On Sunday night, will show the NHL playoff match between New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils. Live broadcast from 3:05.
The risks were already known to everyone at the transfer border. The Rangers hit all the marks in the middle when they acquired experienced Stanley Cup winners in their ranks Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko.
The duo’s sea skills and exceptional individual skills were widely known, but at the same time, many wondered how the joining of the duo, which previously belonged to the superstar category, would affect the playing of a united team and the group dynamics.
Especially from Kane, the Main Series was quite a bit of floating outside the game in many places.
In the playoffs, the start was promising.
The Rangers claimed two tough away victories from the neighboring city of New Jersey with a clear 5-1 scoreline, and in these games Kane was especially in the front row. In the latter, Kane started the important 2–1 and 3–1 hits and finished the game himself with a 4–1 goal.
Since then, the situation has turned upside down.
The Devils lead the match series with a 3–2 win. In the last three games against the young and fast Devils, the Rangers have been completely under pressure, not least because of the weak performances of the top chains.
New Jersey has won three games in a row with a crushing goal difference of 9–2. And that’s not all. The Devils have really put their big brother down when playing five-on-five. For example, dangerous goal posts are recorded in favor of New Jersey 46–21!
Why so?
The sled chain points forward
It is also about a strong philosophical difference.
Where the Rangers came into the series to slow down the Devils’ pace and stand in the midfield trap, the youthful, fresh, brave and fast New Jersey has not been ready to leave its fate in the hands of the opponent. New Jersey has gotten the Rangers in trouble with their fast play. Some of the Rangers players have had great difficulty staying on board.
One of these players has been Kane, whose phlegmatic nature is also going to the bottom Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider.
Something about Rangers’ situation is told by the fact that the identity chain of the group has become a youth joke, known by the nickname *Kid line-* Alexis Lafreniere–Filip Chytil–Kaapo Kako-combination.
Only the youth chain seems to be able to repeatedly play at the speed that the Devils always maintain. In addition, young people have the desire and ability to struggle and create good for themselves through hard work. For example by Artemi Panarin, by Vincent Trocheck and Tarasenko’s expected goal distribution is 34 percent in the playoffs.
The reading is shockingly weak.
And the statistics continue to undercut veterans.
When looking at the statistics of dangerous goal posts for the previous three matches, the situation is crushing for the blue shirts. For example, while Kane is on the ice, Rangers have lost goals from the first sector by 4–21. Zibanejad’s reading is 3–11, Panarin’s 5–14, Tarasenko’s 5–13 and Kreider’s 4–10.
The worst brake in the number one chain has been Kane.
In the fifth match of the series, the head coach of Rangers Gerard Gallant woke up In the second set, the pilot changed the places of Kane and the well-performed Kako in the first and third chains, and no matter what, the first chain immediately created two goals. In the second change, Zibanejad’s shot already hit the post.
The situation is challenging for coaching.
Kane is nowhere near the player who won three Stanley Cups in Chicago in recent years, but the club management did not bring him to play in the triple chain. It is also appropriate to ask in which direction Kane’s limp wrestling and phlegmatic body language will go if he finds himself in a three-way chain.
We need a second one
Realism is still cold: Kakko currently brings more things to support winning next to Zibanejad and Kreider. Kakko moves well, wins a lot of fights and loose pucks, and is able to create situations for himself and others through individual skills.
In the previous three games, Kakko is the only Rangers player whose guard shift the team has created more dangerous goal chances than allowed them.
And yet there is no cut cut in the superiority game. On the other hand, Patrick Kane is nothing more than a power play threat at today’s pace.
However, this is how it is operated in a league full of stardust – the size of the pay slip, status and previous years’ displays sometimes weigh more in the balance cup than the displays in the previous change.
This creates an intriguing juxtaposition to the series at hand.
Devils is the most interesting story of the NHL season. The Devils have built their budding success through the demands of today’s NHL and boldly trusted their young players. The team’s goalkeeper is also the real sensation card of the spring, completely inexperienced Akira Schmidt. The Devils play boldly and fearlessly forward. It also looks to tomorrow as a club.
The Rangers looked to yesterday and signed Kane and Tarasenko. At the same time, for example Kakko, tomorrow’s star, is played with minimal minutes.
Experience has used to be a trump card in the playoff world over the lunatic enthusiasm, and it may very well be that the Rangers’ experience will start to speak now, when the series of matches is really starting to be resolved.
If the Rangers are going to turn the series around, they need a leg and fighting power in the top chain. Who would bring that?
Kaapo Kako.
What thoughts did the story evoke? You can discuss the topic on 30.4. until 11 p.m.