Hockeybird.com: Try To Disclaim This

Are you familiar with "disclaimer phrases"? They're phrases which generally allow a person to say or do whatever comes to their mind and attempt to take away the impact of their words or actions with one of these phrases. You know 'em. "Not that there's anything wrong with that", or, "Not that I personally think so, I'm just saying", or, my personal and oft-used favorite, "I must've been drunk that night". There's one in hockey that goes, "But, it's only pre-season". And it is only pre-season, where most positives and negatives should be taken with the grain of salt that comes with your team not having it's best roster out there on most nights or not playing within their strategy and so on.

BUT (you knew this was coming), even with that in mind, there have been some very disturbing and very familiar trends to the Rangers pre-season so far. The reason they are disturbing is that they're exactly the areas the new Rangers need to improve on the old Rangers: Goals against, shots against, discipline, playing from behind, penalty killing and so on. So just in case you've just been walking down the street looking up at those big fluffy clouds in regards to the Rangers pre-season, take a look at these facts below - you just stepped in something.

Rangers have been outshot in five of their six games. The only game they outshot the other team was against Montreal in the opener, and by only one measly, stinkin' shot on goal.

Rangers have been outshot by a combined margin of 185 to 131 so far. 54 more shots on their own goal than they've taken. Ouch.

Particularly bleak is the last three games where the Rangers have been outshot by a combined 104 to 60, 44 more shots allowed than taken in only three games!

The other team scored first in five of the six games so far. Constantly playing from behind, a 2001-02 New York Rangers trademark.

Rangers are giving up an average of 3 goals per game so far. Keep that up - anywhere even close to it - and the only "first" the Rangers will be fighting for is the 2003 draft pick.

The two games the Rangers have won so far both came against minor league/try-out goalies, Boston's Tim Thomas and Philadelphia's... whatever his name is, the Finnish guy. Tell me that doesn't scare you.

Rangers have been shorthanded 47 times so far while having only 28 power play chances themselves. NOTHING will sink this season more quickly than that trend continuing.

In three games, Mike Richter is 0-1-1 with a bloated 3.27 goals against average and .892 save percentage. Blackburn, meanwhile, in three games is 1-1-0 with a very trim 2.22 GAA and a .918 SVP. If you think I'm trying to start some trouble here with a "goalie controversy", I AM! I seem to be one of the few Ranger fans who think Mike is over the hill (albeit with a few stellar games from time to time) and the brunt of the work should go to Blackburn, who's been clearly outplaying Richter since the three-quarter pole of last season through today.

Petr Nedved collected three points in the game against the Flyers playing on the LW of Lindros and Bure. Nedved has NO points in his other three games away from the two.

Maybe Trottier and staff are playing rope-a-dope here, just throwing the players out there without any regard for strategy or style just to get player impressions rather than team impressions, and the defensive claws come out a week from tonight against Carolina. I sure hope so. Because if this coaching staff doesn't have "defense" marked down as Priority 1A on their checklists, there was little reason to fire the old coaching staff.

One unrelated point before I go. For the people who think Rico Fata or Roman Lyashenko should make the team over Dixon Ward, consider this:

Player	GP	PTS	+/-	SOG
Ward	4	3	+6	8
Fata	6	1	+2	6
Lyashenko	4	0	-1	5

Fata or Lyashenko have more upside, you say? But Dixon Ward is the better player than either of them NOW, and not so coincidentally that is also when the Rangers are playing their games: NOW. Not thinking about the future? Not properly developing the young players? You, sir, can stick it. When either Fata or Lyashenko show up with the effort and on-ice results as Lundmark, or York has in the past, let me know.

Hey there. This is my first post/response on Hockeybird.com, although I have been reading here for a while now. I am a faithful of sec 411. I have to add my 2 cents to this editorial. I agree with everything said, but STRONGLY agree on two points. Blackburn should get the brunt of the work. I am a big Richter fan, but you gotta be realistic. Also, I am very upset that they did not protect Ward, and also Donato. Both had very strong preseasons. And Barnaby? Who needs him with Sandy and Oliwa in the line up? Just had to get that out. Later.

Posted by: scott on October 2, 2002 07:07 PM