smith; he was on his A-game Thursday night. But the Rangers made his job even easier by a failure to create traffic in front of Smith. Should the Rangers desire to generate more scoring opportunities and more rebounds, this will have to change.
The next game is Monday night in L.A. Game 2 of 82. Do the math. 2 of 82. Don't panic, Ranger fans. Pretty please, with sugar on top.
Be happy the new season has arrived! Enjoy, all!
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