It has been this way for two long seasons and Confusingous has little explanation for it. No matter the score. No matter how many skaters each side has on the ice. The Rangers are always on the penalty kill.
As our resident Fortune Guru is writing this scathing review of our Broadway Blueshirts, the Rangers have given up seven, yes, seven short handed goals already this season. That is not even a mark you would strive for after an eighty-two game campaign let alone this soon. Should we be surprised? Certainly not as anyone who has watched New York can see the team has inexplicably had trouble moving the puck out of their own end against even a token forecheck. Anyway, based on his theory, Confusingous would say that while the scoreboard would dictate that the Rangers are on a powerplay, the teams are seemingly playing at full strength.
On paper, Glen Sather has upgraded his defense in the off-season losing dead weight like Marek Malik and picking up veteran Wade Redden. Dan Girardi and Mark Staal also have another season of experience and it is showing in their confidence and play. However, the team still acts like spectators in their defensive end. Even the most offensively challenged team comes off like the scoring lines that the great Penguins teams sported in the early 1990’s. Last night’s game against the Canucks (which are sporting low-grade Whalers rip-off sweaters as of late) looked like a classic Generals against the Globetrotters matchup sans the ladders. Even when Henrik Lundqvist was taken out, the onslaught continued. Luckily Steve Valiquette was up to the task of making ridiculous saves to keep the Rangers in the game.
New York is tops in a relatively weak Atlantic Division early on in the 2008-9 campaign. Recent history has dictated that they are due for a slump and that the Devils are due for winning streak (though no MAR-TIN will delay that prospect). The existence and length of a slump can only be remedied by Tom Renney and his coaching staff. Their ability to improve their defense and the urgency to do so will be the only thing that could keep this team performing at a high level. The Rangers sport a superstar in backstop Henrik Lundqvist however the team will not be lifting Lord Stanley’s Cup anytime soon if they continue to rely on his ace play and under two goals against average because this cannot hold on for long (see the aforementioned Vancouver game last night). Defense must improve and scoring must increase. However, giving up short handed goals and having teams play keep away in the Rangers defensive zone (Confusingous will not bring up the multitude of unexplainable penalties the Blueshirts take game after game) takes the air out of the team and the Garden faithful. And without either of those, it’s going to be another long season ending with a second round exit.
The team has shown flashes of brilliance and a resiliency to stay in games that they were seemingly buried in. However, until they are able to put it together for sixty minutes every night, they will never take that next step. And it all starts with the defense.
