The New York Rangers snapped a five-game skid on Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens. Despite the result, the biggest issue that has plagued the Rangers this season was on full display, preventing anyone from taking a collective sigh of relief. The game tying goal on Saturday, the second given up in the third period, was emblematic of the Rangers’ struggles. The error occurred in their own zone, but its continued presence at all areas of the ice is the reason the Rangers are giving up so many odd man rushes out of their offensive zone as well.
The Ranger forwards are playing the wrong side of the puck too often. Montreal’s third goal on Saturday was the perfect example. With the puck below the goal line in the Rangers’ zone, Nick Suzuki slides the puck up the boards towards the defenseman while under pressure from Filip Chytil. Will Cuylle intercepts and tries to chip the puck past the defenseman, Mike Matheson. Matheson pinches his leg against the boards, which blocks the clearing attempt.
While that block was happening, Cuylle spins to his right to try and play the puck, putting his back to the goal in the offensive end, but perhaps more critically, taking his body out from between Matheson and the goal. At the same time, Chytil, who is following the puck up the boards, skates by Matheson and Cuylle while trying to push the puck through as he skates by. The puck doesn’t get through the two bodies and Chytil joins Cuylle on the wrong side of the play, as Matheson skates forward with the puck, around Schneider and passes through K’Andre Miller (who was also cheating too high in the zone looking to join the rush) for a tap in goal for Nick Suzuki.
Too often this season the Rangers are trying to cheat on the offensive side of the puck, and it is costing them dearly. The prior example is fresh, but it is not unique and there have been many culprits. If the Rangers are to get their season back on track, it has to start with defense, particularly protecting against odd man rushes by focusing on staying on the right side of the puck. Staying on the right side of the puck means keeing your body between the puck and your own goal.
Instead, most of the time the Rangers are too soon to jump to the offensive side of the puck, taking themselves out of position to defend. In their defensive zone it is a recipe for disaster, but in the offensive zone it leads to easy breakouts for their opponents and odd man rushes, which is not the strength to the team’s defense. In the offensive zone, the problem could be solved by getting the puck deep more often and getting on the forecheck, rather than their tendency to pull up at the blueline and look for the cross-ice pass.
Teams that get the label as “hard to play against” make their opponents go through them more often than not. They play sound body position regardless of which zone the puck is in and use their defense to create offense. The Rangers, of late, have been too easy to play against. And it’s not about Jacob Trouba or Will Cuylle throwing body checks. It is about each player making a commitment to be on the right side of the puck at all times. To make it hard for their opponents and easier on their goalies. And they better do it soon, or some of them may not be Rangers for much longer.
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