Goal Line Report
Are the Rangers In Trouble?
by Patrick Hoffman on 10/16/11 at 07:18 PM ET
Comments (3)
Obviously folks, the answer to this question is a resounding NO.
It is only three games into the season and while the the team is 0-1-2, thanks to a 4-2 loss to the New York Islanders last night, it is certainly nothing to panic about. With that said, there are obviously things that the team needs to work on.
For starters, taking too many penalties. Throughout the team’s first three games of the season, it seems like the Blueshirts have constantly been making trips to the penalty box. Last night, the Rangers gave the Islanders eight power plays, some of them absolutely needless such as Marian Gaborik’s penalty in the third period.
Not only does going to the box put the team at a disadvantage man-wise, but it also kills the flow of the team. Last night, it was clear that the top line of Derek Stepan-Brad Richards-Marian Gaborik was clicking and creating scoring opportunities. However, when the team takes too many penalties, there is only so much time that line can get out on the ice.
Secondly, defenseman Michael Del Zotto does not look too confident out there. There is no doubt that he has a great shot (when he gets it on net) but when it comes to playing the puck in his own zone, he is very tentative. Would sending him down to the Connecticut Whale help?
Going into this week with games against the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers, the Rangers will need to pull things together so they can put some wins up on the board. If they do this week what they did in their first three games, things could get a bit ugly going back to Broadway.
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Tags: calgary+flames,
edmonton+oilers,
new+york+islanders,
new+york+rangers,
vancouver+canucks
Comments
Del Zotto has a great shot? In what league?
I don’t know how you define trouble, but I can tell you this year’s team will be lucky to earn the last playoff spot. They’ll struggle just like the past couple of seasons. To me, a Rangers fan, that spells major trouble.
Posted by JBytes on 10/16/11 at 09:09 PM ET
The Rangers are in deep trouble already. Waiving Avery was the one smart move they have made.
This is a team that is less than the sum of its parts and the parts do not fit together very well.
Who will pay the price? Well, how often have we seen a General Manager canned because his players can’t play? Torterella will end up paying the price and fairly soon, I feel.
Doc
Posted by DocF on 10/16/11 at 11:12 PM ET
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About Goal Line Report
Patrick has a tremendous passion for hockey. Besides covering the Rangers and the NHL for Kukla's Korner, you can also find Patrick's work over at Sportsnet.ca, The Red Light District Hockey Blog, NHL Home Ice, and Liam Maguire's Ultimate Hockey web site.
Prior to writing for the above mentioned outlets, you could find Patrick's musings at hockey web sites/outlets such as TheHockeyNews.com, TheFourthPeriod.com, Spector's Hockey, Hokeja Vestnesis, Blueshirt Bulletin, SNYRangersBlog.com and many more.
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shouldn’t have waived avery
Posted by Pharazon from England on 10/16/11 at 07:44 PM ET