New York Rangers Need Offensive Boost

The New York Rangers made it to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second consecutive year, and they got there by the skin of their teeth. The first two rounds were battles for the Rangers, not so much so in Round 1 against the Pittsburgh Penguins, but, for the most part, the team scraped by. Why is that you say, because the Rangers have had trouble finding their offensive game.

Every game in the first two rounds was won or lost by one goal. In nine of the 12 games, the Rangers scored two goals or fewer. They were lucky in six of those games their opponents scored less—allowing them to end the game victorious.

Still, it is disconcerting that the Rangers are having trouble scoring. By now you have read all the articles talking about Rick Nash’s and Marty St. Louis’ lack of production. Nash has at least been able to score (two goals, one in each series) while St. Louis is still looking for his first of the postseason.

As NBC Sports announcer and former Ranger Eddie Olczyk told the New York Post:

“They are going to have to cash in on their opportunities more so than they did in the other two series. The Rangers are going to get their chances and the Rangers will be able to play their strengths. That’s the one area they’ll have to raise their level and find their finishes.”

Not only with this be an emotionally charged series due to the Ryan Callahan-St. Louis situation (even though Callahan tried to downplay the storyline saying it wasn’t about the two of them, fans won’t see it that way), but it will be also a test for the Rangers.

They are going up against the team that scored the most goals during the regular season, and even had breakout games during the postseason, sometimes scoring four, five and six goals. When things get going for the Bolts, they really take off.

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The Rangers haven’t really had that success. They have had plenty of chances, but have struggled to finish. If they are going to get to the Stanley Cup Finals, they are going to need everyone to elevate their game and to fix their weaknesses.

And by that, I mean they need to fix that darned power play. Over the years, I have written about this power play many times, and rarely have I ever had anything good to say about it. I don’t know what it is, but it doesn’t seem to matter who the coach is or who is on the ice, the Rangers power play has always been the weakest part of their game. They can never seem to get it to produce consistently. This postseason is no different. The Rangers have had 38 power-play opportunities and have converted on six. That comes out to a 15.8 percent success rate on the power play. Talk about your missed opportunities.

Not that other teams don’t find themselves in the same boat (Tampa has about an 18 percent success rate in 50 man-advantage scenarios). But I don’t even know if the Rangers’ opponents get that upset when a player of theirs shuffles off to the penalty box because chances are they’ll survive being down a man for two minutes.

So, that is the biggest area for improvement for the Rangers. They need to get more production when given the man-advantage. If they do, they will be in much better shape.

Apr 20, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; New York Rangers left wing Chris Kreider (20) celebrates scoring a goal with center Derick Brassard (16) and center Derek Stepan (21) against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second period in game three of the first round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the CONSOL Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

To help breathe life into the overall offensive game, the Rangers should look to Derick Brassard and Chris Kreider. These two are impact players who have made their presence know in past and current postseasons. They are important to the team’s overall game strategy, but particularly to the Rangers’ offense. The playoffs are where these two players shine and the rest of the team needs to follow their lead.

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Brassard and Kreider will be particularly important if Mats Zuccarello stays on the sideline due to a suspected concussion, and if Nash and St. Louis continue to struggle. I don’t know if it is likely that these two players can handle the pressure alone. The Rangers are going to need contributions from up and down all lines, including defense. Where has Kevin Klein gone? He was the most productive defensemen, scoring nine goals in the regular season. He now has one point in seven playoff games.

Aside from that, the team’s younger players—Kevin Hayes, J.T. Miller and Jesper Fast are going to need to shoot more. As the younger players on the team, they are more inclined to make that one extra pass instead of using that open lane to put the puck on net. The Great One Wayne Gretzky said it best: “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.” Hayes, Miller, and Fast need to keep that in mind in this upcoming series and start taking some chances in the offensive zone.

If the Rangers continue struggling in the offensive zone, they may have a major problem moving on past Tampa Bay whose Triplets line has found the back of the net in almost every game this postseason.

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