By
Steve Kallas (posted by Rick Morris)
Well,
the Rangers went out with a whimper, not a bang, in the 2016 Stanley Cup
playoffs. They lost in five games to the
hottest team in the NHL, the talent-laden Pittsburgh Penguins.
As
we look back over the last few years, and look forward to the future, the
question has to be asked: Has this group
of Rangers peaked as Stanley Cup contenders?
IS
IT ALL ABOUT THE GOALIE?
For
most of the history of the NHL, your team has always had a chance to win the
Cup if they could just make the playoffs and have the hot goaltender lead them
to the promised land. Unlike the NBA,
where eighth seeds virtually never have a chance to win their first series, let
alone a championship, the NHL (like it or not) gives that lower seed a chance
when they ride the hot goalie and can even win a Cup coming from nowhere.
Which
brings us to Henrik Lundqvist. Still one
of the best goalies in the world, he’s probably been in the top three or top
five goaltenders for about a decade. He
came on the NHL scene in the 2005-06 season as a guy who was fighting for a
starting job. But after winning the gold
medal for Sweden in February 2006, Lundqvist became an international star and, soon
thereafter, an NHL star.
Lundqvist,
over the years, has been a supreme goaltender for the New York Rangers. But he’s put in a lot of years, a lot of
time, a lot of games and, especially, a lot of high tension, close playoff
games. Back in the 2013 playoffs, John
Tortorella’s last year as the Ranger coach, Lundqvist put on a performance for
the ages, shutting out the great offensive Washington Capitals in both games
six and seven, which propelled them to a series against the Boston Bruins.
Against
the Bruins, I thought Lundqvist played great but the Rangers were eliminated in
five games (see “If Your Goalie
Stands on His Head and You Still Lose, Then What?” at SteveKallas.com, May 28, 2013). At the time, there was such frustration in
Lundqvist’s voice (after the game 1 OT loss, Lundqvist famously said, “Can I
score? No.”), there was a thought that he might not stick around long term as a
Ranger.
Of
course, Tortorella wound up leaving and Lundqvist would eventually sign a
long-term contract. The milder (certainly
by comparison to Tortorella) Alain Vigneault came in and the Rangers made their
run to the Cup Finals, only to lose to the much bigger and stronger LA Kings.
THE
GOALIE IS HUGE BUT IT’S ABOUT MORE THAN THAT
While
nobody will argue that the goaltender and his play are almost always the key
factor in a big playoff run, this Ranger team needs more than that. If anything, this year showed the holes in a
Ranger defense that has been very good in recent years. In addition, the
scoring is simply not there. When the
Rangers went into the playoffs last year, the question was, “Who’s going to
score?” When the Rangers went into the
playoffs this year, the question was, “Who’s going to score?”
And
frankly, when (if?) the Rangers go into the playoffs next year, the question
will be, “Who’s going to score?”
The
answer still isn’t clear.
In
the 2014 run to the Cup Finals, the in-season acquisition of Martin St. Louis
was the sniper the Rangers needed but didn’t have as he scored eight goals and
seven assists for 15 ponts. But a year
later, after having a poor season (and only one goal in the playoffs), St.
Louis retired. Also, in 2014, the second
leading goal scorer in the playoffs for the Rangers was the mercurial Carl
Hagelin with seven goals. Today he’s
gone (but not forgotten).
Those
two are no longer here and were the offensive keys to a Cup run. Has anyone taken their place?
WHAT
ABOUT THE “BELL CURVE” FOR THE NEW YORK RANGERS?
Back
on December 26, 2015, I was fortunate to do a sports talk shift on WFAN. During that time, I received a fascinating
hockey call from Dante from Brooklyn, asking me if the Rangers had peaked in
2014. I told him that, much that I hoped
I was wrong, I thought they had (for the full seven-minute call, go to SteveKallas.com and click on the 5 AM hour – it’s
five minutes in and worth a listen).
So
you can look at the “bell curve” of the Rangers – lost in the conference semis
to the Bruins in 2013, lost in the Cup Finals to the Kings in 2014, lost in the
conference finals to the Lightning last year and lost to the Penguins in the
first round this year. That’s not
promising for next year, certainly if winning the Cup is your goal (which it
always is).
SO,
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
Well,
is Henrik Lundqvist still the answer? It
says here that he is but he seems to be showing the same frustration he showed
a few years ago against the Bruins.
Lundqvist, pulled from the last two playoff games (and giving up 15
goals while not finishing two games – his worst playoff performance since his
rookie year against the Devils), frankly stated, “I think the last two games I
just didn’t have it in me to make the difference.”
Frank,
but scary. He also said, “In the second
period, it was a feeling of embarrassment to give up that many goals, but also
a sense of hopelessness.”
It
says here Lundqvist is the guy.
Offensively, the Rangers need a sniper, a guy who can score in the
regular season and the playoffs.
The
biggest question mark, surprisingly, is on defense. Are they too old, too many miles, too many concussions,
too many injuries? They need health and help.
The
King can do a lot. But he can’t do it
all.
