How the Rangers need to handle Stanley Cup expectations
With only five games before the playoffs, the New York Rangers are currently second in the race for the President’s Trophy, only two points back of the Anaheim Ducks but holding two games in hand. With their 3-2 win over the Minnesota Wild, they finally clinched the Metropolitan Division as well as home-ice advantage throughout the first two rounds of the playoffs. However, the Rangers have only been 5-3-0 in their last 8 and showing signs of struggle against the potential wild card teams in the east, that being the Washington Capitals as well as the Boston Bruins. The Rangers need to go into the playoffs on a hot streak, and they’re searching for their third straight win tonight against the New Jersey Devils in the Garden. They don’t exactly have a tough schedule to end the season, only playing two more teams that are either in the playoffs or on the outside looking in. These are games the Rangers need to win, and there won’t be an excuse for losing.
The New York Rangers thrive when playing with confidence, and entering the playoffs with Stanley Cup expectations from both the organization as well as the rest of the league, they need to make sure they don’t fold under the pressure. Even though the Rangers made the finals last year, certainly not many thought they would. Potential 2014 Stanley Cup champions thrown into the conversation were teams like the Boston Bruins, Anaheim Ducks, and Chicago Blackhawks, but not the New York Rangers. Now the Rangers are arguably the first ones mentioned in this conversation, and for the first time in over twenty years, the Rangers are the ones with a target on their back. The veteran leadership of players like Martin St. Louis, Dan Boyle, and Henrik Lundqvist should man the ship and help the rest of the team learn how to play in this kind of spotlight.
The most important thing for the team to keep in mind throughout the playoffs is that there are absolutely no guarantees. Any team can lose at any point, so the Rangers have to take it one game at a time and never underestimate their opponent. They have to run through the finish rather than right up to it. If they take a 3-0 lead in the series, it’s still not over yet. They shouldn’t play the next game with less intensity or act like they have a little wiggle room; they should play their hardest in game 4 and move on to the next round. No lead is ever safe, and if there’s one sport that knows that better than any other, it’s hockey, especially playoff hockey. This is a sport where the lowest seeds have ended up being cup contenders, and large series leads have been blown, especially within recent years.
Another key to the playoffs is having a very quick start. The Rangers are arguably the fastest team in all of hockey, and it’s important for them to get on the forecheck early, get shots to the net, keep the pressure on, and tilt the ice away from their own goaltender. They have to force the goalie to work early on, and a goal for the Rangers within the first five to ten minutes of the game is crucial to get both the crowd into it as well as the rest of the team. The first goal of the game is always a huge boost of confidence and momentum, two things that have absolutely played a part in the playoff success of one team and the downfall of another. Out of all the goals that the Rangers scored during the playoffs, it is arguable that this early goal in game 6 against the Pittsburgh Penguins was the one that propelled the New York Rangers all the way to the Stanley Cup Final last year.
Coming within the first four minutes of the game, the Rangers do an excellent job here on the forecheck, keeping their feet moving and outworking the Penguins along the boards and the dirty areas of the ice. They utilize their speed so well that the Penguins end up completely out of position and start puck watching. The Rangers in this sequence go with an overload setup where they skate around the right faceoff circle while one of their defensemen pinches up into the high slot to act as a fourth forward. All of this commotion around the half boards forces the Penguins to lose their man and get confused on defense:
The Rangers do a good job here cycling around the faceoff circle to separate the Penguins from their defensive assignment, leading to a goal
As a result, what ends up happening is that the Penguins end up more focused on the puck than anything else and try to block the shot. They basically come to a complete standstill and don’t try to backcheck at all, especially Evgeni Malkin (#71 in white) who simply lets his defensemen try to take care of the situation. What they didn’t take into account was a Ranger player potentially jumping on the loose rebound, which Derek Stepan picks up and Martin St. Louis banks in as he crashes the net. Let’s see how many of the Penguins here are in both the wrong spot and looking at the puck instead of the play:
The Penguins here end up so badly out of position that they’re all in a line and don’t pick up St. Louis who is parked right on the doorstep ready to put in a rebound.
…Oops, there’s FOUR of them. Just like ducks in a row, there are four Pittsburgh Penguins in a line all looking down at the puck instead of covering Martin St. Louis who follows up the shot by Anton Stralman and banks in the goal that motivated the team to win this series in 7 games and go all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals. This is the kind of energetic start to their game that the Rangers absolutely need to have as they head into the playoffs. Have a tight forecheck, keep skating, get the puck to the net, and jump on the rebound. They need to come out, set the tone for the whole game, and the opposition who they’re messing with. With home-ice advantage, they have their crowd behind them to help them out. Most of all, the Rangers need to want it more. If they play like this with a ton of confidence, there isn’t anything this New York Rangers team won’t be able to accomplish. This should be an absolutely thrilling next couple of months.
This article How the New York Rangers need to handle Stanley Cup expectations appeared first on isportsweb by Cameron Fine
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