Game #37 At New York Rangers: The Great Underachievers

By Travis Hrubeniuk

11 years ago

New York Rangers (16-15-3) Vs.

Your Winnipeg Jets (18-16-2)

Last Meeting:

March 14th, Jets 3 – Rangers 1

Broadcast:

TV: TSN Jets

Puck Drop: 6:00 (CT)

Preview

One more month. Today starts the home stretch of the NHL season and the Jets are currently holding on to a playoff spot. Frustratingly, they are just holding on. A mere four points separates the current Southeast Division leading Jets from the 11th place Washington Capitals and day by day you can feel the pressure mounting. With the win on Saturday, the Hurricanes moved within 4 points of the Jets with 3 games in hand. Now, the ‘Canes do need to win those games to move ahead of the Jets, but it’s never a comfortable feeling to know that you can drop in the standings and not be able to fight it. Today’s matchup against the Rangers is one the Jets need to win if they want to help secure themselves and show that they belong in the playoffs.

It’s almost funny to think that I can say that. Coming into the season the New York Rangers were thought to be one of the Eastern Conference powerhouses. Fresh off of the acquisition of Rick Nash alongside names such as Marian Gaborik, Brad Richards, and Ryan Callahan, there was no reason to believe they wouldn’t be. In fact, if you were to tell me that with less than 15 games to go in the season the Rangers were going to be the lowest scoring team in the NHL, and tied with the Islanders for 8th in the East, I would have laughed in your face. Yet, such is the fate of the Rangers this year, who haven’t managed a goal in their last two games, and sit dead last in goals for this season with 78 in 34 games.

But hey, we’re talking about a season that in which the Columbus Blue Jackets are 8th in the West.

By the Numbers

	Rangers	Jets
5×5 GF/60	2.0 (26^th)	2.2 (20^th)
5×5 GA/60	1.9 (2^nd)	2.6 (21^st)
Goals by Period	23 – 21 – 29	20 – 36 – 29
Fenwick (5×5 Close)	53.52 (7^th)	50.27 (14^th)
PDO	1002	987
	Home	Away	Home	Away
PP%	17.0% (21^st)	11.1% (29^th)	14.6% (25^th)	13.5% (21^st)
PK%	82.8% (15^th)	76.6% (22^nd)	82.4% (16^th)	77.4% (21^st)
Top Scorer	Rick Nash 16GP: 7-10-17	Derek Stepan 16GP: 5-8-13	Andrew Ladd 17GP: 8-8-16	Andrew Ladd 19GP: 6-10-16

Coach’s Coaching

Jets

Don’t Be That Team

With all that firepower, you just know the Rangers are a team that can explode at any moment. Don’t be the team to light that fuse. If the Jets can go out and play a boring, uneventful road game I will be very pleased. You aren’t going to light up the scoreboard against the Rangers, but they are apparently incapable of lighting up anything, so play smart and wait for them to make the mistakes.

Don’t Get Frustrated

The Rangers have good goaltending. If the Jets can’t score early they cannot get frustrated and take dumb chances. A poor pinch here, or a dumb turnover there might be the difference between relaxation or pure panic in the River City Tuesday morning.

Rangers

Score

HAVE YOU SEEN YOUR LINEUP. Sure, you aren’t the Pittsburgh Penguins kind of stacked, but you have guys that can score. Might be nice if the boys could remember that.

Play For your Coach?

When you have a team that looks like the Rangers do, things are expected of you. And when those expectations aren’t met, and your coach constantly blows up publicly, people tend to get fired. Sean Avery called out John Tortorella this weekend, mentioning that he should be fired and the team simply does not respond to him anymore. Ryan Callahan stood up for his coach Sunday, stating that Avery’s thought do not reflect the opinions of the players. Actions speak louder than words, so… you know…. do something about it maybe?