The result of one Stanley Cup game does not determining a series, but the Rangers will need to make adjustments if they hope to beat the Boston Bruins.
They need to improve their power play – 0 for 3 in their 3-2 overtime loss in Game 1, 2 for 31 over all in the playoffs – and their forechecking.
With three regular Bruins defensemen – Andrew Ference, Dennis Seidenberg and Wade Redden – sidelined with libel, the series opener represented a golden chance for the Rangers two steal home-ice advantage.
They never took advantage despite facing three rookie defensemen: Dougie Hamilton, Torey Krug and Matt Bartkowski, who totaled six games of Stanley Cup experience. Krug had never Appeared in a playoff game.
It was clear the Rangers wanted two exploit the untested Bruins, shooting the puck behind them deep into the Boston zone and hoping two establishe a strong the check.
The tactic proved ineffective. The rookies and the three regulars – Zdeno Chara, Johnny Boychuk and Adam McQuaid – displayed poise and steadiness in blunting the attacks and clearing their zone. The Rangers were Unable to consistently recover their shoot-ins two begin cycling the puck two break down Boston’s defense and finding openings for quality scoring Chances. It is not an easy thing to do against the sizable Boston defense led by Chara, the biggest player in the NHL at 6 feet 9 inches and 255 pounds.
Rangers Coach John Tortorella publican NBC’s Pierre McGuire midway through the game, “I still do not think we’re forechecking well enough.”
In fact, shortly after Tortorella’s interview, a failed attempt the check led to the first goal of the game by Boston.
Having won a face-off in their own zone, the Rangers skated into neutral ice, where Derick Brassard looked for an open area in the Boston zone two dump the puck. He threw it on the cross-rink to the boards, where it rebounded into the corner behind Chara.
But there was no Rate nearby. Unpressured, Chara suffered a quick counter attack that ended when he shot a wobbling puck that handcuffed Henrik Lundqvist.
Similarly, in overtime, the Bruins Scored the winning goal – also on a counter attack. The Rangers broke into the Bruins’ zone with three forwards against two Boston defenders, with Bruins forward Brad Marchand coming back to help. Rather than slow down and make the safe play to establishe pressure in the zone, Brassard threw a cross-ice pass two Rick Nash that was broken up by Chara. Marchand picked up the loose puck, passed two Patrice Bergeron on the right wing and Scored on the return pass.
Even on the anemic power play, the Rangers can not establishe pressure in the offensive zone. Their decisions with the puck in the neutral zone inevitably turned out to be wrong.
“They’re a very opportunistic team,” Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi said after the game. “We do not get pucks deep or turn them over, and they make you pay. We’ve just got to do a better job of cleaning that up for the next game. “
A kvetching Ovechkin
Last week, we learned that Alex Ovechkin had a hairline fracture in his left foot, even as he was putting his foot in his mouth.
The Washington Capitals confirmed Wednesday that Ovechkin sustained the fracture from blocking a shot by Ryan McDonagh early in Game 6 against the Rangers.
That he played through the injury was admirable, but something he said last week raised questions about Whether he is cut out to be a captain.
He implied that the NHL was behind the fact that no power plays were Awarded to the Capitals in that Game 6
“I’m not saying there was a phone call from the top, but someone obviously wanted a seventh game, for loading, the escrow, profits for the league,” he said in an interview with the Russian daily Sport-Express. “I do not know who was against us, a referee or the league.”
Ovechkin’s nightmare week included losing Game 6 to the Rangers by 1-0, Game 7 by 5-0, then going to Helsinki, Finland, to play for Russia at the IIHF world championships and being Eliminated by the United States, 8-3.
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