The Rangers have taken significant strides in their overall defensive game, but adverse trends on the other side of the puck have lingered.
asserted
trends → take → puck
Despite carrying a respectable 2.80 goals per game average into Monday’s game against the Ducks, the Blueshirts have suffered stretches — including games at a time — of complete disconnect on offense.
asserted
Blueshirts → carry → offense
It’s a pattern that plagued last season’s team greatly.
asserted
that → ’ → team
tRY IT NOWLimited to one goal in their previous two losses, the Rangers had only scored twice through their four losses, half of which were shutout defeats.
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half → try → which
“Obviously, our last two games, I don’t think we’ve been at our best,” head coach Mike Sullivan said after morning skate on Monday.
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Sullivan → think → Monday
“I thought we fought hard, we played hard in Columbus.
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we → think → Columbus
I don’t think we were at our best in Columbus, but I thought we competed hard.
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we → think → Columbus
And give Columbus credit, they played a pretty stingy game.
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they → give → game
They’re not easy to play against.
asserted
They → ’re → ?
The Jersey game, for me, that’s a hard one to rationalize.
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that → ’ → me
The last couple games, when you combine them as six periods, it’s not a great picture.
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it → combine → periods
I’d like to think we’re better than that, and we have been better than that for a lot of the year.
asserted
we → like → year
It reflects in the record that the group has.
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group → reflect → that
“Are we satisfied with what we’re generating offensively?
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we → generate → what
Do we think there’s another level to it?
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we → think → it
Yes, we do.”
asserted
we → do → ?
The Rangers were shut out a league-high 10 times last season and set a franchise record with seven shutout losses at Madison Square Garden, a reflection of multiple individual players underachieving and the team’s inability to operate as a five-man unit most games.
asserted
players → shut → unit
Whether it’s a teamwide trudge to generate offense or an individual inability to finish, the Rangers have consistently struggled to give their goaltenders goal support in recent years.
asserted
Rangers → ’ → years
The 1-0 overtime loss in Columbus serves as one of the more recent examples, with rookie goalie Dylan Garand helping to provide just under 63 ½ minutes of scoreless hockey before Kent Johnson snagged the extra point for his team in the extra period.
asserted
Johnson → serve → period
Aside from the season opener and the last couple contests, the Rangers have threatened offensively rather consistently.
asserted
Rangers → threaten → opener
The team has hit a considerable amount of posts and crossbars already, while also displaying an ability to sustain offensive zone time.
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team → hit → time
With key skaters like captain J.T. Miller (1) and Pavel Dorofeyev (2) combining for three goals, the Rangers are certainly looking for more from members of their top six.
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Rangers → combine → six
“I think the biggest thing in-zone — and this is a discussion we’ve had with our group — is our willingness to create off the shot more,” Sullivan said.
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Sullivan → think → shot
“We’re passing up opportunities to shoot more pucks.
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We → pass → pucks
In other words, we’re not getting rewarded for the offensive zone time that we’re establishing.
asserted
we → reward → that
We’re not getting rewarded as much as we think we can be.
asserted
we → reward → ?
I think that’s the next level to our offensive zone play, is creating off the shot more.
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that → think → shot
It’s a hard play to defend.
asserted
It → ’ → ?
We call it a broken play, right?
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We → call → it
It’s a sifter from either the top or the perimeter on the flanks.
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It → ’ → flanks
You get two on the inside in some capacity, that shot comes in, it hits something or someone, or the rebound goes somewhere.
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rebound → get → something
That next play is very difficult to defend.
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play → defend → ?
“Well, the only way to create that play is you’ve got to be willing to shoot the puck a little bit and create off the shot.
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you → create → shot
You’re not necessarily shooting to score.
asserted
You → shoot → ?
You’re shooting to create the next play, and I think that’s the next level for our offense in zone that I think, as I’ve said, when you look at it game in and game out, we’ve had a fair amount of zone time.
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we → shoot → time
I think there’s more on the table there that there’s another level that we can get rewarded for our efforts.
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we → think → efforts
“When the plays are there, we got to make them.
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we → got → them
We got to continue to encourage a four-man attack and get the D up in the rush.
asserted
We → got → rush
I think the power play the last couple games hasn’t been quite as good.
asserted
play → think → ?
Prior to that, we’ve said it all year long, they’ve been a work in progress, but they’ve been scoring goals.
asserted
they → say → goals
…and 1 more, not listed.
The Aporia
