Rush defense, scoring, and goaltending have culminated in a turbulent start to the second half of the season for the New York Rangers.
The New York Rangers are a different team over the last two months, sporting a 10-10-1 record since Dec. 5.
Despite still sitting in first in the Metropolitan Division, they have only won twice over their last six games and have allowed the Philadelphia Flyers within reach, just two points behind them.
Three areas of their game need to be addressed if the Rangers want to return to Stanley Cup contender form and
Neutral Zone Defense/ Rush Defense:
The Rangers have allowed 58 high-danger chances off the rush this season, the most in the NHL, allowing eight alone in their 5-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday.
The Rangers proved to be capable of locking a game down, notably against the Buffalo Sabres in a 5-1 to open the season and against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Nov. 22, a slim 1-0 victory,
Shot blocking, trap reads, forwards picking up on the back check, and defenders executing gap control and keeping speeding forwards in front of them have all contributed to the Rangers' inability to stop the bleeding in lopsided losses.
Most nights, loose neutral zone play is the first domino that falls for the Rangers.
Releasing The Red Lights:
The Rangers have generated 30 or more shots in five of their last seven games (2-4-1) but have scored a total of 12 goals, five of them coming in their 5-2 win over the Seattle Kraken this past Tuesday.
Outside of Artemi Panarin's line, the 5-on-5 play has become an issue, and the power play is not firing on all cylinders as it has for the last two years.
The Rangers are tied for 12th in goals at 5-on-5, with 88.
Since Jan. 2, the Rangers have scored just five power-play goals in nine games (3-5-1), on 26 tries.
They have scored first in six of their last nine games and have gone 3-4-0 in those games.
Outside of Panarin, who is building a Hart Trophy case this season with 27 goals and 34 assists, the Rangers' offense and core does not have the pop it's displayed for a majority of the last two years.
This January stretch harkens back to the Rangers' dreadful November stretch, where the team went 5-8-2 before digging in and winning seven straight games.
There is reason to question where the goal production has gone with such lofty shot totals and the talent the Rangers are fielding.
Last Line Of Defense:
It's no secret that Igor Shesterkin has struggled this season.
The 2022 Vezina Trophy winner has surrendered four or more goals in 11 of 29 games this season, owning an elevated 2.84 GAA and low .902 SV%.
Team defense plays a role in that stat, but a more acute statistic to assign to No. 31's season is Goals Saved Above Expected (GSAE).
MSG Studio Analyst Steve Valiquette provided the stat from his company Clear Sight Analytics.
It's always a slippery slope targeting what is going wrong when a team surrenders a litany of goals a game at a consistent rate.
It's time to question why Charlie Lindgren, Antti Raanta, Jordan Binnington, and Logan Thompson have outplayed one of the best goaltenders in the NHL.
Perspective is everything. The season is far from over, but the team has to address these issues if they want to compete for the Stanley Cup.
The Rangers (28-14-2) play the Los Angeles Kings (21-13-8) on Saturday at 10:30 P.M (ET).