Henrik Lundqvust

New York Rangers Have a Power Outage on Their Power Play

by
New York Rangers, Mika Zibanejad

The New York Rangers and parts of the state of California have had similar problems recently. Parts of California have been cutting electricity so that their electrical equipment would not start widespread fires. One such shutdown affected 25 counties around the San Francisco area. The Blueshirts are having an outage on their power play, going 0-3 Friday night to make it nine straight times they have failed to score on their man-up opportunities.

Too much passing on the power play for the New York Rangers

In Friday’s loss to Toronto, they went 0-for-3 on the power play, extending their streak to nine man-advantage opportunities without a goal. One of the criticisms of the Blueshirts has been the reluctance to take shots during their man-up situations.  Their head coach agrees. “Our problem — whether it be five-on-five or five-on-four — is we too often will only shoot the puck if we think we’re going to score,” coach David Quinn said. “We will not shoot the puck if we think we’re going to create a chance for somebody else. And that’s why, over the last year-plus, our shooting percentage has been so high in the league. It’s because too often we only shoot when we think we’re going to score.” The Rangers’ hesitancy to shoot has been amplified in the last three games, where a timely goal could have made a drastic difference.

How can the power play improve?

Head Coach David Quinn and his coaching staff have tried to get the message across to their players about the recent power play performances.  Quinn wants the Rangers to be more committed to getting the puck and bodies to the net instead of playing on the outside while in search of the perfect goal. He has stated in the past that “We talk about where people are [on the ice] and whatnot, but I mean, you have to have pace on your power play. You have to be ready to shoot — you can’t stand there and stick-handle it. ”

Sunday’s chance to turn things around

The Rangers will get an opportunity to fix their power play and end their three-game losing streak when they host Anaheim on Sunday afternoon. The Ducks are situated at the bottom of the Western Conference standings but do rank in the top ten in power plays defended.  Henrik Lundqvist will get the start in goal for the Blueshirts.

 

The New York Rangers Have a Quandary in Net, One Aging Star and One Red Hot Backup

by
New York Rangers, Henrik Lundqvist

Many in the sports world feel competition among players for a position is a good thing. This may or may not hold true for the New York Rangers and their goaltender situation this season.

For years the Rangers have relied on Henrik Lundqvist to man the nets for the Blueshirts. However, this year, the 37-year-old has been struggling a bit as he deals with minor back issues and a backup goaltender who has been very good in relief.  Lundqvist has struggled of late and has not won a game since November 27.  He will not have the immediate opportunity to change that as Alexandar Georgiev is scheduled to get the start in the net Friday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The New York Rangers have a quandary in goal:

Red Hot Backup

Georgiev, who also has the distinction of being the first Bulgarian born player to suit up in the NHL, has gone 6-3-0 with a .925 save percentage and 2.61 GAA since the 10th of November. He has an excellent track record against Toronto, On February 10th of 2019, Georgiev made a career-high 55 saves in a 4–1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, becoming the goaltender with second-most saves in a game in Rangers’ history, while also setting a record for most saves in regulation. Proving that was not a one time fluke, Georgiev followed that up with a solid 44-save outing on March 23, which resulted in a 2-1 overtime victory.

Lundqvist Struggles

Since November 10, Lundqvist has gone 3-4-3 with a .903 save percentage and 3.19 GAA. He played well last Saturday in Anaheim, but a crucial mistake at the end of the game led to the tying goal, a game in which the Rangers eventually lost in a shootout. While the 37-year-old may need rest on occasion, he is not correctly used to a lot of time on the bench. Excluding the 2012-13 lockout and 2014-15 when he missed significant time with an injury, Lundqvist averaged 67.25 starts per season over a 10-year period, which equates to more than 80% of the Rangers’ games. He started 52 games last year and has been the starter for 18 of the 33 games so far this season. For someone who has thrived on a heavy workload, Lundqvist may have to get used to reduced time in the net.

Waiting in the Wings

At their AHL affiliate in New Hartford, Igor Shesterkin is playing like he is worthy of manning the nets in the NHL. So far this season, Shesterkind has posted a 2.14 GAA with a .926 Save Percentage. Concerns about the transition from Europe to NHL style play and rinks have been put to rest.

All in all, it is not exactly a bad situation to have. Together, Lundqvist and Georgiev rate as the fourth-best goalie tandem in the NHL. But it is always challenging to deal with an aging star who has been the face of the franchise for so many years. So far, Coach David Quinn has been handling it well, and Ranger fans can only hope that this continues for the foreseeable future.