Rangers Missing Rick Nash, Power Play Suffering

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Rick Nash has been absent from the Rangers lineup for seven consecutive games. The problem is not so much the Rangers win-loss record of five wins and two losses over that stretch, but more so with the play of their special teams.

Nash has been a mainstay on both the Rangers’ penalty kill and power play since joining the team, and the numbers without him during this stretch reflect his absence. Since Sunday, January 24th against Ottawa, the Rangers have surrendered four power play goals on 12 chances while only scoring one goal in 22 power play opportunities, and they’ve let up one shorthanded goal.

These numbers are not ideal, but despite them the Rangers have managed to pull off four wins in a row, a hopeful sign of righting the ship that has been listing for a while. The positive spin to put on this is to say that when Rick Nash finally returns and solidifies the Rangers special teams they will only continue improving. The team has rallied around their missing star but his reintroduction to the lineup will only further strengthen them.

The negative response to this of course would be to say that Nash is just one man and this power play (ranked 28th in the NHL) has been so horrendous that it needs more than just him to plug the leaks.
Whichever way you want to look at it, the Rangers will welcome number 61 back with open arms whenever he is healthy enough to return to the team.