Here’s where Rangers coach wants to see massive improvement in coming games
Peter Laviolette didn’t seem too concerned after the New York Rangers were again badly out-shot, out-chanced and out-attempted by the Ottawa Senators on Friday night. Perhaps that’s because Igor Shesterkin stole two points for the Rangers, with a brilliant 40-save performance in the 2-1 victory.
Or maybe the Rangers coach kept his true feelings to himself. Because he could not have been happy that for the third time in the past four games the Rangers largely defended poorly and mustered very little offensive pushback.
That the the Rangers are 2-2-0 in their past four games is due in large part to their goaltending. Shesterkin faced 115 shots in his past three starts, and Jonathan Quick stopped 32 of 33 shots in a 2-1 win against the Anaheim Ducks last weekend.
The main theme in those four games — outside of terrific goaltending — is that the Rangers are chasing the game. They are not dictating the action, playing back on their heels, typically in a defensive mode and not getting into the offensive flow.
That’s where Laviolette wants to see things change in their next game against the New York Islanders on Sunday afternoon at Madison Square Garden.
“I would like us to play better. I would like us to control more of the play, more of the offense … not retreating,” Laviolette explained postgame. “There’ve been a few games recently when we need to turn that back in the different direction.”
The Rangers started the game Friday with more of that approach. They outshot the high-flying Senators 9-8 in the first period, had a 7-5 advantage in scoring chances, and scored the only goal when Artemi Panarin netted his first in five games. But they were unable to sustain it.
“I thought we came out good tonight in the first period, in the right direction, doing the right things,” Laviolette said. “But that got away from us too.”
Related: 3 Rangers takeaways after edging Senators behind Igor Shesterkin’s brilliance
Recent games ‘got away’ from Rangers, coach believes
Yes, it did get away from the Rangers. They were out-attempted 89-34 Friday, and were out-chanced 19-4 in the final two periods 5v5, per Natural Stat Trick. In the third period, they were out-shot 20-5, but Shesterkin allowed only one goal, and that was after Alexis Lafreniere scored a power-play goal for New York to make it 2-0.
This time they won the game. Previously they lost to the Florida Panthers 3-1 and Washington Capitals 5-3, wrapped around that win against the Ducks, which was their best game of the recent lot. But those losses to the Panthers and Capitals raised red flags. And that performance Friday didn’t exactly ease minds.
Shesterkin probably should have texted his agent afterward to let him know the AAV on his next contract now should start with the number 14 not 12.
One area that stood out in a positive way was that the Rangers blocked 25 shots. Four defensemen — Jacob Trouba, Braden Schneider, Ryan Lindgren and K’Andre Miller — had four apiece.
But there were some startling numbers to consider for the Rangers defensemen. The Rangers were pout-chanced 16-3 at 5v5 with the Schneider-Victor Mancini pair on the ice. They had an xGF of 11.86 percent. New York was out-chanced 12-2 with Lindgren on the ice.
Up front, it was a miserable night for the top-six forward group. Even though Panarin had an even-strength goal and Lafreniere scored on the power play, their line with Vincent Trocheck had an xGF at 5v5 of 30.6 percent. And the Mika zibanejad line was a few percentage points higher.
As the coach explained, they didn’t have the puck enough and must stop chasing the game, starting against the Islanders in Sunday’s matinee.
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