It wasn't pretty in Madison Square Garden last night. The Rangers were drastically outplayed for the first two periods, and whatever effort they were able to mount in the third was not enough to overcome a 3-0 deficit.
They came out of the locker room terribly flat, and basically let the Penguins and Sidney Crosby do anything they wanted. Kevin Weekes didn't play badly, and even gave the team a glimmer of hope when he stopped a Ziggy Palffy penalty shot to prevent the Pens from taking a 4-0 lead.
It has become obvious that teams have figured out the one dimensional Rangers' power play, which can be summed up in two words: "Find Jagr". As Larry Brooks points out in his article, they have gone 3-for-37 in their last 7 games with the man advantage. Another problem is that they do not have a right handed shot to place opposite Jagr for that cross ice pass. Oh wait, yes they do . . . Petr Prucha. But Prucha was benched for most of the third period, for what we do not know, while Ville Nieminen was moved mid-game to the first line.
What the Rangers really lack, however, is a defenseman to quarterback the power play. Which brings me to you-know-who. Tom Poti is horrid. There, I said it. I know it becomes tiresome reading about him, but not as tiresome as watching him on the ice. His defensive skills have always been questionable (except for his vicious 'poke-check' of course), but it is clear that he has no significant offensive skills either. Even in this new 'open- ice' NHL, Poti has failed to contribute. He has ZERO points on even strength for the year, and he has tallied only ONE secondary assist in his last ten games and a total of 3 assists in 13 games. He is unable to keep the puck in the offensive zone, and it cost the Rangers a goal against the Devils the other day, and I counted at least three times he failed to control a pass at the point last night. Jason Strudwick, who is NOT known as an offensive D-man, and who makes about $1.9 million dollars less than Tom, and who has played three less games than Tom, and who averages about 5 minutes less ice time per game than Tom, and who gets virtually no power play time, has the same number of points as Poti, and even has a goal.
Terrible Tom needs to go. Or sit. Or something. I have made an effort to defend him at times this year, but I have seen enough. Of course, he may not have been the worst last night, but none of the other guys have his track record.
All is not lost however. Ryan Hollweg showed us that he has more to his game than just throwing his body around. He scored his first NHL goal and added an assist for a total of 3 points in six games. Additionally, he was second only to Jagr in shots with six last night. Marcel Hossa took a beating, but picked himself up to score the Rangers second goal.
Once again it is 'bounce-back' time for the Rangers. So far this year they have done a good job of collecting themselves and coming out with a good effort after losses.
NY Post: It was Hollweg, a latter day Pat Verbeek-ian Little Ball of Hate, who got the Rangers within 3-1 on his first NHL goal at 6:51 of the third, and then got an assist on the Marcel Hossa rebound goal at 13:36 that made it 3-2.
NY Daily News: "I think we almost showed them too much respect," Rangers coach Tom Renney said. "They've got a formidable lineup that you have to respect - but you don't respect it to the point where you stand still and watch them play."
The Journal News: "We sat back and waited instead of initiating," center Steve Rucchin said. "I guess we were just not prepared as players. We're guilty of not giving what it takes to play."
NY Newsday: So much for stats. Coming out of the gate too cautiously changed the dynamics of the game.
NY Times: When asked if Crosby deserved the hype that has accompanied his rookie season, Rangers Coach Tom Renney said: "He's a terrific young player. And keeping in mind his age, and how he fits so nicely into their scheme, he's a selfless player. So I would say yeah. Let's not lose sight of some other really good young players in our league. But I think Sidney's the premier guy."
NY Daily News: Mike Lupica writes about Tom Renney bringing a buzz back to the Garden: "We are," Tom Renney said yesterday morning, "in the process of redefining ourselves."
The Rodent thinks that the Rangers underestimated their opponents last night.
Blueshirt Bulletin gives its take on the loss.
If you missed the NY Hockey Report last night, you can catch it (and all past shows) here.
FoxSports has a rundown of the Rangers' prospects.
Bird is safe and sound and back with a new Birdcage.
It is Election Day in the U.S. Don't forget to vote.
HDH
Posted by Jim at November 08, 2005 12:51 PMeMail this entry!
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