News Article: NHL.com Rangers 30/30

[RangerBoy]

Today is the Rangers Day. NHL.com feature on 30 teams in 30 days this month.

Can the power play improve? -- On a team with prominent weaknesses, none was more glaring than the power play. In each of the past two seasons, the Rangers' power play ranked 23rd in the League with a 15.7 percent success rate. That performance was troubling, then the man-advantage disappeared entirely in the postseason.

At a 9.1 percent success rate in the 2013 playoffs, the Rangers ranked ahead of only the Minnesota Wild, who failed to score on 17 opportunities in their five-game opening-round loss to the eventual champion Chicago Blackhawks. With the Rangers' unit sputtering, Tortorella held an open audition to quarterback it, with everyone from Richards to Derick Brassard getting a chance.

Vigneault molded one of the League's top power-play units in Vancouver and will be expected to use some of that expertise to improve New York on the man-advantage.

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=680868

This is one of the best rosters in the Eastern Conference, especially if Richards manages a better season with a new coaching staff. How the team plays for Vigneault could be the difference between challenging for a division title and being considered a Stanley Cup contender and just trying to get into the playoffs, like the Rangers did a year ago.

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=680870

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[Boruto]

Funny now EJ focuses on Falk out of all the signings.

 

[Doctyl]

Funny now EJ focuses on Falk out of all the signings.

hes talking about the wrong one

 

[silverfish]

hes talking about the wrong one

That's incredibly embarrassing. Wow.

Do your ****ing hw, NHL.com. It's a shame that half the posters here are more knowledgeable than the staff at NHL.com

 

[Boruto]

hes talking about the wrong one

Haha, didn't even realize. 5AM

maybe we can trick everyone else and get our hands on the good one.

 

[NYR Viper]

Wow. Not only does he talk about the wrong Falk but in the article they say McDonagh signed a 4 year extension. 6......

Who the hell writes this ****.

 

[HatTrick Swayze]

No to mention the prospect rankings...look pretty iffy to me.

 

[HeaveHo94]

This is beautiful, just beautiful.

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

Im sure Vigneault inheriting the Sedin twins had nothing to do with Vancouver's PP.

 

[Raspewtin]

the top prospect rankings are TERRIBLE on NHL.com. They have Sammy as our 4th best? Come on, that's just lazy.

 

[Richter Scale]

Im sure Vigneault inheriting the Sedin twins had nothing to do with Vancouver's PP.

Nah man. It is all on the coach. The PP lives or dies by the coach. Players don't matter. You could put 5 cones out there and AV would coach those f'ers into a 25 % PP.

Clearly you didn't get the memo. Tal Pinchevsky over at NHL.com did though, so don't worry. If you didn't hear it first on HF, NHL.com's got your back.

 

[aufheben]

This is why I don't go to NHL.com anymore, and just come here.

 

[HockeyBasedNYC]

No doubt the PP is going to be a huge factor this year, as it always seems to be.

Looking back at the playoffs if the Rangers just had an average PP, just average - they would have scored about 3-4 more goals throughout those 2 rounds. They don't go to 7 with Washington if that happens, and they probably don't go down 0-2 to Boston in the second round.

Its that important. It deflated the team so many times and took on a life of its own throughout the year and especially throughout the playoffs.

I think AV needs to focus on just getting this team to realize they don't have to be perfect, or even in the top 3rd of the league, just effective (average). We say it all the time, the Rangers need someone, anyone to get shots to the net on the PP from the point. Whether thats Moore, Richards, McDonagh or someone else, it needs to happen and it needs to happen consistently.

I thought Brassard did some really great things on the half-wall that lead to a lot of PP opportunities and some goals. The way he slides around into open space with the puck opens up a lot of lanes for his teammates. He has a knack for that and I think they should try him on the top unit.

Again, it doesnt have to be sexy it just has to be effective. The difference between a bad PP team and an average one is about 6-9 goals. Spread that out through the course of the year and its a few more Reg wins and more points that could be the difference in seeding or even making the playoffs.