New York Rangers Reinventing Themselves?
Rick Carpinello of Rangers Report (@rangersreport) brings up a fascinating point in his latest article reviewing the 0-2 start for the Blueshirts.
Carp believes the team, now complete with Rick Nash but sans players like Brandon Prust, Brandon Dubinsky and Ruslan Fedotenko, will play a game with more speed and high-end skill, and less of the grind-it-out style the fans have come accustom to. It could point to why the team has looked sloppy and out of sync to start the year.
"And as much as they want to remain who they were, they are reinventing themselves to a degree right now. That’s not why they lost either game. They lost both games because they weren’t good enough and didn’t initiate enough and didn’t defend very well, and lost discipline at times.
That reinvention process, though, might be part of the equation, and I’m not saying it is. I’m saying it might be. We’ll see."
The Rangers face off with the Bruins at MSG Wednesday night.
... Carp might be on to something here. Does Torts tweak his system and incoroprate more of a "Safe is Death" mantra? Or does he stick to what has gotten the Rangers to be considered Cup favorites? Clearly something has to change before things get out of hand here.
... It seems like it's an identity issue aside from general rust from the lockout. The only way the Rangers will work out their kinks is by playing games. If they get off to a slow start, but catch fire and wright the ship to get into the playoffs, will anyone remember their struggles?
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Could Torts be Ghost Al Rafidain? Yes, the have to develop chemistry on th ice, and that takes time. Not one line remains the same since last year. It may not matter in a pick-up game, but at the NHL level, it does. Team systems take time to learn, and obviously, they have not had much practice time. Basically, all four forward lines have been dismantled and rebuilt. They will find their stride, it will be in time, no worries.
@stevenabsmith Ha! If you miss the Ghost Al Rafidain theme song he it is in all its glory: http://youtu.be/HGbSfr6VA1g
I'm sorry but that's just trying to find an excuse for this team. So after trading away a slumping Dubinsky, a decent penalty killer in Fedotenko, and a sometimes-there Anismov for RICK NASH, we're somehow worse? Come on, that's not what we or anybody believed when that deal was made.
I, like most people, believe we made our team better this year so I'm not buying this whole "our style has changed so we need time to adjust" explanation.
This is 48-game sprint to the playoffs. No time for finding "chemistry". No adjusting to "style of play." No excuses. Let's stop with all this theory of why they didn't play well the past two games. Let's wake up and just play our game.
