So, now can everyone stop writing editorials about how the Rangers would be doing OK if Lundqvist would stop letting in a soft goal now and again?
Last night, we managed to steal a point from seemingly legitimate Cup contenders the Chicago Blackhawks before losing 2-1 in overtime. That sounds like good news, especially in light of the honestly good effort we put forward in losing to the Red Wings the other night. But, oh, wow, was this game ever not close.
Against Detroit, we battled hard against a more talented opponent and ended up tied 1-1 as late as 17:58 into the third, when Lundqvist let in a weird goal that put us down 2-1 (the Wings then scored on an empty netter enabled by a linesman who couldn't even figure out how to get out of the way of the puck keeping it in the zone and creating an artificial 3-on-1 out of a Ranger's otherwise successful clearing attempt). We had good sustained pressure from more than one line, et cetera.
Last night, Redden's "triumphant" return to the lineup, was embarrassing. Like, horrible. The Blackhawks kept the puck basically for the entire game. Seriously. After one period, we were being outshot 16-5 and somehow led 1-0. Overall, we were outshot 41-18, including mustering an intimidating 1 shot in the entire third period. You'd like to believe that, once we saw ourselves leading 1-0, we tightened up and played good, solid, neutral zone, low risk hockey to carry ourselves out of the third. You'd like to believe that that's why we only got one shot on goal in that period, and why we lasted until overtime. But this is not the case.
We only got one shot in the third because the 'Hawks had the puck the whole time. We lasted into overtime because Henrik Lundqvist gave Chicago a fucking show. This was the kind of game where each of our penalties was extended by 30 seconds of 6-on-5 at the front, because we literally couldn't touch the puck. Left out to dry time and time again throughout the game by defensemen who seemed, from their stand-still-and-gape game plan, to be as enthralled by the King's performance as I was, Hank did cartwheel after cartwheel (and I suspect magic as well) and kept everything out. But when our defensemen decided to enhance their siege of Hank's castle by taking stupid penalties (the Rangers took four minors in the final 25 minutes of play, 3 from defensemen, all 4 legitimate calls), the Blackhawks eventually capitalized.
Once it was 1-1, it was clear who had won this game (truly, from the moment Higgins scored, it was clear that 1-0 was the only score by which we had any chance of winning this game). It's only thanks to Henrik "thirty-nine fucking saves, people" Lundqvist that we had any chance at all, let alone that we made it into overtime. But, as you might imagine, we didn't build on Hank's performance to rally and play hard hockey for even a second of overtime. If we're not knocking people down for running Hank, why would we expect to show him the respect of playing good hockey for him? Inevitably, 1:17 from improbably surviving into the shootout, the unspellable Dustin Byfuglien made it official.
This was embarrassing. If nothing else, Henrik Lundqvist deserves better. "Thoroughly mediocre" is far too kind a phrase to describe this team that came out of the gate 7-1. Since then, we've gone 7-13-2, earning (if that's the right word) 16 points in 22 games. That puts us at 29th in the entire league since then (in front of only the Hurricanes, at 5-14-4).
This is the same old shit as when we were the Renney-gades. This is a team with no offense, Swiss cheese defense, and a stellar goalie stealing points in shitty efforts. Where is that patented Tortorella accountability? When are we going actually try to shake up the locker room a little (other than switching backup goalies and signing Erik Christensen)? Where's the "not afraid to sit veterans when they deserve it" that made us what to hire him? When does Michal Rozsival, who somehow managed to stand out as bad even among last night's awful impersonation of a hockey team, have to sit, even for one fucking game, even if it's just to give him the illusion that he might not be guaranteed a position every night no matter how badly he plays? Just pretend they're accountable for their play by benching them for one meaningless midseason game that we're clearly going to lose anyway! What the fuck have you got to lose? The two points separating us from 30th?
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