New York Rangers Have a Power Outage on Their Power Play

New York Rangers, Mika Zibanejad
Dec 20, 2019; New York, NY, USA; New York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad (93) plays the puck against Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (34) during the second period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Rangers and parts of the state of California have had similar problems recently. Parts of California have been cutting electricity so that their electrical equipment would not start widespread fires. One such shutdown affected 25 counties around the San Francisco area. The Blueshirts are having an outage on their power play, going 0-3 Friday night to make it nine straight times they have failed to score on their man-up opportunities.

Too much passing on the power play for the New York Rangers

In Friday’s loss to Toronto, they went 0-for-3 on the power play, extending their streak to nine man-advantage opportunities without a goal. One of the criticisms of the Blueshirts has been the reluctance to take shots during their man-up situations.  Their head coach agrees. “Our problem — whether it be five-on-five or five-on-four — is we too often will only shoot the puck if we think we’re going to score,” coach David Quinn said. “We will not shoot the puck if we think we’re going to create a chance for somebody else. And that’s why, over the last year-plus, our shooting percentage has been so high in the league. It’s because too often we only shoot when we think we’re going to score.” The Rangers’ hesitancy to shoot has been amplified in the last three games, where a timely goal could have made a drastic difference.

How can the power play improve?

Head Coach David Quinn and his coaching staff have tried to get the message across to their players about the recent power play performances.  Quinn wants the Rangers to be more committed to getting the puck and bodies to the net instead of playing on the outside while in search of the perfect goal. He has stated in the past that “We talk about where people are [on the ice] and whatnot, but I mean, you have to have pace on your power play. You have to be ready to shoot — you can’t stand there and stick-handle it. ”

Sunday’s chance to turn things around

The Rangers will get an opportunity to fix their power play and end their three-game losing streak when they host Anaheim on Sunday afternoon. The Ducks are situated at the bottom of the Western Conference standings but do rank in the top ten in power plays defended.  Henrik Lundqvist will get the start in goal for the Blueshirts.