00:00Ah, the Rangers couldn't play spoiler to Jacob Truba and Chris Kreider's welcome back party to the Garden on Monday night.
00:06Is the Blue Shirts special teams holding this team back this season?
00:11Let's talk some Rangers hockey with our guy from Daily Faceoff and Morning Cup of Hockey, Johnny Lazarus.
00:17Jay Lazzy, I already have my Morning Cup of Hockey, my guy.
00:20Appreciate you hopping on with us.
00:22And I guess we'll just start off with one of the major storylines coming out of the loss.
00:26They played this one, as you know, without Mika Zibanejad, who was benched for missing a team meeting.
00:33How much did Mika's absence impact the guys in the loss on Monday night?
00:40Yeah, of course, when you lose a guy like Mika Zibanejad, it hurts your offense.
00:43And last night, the Rangers struggled to get even strength odd man rushes.
00:47They were only accounted for having two, actually, and that's according to sport logic.
00:51And, you know, Mika's skating ability makes the Rangers a faster team.
00:54He gives them an extra scoring threat, helps on the power play as a one-time option.
01:00You know, obviously, again, he plays at the middle, too, at times.
01:02And the Rangers always, always, always need strength down the middle.
01:07But, you know, I think it was the right thing that Mike Sullivan did.
01:10Mike Sullivan has tried to set a standard in this organization that everyone has to abide by the same rules.
01:16And I think it's funny, and there's a lot of irony in the fans that were angry about Mika being scratched.
01:20Because last year, there was a lot of complaining about veterans not being held to the same standard as the young guys.
01:26And the young guys were being punished when, you know, they made a mistake or messed up.
01:30I'm not saying missing meetings.
01:31I'm more saying mistakes on the ice.
01:32But it's good to see a veteran player held accountable.
01:35I think that goes a long way within the team.
01:37I think that sends the message that Mika Zibanejad is not above anybody else.
01:42And I think the Rangers can turn a new page after last night's game, despite not getting the victory.
01:48It's, you know, it's, everyone's got to pull from the same rope.
01:51And, you know, listen, there were weather factors that played into Mika being late and whatnot.
01:56But, you know, he's been here for as long as he has.
01:58And I think sometimes you just got to, you know, measure your commute for traffic or for weather conditions and all that stuff.
02:04And like Mike Sullivan said, Mika was the first one to say, it's my fault.
02:08I take full responsibility and I'll be back tomorrow night and I'll be ready to play.
02:11Like, I think it's been blown out of proportion just a little bit.
02:14We see things like this happen a lot.
02:16Actually, I just saw Artem Loshunov on the Chicago Blackhawks missed a meeting this morning.
02:20He's not playing tonight.
02:21Like, these things happen in the NHL.
02:22So, it's not that big of a deal.
02:25And if anything, the fans that complained about no accountability last year, they're the ones who should be happy with that decision.
02:30Yeah, Mika's got to switch over from Google Maps to Waze Maps, you know.
02:35I'm a Waze guy, too.
02:36Cut it down.
02:38But let's talk about the return of Chris Kreider and Jacob Truva, man.
02:42They were back at the Garden.
02:43What was the fans' response to those two?
02:46And when you think of the legacy that those two guys left on the Rangers franchise, how do you remember those guys, Jay Lazzy?
02:54Yeah, it's different with both guys.
02:56Chris Kreider was here for 13 years.
02:58Jacob Truva was here for about six.
02:59And I think a lot of Ranger fans grew up with Chris Kreider.
03:03For me personally, like, Chris Kreider was the first player that I ever knew before he actually stepped foot into the Rangers organization.
03:11I watched him play in the World Juniors for Team USA.
03:13I watched him play at Boston College.
03:14And I followed his whole entire career through New York, where he played in four conference finals.
03:19He played in the Stanley Cup final.
03:20He's now holding many records in Rangers franchise history, which, again, goes back 100 years.
03:26So, it's very impressive.
03:27And I think he got a very warm and loving embrace from the fans.
03:31While Truva's was a little bit shorter, Kreider's felt like it was double the amount of time as Truva's was.
03:36But, again, Chris Kreider spent double the amount of time within the organization that Truva did.
03:40So, it was a little awkward, I would say, just because Chris Kreider did, like, a little lap around the ice, like, really patted his heart and, you know, showed his love to the fans.
03:50Maybe Truva was just a little bit more uncomfortable being in that spotlight.
03:53And not every individual is comfortable being in that spotlight.
03:56So, you can't blame them.
03:57But, Jacob Truva did a lot of good things here, too.
04:01And, you know, he went to two conference finals.
04:03He honestly is a guy that they probably could use this year.
04:05The Rangers could use a big physical presence on the back end, someone that the opponents are scared to play against.
04:11And a lot of fans or a good mix of fans wanted to see the Rangers move on from Jacob Truva.
04:17But, you know, looking in the back mirror, maybe having him here would have helped the Rangers be a harder team to play against this year.
04:24So, you know, those are two really good guys.
04:27They did a lot in the community.
04:29Jacob Truva, especially, with the Garden of Dreams.
04:30I mean, he was so active in the community, especially with his artwork.
04:33Chris Kreider, too.
04:35And I'm really happy to see them both doing well in Anaheim.
04:38Yeah, Mets fans can feel that.
04:39It's almost like Edwin Diaz and Polar Bear Pete leaving.
04:42You know, it's not just about the on-the-field, the production.
04:45It's about what these guys, the legacy they leave within the community, within, you know, that lasting neighborhood, you know, around the Garden or around Citi Field.
04:54So, two dudes that can eat for free in New York when they come back.
05:00And Chris Kreider and Jacob Truva.
05:02But let's get into some of the X's and O's from last night because special teams was an absolute nightmare in this loss.
05:11So, does this loss, I guess, expose a deeper issue with Mike Sullivan's X's and O's and how this team is built, especially with Adam Fox out and special teams being so bad again?
05:24Like, at what point does special teams stop being a rough night and start being a real issue to you?
05:32Well, it's very weird because it's kind of like a 180 from what the Rangers have been in prior years where the five-on-five has been a struggle, but the power play has always come through.
05:42And last year it kind of started, but this year it's the first year I could really remember in quite some time where it's struggled right out of the gates.
05:49And since Adam Fox has gone down, he's missed seven games, the Rangers' power play is at an 11.8%.
05:54And I know they went two-for-two on Saturday against Montreal, but one of those goals was a four-on-three in overtime and the other goal was from the second unit.
06:01So, this five-forward first power play unit hasn't really been able to convert.
06:05And last night, they actually hurt the team.
06:08You know, it was a five-on-three.
06:09Jacob Truba flips the puck out.
06:11Ryan Poehling brings the puck to the net.
06:12Jackson Lacombe, you know, gets a rebound and the puck actually goes in off Will Cooley.
06:16But the Rangers had five men on the ice.
06:18Anaheim had three.
06:19It turned into four.
06:20And Anaheim ends up scoring the goal.
06:22And I think right now this five-forward unit, while they've had a decent sample size, it hasn't been good enough for me to keep it together.
06:29But Scott Morrow, who's the one defenseman that is probably your best asset to run a power play, has been scratched now the past game.
06:36So, and I don't know if he's going to play tonight.
06:39So, I think the Rangers can certainly use their personnel a little bit better.
06:43Scott Morrow, a young guy who hasn't played a full season in the NHL yet, doesn't have the long leash from a coach like Mike Sullivan.
06:50So, you know, that's one of those situations where you're like, hmm, I wonder why Sullivan, you know, won't give Scott Morrow that runway when it's clear.
06:59And he's actually said it, that if they were to go to a defenseman, Scott Morrow is that guy.
07:04So, as this continues and as Adam Fox is out of the lineup, you got to think at some point he just gives the chance to Morrow and lets him go with it.
07:13You know, he got one or two reps in Chicago, but he hadn't practiced with that unit.
07:17So, it's hard to just throw a guy in a situation like that.
07:20But, yeah, the power play has been the Rangers' weakest link this year, and it's usually the strongest.
07:26All right, I ask you this all the time.
07:28Got to ask you again, since I have you on, at 16-14-1, is this a playoff team?
07:36Oh, man.
07:37I mean, it changes every week, I feel like.
07:38Deep side.
07:39There's a deeper side this time than last time.
07:42Well, I'm always a glass half full guy.
07:45So, I do think they will be a playoff team.
07:48I think Igor Shusurkin is too good for them to not be.
07:51JT Miller has picked up his production the past few games.
07:54Mika Zibanejad has played well, too, as well as Vinny Trocek.
07:57And the decor has been good.
07:58Like, there are nights where the team plays bad, but every team has those nights, at least for the most part.
08:04The elite teams usually don't.
08:05But the Rangers are, you know, a pretty slightly above-average hockey team.
08:12And if slightly above-average can get you into the first round, then, yeah, I think they are a playoff team.
08:17Do I think they'll do well in the playoffs?
08:18No.
08:19All right.
08:20Well, there you have it.
08:21There's the golden egg right there.
08:22All right, Jay Lazzy, appreciate you hopping on, man.
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