Media Bytes: Defensive Woes, Offensive Lows, Dorofeyev, Fox, Laine
A Norris-caliber start, a shaky second pair, and a goaltending situation that’s either fine or about to boil over—depending on who you ask.
Welcome back to Media Bytes, a weekly column from Blueshirt Banter. Every Sunday, we’ll help you start the week right with a quick catch-up on the latest stories and developments around the New York Rangers and the broader NHL media landscape.
The full version of Media Bytes is for Blueshirt Banter members only. To read the full thing and get it delivered to your inbox every Sunday, become a member at Blueshirt Banter today.
Road Rash
1. Coming into Monday night's game against the Los Angeles Kings, the Rangers had dropped two straight contests to the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs by a combined score of 12-8, prompting criticism that the Blueshirts have taken their foot off the gas defensively.
Rangers Recon had plenty to say about the team's recent struggles, including a closer look at a few individual players who could be key to turning things around.
"You take a look at how they are playing at home and it's almost like a repeat of last season, but in reverse," Andrew Chelney said to kick things off. "Why is this team really good at home, but then they leave home, even if it's New Jersey, and they play like they've never seen each other before? It's a strange phenomenon that I really hope corrects itself earlier rather than later."
"It really feels like the structure is crumbling on the road," he continued. "[Because] the same structure looks really good at home."
Arthur Staple, meanwhile, singled out Pavel Dorofeyev, suggesting that the Russian sniper's struggles are contributing to the team's broader issues. The gap between his expected goals and actual goals is by far the worst on the roster, highlighting just how much he's underperforming his chances.
"He just needs a couple of these things to [go in] to take his mind out of it, and get out of his own head," Staple said. "Hopefully it turns around, because it's clearly affecting him at the other end. If he [starts] converting on some of those chances, his plus-minus number doesn't look quite so red."
