Why Mike Sullivan's Rangers might be better than their record!

New York Post

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00:00A lack of offense for the Rangers has meant three straight games of the same story and as a result

00:06three straight losses but no panic and no quitting NY because they just might be able

00:11to turn things around so let's talk some Rangers hockey with Johnny Lazarus analyst and co-host of

00:16the daily face-off my guy Jay Lazzy uh great to see you my man let's uh let's get straight into

00:22this thing because I need to know your overall read on what's going wrong with the Rangers and

00:28their slow start to the season and how much of that do you think is a carryover from last season

00:34well Brandon always great to see you good to be back um but I don't think there's really been any

00:39carryover from last season outside of the home opener um the effort's been there it's been better

00:45the structure has been better the defending has been better and the consistency has been better

00:49so far so the only thing that isn't working right now for the Rangers is the power play and finishing

00:54at five on five their power play hasn't scored in five of their six games they scored twice

00:58in Pittsburgh to help them win in that 6-1 effort but you know that's been one of the key things that

01:04they're missing obviously Chris Kreider was a key presence at the net front for years for the Rangers

01:09and help their power play be you know around 25 to 30 percent um right now it's it's been something

01:15that's honestly killing their momentum offensively a little bit so they need the power play to start

01:19clicking but for me the goaltending has been excellent the defending has been excellent

01:24and the offense is generating chances I I do think the top guys need to be better there's no excuses

01:30for guys like Mika Panarin Lafreniere um you know those guys in the top six but you know I think

01:37everything is clicking right now besides the puck going in the net so it's been a little disappointing

01:42in that sense um but everything I'm watching for it being six games in I'm not gonna panic

01:48all right so in terms of those offensive struggles though how much of that blame you know it's New

01:53York City you got to blame somebody yeah something of course how much of that is I guess scheme versus

01:58execution like you think Sullivan is asking too much or or just guys not finishing opportunities

02:04no I think right now it's all execution for the most part um that said there is an emphasis on

02:10creating off the forecheck which has been a struggle for this team over the past few years so the guys in

02:14the top six are still getting accustomed to creating offense in that way um you know Artemi Panarin and

02:19Zibanejad aren't the guys who typically you know chip a puck in go get it get it from low to high and

02:24get to the net they're guys who want to make plays over the blue line um and a big concern going into

02:28the season was where they were going to get depth scoring from but right now their bottom six actually

02:33has a combined 11 points and the top six has a combined 10 points so the bottom six is outscoring

02:38the top six and that's a problem well it can be looked at as a positive that you know you're

02:43getting some sort of contribution from the third and fourth line or at least offensive chances um

02:47that said the top six still has to be better they have to they have to find a way to score I mean

02:51that's what they're paid money to do they're paid money to score goals and you know there's a saying

02:55in hockey and maybe it's another sports too that two's a fluke and three's a streak right now we need

03:00to ask ourselves at what point is a streak just a reality and does this team have the talent to score

03:05goals consistently because that's you know if we get the game 10 and they're still scoring one or

03:09two goals a game it's it's not a trend anymore it's it's a problem it's who they are it's their

03:13identity so until we get to that point you know I think their luck will turn around at some point

03:18it's also human nature when you're not scoring goals especially three games in a row to overthink

03:22it a little bit when you get a chance um but I think they're going to find a way to turn around

03:27and I think all the underlying numbers say so as well well a lot of people want to know like when

03:31exactly that turnaround could happen like when do we see some puck luck from the Rangers side of

03:36things I guess can you break down what they've put on tape that's a indication that during this slow

03:43start things are going to start to gel and then things are going to start to turn in their favor

03:47well the analytics speak for themselves right now I mean the Rangers defensively I'll start

03:52defensively because that was their biggest issue I think in the last couple years was that they were

03:56giving up so many high danger chances but right now they're actually first in the league

04:00at high danger chances allowed they're they're only allowing you know seven or so high danger

04:05chances against for 60 minutes at five on five excuse me and they're generating the seventh most

04:10high danger chances for so they're generating a lot of offense they also have the eighth most

04:14expected goals at five on five for 60 minutes too um but at that point you know sometimes you need

04:20the expected goals to turn into actual goals and that's what Adam Fox said last night after the game

04:24he said we're getting good looks I think everyone could kind of feel that but we've definitely got

04:28a finish on those chances too it's not just a game of expected goals you got to actually finish it so

04:34you know Adam Fox has been one of the better offensive players on the blue line this year for

04:38this team and you know I think that's him sort of calling out the guys in the top six saying hey

04:43you know it's great that we're getting the looks I'd be concerned if we weren't getting the looks but

04:47you guys got to find a way to put that puck in the net because we're not going to win games if you

04:50don't real quick Mike Sullivan's great six games in um you know what I think it's a b plus the

04:57offensive results haven't been there but as they say in sports defense wins championships and right

05:02now the Rangers have allowed nine goals in six games three of those nine goals are empty netters

05:06so it's really like you know six goals against in six games Igor has been phenomenal you know with

05:10that but they're allowing like I said the least amount of high danger chances against per 60 minutes

05:14and I think a lot of that has to do with with coaches and systems and schemes and um the way you play in

05:19your d zone so I don't think there's any need to panic six games into the season like JT Miller said

05:23last night obviously you want to see more from the big guys like I mentioned Panera and Zibanejad

05:27Miller and Lafreniere those guys have to be better but there's no excuses uh I like the way they're

05:33playing and I think Mike Sullivan has certainly come in here and through six games has shown that this

05:38team is capable of playing a championship style of defense now they just need to go find a way to

05:44score some goals because I have been impressed that they've shut down McDavid and Dreisaitl

05:48they were very good against Austin Matthews despite the overtime goal and um you know they've

05:53really outplayed their opponents for five or six games so um I think Mike Sullivan deserves a lot

05:58of credit as far as that is concerned nice b plus I like it you should have been one of my UMass

06:03professors hey Lazzy appreciate you hopping on man thanks Brandon

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