Rangers Still Searching for a Spark

A minute and a quarter into the third period of yesterday's 3-2 loss to Dallas, Brendan Shanahan got into a scrape with Steve Ott, the Stars' penalty king, that went into the books as a fight. With the game tied 2-2 and the Rangers again struggling to score, it almost seemed as if Shanahan was trying to fire up his team. But why would the team need to be fired up? They were thoroughly dominating the game, outshooting Dallas 32-9 at that point, 26-5 over the preceding 33 minutes (which included a 22-minute stretch where the Rangers outshot the Stars 19-2), en route to a 41-18 final tally (74-33 in total shot attempts), and had just completed a period-opening shift where they had launched five good shots, three on net.

Indeed, after the game, Shanahan conceded that he should not have gotten involved. "How do fights start?" he said. "He called me a name, he slashed me in the leg. He chopped me in the back of the leg. Probably if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't have wasted my time with him." And wouldn't have lost the next five minutes in the penalty box. Rather than fire up his team, the Rangers took a penalty and gave up the game winning power play goal just minutes later, then went into a stretch where they came completely undone, coughing up the puck repeatedly in their own zone, and ultimately left themselves with too little time and too little confidence to get back into the game.

"I'm sure they were surprised to be tied after the first period," Shanahan said. "And I'm sure they were surprised to be tied after the second period." Dallas coach Dave Tippett said, "We had only two scoring chances in the first two periods and we were 2-for-2." Sean Avery said, "It's gonna happen a couple of times a year, you can play great..." And yet you lose. The Rangers have lost a number of games this year that they could have and probably should have won, like this one. To their credit, they did not let this one dishearten them, not like the 4-1 home loss to Toronto where they similarly dominated but lost because of one bad ten-minute stretch. They know their goalie, Henrik Lundqvist, is not going to have too many ordinary games like this one (although to be fair, he was beaten on two breakaways and a slam-dunk two on one).

And they still believe their offense -- and their power play -- will come. "We've gotta build on those leads," Shanahan said. "We played a good game against a team that's on a really good roll, shut them down. We'd have one breakdown and they'd score. The power play has been better [than it has been recently], but we need to have more of a killer instinct when we get up on a team. We had scoring chances, we had guys going to the net. But it would be nice to start cashing in on some of them." Shanahan believes the team will get results from the current strategy of using two regular lines during man advantages. "We've got two units going out on the power play," he noted. "There seems to be competition there, the realization that if you're not getting pucks to the net, there's another unit that's going to take your place."

"Believe it or not, it's better than it's been," Tom Renney said of the power play. "I thought tonight we showed good puck movement, I thought we had some chances. We still need to shoot more, naturally. That certainly is an area we have to improve upon, and work habits are a part of that." Renney understands the importance of taking advantage of your advantages. "If our power play doesn't get clicking," he said, "if we beat ourselves, which may have been the case tonight, then the statistics will bear out where we belong. Every team is a work in progress, but at some point in time there is a level of excellence that is acceptable, and only that, and we've gotta make sure we continue to strive for that."

Getting more shots -- since 41 on goal and 74 total was clearly not enough yesterday -- is crucial, especially for someone like Scott Gomez, who gave up the breakaway that tied the score at 1-1 in the final minute of the first period while looking to pass instead of shoot. "Notwithstanding the fact the he went down somehow, he should have shot the puck," Renney said. "We work so hard to get to the slot -- the function of offensive attack is get to the slot and shoot, when you're there you want to make sure you do that. [Gomez] thought the stick might have [tripped] him, but I'm not sure about that. He knew he had Girardi going to the net on one side, he had Shanny getting himself set up as a screen, I think he might have been trying to go to Girardi instead of just putting it on the net."

Renney went on to explain what he needs from Gomez. "I remember telling Paul Kariya in the Olympic year in '94, 'You're in the slot more than anybody else on our team with the puck -- why don't you want to shoot?"' he recounted. "I said, 'You're gonna get six shots a night moving forward,' and he did. And he continues to do that. I'm not certainly taking any credit for that, but my point is that's what Scotty's got to look at. Scott's got to look at a number and say, 'I've gotta get four shots on goal tonight.' That should be an objective of his. The guy can shoot the puck. A lot of time he's in position. But he loves to make plays, he wants to defer to somebody else and be an unselfish player. I really have to be firm with him and say, 'I want x number of shots, and when you're in the funnel and you don't shoot, just be ready coming back to the bench.'"

It's tough to question Girardi for darting in on that play and leaving the backline open for the breakaway. He saw an opening and he took it. Perhaps if he knew Gomez was going to shoot instead of looking for a perfect pass, he would have stayed back. Still, Girardi was not happy with himself. "I'm a little disappointed in myself," he said after he was beaten one on one by Mike Ribeiro on the game winner. "I got caught flat-footed, he put it right between my wickets, and that’s all she wrote. I tell you, that's not my game out there, that last play. I'm really really frustrated now, but I have to bounce back, leave it behind me. That's not going to happen again. I'll tell you that right now."

Girardi has had difficulties lately. He is after all a veteran of only 58 NHL games and has not played a full season yet. It's possible the rest of the league is catching up to him, working out his areas of vulnerability now that he has put himself on the map. But his words are full of a determination that can only make one believe that, just as he worked himself up the ladder from undrafted junior through the ECHL, AHL, to the NHL, and to the defensive stalwart he's been so far this season, that he is going to work just as hard to make good on his vow to not let it happen again.

Game reports: Daily News, Journal News, Newsday, Times, Post, Advance, AP, NY Sports Day, and NYR.com -- the Post recap is especially hard on Henrik Lundqvist. More from the Post, skewering Scott Gomez, and from the Times, praising shot blockers, plus game notes from Newsday and USA Today. Dallas area reports here, here, here, here, and here, the last one on Jor-el Lundqvist. Sunday prospect action in Prospect Park, and that's it for today, at least until the reporters check in in their blogs this afternoon. With Ryan Callahan set to return to action Thursday and Martin Straka obviously skating well, Greg Moore was returned to Hartford today (see Howlings).

Comments

[Pavel]

All I hear from the players and coaches is excuses, excuses, EXCUSES! Either light a fire under someone, or ship them off.

[matt]

GET RID OF HOSSA!!!!! NOTHIN BUT A WASTE OF A SPOR ON THE ROSTER. I'M GETTING SO TIRED OF WATCHING THIS KID PLAY.AND OF COURSE HE MADE A MISTAKE ON ONE OF THE GOALS WHOLE HE WAS ON THE ICE THAT COST THE NYR ANOTHER GOAL.

[ntb]

The Rangers pay a guy 10M so they can try and change his style of play? This just sounds like a bad strategy to me. Gomez reminds me of Adam Oates, a guy who could shot the puck too (he had 40+ goals one season) but preferred to pass. I'm sure coaches told Oates to shoot more too. I wonder if this is affecting Gomez's play - second guessing his decisions, maybe hesitating for an extra second...should I shoot...pass...too late, you lost the puck.

[ntb]

Dubi, some nice quotes in the article too.

[Colton Orr & Avery Are Not Happy But They Say "Vote for Hank, Jagr, Shanny, and Drury!!!!]

We should trade Hossa for the mighty Jor-el Lundqvist. Maybe then we can get Kal-El while he's out there. Somewhere.

[Andrea]

The crowd was AWFULLY quiet yesterday and I wondered if it had been the usual post-happy-hour crowd if we would've been more vocal, changing the vibe.

It was nice to see Mike Richter at the game. Any idea if his son playing in the mites game? We thought we heard "Richter" as the kids were introduced.

Also, was Brett Hull interviewed during the game? If so, did he say anything interesting?

[Pavel]

Gomez had 33 goals 2 years ago.. we should do whatever it takes to make him play like that again.

[ntb]

Look at the broader trend with Gomez, goals in the teens with 50 assists. It seems the 33 goals was more of an outlier then anything else. For example, he took the same amount of shots the follow year and only scored 13 goals.

[paulf]

After watching a game in which Lundqvist gave up three goals on maybe six legitimate scoring opportunities, Giriardi gets toasted, Gomez made critical stupid plays, the power play failed to score, what can we conclude? Oh yeah, it's Hossa's fault. Brilliant.

[Dubi]

There's another way to look at the Gomez situation -- he has not been handling the puck well, and that play was a good example. If he shoots more, for a while, he might get his confidence back with the puck and start making better plays.

[paulf]

BTW, the NY TImes article about shot-blocking is excellent and tells a lot about why it is so hard to score in the NHL.

[stuart]

the rangers will be fine... they have 4 guys that have zero scoring ability; orr, betts, hollwegg, and hossa(he doesn't) they are last in goals scored a game. having 4 guys who cannot score in the lineup is a luxury they cannot afford.

I say add callahan when he is heathy add dawes he deserves it and sit or waive or trade wither hollwegg, hossa or orr. I did not include Betts because of his penalty kill, his faceoffs, and other skills.

really with callahan and dawes added to the lineup they have 2 more guys that have the ability to finsih on occasion and they are or should not be defensive laibilities.

What is the status on Malik? When will he back? Strudwick is a 7th d man at best....

[ntb]

Whatever it takes to get Gomez going. The Rangers need him to be in top form to compete. I'm just hoping the Ranger brass keys to victory for this season did not include a bullet point that read: Count on Gomez for 30+ goals.

[Dubi]

Also, didn't want to mention it too prominently in the main post, but Michal Rozsival was limping noticeably after the game and wearing an ice pack the size of a watermelon on his knee. I know players are expected to play through pain, but when Malik is ready, they should give Rozi the rest he needs to not damage the knee further this early in the season. I don't think these next three days would be enough, from the looks of it.

[i]

DUBI then Baranka should be brought back up. Is Malik even practicing yet?

[CzechPosse]

There is 34.06 million in cash salary (4.0 pd by Wash) between Jagr, Gomez, Straka, Drury and Shanahan and a defensemen is tied for the goal scoring lead and its Hossa's fault at 780K?

What is frustrating is the power play. ABSOLUTELY ABISMAL. Why isn't Prucha on the first unit? The team should watch the western conference teams so they could learn the real meaning of power play.

[Chris G]

I was wondering how much the teams watch
video of thier own power play ,and other teams powerplays also...
They should be able to practice some set plays after seeing what works , no ?

[Paul Arensburg]

Stars announcers pointed out that when the Rangers outshoot the opposition, they are 7-8-1. And when they are outshot, 6-1-1. Maybe for some players, The Trap (oops, I mean The System), zaps willpower.

[brian]

Can anyone give me any insight to this question? DOES ANYONE THINK THAT WITH SOME OF THE TALENTED PLAYERS ON THIS TEAM, TALENT ALONE WOULD GET THEM ALMOST A GOAL A NIGHT?!?!?!

[LI Joe]

Thanks Dubi for the Rozy update. I think he should sit a while too to get better and certainly not worse. Baranka or Malik could fill in. And Strudwick is not a 70 games a season player either.

At least the previous comments area offered comic relief. Hollweg or Orr on the pp. And I should run for president of the US.

[i]

li joe you got my vote;-)

[Dubi]

Just remembered another tidbit from last night that I really didn't want to put in the main post -- all that talking Sean Avery did with the refs, he said he was making the case that if the idea of the current rules was to open the ice up for skaters, that should apply to him too when he's skating, and that there should not be a double standard just because he sometimes does things other than, uh, just skating.

He also thought the call on Jagr was the refs' way of making up for their belief that he dove on the prior call. Well, if so, why not just make the diving call (that's my thought there, not his). Also my thought -- if Jagr was guilty of hooking off the face-off, what exactly was Morrow doing to him, giving him a gentle hug with his stick?

[cwgatti]

If we aren't questioning Gomez, we are questioning Jagr, or Shanny, or Drury, or on and on and on. . . . .

Why are we not scoring? Maybe it is systematic. Maybe it is this winning system we are playing that emphasizes defense.

[lennynyr]

Not to plug my nemesis Rodent but his views have come to be more in accord with mine. His most recent rant is a prime example:

http://www.hockeyrodent.com/R1928.HTM

[ant]

Its all Maliks fault

[ntb]

Dubi, I have never understood why refs are so reluctant to call a diving only penalty. The rule book lists it as diving/embellishment, but it always seems to be called in conjunction with a trip or hook.

As for Avery, he worked hard to get his current reputation. It is going to take more than a couple of chats with officials for him to start getting the benefit of the doubt.

[lennynyr]

No, it's all ant's fault!! :)

[lennynyr]

nlb, like I said it will take a new name, a new number and plastic surgery!

[ant]

:(

[Dan]

Anyone else hear about the chat Paul Holmgren had with Danny Briere in Philly? I read something about it on NHL.com, apparently when Briere went invisible and stopped producing, Holmgren sat him down and "inspired" him to play better, aka most likely told him I don't pay you all this money to do nothing... Maybe Sather should start having similar meetings with players who shall remain nameless, and basically lighting a fire under their asses by reminding them what he pays them and what he expects from them for that salary

[lennynyr]

Did it work with Briere?

[Dan]

Briere scored 8 points in the three games following the talk

[Dan]

"Briere started the season on fire, with four goals and three assists in his first three games. But he netted just three goals over the next 16 games and was invisible in many of those contests. Briere clearly missed linemate Simon Gagne, who has been sidelined the past three weeks with concussion symptoms.

Regardless, he was called into the second-floor office of General Manager Paul Holmgren last week and responded with five goals and three assists in his next three games."

[Matty]

Thanks for the heads up Lenny, I shall skip Rodent's website for the next few days then

I already get enough of your type of views here, don't need to read them over there too ;))

[Matty]

Dan,

It is in Holmgren's best interests to "inspire" Briere being that he has a no move clause in his contract so if he doesn't pan out they are stuck with him ...

While I wasn't a big supporter of getting Gomez here, I like him a whole of a lot better than Briere ... While some people might be going ga ga over Briere's numbers now they ignore that he disappears when the games count the most in the playoffs, as he did the last two years with the Sabres ...

[Andrea]

Looks like Dolan stopped paying the NHL its ransom. The NYR site is now the carbon copy of the other teams'.

[Matty]

Andrea,

It must of happened today ... I remember reading that if they converted the site to the League's style by or before November 26(today) that they wouldn't have to pay the 100K that they were being fined by not converting earlier in the Summer ...

Seems that they still have Rangers OnDemand and other features of the old website ...

[Andrea]

Yeah Matty, it must've been noontime--when I logged on this morning it was the old-style site. Ah well, I'll adjust.

[ant]

Gomez and/or Drury dont care no trade clause plus they cant get sent down so that chat wont do any good

[ant]

wow our website looks dumb now.

[Matty]

Gomez and/or Drury dont care no trade clause plus they cant get sent down so that chat wont do any good

You know Ant ... I have followed Drury's career more closely than Scott's but I think it is 100% unfair and uninformed for you to say that they don't care just because they can't be traded/moved ... These athletes come from winning traditions ... To say that Drury doesn't care? Please, that man might not be lighting up every night but I am certain that there are few players in the NHL that care more than him that his team does well and that he helps in that ...

[ant]

Its maliks fault too

[lennynyr]

Matty, does that mean our affair is over???? :)

Geez, even before you sent me your fried plantains.

[LI Joe]

Ant - look who the forward is when we have a 4-3 or 5-3 against. More often than not Drury. I think he's also among the leaders in blocked shots by our forwards. Doesn't look like a man who doesn't care to me.

[Chris QCT]

How good was it to FINALLY see a different team for once this season?!?! They lost, but it was nice to see a team from the West. Man, I really hope they change the schedule next year so we at least play each team once.

The problem I have is that after about 25 games I do not think they can say "It is coming" or "It will work itself out" anymore when it comes to scoring in general and on the PP especially. It is a serious problem. I'm glad they have been winning, but this will not continue if the scoring drought continues. Without Lundqvist, you can knock at least 5 or more wins off our record and we'd be toiling around 13th-14th in the conference. I'm feeling 'scoring' is becoming the giant elephant in the NYR dressing room.

After almost 25 games, it's looking to me that "relying on the system" is stifling the offense.

[ant]

Matty i didnt mean that they dont care about the team i meant that the talk wont make any difference because he cant make any threats

[ant]

I MEANT TO SAY it doesnt matter if he talks to them or not it wont change a thing.

[ant]

Drury cares about this team Gomez doesnt

[lennynyr]

Ant, are you saying that Sather was an asshole for signing Gomez??

[Dee]

In the end we can't pin this loss on one guy, the entire team looked lax on the PP. Come on, 0-6?! The Maven at MSG's Game On! makes some good points about this game: http://blogs.msg.com/gameon/2007/11/how-good-are-th.html