Rangers vs. Utah: An Uninspiring Comeback Win
Not all gutty, come-from-behind wins are created equal. And this one was just not very impressive.
- Logic should perhaps suggest that I'd be here this morning with some positive things to say about this team's performance last night against the Utah Hockey Club. (I will endeavor to avoid calling them the Yutes, in my best Fred Gwynne voice.) After all, the Rangers rallied from behind multiple times in that game, including putting up a three-goal third period that gave them the victory and five out of a possible six points on this road trip. As I write this, our New York Rangers are only five points back from the second wild card slot. They're 5-3-2 in their last 10 games. This is good right?
- And yet, I feel even more convicted after that game that the sell-off should commence posthaste. Yes, Utah is kinda frisky and kinda fun. They've got some good young talent on that roster. You can see the makings there, now that they have a new home and new ownership that is actually committed to the success of the franchise, of a future good hockey team. It's really great to see for Utah and their fans. But this is still not a very good hockey team. And we shouldn't be lulled into loosening our standards for this team just because they're currently playing kinda-sorta better, winning some games, and racking up some points finally.
- If we go back and use the standards we had for this team at the beginning of this season, we'd have to view this win in a vacuum as a "wow, they didn't play well and they're lucky to have escaped with two points" game, or as a major red flag for this team, because Utah is the kind of club that the Rangers should handle easily. As I said on the podcast with Jonny Lazarus (listen here), within the confines of any given game I'm always rooting for the Rangers to win. This is the kind of game that tests that inclination for me, because it's a game they really should have lost.
