Menu
NHL TEAM ANALYSIS
|
The New York Rangers have been having an absolutely stellar season with an unbelievable record of 48-20-4. Clinching a playoff berth before April, the Rangers and their full-team effort is what has led this Rangers team to many successes this season.
One notable contributor to the remarkable performance this season is the undrafted F Artemi Panarin. So far, the 32 year old winger has 46 goals and 69 assists (115 points) in just 78 games played. He’s been red hot all year and it’s worth noting he had a 15 game point streak to start the current NHL season. His goal scoring and play-making skills are incredible and plays a big role on this Rangers team. Panarin has also been essential on the Rangers’ power play as his chemistry with F Chris Kreider and F Mika Zibanejad has been nothing but incredible. This has also led the power play to be a huge success with a 25.9% chance to score a power play goal (ranks 4th in the league). As far as the team itself, not much has changed since last season, so why are the New York Rangers performing significantly better this season? To start, after the poor performance against the New Jersey Devils last post season, the New York Rangers fired former Head Coach Gerard Gallant who had a record of 99-46-19 with the team. The fanbase had very mixed opinions about him but one of the top criticisms of Gallant was that he was not shuffling the lines when the New York Rangers blew their 2-0 lead against the New Jersey Devils. This was extremely disappointing for Rangers fans as they had high hopes after the team acquired top players such as Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko prior to the 2023 trade deadline. In June 2023, the Rangers hired their new Head Coach, Peter Laviolette. Laviolette has coached several teams in the past; most recently, he coached the Washington Capitals who fired him after their disappointing season. Rangers’ General Manager Chris Drury definitely made the right decision when hiring Laviolette because he’s done an incredible job coaching this talented Rangers team. Maybe, after all, this was a coaching issue because replacing Gallant with Drury did give the Rangers a necessary shakeup. Now that the Rangers are playoff bound, do you think they will be Stanley Cup contenders?
0 Comments
Many New Jersey Devils fans had expectations that this would be a record-breaking season for the talented hockey team and that clinching a playoff spot would be no problem but it is apparent that this is not the case as we’re over halfway through the season with a disappointing record of 30-27-4. For starters, there are lots of reasons people say we’ve had a below average season. Some will say it’s Head Coach Lindy Ruff, some will say it’s goaltending, some will say it’s the defense, and some will say it’s injuries. But who is right? Everyone is correct to a certain extent.
First and foremost the goaltending and defense have not lived up to fans’ expectations this year which has cost the team heavily. The expected goaltender tandem for this season was going to be Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid. Both of them have been having less-than-ideal seasons with Vanecek having a record of 17-9-3 with a .890 SV% and Schmid with a 5-8-1 record with a .897 SV%. Due to Schmid’s poor performance, he was sent down to Utica (AHL) but then he was recalled back to the NHL due to Vanecek’s being placed on injured reserve (IR). Nico Daws got recalled from Utica (AHL) in late December to back up Vanecek (prior to when he got injured). Daws has been pretty good for the past few months but he still can’t do the entire job for us. The Devils’ defense has been weak all season and they are not doing what they need to do – to block shots and most importantly, make the goaltender’s job easier. Part of this reason is because the Devils organization let go two key veteran defensemen from last season – Damon Severson and Ryan Graves who were both unrestricted free agents (UFAs) last offseason. GM Tom Fitzgerald has filled those spots in with rookie defensemen – Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec; while they are talented young players with a big future ahead, they make rookie mistakes too often which lead to opposing team’s goals. To add to the issue, Dougie Hamilton (who’s arguably the best Devils defenseman) is out with a torn left pectoral muscle. This has left a big hole that has yet to be filled and it’s something the rookies cannot replace. It is evident that there are many mistakes that HC Ruff continues to make and that is costing the Devils games. For example, F Alexander Holtz, a talented young winger, is constantly being placed on the 4th line which prevents him from getting more ice time. Holtz has improved immensely from last season and he has proven himself this year, and therefore, he needs more playing time with players like Jack Hughes and Tyler Toffoli. In addition, when Holtz makes small mistakes, Ruff repeatedly decides to bench Holtz which is unfair as players like Luke Hughes, who has been making mistakes constantly this season, is still given a large amount of ice time. Another issue that Ruff has been having is making the correct decision to start which goaltender for which game. Although the Devils do not have many options for goalies currently, Ruff has started Daws for 10 of the past 11 games. It is obvious that after starting so many games, Daws will be extremely tired and will not be able to perform to his best ability anymore and that is exactly what’s currently happening with this young goaltender. Schmid has come in relief for him in the past 2 games after 2 rough starts for Daws which shows Schmid should have started both those games and Daws shouldn’t have started so many games in a row to begin with. Finally, another issue that was brought up with Ruff is the fact that when he pulled Schmid yesterday, the team was still playing 5-on-5 with the net empty which is completely on the coach. Ruff needs to pay closer attention to how his poor decisions are affecting the team. We are currently 4 days from the trade deadline (March 8th at 3pm ET) and GM Tom Fitzgerald has lots of decisions to make. Between acquiring a goalie, and trading certain players away, the Devils have one goal – to remain in the playoff race. After our last 3 losses (1-5 LAK, 3-4 ANA, and 1-4 TBL), our playoff chances have gotten incredibly slim which is so unfortunate for a talented team that should’ve been clinching a playoff berth sometime soon. Do you think the Devils still have a chance to make the playoffs? The Boston Bruins are stacked, especially after the trade deadline, as the playoffs are imminent. Even prior to the deadline, the Bruins have been red hot all year with a current record of 49-8-5 for 103 points this season which has broken the record for most points in the least amount of games in NHL History. In addition, the team has an immense amount of talent. Some of the people leading the way for this fabulous Bruins team are David Pastrnak, Patrice Bergeron, Charlie McAvoy, and Linus Ullmark. Pastrnak is having a career season scoring 44 goals and having 40 assists for 84 points in 62 games. In addition he has scored the most goals in the NHL only behind Connor McDavid (54 goals so far). Patrice Bergeron is also having an amazing season with not only outstanding performance as a forward but also he is also helping out the defense which makes him a strong Selke Trophy candidate for the 2022-23 season. Charlie McAvoy is having a great year as one of the top Bruins’ defenseman as he has the 2nd most amount of points on the team after David Pastrnak. Last but definitely not least is Linus Ullmark who’s had a beyond magnificent year and is a strong candidate for the Vezina Trophy. He has been making insane saves for the Bruins all year with a 32-4-1 record, a 1.89 GAA, and a .938 SV%. After the acquisitions General Manager Don Sweeney has made for the team, the Bruins gained a lot more depth which is really going to increase their chances of being Stanley Cup Champions this year. Some of the top additions to the team after the trade deadline are D Dmitry Orlov, F Garnet Hathaway, and F Tyler Bertuzzi. These acquisitions will significantly help Boston’s defense and the bottom 6 forwards as they are looking to get very deep in the upcoming playoffs. Do you think the Boston Bruins will be the 2022-23 Stanley Cup Champions?
The New York Rangers are absolutely stacked heading into the thick of the playoff race. Starting off this season, the New York Rangers lacked a reliable right winger and prior to this trade deadline, so the Rangers got just what they needed: right wingers. Nearly a month before the trade deadline, on February 9th, 2023, the New York Rangers acquired Vladimir Tarasenko for Sammy Blais, Hunter Skinner, a conditional 2023 first round pick, and a conditional 2024 fourth round pick. In 47 games played this season, Tarasenko has 12 goals and 21 assists, for 33 points this season which are pretty solid numbers. In addition, the New York Rangers acquired their second right winger yesterday, February 28th, 2023, from the Chicago Blackhawks for a 2023 conditional second round pick, a 2025 fourth round pick, and defenseman Andy Welinski. Patrick Kane has 16 goals and 29 assists, for 45 points in 54 games this season. With the current lineup, the New York Rangers are dangerous and can get deep into the playoffs if they can clinch a playoff spot. How far do you think the New York Rangers can get in the playoffs this postseason, if they clinch a playoff spot?
The Seattle Kraken are having an absolutely remarkable season and they are arguably the most surprising team in the NHL this year. They are currently 27-14-5 and are third in the Pacific Division with a strong chance to make the playoffs. So far in January, the Kraken are 9-2-1 including a defeat and a shutout over the number one team in the NHL, the Boston Bruins. Considering Seattle’s inaugural season (27-49-6 record), the Kraken have made a huge improvement. What’s even more impressive is that during this past offseason, the Kraken haven’t had many additions to this team besides F Andre Burakovsky and G Martin Jones. The fact that the Kraken were once a bottom feeding team to a playoff team with very little additions from the previous year says so much about the players’ growth. One of the best parts about this Seattle team is their offensive core. One of their best forwards is Andre Burakovsky with 13 goals and 25 assists for 38 points in 45 games played. Another forward who’s also a rookie that’s been solid for this team is Matty Beniers. He was one of the Kraken’s expected superstars and his future does look bright as he could easily win the Calder Trophy this year. In 46 games played, Beniers has 17 goals and 19 assists for 36 points. Lastly, Jared McCann who was chosen in Seattle’s expansion draft has also been great as he leads the Kraken with 22 goals. Although he has struggled a bit in the past few years, G Martin Jones has really shown up for them as well. Jones has a 22-6-3 record with a 2.83 goals against average and a .894 save percentage. Do you think the Seattle Kraken are a playoff team?
Despite their loss last night to the New York Rangers, the Carolina Hurricanes are a red hot team right now. Prior to their loss against the Rangers, the Hurricanes were on an 11 game winning streak and a 17 game point streak. In addition, the Hurricanes took the New Jersey Devils’ 1st place in the Metropolitan division away and have stayed in that place for almost 3 weeks now. Currently, the Hurricanes are well ahead of the other teams in the Metropolitan division with 56 points so far. Two players that have had a major impact on the team’s success are G Pyotr Kochetkov and G Antti Raanta. They have been doing a fantastic job with keeping the puck out of the net. In fact, Raanta had two back-to-back shutouts during this stretch which is absolutely remarkable! In the 2021-22 season, the Hurricanes were able to make the playoffs but could not get passed the second round. Do you think the Carolina Hurricanes have a chance to be Stanley Cup Contenders this year?
So far, the New Jersey Devils have been off to a beyond excellent start this season. They started with a 0-2-0 record and ever since those first two games of the season, the Devils have been 12-1-0. The first two losses of the season were against the Philadelphia Flyers and Detroit Red Wings and although that was extremely disappointing, the New Jersey Devils have for sure been able to bounce back with no issue whatsoever. The Devils are currently riding on a 9 game win streak (first time since 2007) and are going to try to extend that tonight by winning against the Montreal Canadiens. The current Devils franchise win streak record is 13 and it would be awesome if they make history. A couple of records have been broken during this win streak as well. Jesper Bratt broke the longest point streak record (11 games) and he also broke the record for being fastest to score after a teammate of his scores (7 seconds). In addition, the Devils have many players contributing to this and it’s not only a few like other teams. A couple players who are on an impressive point streak right now are Tatar (2G, 7A) and Hischier (5G, 5A) in the last 7 games. This is so remarkable especially considering the Devils’ awful performance last year. Last year the Devils finished 27-46-9 and it’s great that so far they’ve been able to turn that around and make a huge difference. Do you think the Devils could clinch a playoff spot this year?
The Boston Bruins have had a fantastic start to the 2022-23 season. So far in 12 games, the Bruins are 10-2-0 (12pts). This is extremely impressive as not many teams in their division have been able to do this. One of the players contributing a lot to these victories are David Pastrnak. We’ve heard the name “Pasta” many many times but it’s definitely worth talking about him and his impact with the Bruins. In 13 games, Pastrnak leads the Bruins with 8 goals and 12 assists for 20 points. This means he’s currently averaging about 1.6 points per game which is super impressive. Last year, the Bruins were able make the playoffs but unfortunately they did not get very deep into it as they lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round. This off-season the Bruins’ biggest acquisitions were F Pavel Zacha and F AJ Greer. Right before the 2022 NHL Free Agency, the Bruins acquired Zacha in a trade with the New Jersey Devils in exchange for F Erik Haula. In 12 games this season, Zacha recorded 2 goals and 5 assists in 12 games with the Bruins. In addition, F AJ Greer has 3 goals and 3 assists in 10 games with the Bruins. These are just some of the many great acquisitions made this off-season for the Boston Bruins. Do you think the Bruins could be a Stanley Cup Contender this season?
One team that teams need to be more aware of is the Detroit Red Wings. During this 2022-23 season, the Detroit Red Wings are looking solid and could very possibly be making the playoffs this year. In 6 games, the Red Wings have a record of 3-1-2. They just lost their first regulation game to the New Jersey Devils last night 5 games into the season. This is pretty impressive considering the past seasons that haven’t been so successful. Some of the bright stars that have been contributing to this are Domonik Kubalik and Dylan Larkin. The winger, Kubalik, has 10 points in 6 games (4 goals and 6 assists) averaging 1.6 points per game. The center, Larkin, has 8 points in 6 games (4 goals and 4 assists) averaging 1.3 points per game. These are some of the players who have been allowing Detroit to have a fantastic start to the season. Do you think that the Detroit Red Wings could clinch a playoff spot this season?
The Ottawa Senators have made a lot of progress and changes this offseason and could potentially be a 2022-23 playoff team. This team finished with a 33-42-7 record and 7th in the Atlantic division. Although the Ottawa Senators has many stars such as F Tim Stützle, F Drake Batherson, F Brady Tkachuk, and D Thomas Chabot (to name a few), it didn’t lead Ottawa to clinch a playoff spot. With the immense cap space available, GM Pierre Dorion decided to make some great acquisitions this off season such as F Alex DeBrincat, F Claude Giroux, and veteran G Cam Talbot. In 82 games played, F Alex DeBrincat had 41 goals, 37 assists, for 78 points (averaging 0.95 points per game). In 75 games played, F Claude Giroux had 21 goals, 44 assists, for 65 points (averaging 0.79 points per game). In 49 games played, G Cam Talbot had 32 wins, 12 regulation losses, and 4 overtime losses. He had a 2.77 goal-against-average and a .911 save percentage. Last season, the Ottawa Senators had an issue with their offense but clearly they have a great amount of notable offensive player additions. Many teams should be on the lookout for the Ottawa Senators as they could become nasty this season.
|
|