Kakko actually pops off the screen. Like I said last year, he has elite puck possession ability and is a good passer. He drives play in the offensive zone. He’s going to continue to have a low point total because he does not get PP1 time. Lafrienere on the other hand, has been one of the Rangers worst skaters over the last month or so. Chytil has a wicked shot. Kakko drives play with elite puck possession. What does Lafreniere do that makes him pop off the screen?
There is no denying that Kakko at this point is making much more of a contribution than he did last season. It would be dishonest to deny it. I just wonder why Lafreniere isn't being granted the same level of patience as Kakko was, especially considering he has one year less experience?
I don’t want Lafreniere run out of the building. I definitely don’t want him traded. He’ll get patience from me, but that doesn’t change the fact that he sucks right now.
Nice matchup tonight. Rangers need to consistently be competitive against top teams. They’ve had a disturbing tendency to get curb stomped periodically over the past couple of seasons.
Panarin has had a dreadful game. Goodrow had another key mistake leading to a goal again. He didn't commit to changing and it caused Mika to be late.
For a team that has no obvious system the Rangers are working harder than the opponent game after game. I think Zibanejad might be #1 on my list of all-time Ranger hustlers at this point.
Their system doesn't work because they don't have enough team speed. They want to be a grind you down, forechecking team, with NO team speed.
Rangers have some skaters with decent speed. Kreider, Zibanejad, Lindgren, Kakko, Trocheck, Panarin and Miller come to mind. Vesey is pretty quick also when he's on the move. For the most part these guys are kind of long and they don't *look* fast but they're covering a lot of ground with their stride.
