3 areas the Rangers must be better in Game 2, with thoughts on possible lineup changes
Rangers’ fans are clamoring for changes following Wednesday’s 3-0 loss to the Florida Panthers to open the Eastern Conference Final, but Peter Laviolette is taking a more measured approach.
The battle-tested coach, who's had steady hand all season, and isn’t going to panic after one game, particularly given the 10-9 split in their favor in terms of high-danger scoring chances, according to Natural Stat Trick.
“I don't feel like we were under siege and didn’t feel like we were real vulnerable at times defensively,” Laviolette said from the MSG Training Center on Thursday. “There were adjustments that we made in Carolina series systematically, because I didn't like what I was seeing. I didn't like how it was coming at us, and so we changed parts of our game – big parts of our game – to try and make up for that. But I didn't feel like it was that (Wednesday) night. I feel like it's on us to play a better game inside of how we go about our business on the ice.”
Game 1 takeaways: Rangers open Eastern Conference Final with shutout loss to Panthers
While Game 1 was defensively sound on both sides, the Rangers acknowledged that being shut out on just 23 shots wasn’t nearly good enough against a Florida team that thrives in such a low-event environment. Laviolette specifically mentioned “crispness in execution,” while rattling off several areas where New York could have been tighter.
Could that lead to lineup changes for Game 2 on Friday at 8 p.m. at Madison Square Garden? That’s a hot topic on social media at the moment, and it’s certainly possible. But there is no surefire solution waiting in the wings. This series, as they all do, will come down to which team's top players show up.
With that being said, I do believe there's merit to giving Filip Chytil at least one more game. As long as he came out of Game 1 healthy after taking a big hit from Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola in the waning seconds – “We don’t have anything to report at this point,” Laviolette said – his scoring upside is worth trying to tap into. Expecting him to jump right back in and start potting goals after missing more than six months is probably asking too much, but he’s capable of contributing if given a little time to get back in the flow of the game.
Then again, Laviolette can’t afford to be too patient given the relative brevity of a best-of-seven playoff series.
If Chytil’s underwhelming performance in 9:17 time on ice Wednesday convinced the coach the train is moving too fast after such a long layoff, there are a few other directions he could go.
Blake Wheeler is available, but the rust factor could be even more of a concern for a 37-year-old who’s been out since mid-February with a right-leg injury. Jonny Brodzinski may be the safest bet − albeit with the lowest ceiling − but 6-foot-8 rookie Matt Rempe would be the most popular pick among a vocal segment of the fan base, even though he would likely be limited to only five or six minutes per game.
Are a few energetic Rempe shifts worth the risk of costly penalties and carrying a player you don’t trust late in close games? I lean towards no, but I will say it's more likely Laviolette would play that hand on home ice − which he'll have in Game 2 − as opposed to on the road when he doesn't have the benefit of last change.
Those choices add intrigue heading into Friday, but it’s misguided to think swapping out one fourth-line forward for another is going to alter the outcome of the series, particularly when the primary need is offense. There are bigger concerns involving players of much higher consequence, with the following three key areas the Rangers seem focused on.
Cleaner breakouts
One of the primary reasons the Rangers were shut out for the first time since Dec. 9 is because they couldn’t establish consistent offensive-zone time.
Florida’s ferocious forecheck gave them fits in Game 1, causing the Blueshirts to fumble multiple breakout attempts and struggle connecting passes from defensemen up to the forwards. That forced them into mistakes, including 12 giveaways, and limited their time of possession.
Looking ahead to Game 2, New York will need to find way to clean that up. And it starts, as multiple players have noted, with making sure they have layers of support and simplify their puck movement when necessary.
“They have a lot of speed on their team,” defenseman K’Andre Miller said. “Limiting their speed throughout the neutral zone, trying to get hold ups and trying to give us a little bit more time breaking the puck out of the D zone (are the keys). I think we can talk a little bit more. Obviously, when teams are coming that hard and pressuring you with that type of energy, I think it’s about breaking down their forecheck with talking, puck moving and just trying to be a little bit more firm. Our execution can be a little bit better coming out of the D zone, so I think using our voices a little bit more and communicating can be a big portion of that.”
Get the defensemen involved
The Rangers’ six regular defensemen combined for 192 points this season, led by 73 from Adam Fox, which worked out to an average of 2.34 points per game. But they’ve seen that production drop-off in the playoffs.
Those six have combined for only 16 points through 11 postseason contests, dropping that average down to 1.45 points per game. Fox and Jacob Trouba are tied for the most with just four apiece, with Fox in the midst of a five-game slump without a point. He’s looked compromised dating back to a collision with Washington defenseman Nick Jensen in the first round, but as long as he's in the lineup, the Blueshirts are going to need more out of their most dynamic blue-liner.
New York's defensemen combined for only five shots on goal in Game 1, and outside of Ryan Lindgren’s wraparound assist to setup Chris Kreider’s series-clinching goal in Carolina last week, haven’t been as active or effective in the push for scoring.
“You want to produce. Some are expected more than others, myself included,” Fox said. “Our main goal as a D corps is to defend first, especially against high-octane teams, and not really force that offense. But getting up in the rush, joining late and delivering pucks from the blue line – maybe getting bounces like that – I think definitely we want to jump when the opportunity presents itself.”
Apply pressure that leads to offense
It’s difficult for defensemen to get involved if the Rangers don’t have the puck, which wasn’t the case often enough in Game 1.
Florida’s smothering style made it difficult for to push forward and work their own forecheck game, leading players like Kreider and Trouba to stress the need for “north-south hockey.” That means making simple chips when the passing options aren’t there and aggressively engaging in ensuing battles for possession. They came out on the losing end too many times on Wednesday.
The Blueshirts can’t rely on dumping and chasing every time, particularly when there are opportunities for their high-end skill players to attack off the rush. But they also can’t force those plays when they’re not there. It’s a fine line this team has been trying to walk for years – and a balance Florida seems to excel with.
If the Rangers can gain more possession by forcing more giveaways − the Panthers were only charged with two in Game 1 − that will allow them to go to work in the high-danger areas, particularly the net front and slot. Doing that will put pressure on goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, as well as draw penalties to get New York's dangerous power play the ice time it needs to make a difference in this series.
“It starts with the forecheck – kind of just making it harder for their D to get to the puck first, to make that first play, to get out of the zone,” forward Barclay Goodrow said. “As forwards, we can do a better job getting on the D and creating turnovers. And then from there, just trying to get more pucks to the net. Making it harder on Bobrovsky. Obviously, he's a good goalie. If he sees pucks, life is easy. He's going to make most of those saves, so just making life more difficult on him and just trying to force them into turnovers to create more overall zone time.”
Vincent Z. Mercogliano is the New York Rangers beat reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Read more of his work at lohud.com/sports/rangers/ and follow him on Twitter @vzmercogliano.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: 3 areas the Rangers must be better in Game 2 vs. Panthers
