There is a thin line between reacting and overreacting. The side on which Rangers coach David Quinn falls, following Thursday’s embarrassment with 4-0 for the Islanders, could resonate through the season if the coach chooses badly.
“It’s a balancing act,” Quinn said following Friday’s practice, in which Tony DeAngelo was sent to skate with the JV squad and essentially transported every line and defense pair. ‘We are definitely very concerned about what happened [Thursday] night.
‘Definitely, really disappointed. It was a big shock for us as staff. ”
Of course, it was just one game. Of course, it was just Game One. Of course, there are going to be speed bumps in the road for not only this team but also any team to confront. It would be insane to panic and throw furniture in the middle of a rage 60 minutes into a 3,360 minutes plus season.
But Thursday’s bad effort can also not just be written off as one of those things. The loss was the Blueshirts’ most versatile in an opening in 40 years, as the club was on its way to a 3-2-3 break 12-12-3 by the Bruins in 1980-81. Rangers teams have indeed been beaten only four times by four goals or more in franchise history. So no, this is not something that happens every day.
But on the heels of a performance in which Quinn, both immediately after the game and then again on Friday, said: ‘There was nothing good that happened … in any capacity’, the player combinations were less important than the team’s intention and readiness. And definitely the coaching staff shares the responsibility for the total eclipse of the team.
DeAngelo has been temporarily relegated – he cannot be officially assigned to the taxi team without clearing exemptions, which could be a 50-50 proposal at this stage, given the off-ice baggage he packs – due to bad behavior, not because he’s one of a cast of thousands to play bad.
There was no excuse for the defender to impose an unsportsmanlike conduct by slamming his mouth and then slamming the door to the box after being asked for a minute in the third period to hold a bear hug. do not like. Indeed, DeAngelo appeared dark on the bench at different times of the match.
The Rangers and Quinn thought they had put such actions behind them two years ago, when DeAngelo was a recurring scapegoat for ‘maturity issues’. There was nothing from last season. But here we are, one game in 2020-21.
“Tony took an undisciplined punishment, he and I talked, and we just have to make sure it doesn’t happen,” Quinn said. ‘We took too many penalty goals [shorthanded eight times] on [Thursday], we took too many penalties last year, and we have to deal with it now. ‘
Quinn did not want to say whether DeAngelo will be scratched for Saturday’s rematch against the islanders, but the smart money says yes, he will be in street clothes. Every defensive stance changed during practice, with Ryan Lindgren skating alongside Jacob Trouba, Jack Johnson on Adam Fox’s left hand and Brendan Smith on the right with K’Andre Miller.
Two things here: 1) Why the Lindgren-Fox combination that was the best team last season breaks; and, 2) If the idea is to reduce the pressure on Miller by moving him from a matchup pair with Trouba, why can Smith not be reunited with Trouba to reconstruct the pair that were so effective after the trade deadline ?
And I think a third and fourth: why does every defensive combination change, and what is Johnson who elevates himself above Smith in the pick order?
In addition to the Chris Kreider-Mika Zibanejad-Pavel Buchnevich unit, the remaining three lines were also bent. Most notably, Quinn Alexis Lafreniere moved up and over to right wing with Artemi Panarin and Ryan Strome on the 1A line, while Kaapo Kakko was dropped along with Filip Chytil and Phillip Di Giuseppe to a refurbished third unit.
I worked for an immediate top-six spot for Lafreniere during the summer, and I think he deserves it. But this move would be seen more as a degradation for Kakko than as a promotion for Lafreniere. If this is the case internally, it could backfire. The Rangers simply cannot afford to reduce Kakko at the moment until he has even had the chance to gain a foothold.
“This is his second year. Everyone here thinks he’s a really good player. We just need guys to challenge night after night, compete night in and night out, and he is no different, ‘said the 19-year-old wing coach. “He was on a busy bus of guys who hadn’t had good nights, so he should be better, but everyone should be better.”
That’s just it. The Rangers need to be better. Much better. The route to get there will be accompanied by choices. Choosing the wrong people can have long-term consequences.