Rangers Recap: Rangers Smacked by Avalanche, 5-1
by Nick Montemagno on Nov 20, 2010 12:27 AM EST
in New York Rangers Recaps
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Tonight’s 5-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche was, beyond shadow of a doubt, the worst game of the season so far for the New York Rangers. They were outskated by a young Colorado team, their goaltending was shaky, and they did not generate much offense at all. Luckily for them they will be right back at it on Saturday in Minnesota, but this is a tilt that the team needs to forget and move on from. But first, we shall recap the disaster of a night that this actually was.
The first period had a great pace to it. The two teams were back and forth and the shot count was close. Goaltending on both ends was magnificent and there was great physicality. The Rangers came out with energy and were applying a forecheck and creating pressure. They played a solid road period to open this game. Unfortunately that would all go down the toilet in the second stanza.
The second was arguably the worst twenty minutes the Blueshirts have played all season. Just 1:04 in David Jones banged in a rebound to give the Avalanche a 1-0 lead. Six minutes later Kevin Porter would split the defense and deflect a Matt Duchene backhander up and over Henrik Lundqvist to quickly go ahead 2-0. And then came Duchene’s floater from the slot that Henrik should have stopped, which he did not, and this is when head coach John Tortorella decided to yank him and put Marty Biron in goal. That did not help much, though, as Kevin Shattenkirk would sneak one through Biron’s legs to give his club a 4-0 advantage heading into the second intermission.
The Rangers had a big powerplay opportunity to begin the third, but they did not capitalize and that was when it was pretty clear they were going to lose this one. To affirm that, Daniel Winnik would maneuver his way around a sliding Girardi and beat Biron on the breakaway, making it 5-0. Derek Stepan would later scored his first goal since opening night in Buffalo on a wrister from the high slot, but it did not even put a dent into the Avalanche lead at that point.
Continue reading after the jump....
Brandon Prust suffered an injury late in that third period when he was pushed down by Matt Duchene and went face-first into Ryan O’Reilly’s knee. No one could really make out what was actually causing Prust so much pain, but between whistles, when trying to skate around outside of the bench, he just couldn’t do it. He later would go the locker room. Told the media following the game that his injury was a "charley horse", but is hopeful he will play tomorrow in Minny.
Henrik Lundqvist has now had back-to-back disappointing performances, but I do not think that is the direct reason for Torts pulling him in the second. I think Tortorella was looking to wake up his team and also preserve Henrik knowing they play again in 24 hours. So it wasn’t only the fact that Hank was sub-par in the tilt that he got yanked, there were other factors coming into play.
Michael Del Zotto’s season from hell continued, and accelerated to a whole new level on this night. I cannot count how many times he turned the puck over, but at least two of the Avalanche goals were partly his fault. For the most part, the sophomore curse has not haunted the Rangers much over the years, but it is full force with Del Zotto right now. We’ll see what actions Tortorella plans to take to turn that around, if any at all.
I liked what I saw from Derek Stepan between Frolov and Gaborik. He finally buried a goal for the first time since his hat trick on October 9th and also began to show his tremendous passing abilities. Unfortunately Frolov was on the other end of many of those passes, and as we know, finishing has not been his specialty this year by any means. And for the love of God, stop with the wraparounds, Alex!
In a nutshell, the Rangers lost tonight because they were outskated all night long. They were beaten to every loose puck, they were constantly being caught flat footed and multiple times were caught chasing the puck in their own zone. They had yesterday off, so fatigue is not an excuse here. They did not deserve to win and they didn’t. It is as simple as that.
They will put this one behind them and jump on a flight to Minnesota tonight. Hopefully there will be a better result in that game, but the Wild defeated the Red Wings in a shootout earlier today, so they will be coming in amped up. For Marian Gaborik and Derek Boogaard, it will be their first return to Minnesota as a New York Ranger.
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Just burn the tape, that simple.
Sauer, Stepan also going home.
Think Fed-Ex gets suspended for the shot on Duchene?
by Michael Gleich on Nov 20, 2010 12:53 AM EST reply actions
I think that Stepan is slowing showing us what he can do
1 goal and 3 assists in the past 4 games. I’m liking what I’m seeing from him.
As for Del Zotto, this is why Tortorella gets paid the big bucks. He’s gotta figure something out to get this kid back on track, maybe cut his minutes, maybe chance his parters around (I always wanted to see him with Staal).
Anyway, thank God we don’t have to wait long for the next one.
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by Joe Fortunato on Nov 20, 2010 1:05 AM EST up reply actions
A trip to the minors for Del Zotto is a possible solution. The guy looks lost, and Torts keeps putting him out there for big minutes….I guess sometimes it’s almost as tough when Torts likes a player as when he hates a player.
Prole art threat.
by greifi griffie on Nov 20, 2010 7:38 AM EST up reply actions
Cutting his minutes and promoting someone who is actually playing well (Sauer) is the correct solution, until Rozsival returns.
Before Rozsival:
Staal-Girardi
Eminger-Sauer
MDZ-Gilroy
After:
Staal-Rozsival
Eminger-Girardi
MDZ-Sauer
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by George E. Ays on Nov 20, 2010 9:48 AM EST up reply actions
I’m not trying to pick a fight here, but are we suggesting Rozi would have been an improvement last night?
by bleed'n blue on Nov 20, 2010 4:33 PM EST up reply actions
Rozsival has not been bad, so yes, fairly easily.
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by George E. Ays on Nov 20, 2010 7:43 PM EST up reply actions
no
I want Del Zotto’s minutes cut. Staal Del Zotto was more of a “offensive defenseman with defensive defenseman” idea. I like the idea of him only playing 11 minutes a night however.
Blueshirt Banter: Covering the New York Rangers the only NHL team with three home arenas.
"We can trade Lisin for a gun, then hold it to Drury’s head and make him waive the no-movement clause" - XLII
"Tortorelli sounds like a kind of pasta… an unforgiving, stubborn, chewy, flavorless pasta that demands ‘jam’ from other pastas." - Dig Deep
by Joe Fortunato on Nov 20, 2010 3:29 PM EST up reply actions
Was that serious?
Blueshirt Banter: Covering the New York Rangers the only NHL team with three home arenas.
"We can trade Lisin for a gun, then hold it to Drury’s head and make him waive the no-movement clause" - XLII
"Tortorelli sounds like a kind of pasta… an unforgiving, stubborn, chewy, flavorless pasta that demands ‘jam’ from other pastas." - Dig Deep
by Joe Fortunato on Nov 20, 2010 6:03 PM EST up reply actions
No
I liked the idea of cutting Del Zotto’s numbers by 11, and I thought about partnering him with Staal, but realized that him and Staal don’t fly
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"We can trade Lisin for a gun, then hold it to Drury’s head and make him waive the no-movement clause" - XLII
"Tortorelli sounds like a kind of pasta… an unforgiving, stubborn, chewy, flavorless pasta that demands ‘jam’ from other pastas." - Dig Deep
by Joe Fortunato on Nov 21, 2010 12:09 AM EST up reply actions
Staal-MDZ won’t happen, they’re your only two left-handed D-men right now. Plus, as NTB said, moving him up in the pairings is not the answer.
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by George E. Ays on Nov 20, 2010 9:39 AM EST up reply actions
I don’t think the Rangers have any answers for a team like that, that plays with that level speed and skill. That’s what makes this game so depressing. Even if we make the playoffs, after a game like that, it feels like the whole season is a preparation for getting skated to death come spring.
I kind of agree...
but the lack of effort, lack of skating, lack of heart displayed in the 2nd and 3rd periods last night is the concern. If they had played the type of hockey we’ve become accustomed to this season things may have been different.
Mile High blues
I didn’t see the game . . .was it a lack of effort or a lack of oxygen (due to high altitude)?
by PotvinSucks on Nov 20, 2010 12:20 PM EST up reply actions
Del Zotto
-4 and 18:56 ice time…ridiculous…torts should’ve benched him after the second goal…if I was the coach, I would bench him after the first one…seems like this kid doesn’t learn how to make a pinch in the offensive zone, or not to make it rather.
Anyway, being smacked by the Avs twice in the season is not a good sign, torts repeating his mistakes.
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and play who?
a young D is going to make mistakes … now can torts help them learn from the mistakes so they gain experience, or bench them so they lose confidence?
by bleed'n blue on Nov 20, 2010 8:59 AM EST up reply actions
a -4 night can't help Del Zotto's confidence either
Del Zotto is a liability out there right now defensively, his offensive game has deserted him, and his work on the power-play is not up to the standard he set for himself last year. He’s too talented to be playing this poorly, which means his problems have got to be mental….getting torched on a nightly basis in the NHL is obviously not helping him, the Rangers need to try another tactic to get him going again.
Prole art threat.
by greifi griffie on Nov 20, 2010 10:37 AM EST up reply actions
I agree
but making the blanket statement to bench him isn’t the solution. Whatever “program” torts and co. have embarked on with MDZ seems to have taken a turn in the wrong direction. But in MDZ’d defense, no one other than Stephan really showed up last night – including the coach preparation. There are ways to counter team speed, but judging by the spacing between the ranger forwards and D either they didn’t get the message, or simply refused to execute.
by bleed'n blue on Nov 20, 2010 4:22 PM EST up reply actions
and the question still stands
bench MDZ lat night … and play who?
by bleed'n blue on Nov 20, 2010 4:30 PM EST up reply actions
Most of us realize that the Rangers aren’t a Stanley Cup winner this year, and that the young kids would lose us some games along the way, but I, for one expect them to compete!!!! I don’t mind watching them LOSE, I definitely DO mind when they get BEAT!!!
Last nite I tuned out after the second Avs goal. It was apparent that the Rangers were not competing, they weren’t even trying!!
Great Recap for an awful game
i feel bad for us all on the game thread yesterday, it was a brutal night.
on a positive note, wouldn’t it be a great if torts avoids the A-Rod curse and gets his 300th tonight. i believe we’re 4-0 in the second of back to back games.
I’m now officially impressed with this Avalanche team. flying under the radar during the offseason, they managed to put together a very dangerous group. i watched the Altitute.TV stream so i have no clue what sam and joe were talking about, but the statlines mentioned by the announcers for the top two forward lines are awesome, there seems to be a very healthy system up in denver.
Last point, how weak is the east this year in comparison to the west?
the west teams are 43-22-9 when playing against the east. that’s 108pts in 74 games. equal to a .729 points percentage. i say wtf? these numbers have got to correct themselves…
by #17ToTheRafters on Nov 20, 2010 8:21 AM EST reply actions
but .729???
should be more like .629…
idk its just crazy to me. all the big numbers guys are here and the teams from outwest are just killing.
by #17ToTheRafters on Nov 20, 2010 8:56 AM EST up reply actions
Glad I didn't catch this one
Last night, a comedian died in New York. Somebody knows why. Somebody knows
Outskated
Does anyone else think that we should hire Barbara Underhill on staff for the whole team this summer, before another team does? I know at least a handful of players could benefit from gaining a half step in skating ability. Stepan is not a strong skater and would benefit most. But imagine even our best skaters like Gabby, Dubi, Cally, etc if they saw a marginal improvement. Do it.
MDZ...
Well, I hate to say I told you so but…I told you so. Joe, you say Del Zotto’s got to get “back on track.” But I have to wonder if we’re watching the same kid. When was he “on track”?
I saw him struggling for almost 3/4 of the season last year so this is just a continuation of the same mess we’ve had.
When I suggested trading him while his value was still high I was subjected to all kinds of insults, blocked shot statistics and patronizing comments about his youth.
For the time being, MDZ is a serious liability. He needs to go down to the minors for a stretch and work on his game. We don’t have a bad club this year and there are other kids playing much smarter and consistent hockey.
d
It was one bad game, no need to jump off the ledge. Del Zotto has been significantly better this season so far. Hes still only 20 years old, and he is a very important piece to this team. Who would you want back for him to be traded?
by CrazyRangerFan on Nov 20, 2010 1:25 PM EST up reply actions
Stop Jumping off the Ledge with Del Zotto
Everyone needs to calm down. Yes Del Zotto had a miserable game, yes he is somewhat of liability sometimes, but he’s improved his defense significantly this season. He came in last year at age 19 and played the entire year on DEFENSE. the hardest position to transition into the NHL with. Not many can come in at a young age and play hard minutes at defense and not look completely out of place. Del Zotto is one guy who can. This season he has improved, one bad game doesn’t mean he needs to be sent down or traded or anything other than to just keep giving him top 4 minutes. Stop jumping off the ledge with a bad loss, nobody here thought we were going to contend for the cup so whats the big deal? we are going to have these clunkers every once in a while, every team does. With that said I do think Tort’s or Sullivan need to start teaching these kids defense a bit better, its quite apparent that they are coming up short on that aspect of coaching.
by CrazyRangerFan on Nov 20, 2010 1:31 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Agree for the most part (I think he does look out of place sometimes) – but if we had any realistic hopes of contending this year, I’d say – yeah, Del Zotto is really hurting our chances. But we’re not cup hopefuls for at least a couple of years, so people really need to give him time to develop his d-game.
he does look out of place occasionally(last night), but I was just trying to make a point lol, his defense has improved leaps and bounds this year compared to last.
by CrazyRangerFan on Nov 20, 2010 1:49 PM EST up reply actions
The big deal is that this isn’t just one bad game, its dozens of bad games. This also isn’t Hartford, its the NHL.
He may become a great d-man one day…maybe even a superstar, but he needs more time to develop. Right now I don’t think there are very many clubs we face who consider him an offensive “threat.”
your telling me the majority of the games Del Zotto has been terrible? yes hes had a couple of clunkers, yes his offense isn’t as potent as last year. But he’s still pretty solid defensively other than the couple of clunkers last night included. If your going to build a team young you can’t expect them not to make mistakes, eventually they will grow into an allstar and help this club finally get another cup.
by CrazyRangerFan on Nov 20, 2010 5:02 PM EST up reply actions
Del Zotto's play last night
Something definatly looked off with MDZ last night. I don’t know if he was jet-lagged, trying to make too much happen, or if things just plain weren’t clicking with him. I had the Rangers feed blacked out, and watched the Avs feed on the ticket, so I don’t know how he was being handled after those goals, but I’d like to. I think how the coach’s address mistakes he makes is HUGE in helping him, and the rest of our D, improve our game. Here’s my take on the goals
Goal #1 – This was kind of a tricky play, since it wasn’t really a break out, but rather a hard pass through the slot (from Cally) that when long, and turned the play around. The thing here is Del Zotto HAS TO take the body. He CAN’T let that guy get by him. If it means taking the penalty, so be it. It’s better to take the penatly making the hit, then trying to hook him to stop the 2 on 1, like he did after that.
Goal #2. I didn’t really have a problem with MDZ making the play in neutral ice here. He had back checkers coming back, and I think Eminger could have played it a little better.
Goal#3 – MDZ needs to stay with the body here. He’s going down, swining his stick. There is no need. Stay with your man. Make him beat you, you don’t have to try to make a move to beat him. Stay with him, and force him into a place he can’t make a play on you.
Goal #4 – This was thrown on net and it worked. Can’t blame MDZ here.
All around, when you watch the tape, even in period 1, our defenseman are swinging there sticks trying to make poke checks, and chasing the puck. The coaches should have addressed that early, and hopefully they will before tonights game.
Can’t remember the comments on all the goals but Joe Micheletti did criticize him on the 1st. Said something like “you either gotta get the puck or take the body when you miss on a pinch like that”.
While he was again out of position, the second goal was a bit lucky for the Avs as that deflection found a post stamp opening through Lundqvist.
MDZ definitely had a bad night last night but overall the team was beat all over the ice and there’s plenty of blame to go around overall. Avs have a good, young, high flying team so they’re bound to make slower skating and sloppy playing teams look bad.
by MyFavBaseballSquadron on Nov 20, 2010 3:18 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
On Goal 1, he tried to take the body and whiffed, which led to the guy beating him, which led to him not taking the penalty.
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by George E. Ays on Nov 20, 2010 3:52 PM EST up reply actions
Because it was on the short side of the screen, it was tough to see
If you’re saying he tried to make the check and missed, I won’t argue with you. On the first goal, it seemed more like he waited too long to decide what to do, and tried to do a little of both, never really committing. I didn’t think the play on the body was as clear as it was on his play in neutral ice, leading up to the second goal, he clearly tried to throw the check and missed.
Either way, when he didn’t get the guy, he should have stuck an arm out and grabbed his man, and hauled him down. He knew all three of his wingers were down low in Avs zone. There was no help on the way. Take the penatly and stop the 2-1.
by BuckarooClub on Nov 20, 2010 7:27 PM EST up reply actions
On the first goal, it seemed more like he waited too long to decide what to do, and tried to do a little of both, never really committing.
He definitely waited too long to decide, I’ll grant you that. It appeared to me he did make a decision to try and take him out, but the Avs player (Duchene?) was entirely too fast for the hesitation. I still have to watch the first period last night (got home late), I’ll take a look at it again when I do, what I perceived as a missed check could certainly have been just being in no mans land.
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by George E. Ays on Nov 20, 2010 7:48 PM EST up reply actions
Yeah - Check it out, let me know what you think.
That play moved up ice and was in the zone. Cally’s pass goes through the zone and springs the wing, and it all happens quick. MDZ is the weak side man when the pass to the slot is made, so he should be back, but when the pass goes through the slot and launches the wing, MDZ has to step up.
He never should have been considering making the play on the puck. Just go in on the body, if the guy gets by you, grab him. It’s pretty simple. Maybe the arguement could be made for MDZ dropping back, but I think the wing has too much speed at that point, in open ice, and it would be hard for ANY d-man to stick with him.
Glad they’re looking better tonight
by BuckarooClub on Nov 20, 2010 9:41 PM EST up reply actions
You’re right, he didn’t really play the body, he stepped up, got caught in the middle of playing the puck, playing the body, and did neither, and the wing beat him. He took the penalty without dragging the guy down. Just a crappy job all around.
Oh well, he had a better game tonight at least.
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by George E. Ays on Nov 21, 2010 9:45 AM EST up reply actions
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