Sitting at 3-2-1, the New York Rangers have gotten off to a very inconsistent start. How they have played in the last two games against the San Jose Sharks and Columbus Blue Jackets is a complete 180 from how they started the year against the Tampa Bay Lightning and Minnesota Wild.
The Rangers have had stretches in every game where they look dominant, but defensive lapses and a surprisingly slow start in net have let them down early this season. The Rangers’ offense, which at times looks to be one of the most lethal in the league, has failed to capitalize on several high-danger chances. The goal-post has also been rather unkind to the Blueshirts of late, hitting multiple in each of their last two defeats.
With a busy week coming up, which features two back-to-backs against the Colorado Avalanche and New York Islanders, followed by the Dallas Stars and Arizona Coyotes, the Rangers must find some consistency. It is way too early in the year to hit the panic button, but still, these points remain valuable.
With eight points up for grabs this week alone, the Rangers need their goaltending to hold firm, their offense to capitalize on chances, and their defense to tighten up in their own zone.
Rangers’ Goaltending Woes to Start the Season
Igor Shesterkin, for the first time in a long time, has looked human. Playing a lot of hockey and not seeing as many shots as he usually likes has seemingly kept the reigning Vezina winner off his game to start the season. And Jaroslav Halak, the Rangers’ backup, looked good against the Winnipeg Jets before imploding in a 5-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Per Natural Stat Trick, Shesterkin has a goals saved above average (GSAA) at all strengths of minus-0.27. He led the league in that category last season with a whopping 44.83. So clearly, Shesterkin has been rocky to start the season. His counterpart in Halak has been just as un-sturdy, with a GSAA of minus-2.78. Two goaltenders in the negatives of GSAA is usually a recipe for failure.
The numbers are still a little skewed in the early portion of the year, but it’s been a concerning start in net for the Rangers. Last season, they relied so heavily on Shesterkin’s brilliance. This year, however, they have not picked up their goaltenders when they have been inconsistent.
I expect Shesterkin’s best game of the year against the Avalanche Tuesday night (Oct. 25). The Avalanche will get their shots and chances, and that game style is precisely what Shesterkin needs to get back into the rhythm that allowed him to win a Vezina last season.
Offensive & Defensive Breakdowns Galore
The Rangers have created the 10th-most high-danger chances for (HDCF) at five-on-five in the league, with 64, yet they have only scored seven times, the 15th most in the league. They simply are not converting on high-danger chances, and when they don’t convert, the puck has gone the other way into their net more often than not.
Related: Rangers’ Defense Needs to Step it Up
It’s no secret that the Rangers like to go east-west when generating the bulk of their scoring chances, and it has worked early on in the season. The problem is outside of Mika Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin, finishing has not been the strong suit of anyone this season.
The lack of finishing is the missing piece for this group, as they have dominated most of the early season in Corsi-for and puck possession metrics. They average 35.3 shots on goal per game and only yield 27.7, so if the goaltending corrects itself and the Rangers start to finish their chances, they will become that complete team.
Instead, the Rangers’ missed chances has led to defensemen getting caught up ice and forwards stuck below the hash marks in the offensive zone, giving the opposition time and numbers back the other way. Convert your opportunities and those ensuing defensive miscues do not happen. Nonetheless, if the Rangers don’t stop giving up high-danger chances, they will struggle, especially against the league’s elite.
Rangers’ Season Depends on Shesterkin & Halak
With Filip Chytil expected to miss at least four games due to an upper-body injury, the Rangers’ success once again looks to hinge solely on whether Shesterkin and Halak can come out of their early slumps and steal games for the Rangers. If they can, the Rangers are in a spot where they can be more dangerous than last year’s team.
Six games into a new season is no time to panic or start playing the blame game, but two points now mean as much as two points in April. It’s always good to stockpile points early, and the Rangers can only do that with good goaltending and consistency from their forwards and defense.
You need to finish your chances, and you need to keep the puck out of your net. And right now, the Rangers have been lacking in both departments.
