Rangers vs. Panthers pt.2: Blueshirts Game Preview

After the Rangers soundly defeated the Blue Jackets on Monday night, they  will now attempt to win two straight games for the first time since they did so on October 14th and October 17th. The game-plan against the Florida Panthers remains the same as in my last post, though the Rangers need to come out with more aggression than they did the last time these two teams met in the Garden just four days ago. And it goes without saying, they need some scoring help besides the constants–Marian Gaborik and Vinny Prospal, if they are going to win. Even though the Panthers just lost to the Penguins, it was in overtime, so they haven’t lost a game in regulation since November 7 against the Washington Capitals.

Since these teams played days ago, I’m going to briefly rundown some of the good, and some of the bad from the last game against the Blue Jackets. First a foremost, John Tortorella’s timeouts seem to come at the most opportune time for this Rangers team. It seems as if every time he calls one, the Rangers wake-up from hibernation and get to playing some impassioned hockey. It would be nice if they can come out with that spunk when the puck drops in the first period. Still, it was great to see the team comeback from a two goal deficit against a team that was very evenly matched. Plus, the Garden faithful wasn’t too receptive to the Rangers being down so early, so the Blueshirts had to turn those boos into the cheers we’ve come to know and love when the Rangers play well.

The number two storyline from this game had to be the emergence of some secondary scoring. This team has been too much about Marian Gaborik and Vinny Prospal and nothing about any other guys picking up the slack. I’m a firm believer that this team will make noise in the East if other lines can score. The defense won’t always be there for the Rangers because we have some young guys who will make rookie mistakes and jump up in the play–and we’ve got some duds like Michael Rozsival who should be replaced by a Hartford defenseman as soon as possible, so scoring more than two goals a night would certainly ease the burden on the defense (and Henrik Lundqvist). This game marked the first time the Rangers scored more than two goals since November 12 against the Atlanta Thrashers (which was a 5-3 loss).

The game on Monday was a total coming out party for the non-Gaborik/Prospal lines. Ever since the Avery/Anisimov/Parentaeau line has been put together, they’ve really shown some offensive prowess. It was about time Avery scored. From my assessment of this team, he’s been the third most effective player as of late besides the obvious two. Playing over 18 minutes, it’s really showing that Tortorella believes in him and Avery is taking advantage of it. I’d like to see him get more time on the power-play because I think lately it’s been a bit passive and lacks a guy who wants to get dirty and dig for loose rebounds. This “second” line had seven points on the night.

While the goals by Matt Gilroy and Michael Del Zotto were impressive, I really can’t say enough about how much better Wade Redden looks this year. I know he’s never going to validate his ridiculous contract, but I no longer find myself cringing whenever the puck is near him. He’s been steadier and he’s looked more comfortable out there on the ice–this year, and lately. Especially since Rozsival hasn’t been good and Staal has had to work through some bumps in his game, Redden’s steadiness has been a pleasant surprise. He’s played with a little tenacity lately too, not letting opponents get away with banging into Lundqvist every other play. Redden’s been a negative +/- only three times in the past ten games. Let’s not be afraid to over-emphasize the good.

When we talk about the good, we can’t forget about the Rangers’ knack for taking penalties. The Rangers only took one on Monday night and two against Florida the last time they played. Are they finally realizing games are tough to win when you’re constantly in the penalty box?

Wednesday night’s game in Florida marks the return of the captain of the Blueshirts, Chris Drury, who has missed five games with a concussion. Despite the fans’ displeasure with his play lately, this team has really been downright awful on face-offs. And if Ales Kotalik misses tonight’s game (still feeling the effects of a hit), Drury will be a nice add to the lineup. In addition, the penalty kill has given up five goals in the five games Drury was absent, and no matter what anyone says he’s one of the team’s best on defense. I’d still be cautiously optimistic about him though, a five day recovery is pretty quick for someone who’s had a concussion before. I wouldn’t expect him to get over his usual 16 minutes of ice-time tonight, as he begins to get acclimated to the NHL pace again.

The Rangers will play four games–three on the road, in five nights. Was Monday’s game a sign that good fortunes are on the horizon for this team? Or will they frustrate tonight, scoring one-goal, and lose 2-1?