Playoff Problems

As the Rangers look to lock up a berth in the playoffs tonight (with a win), I wanted to look at a few of the problems with the Rangers team. If they are looking to go far in the playoffs they need to address a few things. The Rangers have gone 17-5-5 in their last 27, which is an amazing record. They have had some bumps along the way though. The powerplay has been a key issue. In a 14 game span, the Rangers went an awful 3 for 46. That is just outright terrible. You can't win in the playoffs without a strong powerplay. Hopefully Tom Renney has found the solution, as of their last 3 games, the Rangers are 5 for 12. The Rangers cannot afford a slump in the PP in the playoffs.

Another issue the Rangers need to address is out of their hands. The Rangers have some injuries to their key players. Shanahan left the Pittsburgh game on Monday with an undisclosed lower body injury. Scott Gomez is suffering from sore ribs, Blair Betts is still recovering from foot surgery, and Colton Orr is also still sidelined. Shanahan, Gomez, and Blair Betts are key components to a long playoff run. Their health is a major concern of the Rangers. Colton Orr is a tough guy, who the Rangers would need to drop the gloves occasionally so they don't get pushed around. The only thing the Rangers can do in this situation is to rest these guys. Hopefully they will be ready to go come April 9th.

Another issue the Rangers need to focus on is defense. Henrik has been stellar all year, but in order to win championships, you need defense. The Rangers have one of lowest GAA per game however, the defense's inexperience in the playoffs could be an issue. Veteran leaders on the offense will need to be the vocal leaders for a young defense. Take a look, Marc Staal is in his first playoffs series, Dan Giradi is in his second, Rozival and Tyutin are in their third. The Rangers have a young strong core of defensemen, hopefully they will come to play.

The Rangers start a home and home tonight with the Islanders, and then finish off against the Devils on Sunday. The Rangers will lock up a spot in the playoffs tonight with a win or a Washington Capitals loss.

Lets get ready to make noise in the playoffs boys....LETS GO RANGERS!!!!!