What must the New York Rangers do to save their season?
If you’ve been following the New York Rangers for quite some time, you might be familiar with the saying that “one play could change the entire outcome of a series.” It happened in the 2022 first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs when Jacob Trouba threw a big hit on the Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby when the Rangers trailed 2-0 in Game 5 at home and 3-1 in the series at that point.
On Thursday night, the Rangers could have had one of those moments yet again, but they only hurt themselves. Let’s talk about Erik Gustafsson’s roughing penalty and how things might have played out in Game 5 against the Florida Panthers if it hadn’t happened.
The game happens fast, Niko Mikkola goes barging into Igor Shesterkin, and the hockey player’s instinct is to stick up for your goaltender. At that moment, the Rangers had a 1-0 lead after the shorthanded goal by Chris Kreider and the momentum was all theirs. Madison Square Garden had been rocking, the play was in Florida’s end, and the Rangers would have had the opportunity to go on a 5-on-3 which would have been the perfect thing to get their man advantage going.
“At that point in the game — you probably want the 5-on-3,” said Rangers coach Peter Laviolette. “Defending a goalie — you admire that, but it’s also playoff hockey and you have to keep things under control. Players stick up for each other, that’s what they do on the ice.”
Who knows if Gustafsson was even aware that a penalty was being called? Had he not done anything, are we sitting here questioning why he didn’t stick up for Shesterkin? If the Rangers do get the 5-on-3 and don’t convert, is their confidence in the man advantage even lower?
All these questions are fair to ask and just a part of going through the emotions of a long playoff run. When you think back to some other plays in this series, had they gone the Rangers way, we could be talking about a different outcome. If Mika Zibanejad’s shot in the first period of Game 4 goes in rather than hitting the crossbar, are we still talking about how the Rangers firs-line center needs to step up?
All it takes is one positive play, one thing to change the course and the direction of this series. So instead of dwelling on what’s already happened, it’s time to ask the questions about what this team can do to put themselves in a better position to just win one game on the road. At the end of the day, that is all that the focus should be on. Go into Florida and win a game.
So let me ask, Alexis Lafreniere is on fire right now, do you switch up the power play that has driven this group all year long but has only converted on one of 14 attempts in this series? Would that be a panic move or a beneficial move? They say “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, but with a man-advantage that is at 7.1% for the series, I would say that’s as close to broke as you’re going to get. Take the chance, see what happens.
“Close isn’t cutting it,” said Rangers defenseman Adam Fox. “We got to capitalize on those chances in big spots. We have some looks but you don’t win games based on getting looks, you got to capitalize.”
The one guy in this series who continued to capitalize has been Lafreniere. He now has four goals in the last three games and is tied with Vincent Trocheck for the team lead with eight. The only difference is that all eight of Lafreniere’s goals have come at even-strength, and five of Trocheck’s eight have come on the power play.
He may not have done it much in the first round, but whenever the Rangers have needed a big play in this postseason when the power play wasn’t delivering it’s been Lafreniere at the center of it. Unleash him, it doesn’t seem like a risk anymore.
These postseason runs are full of ebbs and flows. Right now the vibes aren’t high, there’s no denying that, but this core can do something with their backs against the wall — we’ve seen it.
Ranger fans have loved the comparisons of this group to the 1994 team that got it done. Want to hear another stat that connects the two? Two players in the history of the NHL have 16 goals in playoff games when their team is facing elimination. Do you know who those two players are? Chris Kreider and Mark Messier. Throughout his career as a Ranger, has there been anyone more clutch than Kreider? This is what the Stanley Cup Playoffs are all about. The highs and the lows.
Time and time again throughout the regular season and in these playoffs this group has shown that they’re different. The message going into the season for some was that this was the time to sink or swim, to put up or shut up.
Well, guess what, Game 6 in Florida is that opportunity. Win one game and you never know what could happen in a Game 7, especially when you have Shesterkin protecting your net.
Now let’s finish this by asking the right question: who’s going to be the guy that steps up and changes the direction of this series, Trouba? Kreider? Lafreniere on the power play? We’ll find out on Saturday night.
_____
Recently by Jonny Lazarus
- Special teams slump has Rangers in trouble in Eastern Conference Final
- Rangers’ supporting cast stepping up when it matters in Conference Final
- Matt Rempe brings something special to the New York Rangers
- Are the Rangers in trouble against the Panthers’ stingy defense?
- Veteran experience from Quick, Laviolette a big asset for the New York Rangers