(Photo by Catalina Fragoso - Double G Media) Hockey Slow start to season has blueshirts feeling a little blue by Zachary Gosselin October 26, 2017 The New York Rangers have been, what you would call, under-performing as of late. Their very dismal 2-6-2 record in the Metropolitan finds them seeded last in their division and in a comfortable seat as second to last in the Eastern Conference as well, just one lousy point ahead of another disappointment, the Montreal Canadiens. As much as it hurts me to say, the Rangers are performing just like their cross town comrade, the New York Giants. Enjoy the hype train while it whistles heavy before game number 1 of the season, because I can be sure that Alain Vigneault and the rest of that coaching staff is having a tough time trying to figure out what has happened to the first 8th of the Rangers season. I would like to believe I am a student of the game, having played AAA, in the Juniors circuit, as well as at the Collegiate ranks. I can honestly say that I knew this day would come for the Blue Shirts. The Rangers very defensive style of hockey forces on crease out strategies, with the highest effort on defensive styles of hockey. This is a brand of hockey that every youth, high school and college player has heard throughout their years, and holds true with every sport. Offense wins game, defense wins championships. The Rangers are built to hoist Lord Stanley, but I believe they have placed their eggs too heavily in a basket with a hole in the bottom. We all knew this day would come, but I regret to inform the public that Henrik Lundqvist is no longer “The King” as his pads and helmet would suggest. Hey, he might have a fantastic bounce back after the first quarter of the season to prove me terribly wrong, but I don’t see that happening. So let’s say for the sake of argument that I am right, and that Hank has peaked. The Rangers are flirting with a slippery slope. Yes, Lundqvist does have a .900 save % and a 3.11 GAA, which are not TERRIBLE numbers, but they are not the ones you would expect out of a king. While he’s been a little under the weather as of late, Ondrej Pavelec hasn’t exactly “filled in nicely,” so that doesn’t help. I believe the Rangers issue here is their goaltending, but not what you think I’m saying. I mean, c’mon, look at the roster. They are stacked in every position, especially after getting rid of the traffic cone that lost its way from the Merritt Parkway, Dan Girardi. The Rangers are used to playing with a sort of comfortability that Hank will save the day. What happens when he doesn’t? You get a 2-6-2 record. I am in no way, and by no means saying that a measly six points in the Metro is at all attributable to Hank, since all he’s able to do is stop pucks, not score, but these are not the Rangers that fans have become accustom to in the last 6-7 years. The Rangers are built to win, and win now is basically their option before they become yet another “rebuilding” program in the near future. So, for the sake of Rangers fans everywhere, Hank, Alain, please, get some numbers in that first column. Post Views: 1,375 The following two tabs change content below.BioLatest Posts Zachary Gosselin Latest posts by Zachary Gosselin (see all) Slow start to season has blueshirts feeling a little blue - October 26, 2017 Las Vegas Golden Knights Not Your Typical Expansion Team - October 25, 2017 Related TopicsHenrik LundqvistHockeyNew York RangersNHL Click to comment You must be logged in to post a comment Login Leave a Reply Cancel replyYou must be logged in to post a comment. Newsletter Subscription Can't Miss Posts! Women in Sports: NHL Network Host, Jackie Redmond by Nicholas Durst | posted on March 4, 2019 Lochte, Dressel and Ledecky all Chasing Gold at 2021 Tokyo Olympics by Anthony Paradiso | posted on April 18, 2021 You Know I’m Right, Episode 109: The Athletic’s Marc Carig (Audio/Video) by Nicholas Durst | posted on April 19, 2021 Whoop Rewards Employees With $100 Each Month To Sleep by Inesh Chari | posted on March 22, 2021 You Know I’m Right, Episode 112: New York Jets’ Insider Brian Costello (Audio/Video) by Nicholas Durst | posted on April 27, 2021 More in Hockey Tim Peel is Discharged After Caught on Hot Mic Tim Peel was Discharged from the NHL After He was Caught on the Hot... NHL, Amazon Web Services Partner to Develop New Stats, Data, and Insights The National Hockey League (NHL) is partnering with Amazon Web Services (AWS) in an... You Know I’m Right, Episode 81: ESPN’s Arda Ocal (Audio/Video) On the 81st episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... You Know I’m Right, Episode 80: MSG Network’s Bill Pidto (Audio/Video) On the 80th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... Las Vegas Golden Knights Not Your Typical Expansion Team NWHL and Dunkin’ Donuts Continue Partnership Agreement