What Happened to the New York Rangers?
I don’t want to be the one to say it, but, it’s over for the Rangers. They had a good run. They made it to the finals for the first time in 20 years, they defeated some very good teams in their Eastern Conference Championship run, and they’ve given Rangers’ fans something to look forward to going forward. However, they are finished for this year. No one comes back from being down 3-0 in the finals; no one. In fact, I am going to say right now: they’re getting swept. How did this happen though? How did a team from Los Angeles, California manage to crush the hopes and dreams of the greatest city on earth? Well, good thing your favorite hockey writer (myself) is here to break it down.
The Mental Game
The first 2 games of the finals went to overtime (game 2 went to double overtime). The Kings managed to win both games and headed to NYC up 2-0 in the series. Losing in overtime basically mind fucked the Rangers. Two straight games they were one shot away from winning and instead were left with absolutely nothing. They worked their fucking asses off in front of hostile fans and were left again, with absolutely nothing. Had the Rangers managed to win even one of those two games, this series would have an entirely different outlook. Instead, they headed into game 3 with a “do or die” situation at hand. The outcome? A 3-0, mentally devastating ass kicking. It wasn’t because of lack of effort or lack of opportunity though. The Rangers had chance after chance but were repeatedly shut down by Jonathan Quick. What was the problem? I call it a lack of swag.
The Swag Factor
The Kings just have it right now. The Rangers had wide open looks and repeatedly shot the puck right at Quick. In the finals, confidence makes the difference. After 2 overtime losses, the Rangers seemed to have a massive lack of confidence. They were trying; not doing. The Kings were shooting the puck as if they wanted to put holes in the fuckin net. The Rangers were shooting as if they didn’t want to miss. See the difference? When a player gets an open look they don’t have time to think; they rely on years of training to look and shoot within hundredths of a second, to get off the best shot possible. The Kings are shooting to score and they have the swag and confidence to know their shots are going the fuck in. The Rangers are shooting and hoping for the best.
The Goalies
This is tough for me because I really think Lundqvist is the best in the world. The guy has every fuckin trophy a goalie and hockey player can win except a Stanley Cup. He has an Olympic Gold Medal and a Vezina Trophy. He’s the only goalie to win at least 30 games in every season he’s played in the NHL. His save percentage is 0.922. He has the most wins of any Rangers’ goaltender and the most shut outs. He is a fuckin’ Swedish beast. But Quick has bested him in these finals, no doubt about it. Game 3 was Lundqvist’s time to show the world that this cup is going home with him and he failed. He didn’t shit the bed but he let in 3 goals while Quick let in ZERO. Quick has made clutch save after clutch save over the 3 games and put the Kings 1 game away from another Stanley Cup. He has been better, flat out. Sorry Lundqvist, I love you man.
Top Player Production
Where the fuck is Rick Nash? The guy played for a decade with the shit show that is the Columbus Blue Jackets. He gets picked up by the Rangers and has his first legitimate chance to win hockey’s ultimate trophy and what has he done? According to my calculations, he has yet to put up a single point in the finals. Not a single goal; not a single assist. Nash, where the fuck are ya bro? You’re blowing it. The Kings on the other hand have found a fuckin’ gold mine of points in Justin Williams. He has 6 points (1 goal; 5 assists) through 3 games. He makes $3.9 million a year; Rick Nash makes $7.8 million a year. Talk about a fuckin let down. This series is bigger than 2 guys though. Across the board the Kings have seen production from their stars. Gaborik has a goal, Doughty has a goal, Richards has a goal, and Carter has a goal. Look at the stats for the Rangers, St. Louis has 1 goal, Nash (again) has zero goals, Stepan has zero goals, and McDonagh has a goal. The bottom line is the top guys make the most money for a reason; they are expected to produce on the scoreboard. In the end, the numbers on the scoreboard are all that matters. The Kings’ top players have produced every game in this series. They need a goal? A top 6 forward goes out and gets their team a mother fuckin’ goal. The Rangers on the other hand are seeing a huge let down from their top guys. No one is going out and making it known that they mean business.
Game 3 – The Turning Point
The series shifted to Madison Square Garden last night. One of the most storied arenas in all of hockey and sports in general. If you’re a visiting team in MSG you should be in for a rough fuckin’ night. Not the Kings last night though. They went in there and shut the fuckin’ place down. Honestly New York, how in the hell do you get shut out 3-0 at home in the finals? This is the Stanley Cup fuckin’ Finals. Where are your balls? I expected the Rangers to blow the Kings out last night. I was expecting a 5-1 game in favor of NYC. Instead, the Kings came out and made the Rangers their bitch for 60 minutes. After losing 2 close games in overtime, the Rangers came out on their home ice with no answers what so ever. The Kings want this Cup, that’s all there is to it. I wouldn’t go as far to say that the Rangers don’t want the cup; but the Kings want it more. They came into MSG, buckled the fuck down, and showed the hockey world that the LA Kings are taking home the Stanley Cup this year by force.
The Real Finals
Sorry Rangers’ faithful, but the real Stanley Cup Finals were played between the LA Kings and the Chicago Blackhawks. The Hawks would have shit on the Rangers just as bad, if not worse, than the Kings. The ever present idea that the West is far superior to the East couldn’t be more obvious. Every team the Kings faced getting to the finals gave them a serious run for their money. The Sharks jumped to a 3 games to 0 lead on the Kings and ended up losing in Game 7, adding another chapter to their “we fucking suck in the playoffs” repertoire. The Ducks went 7 games with the Kings after being down 2-0. And lastly, the Blackhawks went 7 games in a brutal grudge match with LA. LA is the first team in history to win 3 Game 7’s on the road in the playoffs. The Rangers, the best team the East has to offer, couldn’t muster up one fucking goal in Game 3 AT HOME. Pathetic. The Rangers will go down as the 2nd best team this year and that is total bullshit. The real 2nd best team is without a doubt the Chicago Blackhawks followed by the Anaheim Ducks. The Rangers aren’t even in my top 5 to be honest. The top 5 teams are all in the West. Disagree? Well clearly you know nothing about hockey then. The Kings, Hawks, Ducks, Sharks, Blues, and Stars would all destroy this Rangers team in a series in my opinion. The Stars are the only team in that list the Rangers would even have a hope of beating.
Going Forward
For Rangers’ fans this is a tough way to end a great season. Please don’t get your hopes up that your team will make some miraculous 3 game comeback. I guarantee it will not happen. Guarantee. The Kings are faster, more physical, more confident, and have better goaltending right now (sorry Lundqvist, I love you man). I think the Rangers will be the first team swept in the finals since the hockey powerhouse known as the Detroit Redwings swept the Washington Capitals in the ’98 finals. (it should be noted that it was their 2nd consecutive sweep in the finals after sweeping the Flyers in ’97, no big deal). All is not lost for NYC though. The team has a solid foundation. Lundqvist is 32, meaning he isn’t the young buck he once was but he still has some solid years ahead of him. Being a Swede has typically meant being a super human when it comes to NHL players. Nick Lidstrom was 40 years old and still the best defensemen in the NHL when he retired. Lundqvist looks like he’s 25 still and could very well be a world class goaltender until he’s 39 or 40. The question will be whether or not he chooses to remain in the NHL for much longer. A lot of Swedes leave early to return to their super model filled home country (who wouldn’t?). The Rangers acquired St. Louis this year which proved to be a great move. Rick Nash isn’t going anywhere and either is McDonagh. The core of the Rangers will stay intact which is good if you’re a Rangers’ fan. The question is how do the Rangers improve their roster enough to not get swept in the Stanley Cup Finals again when they have to face a much better Western Conference team. They need to add some physicality and speed to their game; physicality being the priority. In a 7 game series it helps tremendously to have a team that can beat the living shit out of the other team. All of those hits, big and small, when you’re playing a game every other day, take a serious toll on your body. A big part of why LA is one win away from a Cup is because they’ve beaten the fuck out of the Rangers physically. All in all, the Rangers are in a decent spot to build off of. But as we have seen this series, they have some improving to do.
No comments:
Post a Comment