newjerseynewsroom.com

BY SAM HITCHCOCK

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

COMMENTARY

It has been a very odd past five games for the Rangers. As I previously wrote, they were due to hit a malaise, and for the first time all season, they went three straight games without a point. While they competed very hard against Chicago, and kept it close, they finished on the wrong side of the score sheet.

A seven-game home stand began this past Sunday against the Islanders, and continued Tuesday with the Hurricanes, and both games saw them rally from their slump with two nice wins.  Strangely, they now seem more poised than ever to contest for Lord Stanley more on that later.

The Rangers appear to have gotten their bad stretch out of their system, and are resting key players due to injury and illness (Callahan, Del Zotto, Lundqvist). This is inevitable given the wear and tear an NHL season takes on a team.

But what has emerged from the Blue shirts has been somewhat stifled because Sid the Kid is returning, and now everyone seems quick to crown the Penguins the Stanley Cup favorite.  This is extremely foolish, because during some of their key stars’ absences, two other Rangers lines have shown they are very dangerous and contentious for playoff hockey.

THE GABORIK-RICHARDS-HAGELIN LINE:

Carolina is near the basement of the Eastern Conference, but they certainly have some talent, albeit young talent, and play a feisty and competitive game. But Richards’ line imposed its will every time it was on the ice, and the combination of speed, passing, and shooting ability from these three forced Cam Ward to make a lot of very difficult saves (notwithstanding them beating him four times).

First, Richards is playing out of his mind, very possibly the best he has played all season. He is absolutely gunning it at goaltenders when given the opportunity and has been scoring at a torrid pace. One of the things I enjoy most about Richards is that when he has the puck, he never appears like he is moving nearly as fast as he is; then you realize that he has sliced through four defenders and is bearing down on the goalie.

A lot of players skate very fast but look like they could careen out of control at any second (e.g., Ovechkin).  Richards, though, always seems perfectly balanced and in control.  When you combine his misleading speed to his on-ice awareness, and how he always seems to be making the right play whether it is a perfectly placed pass or a hard wrister at the top of the net, containing him is nearly impossible -- especially when he seems able to effortlessly glide past opposing forwards and defensemen with his eyes constantly assessing his best options.

Gaborik possesses the extraordinary talent of always placing himself in the right position at the right time -- quite simply he has a nose for the net. He plays those caroms off the stanchions and boards perfectly, seeming to always find the puck gravitating towards his feet and stick. And then he quickly unleashes off a snapshot into the back of the net. Blessed with quickness and an ever-improving dedication to two-way hockey (he blocks a surprising amount of shots), he is a perfect complement to Richards and Hagelin’s playmaking abilities.

Hagelin sure looks like the real deal. Possibly the fastest player in the NHL, he can fly around most NHL defensemen to get possession of the puck in the corners. And when he gets there, his toughness on puck possession helps establish Rangers zone possession. This allowed for Gaborik and Richards to help him beneath the goal line and along the boards Tuesday, and the trio utilized tight passing and quick feet to constantly apply pressure on Ward.