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Rangers vs. Sharks: Burn the damn tape

  • I know that was a trap game — terrible team coming into the Garden, former coach who was a bad coach behind the opposing bench — but I genuinely have no idea what happened the final 22 minutes of that game. If you had told me that a Sharks’ staffer broke into the Rangers’ locker room and slipped Nyquil into their water I would have believed you. I have never, in my adult life, seen Artemiy Panarin and Adam Fox so far out of their depth as they were in overtime. I have watched the game-winning goal like eight times and the best defense I can come up with for what Fox was doing is he tried to gently fall to the ice for reasons? I don’t know.
  • That’s not to say the first 40 minutes were perfect. The Rangers were clearly the better team, and a post and/or missed tip by Chris Kreider (he had about three of them in close that he just missed) probably would have turned the game, but there is no excuse to get outshot 16-2 in the third period of a David Quinn coached team.
  • Speaking of Quinn... I don’t hate the man the way many of you do. I didn’t love him, and by the end I was thrilled he was fired, but I would not have booed his tribute him if I were at the Garden last night. I’m not offended that people did it the way some of the MSM’s were, I get it, I just wouldn’t have. I really think the only person I would ever boo on a video montage is Alain Vigneault. I will never forgive that man.
  • The Rangers allowed nine shots through the first 40 minutes. I have no idea what happened after that. Neither did the coach. /
  • That was the worst the Rangers’ power play has looked all season. The Rangers had been gunning at even strength in their previous games so the man advantage lethal strike was just gravy, but last night the Rangers needed the power play to light the lamp and it didn’t.
  • The Sharks pressed the point pretty heavily when down a man, and it seemed to throw Fox off his rhythm. Normally he shifts himself with the puck to create space — which Zibanejad uses to set up for his rifle — but last night it just rattled Fox and he wasn’t able to make anything happen. His ill-advised pass to a flat-footed Panarin 16 seconds into the Rangers very late third-period power play caused Panarin to trip his man and take a penalty to negate the man advantage. That ended up being the game there.
  • I’ll just say it again: I love Vincent Trocheck. I thought he was the Rangers’ best forward from start to finish last night.
  • Filip Chytil was great as well. I think he’s getting lost in the Kakko and Lafrenière party most night, but I am so happy he was not traded. He’s not exactly working with the best offensive partners on that (correctly put together) third line, but he’s been able to take over shifts and make things happen.
  • Through five games, I am impressed with the consistent lineup distribution by Gallant. He’s playing the right players with the proper amount of ice time.
  • I think it says everything you need to know about Dryden Hunt that it was the Colorado Avalanche that picked him up off waivers. Losing him is going to hurt if and when the Rangers sustain any depth injuries, and one of the smartest teams in the league picking up your waiver wire pick up should tell you all you need to know that you made a mistake. I know it was done for cap purposes, but there were better choices to be made in my mine.
  • Anyway, burn the tape. Forget this game ever happened. Move the hell on. /

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