Rangers Unacceptable Performance Has Tortorella Admit "We Sucked" (W/ Video)

New York Rangers coach John Tortorella is not typically one to mince his words and he certainly did not last night when he opened his post-game remarks with two simple words, “We sucked.”

Recently in each loss the Rangers have suffered Tortorella has taken the upbeat approach choosing to focus more on the things that the team did well and how they were close, but just not getting there.  On this night there was nothing to cling to.  Sure the Rangers gave up some fluke goals off deflections and bad bounces, but that was not the difference in the game. The effort, if you can call it that, was one of the worst of the season for a club that has prided itself on playing hard every night regardless of the results.  Losing is one thing and while disappointing it can be stomached if the effort is there.  Last night was something completely different and with only 13 games remaining on the schedule it must be corrected immediately.  It was not just one player, it was an epidemic problem last night.

"We had some passengers and some guys testing the water,” Tortorella said. “We haven't played that way too often and we'll bounce back, but it's a tough way to play at this time of year."

This team simply is not talented enough to put in the effort they did against Anaheim and beat anyone in this league.  They have a style they must play and with a level of energy and effort they must play at to beat people and when it does not produce they will get blown out by anyone.  

Here is my full recap of last night's action. 
 

Full Video of Tortorella following the game:

Video: Martin St. Louis Spin-o-rama Clips Hawks, But Was It Legal?

If the Tampa Bay Lightning and Chicago Blackhawks meet again this season there will be no shootout to decide the outcome, but there was tonight and there was some controversy to it.  Spin-o-rama goals have become a popular way to attempt to score in shootouts and it was the preferred method of Tampa's Martin St. Louis as he came down on Chicago's Corey Crawford.  The move itself and the finish were absolutely beautiful.

Here's the video of the move and the goal:

Where the controversy comes in is at the end of the spin and whether or not St. Louis comes to a stop.  

Here is the rule: 

Rule 25.2: The spin-o-rama type move where the player completes a 360° turn as he approaches the goal, shall be permitted as this involves continuous motion.

After review it was ruled that the motion was continuous and the goal was allowed to stand, though to my eyes it certainly looks like he stops momentarily.

Was it the right call?

Rangers Lay An Egg vs Ducks in 5-2 Loss

Debora Robinson/NHLI via Getty Images

The Rangers are who we thought they were.  They are a team that can put up huge goal totals in one game and fail to finish in the next.  They are a team that does not handle momentum type wins very well as they destroyed a nemesis on Sunday and came out tonight and put in an awful effort in a 5-2 loss to the Ducks.  They were outhustled and out skilled all night by Anaheim in one the worst performances this team has put on all season.  Tonight you really saw the difference between the Rangers as a team that tries to grind out everything and rely on committee offense versus a team that truly has elite skill.  The line of Ryan, Getzlaf, and Perry dominated the Rangers all night long combining for three goals, five assists and a plus 10, while the Rangers line of Dubinsky, Anisimov, Callahan had one goal and were a minus 10.

The first period started very well with an excellent opening five minutes.  The Rangers struck first with Brandon Dubinsky netting his 20th goal on the season just 3:30 into the game.  The play was a beautiful setup by Ryan Callahan that saw Dubinsky walk in all alone on a busted defensive play by Cam Fowler and he finished it off.  Things went straight downhill from there.

The Ducks tallied three goals before the end of the first and each one was off a Rangers player.  Corey Perry would get the first 7:34 in when he threw the puck toward the crease and it banked off the skate of Dan Girardi.  Next up was Lubomir Visnovsky firing one from the point off Marc Staal’s arm and in to give the Ducks the lead.  Visnovsky was not done as he got another deflected goal late in the first.  This time off Artem Anisimov’s stick turning it into a knuckle puck that bounced off the ice and over Lundqvist’s shoulder.

The Rangers were dominated again in the second period, but there were no goals.  The third period was a combination of Rangers failures and Anaheim showing how finishing is done by top players in this league.  Brandon Dubinsky had a wide open net to shoot at early in the third but instead of burying the chance he shot it back across the net into Dan Ellis paddle.  Of course the Ducks would take the puck the other way on a two-on-one and show the Rangers how it is done with Bobby Ryan burying the chance to turn what could have been a 3-2 deficit immediately into a 4-1 hole.  On the play Girardi did not take away the shot or the pass and Perry found Ryan for the finish.

Marian Gaborik scored a meaningless power play goal 5:31 into the third after being invisible for the first two plus periods of action.  With the score still 4-2 Gaborik would have a similar chance with at least three feet of the net to work with and he too shot it back across into Ellis instead of burying it and making it a game.

Anaheim would cap it with just over five minutes remaining when Bobby Ryan walked around Dan Girardi, who once again dove on the ice and got nothing, and fed the puck across to Corey Perry who made it 5-2.

• Marian Gaborik getting a meaningless goal for me was nothing more than stat padding and I don’t take it as any sort of sign that he is headed in the right direction.  His invisibility when the game was even in question was ridiculous.
• Dan Girardi was abysmal tonight

Impact of McCabe Goes Beyond Numbers

Nick Laham/Getty Images

Normally I agree with George Ays of Tracking the Rangers when he says, “Numbers don’t lie, they just don’t agree with you.”  One place where I don’t agree, at least not yet, is in terms of the impact Bryan McCabe has had on the New York Rangers power play.  It has been five games and the stats say the man advantage is still struggling only converting on 3 of 20 (15%) power plays.  The numbers say that the impact has been negligible to this point.  I do not get that same feel in watching the Rangers when they have the advantage since he has been here.

The willingness to shoot the puck and hit the net has created something opponents have not had to account for all season.  He has yet to score with his bombs from the point, but it has created a number of rebound opportunities and beyond that has made other players on the ice more aggressive and that aggression has been utterly lacking for this team all season.  More players are willing to pull the trigger on their own shots, with more space to do so and some are even heading to the front of the net for a change.  All of these things are critical to getting the final reward.

Along with his shot the biggest help to the power play has been his ability to keep the puck in the zone.  For much of the year the Rangers would spend half the power play chasing the puck down to the other end of the ice and starting over because they were unable to hold the line, but McCabe has been a virtual vacuum back there sucking up clearing attempts and continuing possession for the offense.

His understanding and comfort running a power play also shows in how he walks the line at the point to create angles for both his own shot and passing lanes.  These are the types of things that a power play quarterback does and the things that McCabe should be imparting to the rest of the Rangers defense core.  The results are not there yet, but I believe that between the movement, the aggression, the puck possession and the big shot from the point those results will come in short order.

So, do the numbers lie or my eyes?

Could Sean Avery Be A Healthy Scratch In The Near Future?

Al Bello/Getty Images

New York Rangers coach John Tortorella refusing to commit to a lineup the day before a game is nothing new, but does it speak to potential changes in the near future?  The assumption for many was that once Erik Christensen was the healthy scratch on Sunday the Rangers had their forward lineup for the rest of the season.  That is certainly possible, but to this point I am not convinced that is the case.  In fact, I believe he will be back in the lineup pretty soon and a fan favorite, Sean Avery, might be the one who goes out in his place.

The reason given for Christensen taking a seat against Philadelphia was about his toughness against that kind of team, which is certainly a valid criticism of his game.  The interesting lineup questions will come when the Rangers play teams that are not as physical and the team needs to incorporate more skill.  Christensen frustrates like few others because he possesses elite skill that should make him a top six forward, but absolutely no consistency to his play.  On the season he has been disappointing with just 9 goals and 20 points in 50 games, but he does have three goals and three assists in the last five games.  The combination of his recent hot play, his prior chemistry with Marian Gaborik and his shootout abilities down the stretch in a tight playoff race make him an option John Tortorella is likely to go back to.

If Christensen is to go back into the lineup, someone must come out and barring any other injuries the most likely candidate is Sean Avery.  I am not arguing that Avery should come out of the lineup for Christensen, just that it is likely to happen.  Avery has been excellent this year in playing his role and of late has picked up his threat level in terms of scoring goals, but nothing he has done has translated to him getting more minutes.  Only once in the last seven games has Avery even hit the 10 minute mark for ice time in a game. The minutes certainly play a role in his point production, but Avery has only accounted for one goal and three assists in his last 17 games.

In practice the past few days the lines have been consistent:

Dubinsky-Anisimov-Callahan

Avery/Christensen-Prospal-Gaborik

Wolski-Stepan-Zuccarello

Fedotenko-Boyle-Prust

With those being the lines it only furthers the belief that if Christensen is to come back in the lineup and there are no injuries it would be a clean swap of him and Avery.  The line of Avery, Prospal, Gaborik failed to generate much of anything on Sunday, other than the disallowed goal, so that also factors in when considering where a change would be made as the other three lines are playing well together.  I do not see that happening tonight against a physical team like Anaheim, but it could happen much sooner than many fans would like.

I know a lot of the comments will be against the move, and I appreciate that, but I am more interested in whether you think it will happen, so leave that as well. Thanks.

Video: Zdeno Chara Hits Max Pacioretty Into Glass Divider, Pacioretty Stretchered Off

After their last meeting there was some bad blood between the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens and tonight’s action will not do anything to stem that from these two longtime rivals.  Late in the second period, Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara rode Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty along the wall and Pacioretty’s head would slam into the glass divider between the two benches. 

Pacioretty was down and unconscious for some time before he was placed on a stretcher and taken to the hospital.  Early reports from the Canadiens are that Pacioretty is conscious and able to move all of his extremities, which is excellent news. 

Update: Per Darren Dreger the news on Pacioretty is not good.

According to Habs, Pacioretty suffered a severe concussion and fractured 4th cervical vertebra.

Here is the video of the hit:

As for the hit itself it is definitely late and Chara was assessed a 5-minute major penalty for interference, as well as a game misconduct on the play.  The question now is what kind of punishment Chara will get from the league.  There does appear to be malicious intent on Chara’s part, but the severity of the result will certainly be factored into any decision that the league makes.

What do you think the league should do with Chara?

Is It Playoffs Or Bust For Rangers Season?

Christopher Pasatieri/Getty Images

There is a consensus among followers of the New York Rangers that the future looks brighter than it has in some years.  This team will only continue to grow as the younger players on it mature and development into more consistent players at the NHL level.  Where there seems to be some disagreement is on how critical making the playoffs this season is to whether or not the year has been successful.  Today, two Rangers bloggers of whom I have great respect take different approaches to that topic.  Dave Shapiro at Blue Seat Blogs takes the approach that the season regardless of whether the team maintains it current playoff standing it has been a successful season.  John Merrigan at Canyon of Blueshirts argues that it is unacceptable for this team to miss the playoffs again this year.  Is one right and the other wrong?

Personally I tend to lean more in Dave’s direction while understanding where John is coming from.  The incorporation of so many young players this season and the experience they have gained for the future is more important to the long term fate of this franchise then getting in the playoffs for me.  The growth in the games of Dubinsky, Callahan, Anisimov, Staal, Girardi, Boyle while rookies Derek Stepan, Michael Sauer, Ryan McDonagh and Mats Zuccarello have all shown their abilities at this level is such a massive positive for this season.  That is not to discount the value and experience making the playoffs would have for those same players as they advance in their careers.  You do have to get to the playoffs to learn the lessons of how to win there.

We will all be upset if the team misses the playoffs considering the work and effort they put into the season to this point and how they basically have control over their destiny with just fourteen games to go. It will hurt when added to how the team missed out on the playoffs last season, but the difference for me will be in the hope for the future which was not nearly as strong when they failed last season.  This team is good enough to get in.  This team has done enough to deserve to get in this year.  Failing to do so would certainly dampen some of the success of this year, but it will not wash it away.

I expect them to finish off the task, get in, and at the very least give their first round opponent the scare of their lives if not outright beat them depending on the matchup.  I don’t buy the Cinderella idea that if they get in they can win it all, but if they play to their capabilities then they will be an extremely tough out come playoff time. 


Tell me what you think.

Ryan Callahan Has Taken The Next Step Offensively

Al Bello/Getty Images

Coming into this season, beyond Marian Gaborik, the New York Rangers were full of question marks in terms of finding consistent scoring overall and more importantly finishing in the goal scoring department.  Even with Gaborik in and out of the lineup and failing to consistently score, Ryan Callahan might be changing both of those facts if his play this season is a sign of things to come for him.  Coming into last season I had high hopes for Callahan to have a breakout season offensively.  This was based in large part to how well he closed the 2008-09 season following the hiring of coach John Tortorella, but the results really never materialized.  Instead the New York Rangers got the great all-around play that has come to be standard fare for him and the same 40 point season they had gotten the year before.  There was no uptick in production despite the rise in power play time and production there because it was offset by a massive decline in his effectiveness at even strength. 

From last year’s inability to take the next step offensive despite the added ice time I began to wonder if we had seen the ceiling on Callahan offensively in the NHL.  Was he going to be an excellent character guy who does everything, is a leader, while producing 40-50 points and maybe 20-25 goals a season.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with that as every team need those kinds of players, but they cannot be the key players on your team if you want to contend for a title.  The question at this point in the 2010-11 season is if Callahan has forced another look into his offensive potential and if he can become a legitimate 30 goal, 60 point player, which vaults him into a completely different category. 

In just 48 games this season Callahan has tallied 20 goals, 19 assists and 39 points.  Those totals put up two shy of his career high in goals (22), over his previous career high in assists (18) and one shy of his career high points total (40) in 33 less games than when he set them in 2008-09. 

Looking at his statistics on a per game basis in the previous two seasons he averaged .26 goals/game, .23 assists/game and .49 pts/game. This season those numbers have soared to .42 goals/game, .40 assists/game and .81 pts/game which is a tremendous advancement in production.  If you calculated Callahan’s totals out over an 82 game season he would be on pace for a statistical line of 34-33-67.  He will not reach those totals this season because of the broken hand that cost him 19 games, but this is more about whether he can keep those kind of projections up through the end of the year and then match this in a full season.

There is no debating that his totals and averages are inflated from a performance like Sunday against the Flyers, but even if you remove that performance he was still on pace for a very respectable 27 goals this season.  The scariest part is he is having this kind of offensive season while still struggling to finish many plays he should convert.  If you believe he can learn to convert some more of those chances, which I do, then seeing him as a legitimate 30 goal threat down the line is very reasonable.

While no one is going to confuse Callahan for Marian Gaborik in the goal scoring or point production departments when both are at their best, Callahan is doing his best to solidify himself as a legitimate offensive option, that other teams must account for, to go with his tremendous two-way hockey player.  If Callahan can become a consistent 28-32 goal guy instead of 20-24 that makes a huge difference to his value and the fortunes of the team in terms of their scoring troubles. 

Has Callahan become a 30 goal type guy or has just had some really good games and is still on average more of a 25 max type player?