New York Rangers Special Teams Power Them To Round 2

The New York Rangers are off to Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs after sweeping the Washington Capitals in Round 1.

New York did exactly what most people expected them to do against an inferior team in the playoffs. Washington got help to get into the playoffs as Detroit and Pittsburgh struggled down the stretch of the regular season. So if the Capitals won a game, it would be something. But the Rangers handled their business as the Presidents’ Trophy-winning team should.

As with most games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, special teams play a role in who wins and who loses. However, it was so lopsided in favour of the Rangers. This is not just about the power play but also about the penalty kill.

Outside of Game 1, the Rangers scored at least a power-play goal in the series’ final three games. Over the final three games, the Rangers averaged two power-play goals, and they were timely power-play goals, too. The Rangers’ power play went 6-for-16 in the series, converting at a 37.5 percent rate. That is good enough for fifth in the NHL for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Mind you, the Rangers had the third-best power play in the regular season.

The Rangers either regained the lead or extended their lead in the game. Go back to Game 2, trade deadline acquisition Jack Roslovic scores on the powerplay to make it 3-2. The difference in the game was a shorthanded goal, which we will get to in a minute.

Then go to Game 3; Vincent Trocheck, who had an excellent series for the Rangers, scores late in the second period on the powerplay to give the Rangers a two-goal lead. In Game 4, the series-clinching game, Artemi Panarin, who should be considered for the Hart Trophy as MVP, broke a 2-2 3:21 into the third period to give the Rangers a 3-2 lead as New York never looked back.

Game 4 was even iced with a power play goal. The Capitals pulled their goalie with the Rangers on the powerplay, and Rosolvic got his second goal of the series on the powerplay. It was the third power play game. Trocheck opened the scoring on the power play.

Though the Rangers averaged two powerplay goals in the final three games, Game 4 was their most dominant effort on the power play. There is a reason for this as well. Head coach Peter Laviolette is giving teams different looks.

A criticism of Gerard Gallant, the former head coach of the Rangers, is that he would not make changes. Laviolette has made changes, especially in the powerplay. It was not just about the Mika Zibanejad one-time shot. They were moving players around. Chris Kreider is still a net from the presence, but Zibanejad is moving around the ice. The Rangers have this ‘Around the World’ play on the powerplay with Panarin.

“You want to stay predictable to each other, but at the same time we have guys that can play in so many different positions in the formation of how we play, so I would say it’s hard to scout us,” Zibanejad said after Game 4. “I think that’s the next step for us. I think we’ve been good, but I think that really has been helping us to move around a little more, get more movement and be a little more unpredictable for the opponent and still be predictable for our guys.”

Not to mention, both units are effective. Before, it was about the top unit, but now, with the added depth the Rangers got at the deadline, they have two units that can score. Roslovic and Trocheck each have two goals on the powerplay. Both guys play on different units, so it truly is not about the one-time pass anymore.

However, the New York Rangers powerplay was not the only effective special teams unit. Their penalty kill is also playing well. The Rangers penalty kill was also third-best in the regular season. They went 15-for-17 on the penalty kill, which is a rate of 88.2 percent, good enough for fourth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

In addition to those solid penalty kill numbers, the Rangers scored two shorthanded goals, the same number of the power-play goals scored by the Washington Capitals. That is how dominant the Rangers were. They shut down Alex Ovechkin, holding him pointless and goalless in the series.