Rangers - 4 Flyers - 2Going into the weekend I said that I'd be happy with a split. I don't know if everyone else felt that way but heres what I do know...
A month ago we lose this game 2-1 and drop both games this weekend.
The result of the game was nice, every time you win a game its a good thing but whats more encouraging is that the Rangers scored more than two goals for the fifth time in the last seven games. Infact, if you take out the first two games in the Tortorella era, the Rangers are averaging more than 3 goals a game under Torts, and thats with a shut out mixed in there. Renney apologists will point to two things: 1. The team is playing over their heads right now becuase they have a new coach. 2. They got three new players at the deadline. Is it possible that the team just upped their effort level because of a coaching change? Yeah, I'll say thats a safe assumption. Do the additions of Avery and Antropov help? of course they do. However whats important to look for here is the way that they're scoring goals and how they're back to firing well over 30 shots on goal on a pretty regular basis.
How many times did you see forwards crash the net and score ugly goals under Renney? I think the fourth line is the only line that did that and they don't score all that often. The one goal that had me convinced that things were on the way up under Tortorella was the only goal that the Rangers scored against the Panthers a few weeks ago when Markus freaking Naslund scored a goal by skating to the front of the net with a player draped all over him and burying a rebound while in the process of falling on his ass. It'd be nice if every goal scored in the NHL mirrored a segment from an Alex Ovechkin highlight reel but that just doesn't happen and when you can't take it coast to coast, you gotta get to the front of the net and pick up the trash.
As for the actual game, The Rangers won it with their Power Play (when was the last time we were able to say that?) Sure they had a ton of PP opps, one of them being a five minute major but to bury three goals on the PP against a team that is very good on the PK is impressive (Note: the Ranger PP is operating at about 20% under Tortorella, and all the kinks still haven't been worked out yet.) Put a solid effort from Lundqvist ontop of that and more often than not, the result will be an extra number in the win column for the Rangers.
There were five guys who stood out in this game for me, three good, one not so good and one awful.Good: Derek Morris - I think its clear that this dude is a step up from the other deadline deadweights we've added to our blue line in previous years. Hes much better defensivley than I thought he would be and he really excells at getting hard, low, deflectable shots on net on the PP. The hard shot/pass he threw at the net that resulted in Avery's first goal was beautiful. I have no idea how he only had one PP point with the Coyotes before the deadline - He already has two with the Rangers in six games.
Nik Antropov - Hes quietly been excellent for the Rangers since arriving from Toronto. He could easily have five goals in six games if not for hitting two posts. His game will rarely wow you like a Zherdev's will when he has a good one but I think thats good - Hes more of a shoot it or get to the front of the net when you don't have it type player and I really like that. He isn't a speed demon by any means but his size/reach and knowing how to use them makes him play much faster than he really is. Oh yeah, hes got a pretty wicked shot too. Get used to that wrister, the release and velocity on it are pretty much spot on with Grachev's. I'm really warming up to the big Russian, almost enough to want to keep him on this team going forward.
Sean Avery - I don't get it. He wasn't that good in LA, he did virtually nothing in Dallas but he plays amazing in a Ranger uniform. The Rangers record with him in the line up reflect that, but the last 3 games he has been by far the best player on this team. Whats amazing is I don't think hes chirping nearly as much has he has in the past, though that hasn't stopped five, sometimes six players on the opposing team from taking a shot at him when they get the chance and hes done a pretty good job of not retaliating so far. Whats unfortunate for Sean is that his ability gets lost in the side show he creates on and off the ice. As a hockey player, hes pretty good - Hes an excellent skater, has a very good shot, underrated vision and decent hands around the net - that package of skills should result in him being praised for his talents instead of torn apart for his antics. I have no idea how much longer this will last because its only a matter of time before he loses his cool or gets hurt but he is a perfect fit for Tortorella's system and if he can keep this up and stay healthy he'll be a major steal at the 1.9 mill he is being paid by the Rangers.
Not so good: Markus Naslund - Other than just missing out on burying a rebound on the PP, he was invisible today and that has been the case way too often lately. I'm not accusing him of dogging it but he just doesn't have it anymore. Markus has been a very classy guy whose had a great NHL career but those skills that made him known just aren't there anymore. I know he has 21 goals (it is 21 right?), but there is no reason he should be playing ahead of a guy like Korpikoski who does more good things on the ice night in and night out than Naslund.
Awful: Wade Redden - He picked up a secondary assist today but other than that he was terrible. One of my friends told me to watch for a big jump in Redden's play because Tortorella's system forces Redden to keep his feet moving and he'll be less liable to be caught flat footed and that his offensive production would go up. Through the first four games of the Tortorella era my friend looked like a genius...
Since then, hes gone back to the Redden we've gotten to know too well. He makes horrible decisions on when to pinch and when not to pinch, isn't moving his feet and he isn't covering passing lanes in his own zone well, or sometimes at all. I feel bad for picking on a guy who has taken a ton of grief this year but he has to pick it up and I know he can - I've already seen him play better than this a week ago so and no one loses it that fast.
The rest of the team put forth a solid effort. Up next: Montreal in Montreal. I'd enjoy a win so much more against the Habs if Carey Price is in net - I can't stand that smug overrated asshole.
