Showing posts with label Chris Kreider. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chris Kreider. Show all posts

Friday, May 11, 2012

Kreider seeing little ice time during Rangers run

Larry Brooks has an interesting article on the Rangers and how they have utilized a few of their younger players that happen to have college hockey experience. I really thought the Ragners forward line of Kreider-Stepan-Callahan looked pretty good earlier in the series and for what ever reason the Rangers head coach has broke up that forward line after game two and the Rangers really haven’t generated a lot of offense since.
Larry Brooks, New York Post --- Since Tortorella made decision to limit the 21-year-old rookie to fourth-line cameo appearances in the wake of a pair of deficient plays in the defensive zone in Game 4 led to a pair of Capitals’ goals in Washington’s 3-2 victory, the Rangers have scored one pure five-on-five goal in 144:52 covering more than seven periods, and that by Anton Stralman in the first period of Game 5.

Not a forward has scored a pure even-strength goal since Tortorella benched Kreider while concurrently and mysteriously demoting playmaking pivot Derek Stepan from a top-six role to a checking line assignment between Ruslan Fedotenko and Brandon Prust while elevating checking center Brian Boyle to the spot between Ryan Callahan and Artem Anisimov.

The moves have failed. Where the Kreider-Stepan-Callahan line could generate speed off the rush through the neutral zone against the Caps, and did when previously united, the Rangers have been stagnant and station to station since the realignment, the reasons for which have been placed into Tortorella’s accordion folder of confidential material that has grown larger than the Penske File.
I have watched every game of the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals series and this series reminds me of the Bruins and Capitals series, much like the Bruins, the Rangers have failed to get a lot of offensive chances down low in the slot. The Capitals have effectively clogged up the front of the net and have made it difficult to get any chances on net. It not very exciting hockey but the Capitals are negating the Rangers offensive opportunities and you can see it frustrating the Rangers. It’s also been a very unattractive series to watch as well.

Apparently, Rangers head coach John Tortorella isn't even saying whether the former Boston College Eagles star Chris Kreider is going to play in Saturday’s game seven or not, don’t expect Torts to say a lot about the matter either during his press conferences.