The New York Rangers may have won against the Detroit Red Wings 4-0, but anyone who watched the game, myself included, are well aware that Jonathan Quick was the main reason why they won. The Red Wings outplayed the Rangers in most aspects of the game, and that has been the Rangers' biggest weakness for a long time. That weakness is one they need to brush off.
Ever since the Rangers drafted Henrik Lundqvist in the 2000 NHL Entry draft, New York has had stability at the goaltender position. It's been a string of both luck and the wonders of goaltending coach Benoit Allaire. Allaire taught both Lundqvist and Igor Shesterkin throughout his time with the Rangers. Allaire has taken a step back in his duties to the Rangers, but his influence is still felt.
Quick has revived his career after signing with the Rangers in 2023. In last night's game, Quick stopped every shot, earning a 37-save shutout.
Despite these heroics from the Rangers goaltenders, the skaters continue to struggle. After starting the season 5-1, the Rangers now hold a 9-3-1 record, and the worst loss was a 5-1 stomping from the Buffalo Sabers. The Sabers continuously stole the puck from Rangers' possession, fought harder in the neutral zone, and put pressure on the New York defense. Those issues resurfaced against Detroit, and it's high time the Rangers solve them. Here are some things I think the team can do to solve these issues.
Stop changing the lines
Rangers coach Peter Laviolette has changed up the Rangers' lines back and forth all season. The lines have now separated Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. Zibanejad is still on the first line, but is now with Artemi Panarin and Alexi Lafrenière. While I think this is a good change to get Zibanejad going, there are times where the trio is split up as Laviolette tries out different combinations. I get needing to change some things to generate more 5v5 play, but it makes it harder for the defense to be coordinated, creating games like the one against the Sabers.
Better play in the defensive zone
The Rangers defense has left a lot to be desired, and the strategy is just not working. They constantly find themselves out of position, or just not giving effort on the puck. The Red Wings and many other teams find the Rangers' forwards on the back foot, finding easy zone entries or odd-man rushes. If that doesn't get better, the Rangers will continue to rely on their goaltending, something that championship teams don't do.
The Rangers need to be able to control the pace of the game. The team is more than talented enough to do so, but something is just lacking from the group. No one really seems to know what the problem is, but New York hasn't done much to fix it. In my opinion, Zibanejad has been one of the most suspect players on the team. His play on defense just hasn't been there, and he's struggled with 5v5 play, prompting head coach Laviolette to team him with the Rangers' two best skill players. Even so, his play hasn't gotten much better, and he and the other veterans will need to turn up the heat if the Rangers hope to compete for a Stanley Cup.