That is a fair, impartial, and factual description of Saturday's game. Can you now do the the same for the other four? The bottom line is this: whether it is his fault or not, when Halak is in the net, this team NEVER wins.
They never win with Halak in net, that is true. I really only think the one game that he gave the Rangers no shot was against Columbus. The Rangers biggest problem continues to be not scoring, which at this point is just laughable bad luck. They’re top 10, even top 5 (for some) in almost every scoring analytic except for shooting percentage. It’s only a matter of time until the flood gates open for this team.
I'd like your opinion on this: Why does Panarin get so much criticism when he is consistently in the top 10 in the NHL in scoring?
Main reason for criticism I see from Rangers fans is that he’s too unselfish, always looks for the highlight reel play, if you will. I don’t love that he’s not a two way player, which isnt too big of a deal if he’s paired with good defenders. I think he’s a fantastic hockey player that was clearly injured in the playoffs.
The Rangers are playing exactly how we should expect them too given all the goodness last year. Having Shesty be all-world wasn't going to continue over again and Kreider was way above expectations also. The hope now is that the Rangers can stay competitive until the trade deadline and then pack again for the post-season.
Again, the Rangers are top 5 in every single scoring percentage expected scoring metric. They're bottom 5 in shooting percentage, i.e., their puck luck fucking sucks right now. The Rangers are one of the best 5v5 teams in the NHL right now. Only 5 teams have a higher xGoals% share than the Rangers. The Rangers are going to start winning a lot of games quite soon.
I'm sorry, it is more than "puck luck" right now. There has to be more shooting options on the power play than Zibanijad's one-timer. They simply aren't shooting enough. on the power play.
They’re getting fantastic shot quality on their power play. At 5 on 4, the Rangers expected goals for is 13.21, which is third in the entire NHL. They have 13 high danger scoring chances at 5 on 4, which is 11th in the NHL and one shy of being tied for 5th. They have 31 medium danger scoring chances at 5 on 4, which is 5th in the NHL. Their expected goal share percentage is 55%, 5th in the league and higher than teams like Carolina, Pittsburgh, Colorado, etc. The problem isn’t a lack of shooting or a lack of high danger chances. It’s just really really shit luck.
Again, I ask, how may of those high danger shots are a result of a Zibanejad one-timer, or a Kreider attempted stuff-in immediately after the Zibanejad one-time? FYI - I genuinely appreciate you supporting your argument with statistics. It's nice to see people still putting in the effort.
Kreider and Zib are both top 10 in 5 on 4 goals this year so that answers your question. I think they’ve been trying to work to Trocheck in the mid to high slot but it hasn’t been connecting yet.
