New York Rangers have balanced lineup for first time this season – hockey writers –
The New Yorkers finally got a monkey off their back when they won their first game at Madison Square Garden on Monday night against the Nashville Raiders. After going 0-6-1 in their first seven home games and allowing just six total goals in those games, they scored six goals against the Raiders to help secure the victory. The main reason for this win was that, for the first time this season, the Rangers had a completely balanced lineup. This will be a key factor in their drive to get back to the playoffs.
Return of trocheck evincent
Vincent Trocheck only played one and a half games before going down with an injury. He missed the next 14 games, and his absence was felt in a big way in the middle of the stretch. Instead of playing Mika Zibanejad on the wing as was the plan to start the season, head coach Mike Sullivan had to move him back to center to help balance the line. This also meant that other players, such as Connor Sheard and Taylor Raddysh, had to play higher on the line than they usually do. This is not a recipe for success and the main reason why the Rangers have struggled to score this season, as they are 28th in the NHL with 41.
With the return of the trocheck, Sullivan was able to put him in the center in his usual line with Artemi Panarin and Alexis LaberReiere. This streak was combined for eight points in the win over Nashville, with Trocheck notching two assists. He’s also a key player on both the power play and penalty kill, so killing him should help improve both areas. Sometimes, you don’t realize how important a player is to a team until he doesn’t play the entire game, and these passing games proved just how important the trocheck is to the Rangers’ success.
Gabe Perreault recalled from Hartford
In addition to returning to the trocheck in the lineup, the organizers have made another way to help balance their lineup and fix the goal scoring problem the team is facing. They called up Gabe Perreault from the American Hockey League (AHL). He was very good for the Hartfolf Wolf Pack, with five goals and 10 points in nine games. Perreault received this call and was immediately placed on the front line with Zibanejad and JT Miller.
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He was one of the most visible players in the game, hitting the post in the first opportunity to score his first NHL goal. He followed it up in the second period with a great challenge on Lafreniere, who scored a postseason play to give his NHL perreault. The Rangers have high hopes for more offense, and if he can use this opportunity to help show why he should stick with the NHL for the rest of the season, that will only help him and the Rebels.
Other players can now play in comfortable roles
With Trocheck and perreeult filling out the entire TOP-TOP FORD team, the bottom six players are playing exactly where they should be. Relying on players like Sheary and Raddysh to play top-six roles won’t help the organizers get where they want to be. They are very good at playing six downs, and the team now has a balanced lineup, which is where they play. Even a player like Culuyle, who can play top-six minutes, is now on the third line and will get better matchups going forward.
Even with Mather Rempe out for a long time, the Rangers have other players who can slot into the bottom six if needed, such as current starters Juuso Parssinen and Johnny Brodzinski. The Rangers have the depth of the team needed to be a contender for the Stanley Cup; It all depends on whether the team can find you can score more goals and if the top six players can stay healthy.
The Rangers, despite their poor home record, are in a respectable spot thanks to their 7-1-1 road record. They are tied on points with both teams in the 18 wild card spots, and are only five points back of first place in the metropolitan. Now that they have a balanced roster, it’s time to see if this was a joke that they need to get back to track and be able to get back to the playoffs.
