The Rangers are not looking to make many strategic adjustments after being shut out for the first time since Dec. 9 on Wednesday night.
Rather, the day after the Panthers opened the conference final with a 3-0 victory in which the Rangers struggled to generate throughout, offensive improvement was framed as a matter of execution and simplification.
That might mean more dump-and-chase hockey in order to deal with a Panthers forecheck that stymied the Rangers throughout Game 1, preventing them from ever gaining enough of an offensive zone foothold to really even consider how easily they were kept out of the middle of the ice.
Problems begat problems in this one, when the Rangers recorded just 15 shots on goal at five-on-five, and there is not long to deal with it before Friday’s Game 2.
“I think you hear the word ‘simple’ a lot,” Adam Fox said. “I think it’s easy to say. I think they come at you real fast, their D get up in the play and have those tight gaps. So talking about those breakouts, I think almost the shorter it’s on your stick, the better. Working on those five-man units, and just being able to move up and down the ice as a group, be able to play a simple game in that sense.
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“I think especially when they get out [of the zone], they want you to bring it back and try and get through the neutral zone. So just getting it behind the, getting in on the forecheck, it’s kind of what they do. They try to get in on that forecheck and get O-zone time. I think using that, getting it behind their D, getting our forecheck going.”
Against the Hurricanes in the second round, coach Peter Laviolette said he made some major systematic adjustments in response to how Carolina was playing.
At least so far, he doesn’t consider that to be necessary against Florida, mentioning they didn’t give up many high-quality scoring chances as a plus.
Offensively, though, the Rangers have quite a lot to figure out, and it starts with the basics.
If they can’t break the puck out a whole lot better than they did in Game 1, this is going to be a short series.
“Obviously when teams are coming hard, especially with that kind of energy, I think breaking down their forecheck with talking and puck-moving, trying to be a little bit more firm, your execution can be a little better coming out of the D-zone,” K’Andre Miller said.
“Using our voices a little bit more can be a big portion of that.”