Do The Rangers Struggle When In Second Place?

It’s kind of funny to say that the Rangers are struggling when they sit 2^nd in the league and 1^st in the Eastern conference, but they are.  With Richards not producing as expected, Dubinsky’s erratic scoring and a PP that sits 27^th overall, the Rangers need to make a few fixes.  Now, I’m not saying trade everyone away or that they have to make dramatic changes, just a few tweaks here and there.

Brad Richards was brought in not only for his veteranism and ability to mentor the younger guys, but to also contribute to the scoreboard.  Putting all the Olivia Munn jokes aside (and trust me, its uber hard for me not to crack a #RichardsMunnEffect joke here. UBER hard.), Richards has not been effective in most games.  He’s almost unnoticeable, almost warranting Christensen’s old nickname of The Invisible Man. Richards also commented today:

#NYR Brad Richards admits today to being "a little lost offensively"; Torts says Richards "will find his way"

February 8, 2012 2:21 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@thenyrangers

New York Rangers

Today, Andrew Gross and the NY Rangers all reported that he was practicing on the ‘quasi 4^th line’ with Rupp and Fedotenko.  While I’m sure that Richards is probably not thrilled with the possibility of playing on the 4^th line, you have to admit that Rupp does generate a lot of loose pucks by using his size and physicalness to get to the puck.  This could, potentially, get Richards going.  Gaborik is another option for him to be paired with.  With Gaborik’s obvious speed and ability to control the puck intelligently, they could do some serious damage.  But that would come with a small price – splitting up Gaborik and Stepan who are currently playing very well together.  I’m not sure what it’s going to take to get Richards going, but what ever it is, I hope they figure it out soon.

Brandon Dubinsky, amoung a few others, are having trouble locating the back of the net.  Dubinsky, Boyle, Prust and Anisimov are all finding themselves struggling with their expected roles.  Dubinsky has had his moments of clarity, netting 6 goals so far this season. But that pales in comparison to his 24 goals last season.  Right now, he’ll be lucky to break into the double digits.  While some of his goals have been clutch, he needs to get going on a more consistent manner.  Boyle has struggled with using his size to his advantage.  It seems as though he forgets that he’s got such a physical presence.  His face-off winning has improved, but he still looks lost at times.  Prust’s role on the team is not a unique feature anymore with the likes of Rupp and Bickel in the line up. His game as of recently is comparable to how he played inCalgary– little contribution on the scoreboard.  Anisimov has been hot and cold lately.  After going 17 games without a point, he logged a 1 goal-2 assist night against Philly this past Sunday. Again, consistency is the key.

The power play, or lack thereof.  The Rangers’ PP is 27^th overall in the league.  The Rangers are in second place in the league. Could you imagine how lethal this team would be with a PP that actually produces?  I’m not even sure where to begin to attempt to figure out what can or should be done. Sure, the Rangers can look for someone who excels on the PP (think Selanne or Perry), or rework the lines to get something going.  Logistically, if the Rangers could generate goals from those that are struggling, like Richards and Dubinsky who play on the PP, the PP may eventually work itself out.

Any way you look at it, the Rangers are still in playoff contention and barring anything destructive, they should make the play offs. A few tweaks here and there would solidify their playoff run and put Rangers fans at ease.