The Panthers came from behind to beat New York, 4-2. Does Drury go for a forward and does the defense really need bolstering?
"Whaddya gonna do Chris Drury; whaddya gonna do?"
That the cry --and question -- in Rangerville with no Blueshirts games until after Friday's trade deadline. Fans are left wondering if a trade is in the winds. Maybe yes, maybe no.
The issue for GM Drury took on lots more meaning last night at
The Garden after the equally strong -- sometimes growling -- Panthers came from behind to beat New York, 4-2.
Does Drury go for a forward such as Adam Henrique and does the defense really need bolstering? (The Maven says leave the defense alone.)
We all know that goaltending is not an issue, yet Igor Shesterkin was the game's goat, blowing a weak wrister from low scoring Ryan Lomberg that took quite a bit of oxygen out of the World's Most Famous Arena. A 51-foot shot should be stoppable by a Vezina-winner in a big game.
"Once Florida got the lead," revealed coach Peter Laviolette, "they clogged down the neutral zone with the lock. We didn't get in there and sustain pressure."
With the exception of Chris Kreider's power play -- his 31st goal -- the Rangers big guns were silent. Will Cuylle got the opener for the home team, also on the power play.
"We had to find a different way to get offensive zone time," allowed Vincent Trocheck, "and we didn't do a great job of it."
Sergei Bobrovsky did a workmanlike job in goal for the Cats and was named one of the "3 Stars" along with two-goal Sam Reinhart and Aleksander Barkov. Significantly not one Ranger earned a star.
Barkov, better than any Ranger forward, pulled off a highlight setup for Reinhart. Standing outside and to the left of the New York crease, Barkov first juggled the puck on his stick which, under the circumstances, was a trick in itself.
Then, while falling, he dispatched the disk past Trocheck. Finally, it proved to be a nifty gimme. An hour later Reinhart said, "Barkov still doesn't know how good he is."
Anton Lundell sent the SRO crowd home with an open-netter at 19:01.
"We gave them a little too much time and space," said Kreider. "But we still had opportunities to take hold of it."
But they didn't, in a game that had a complete playoff atmosphere and where -- in the end -- the Blueshirts simply couldn't match up with the 2023 Stanley Cup finalists.
Although both New York goals were scored on the power play, there were a couple of refereeing decisions that failed to win critical approval from the demanding audience.
One was a tripping call against "The People's Choice," Matt (The Skating Giraffe) Rempe.
Conversely, Rangerville's Supreme Court would have ruled that a Rangers two-on-one illegally was disrupted when Jonny Brodzinski was hooked on the rush and no penalty was called.
So, what is it with this Rangers team, still snugly nestled atop the Metro Division?
One could rationalize this latest dribble of mediocre play to Lavvy's skaters having a fairly good hold on first place,
But that doesn't wash because every Ranger should have been at his best with the trade deadline looming, yet there were sinners on the home front. Iggy's blunder topped the list, followed by K'Andre Miller's turnovers, and The Breadman's no-goals.
"What's happened to Mika Zibanejad?" wondered one scout, echoing a widespread feeling about the club's top center.
Think about it, should Drury decide on an enormous deal, names such as Mika and K'Andre just might be a part of it.
The Maven's point is that last night's game was the last for Drury to review his roster's options in front of him and on the ice.
Which is why I opened this essay with my vast grasp of Brooklynese:
"Whaddya gonna do, Chris Drury? Whaddya gonna do?"