The Rangers’ 15 goals through their 2-0-1 start represent their highest total after three games since the 1983-84 club pumped in as many in a 3-0-0 getaway. Not only that, 11 of this club’s goals have come at five-on-five.
But the Blueshirts are also yielding too many chances, specifically far too many Grade-A opportunities.
The doorstep in front of Igor Shesterkin has too often served as a welcome mat. The team has survived this Week of Living Dangerously quite well, but this is not particularly the template for sustained success.
Vincent Trocheck skates with the puck during the Ranger’s 4-1 win over the Red Wings at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 14, 2024. NHLI via Getty Images
“I don’t think there should be a whole lot of give-and-take. We shouldn’t be giving up chances to get chances the other way,” Vincent Trocheck, whose dynamic line with Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere has been doing that a bit too often, told The Post. “I think we need to focus more on the sticky side of the puck, we’ve been a little bit sloppy and our talent has taken over.
“Even against Utah [OT defeat] it never became lopsided in their direction entirely because our talent took over and scored five goals. But defensively, it starts with turnovers. I think we’re turning over the puck in the wrong spots sometimes.
“That’s going to happen with a lot of skilled guys trying to make plays, so you do have to get back in the zone and carry out your assignment,” No. 16 said. “It starts with your arrival, you have to know where you’re going, it’s not coming back and over-back-checking, trying to do too much doing someone else’s job.
The Blueshirts embark on a three-game trip to Detroit, Toronto and Montreal with the Red Wings on Thursday, the Maple Leafs on Saturday and the Canadiens on Tuesday.
There’s a lot of talent on the other side in them-thar hills. The Rangers are going to need to tighten it up.
“Definitely turnovers have led to a lot of it,” Adam Fox told The Post. “And from that, sometimes you lose a little bit of control and go into panic mode a little.
“So we’re kind of leaving guys wide open right in front. Turnovers have been the No. 1 culprit but rush coverage, too. We’re just giving up too many chances and goals from in front of the net so that’s something we need to address.”
The eye test and teeny sample-size numbers align on that.
The Rangers are not yielding a high volume of opportunities, the club has never at any point been under siege, but they are consistently ceding the inside both on transitions and end-zone coverage.
“Like I said, it’s about coming back into our end and settling it all down before chaos can take over,” Trocheck said. “High-low, tips in front, those are going to happen but we need to get into our structure.”
One would think that having an elite goaltender would encourage teams to trade chances. It is not that way. It has never been that way.
Igor Shesterkin, Adam Fox and K’Andre Miller of the Rangers defend the net during the Rangers’ win over the Red Wings. Getty Images
The Devils minimized chances against Martin Brodeur. The Rangers attempted to minimize chances against Henrik Lundqvist.
No one ever heard Scotty Bowman instruct his Canadiens to go chance-for-chance even while having Ken Dryden in net.
On the contrary, the Habs played a left-wing lock. Maybe the Oilers just went all showtime when Grant Fuhr was in goal, but that was four decades ago and they were Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Jari Kurri, Glenn Anderson and Paul Coffey.
But perhaps there is a subconscious comfort zone for the Rangers in knowing that Shesterkin is going to be a dependable picker-upper of man-made messes by his teammates.
“I don’t think that’s ever come into my mind,” said Trocheck, whose line has been on for three goals for and two against. “I’m obviously as glad as can be that he is back there, but I don’t think I’ve ever had a subconscious thought like, ‘Ah, I can cheat here because Igor’s there.’
“There’s so much talent nowadays, honestly, no matter who you have back there, if you give a guy an opportunity from the slot, in your head it’s going in. If you’re on the defensive side and you give that up, you’re like, ‘Right, in.’
The Utah Hockey Club celebrates a first-period goal by Barrett Hayton against Igor Shesterkin during the Rangers’ 6-5 overtime loss on Oct. 12, 2024. Getty Images
“So you can’t.”
But the Rangers can be better attending to their details. They can be better at avoiding turnovers. They can be better on the defensive side of the puck.
“That’s one of the focuses on this trip,” Trocheck said. “For sure.”
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