The Rangers are a bubble team and two nights after allowing 55 shots in a shootout loss to the Pens they buckled down and played this game in the only style that could give them a chance to win – they shut down center ice and hung on for dear life hoping they’d still be in it at game’s end. Except for some Jose Theodore heroics and a handful of ill-timed penalties the strategy might have worked.
Although the game was far from a gem from the Caps perspective the good news is that they are demonstrating that they can win games a lot of different ways.
Scratches for this game included Brendan Morrison and Boyd Gordon which means Flash was back in as center. I’m still not sold on the idea of Flash as a center at this point in the season. Re-boot that experiment next Fall.
It was nice that the Caps got the first period five-on-three opportunity but I can’t imagine why the Rangers weren’t called for the Mike Green takedown during that sequence. Even the guy next to me in the Rangers jersey was laughing over that one.
While the team put in a decent defensive effort as a whole – there were some breakdowns. Notably the Morrisonn clearing pass to the tape of Dubinsky eight feet in front of the net.
There also should have been more situational awareness as they gave up a nearly clean two-on-nothing breakaway as a penalty expired in the waning minutes of the game with a two goal lead. Not good.
Still waiting for the big guns to get it moving.
It’s pretty obvious at this point that the goaltending job is Theo’s to lose although I expect Varly will get plenty of minutes before the playoffs to help find his groove. Prediction: Whoever has the starting job going in will be on a very short leash.
Standings:
League +3; Conference +12; Division +30
Likely first round opponents:
Bruins – Just started a seven game road trip - ouch
Rangers - Games against the Thrashers, Flyers and Canadians in the next week. End the season home and home with the Flyers.
Canadians – may have the easiest schedule but they’ve played three more games than most of their competition
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