Renny

Should I harp on the Power Play again, or go over Tom Renny's line match-up mishaps? Sometimes teams need to prove that they can go through prolonged stretches of offensive woes and defensive let downs, but the Rangers are beating themselves.

Continue reading "Hate to Say I Told You So........"

Coach Tom Renny and company are left with a decision: Reload with players able to play Tom Renny hockey or adapt to the roster's existing talent. The problem lies in the team's inability to produce consistent quality chances, both on the power play and while playing full strength. In both instances the problem seems to be the "defense first" mentality of the coaching staff. Currently, the Rangers rely almost entirely on Scott Gomez for neutral zone movement. They lack a big puck moving defenseman capable of carrying the puck with speed in the neutral zone. What Ryan Whitney and Sergei Gonchar are to the Penguins and Nikolas Lidstrom is to the Red Wings, Marc Staal and Michael Roszival are not for the Blueshirts. While both players are talented zone defenseman - the hold the puck, relying on skaters like Gomez and Shannahan to create scoring chances. This ineffectiveness to clear the puck and advance through the neutral zone is what ultimately led to the Rangers playoff exit. The lack of creativity was highlighted on the Power Play. The Ranger's roster is devoid of anyone willing to drive the puck to the net, leading to few shots and low quality chances as well as the Madison Square Garden faithful chants of "SHOOT THE PUCK." These two glaring problems resulted in a playoff exit. The injuries to Avery and Drury hurt the teams chances but it was our style of play that doomed the team from the beginning. In my opinion,

Continue reading "Looking Ahead"