Just when you thought it could not get any worse after Monday’s loss, the New York Rangers on Tuesday said: “hold my beer.” Facing the worst team in the league who just recently traded its captain, New York once again failed to score on just 23 shots, falling 3-0 to the Canucks. Thatcher Demko was great, but when you keep shooting low to middle and don’t elevate, this is what happens. The Blueshirts will face the Blues on Thursday with a revamped roster following a few moves today.
Game recap:
Rangers lines vs. Canucks:
Cuylle-Trocheck-Miller
Panarin-Zibanejad-Lafrenière
Sheary-Laba-Raddysh
Chmelař-Carrick-Rempe
Gavrikov-Schneider
Soucy-Borgen
Robertson-Morrow
Quick
Shesterkin
Scratches: Vaakanainen, Berard
LTIR: Fox (upper-body injury), Edström (lower-body injury)
A few thoughts:
1) Scoring futility: Through 35 games this season, the Rangers have only won 16 times while being shut out seven times, six of those coming at home. New York ranks 30th in the NHL in goals per game. Tuesday was the third time this season the Blueshirts lost to a team that sat dead last in the NHL standings, as well as their sixth loss in as many tries (0-5-1) in the second game of a back-to-back situation.
We have reached the moment where complaints about failing to finish should be falling on deaf ears. When your talent, or lack thereof, is the reason why you didn’t score, it’s more that you lack finishers rather than you are either just unlucky or going through a rough patch. New York is slow through the neutral zone and once you get past the top-six, who are having their own issues, the bottom-six is not contributing offensively.
Artemi Panarin, who is the only true scoring threat, had eight shots last night. JT Miller and Vincent Trocheck each had three shots on net. That means that the rest of the lineup notched nine shots, let that sink in, nine shots, with two players notching a pair of shots. The offense is offensive (think they miss Adam Fox?). In an attempt to remediate this issue or waive the white flag, New York made roster moves Wednesday.
2) Brennan Othmann and Gabe Perreault were called up from the Hartford Wolf Pack. Brett Berard and Jaroslav Chmelar were sent down. Berard provided energy but his advanced metrics showed little impact. Personally, if going full tear down, I would have kept Berard up and let him grow at this level. Chmelar is mildly redundant with Matt Rempe now back, but I would expect him back at some point.
Othmann may be receiving his last chance. He was sent down due to a defensive miscue in his one game for New York earlier this season. Othmann did not set the world on fire in Hartford, notching four goals and 10 points in 19 games. He’s scored in three of his last four games, though, lending some hope that maybe he is figuring it out. More likely, he is being showcased.
Perreault, like Othmann a first round pick, has 10 goals and 17 points in 20 games for Hartford. He was seeing top-six minutes for the Wolf Pack and needs to receive similar even if he struggles. When called up earlier this season, he saw top-six minutes and then his playing time rapidly declined.as he slid down the lineup.
If truly starting the “rebuild,” which will be difficult due to No Trade and/or No Movement Clauses, then the kids have to play. This would require sitting and/or trading Taylor Raddysh and Conor Sheary, but the latter is unlikely right now. Sitting one of both could happen given the call up of Othmann and Perreault.
This is how I would try the lines:
Miller-Trocheck-Perreault
Panarin-Zibanejad-Lafrenière
Cuylle-Laba-Othmann
Sheary-Carrick-Rempe
Home › Forums › Rangers Blanked Again, Prospects Promoted