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Rangers Vs. Bruins: It’s Time To Fix The Powerplay

With the New York Rangers falling 3-2 to the Boston Bruins on Thursday evening, the one thing that still lingers around are the three power play opportunities that went unanswered by the Rangers, prior to the winning goal. There were times during the regular season, and even against the Washington Capitals where the power play wasn’t scoring, but it was still getting some good chances and decent looks.

After watching the power play on Thursday night, it left me with headaches until at least the next morning. The Rangers literally couldn’t set anything up in the offensive zone, let alone getting into the zone cleanly. That’s one of the biggest issues that the Rangers are dealing with at the moment. Gaining the zone. On the odd chance that they do actually gain the zone, there is a whole lot of passing, and not a whole lot of shooting.

There have been a bazillion different combinations, and nothing has seemed to stick. No matter what happens, John Tortorella will always fall back on his regulars. The Brad Richards‘, the Dan Girardi‘s, and the Ryan Callahan‘s. That’s all fine and dandy up until those players aren’t getting the job done anymore, and it’s costing the Rangers some key chances during the playoffs.

I’ve always been the type of person that feels the best players on the rink that night should be getting those type of opportunities. Not the ones that continually fail chance after chance, and nothing really changes. Only so much can be put on the coaching staff, and don’t get me wrong, part of that blame still falls on them.

But the other half of the equation has to do with the players, and whether or not they are actually executing. And up until this point, none of the guys on the power play are really getting that job done. Up until this point, the guys that have been impressing me the most have yet to see an ounce of power play time (with the exception of Derick Brassard, and Derek Stepan). Isn’t it about time that John Tortorella and the coaching staff completely clean the slate, and go with the players that are giving the effort out there, and getting things done?

Where are guys like Taylor Pyatt, Carl Hagelin, Derek Dorsett, John Moore, Ryan McDonagh, and even Anton Stralman? I know a lot of you guys will call me crazy for bringing up some of these names, but what is there to lose at this point? Nothing else has seemed to get anything going. At times during these last eight games, the Rangers third and fourth lines have been their best line on the ice, and generating the most chances.

If that’s clicking, why in the world wouldn’t you roll with the hot hand(s)? Sure, it may not be the biggest names on the roster, but hey, it’s working, right? It’s time to fix the power play, and it’s not always about the biggest names, but rather the names that are getting the job done.

Thoughts?