Returning to 3 scores or more is the key
TAMPA — Last month, the Rangers scored exactly four goals a game in four straight home matches during a week-long home stand. Since then, they’ve scored more than three just once, and it came in an overtime win against the Devils, the worst team the Rangers have faced over the last 10 games.
It’s hard to score when the “will,” as Henrik Lundqvist and Alain Vigneault said Saturday, is not where it needs to be and when too much time is spent defending because of poor execution. The Blueshirts have scored 17 goals in their last nine games, netting two or fewer in eight of those games and six goals in their last four. And when they have had offensive-zone time, they haven’t made much of it.
“We’re still passing up a lot of shots,” Ryan McDonagh said after Saturday night’s ugly 4-1 home loss to the Canadiens. “You look at some of (Montreal’s) goals, they’re not highlight-reel. It’s finding a lane and putting it down there, hitting bodies, hitting sticks, hitting ourselves and going in. We’ve got to stop being pretty with the puck in the o-zone and get pucks down on the net.”
The Rangers, who hit the road to play the Lightning on Monday, don’t need to score at the ridiculous rate they were early in the season, but they do need to get to three more often. They’re 9-16-2 this season when scoring fewer than three goals.
Even as the games become tighter down the stretch and into the playoffs, they have to generate more quality looks and find the back of the net more than they have recently, especially when they fall behind.
“We can’t sit around and feel bad for ourselves when we’re down a couple goals,” J.T. Miller said. “I think there’s times where we can be more assertive when we’re down a couple and change the momentum of the game. Obviously there were no special teams (Saturday) AP to do that, but sometimes you can find other ways to do that.
“I thought the third period was a great example. Hank makes an unreal two saves there (on an early breakaway) and we go on and score. The bench is up and feeling good, we had some good shifts and had opportunities in the second and third that we could’ve scored on, but I think our execution in the first put us behind a little bit.”
Tanner Glass, recalled from AHL Hartford on Sunday, isn’t going to help cure the Rangers’ scoring issues, but he can provide the team with an edge it has been lacking recently, if he plays. Glass has spent all season with Hartford after being waived before the season.
Defenseman Steven Kampfer was also called back up Sunday after a cameo in Tuesday’s game. Rick Nash (maintenance) didn’t practice Sunday. Michael Grabner (hip) will miss his third straight game.
As for Monday, Vigneault expects his leadership group to help get the club back on track.
“From the goaltender out we need our guys to lead,” Vigneault said. “The best way you can lead is by playing the right way on the ice.”