Rangers1Blues0 ST. LOUIS – Just three days ago after the Rangers had defeated the Avalanche, John MacLean was talking about how sometimes in hockey, less is more.
If that’s the case, let last night’s 1-0 Ranger victory here over the Blues stand as a textbook example of Cliche 1A.
Because last night, against a Blues team that was missing both the injured Pierre Turgeon and Geoff Courtnall and was using Mike Eastwood and Terry Yake up front in crucial situations, the Rangers mustered a total of 10 shots on net, four in the final 40 minutes. They got their goal 10:50 into the first period, when MacLean buried one from just outside the crease on the power play.
They then turned to solid defensive work and to Mike Richter, who registered his third shutout of the year, and second 1-0 triumph of this rebound season.
Rebound season for Richter, yes; absolutely. But one of the reasons the Rangers were so successful last night against St. Louis, which did not play with any kind of urgency until the final seven minutes, is that Richter didn’t face a single rebound opportunity throughout the match.
“I thought we were very good positionally,” said Ulf Samuelsson. “Maybe with them pressing we could have created some two-on-ones or three-on-twos, but we never panicked.”
The Rangers rolled three lines through disciplined short shifts throughout the third period, while going with five defensemen in the aftermath of an egregious Rumun Ndur giveaway early in the second. Jeff Beukeboom, given added ice in the third, was outstanding. And Petr Nedved excelled in the defensive zone, winning key draws, going down to block an Al MacInnis right-wing rocket in the final five seconds.
It’s true: The Rangers never panicked last night. It’s also true they never panicked on the four-game road trip, even after the potentially disastrous loss in Phoenix on Wednesday. The loss that night dropped the team three games under .500 and had the team dropping its heads in despair.
“Rock-bottom,” is the way John Muckler characterized the team’s psyche in the aftermath of that loss to a Coyote team that embarrassed the Rangers despite the absence of its entire first line.
But rather than yield, the Rangers steadied. They talked among themselves the following morning, then took advantage of the absence of both Patrick Roy and Joe Sakic to drub the Avalanche that night. And then they took advantage of their 10 shots on Jamie McLennan to win last night, and thus head home 3-1 on the trip that commenced a week ago last night with a win in Carolina. They head home one game under break-even.
The Rangers are in ninth place in the East. Immediately in front of them, the Bruins are four over, the Senators are five over and the Penguins are six over.
“It may take 90 points to make the playoffs,” said Kevin Stevens. “That’s unbelievable, but that’s the way we have to look at it.”
The way the Rangers look at it is that the toughest segment of their schedule has ended. They’ve played 36 games, and 21 of them have been on the road. Now, beginning with tomorrow night’s Garden match against the Sharks, seven of their next nine into the All-Star break will be played at home.
“It’s the crossroads of our season,” Samuelsson observed.
Of those next nine, the Rangers will play sad-sacks San Jose, Tampa Bay and Chicago at the Garden, dreadful Montreal and Washington on the road, as well as the Islanders, Ottawa and Florida at home. Only the Devils, who cross the Hudson this Wednesday, seem an opponent out of the Rangers’ class.
“If you look at the schedule, the most difficult part is over. Now it favors us,” said Muckler. “But from here on in, we can’t afford to let any games we should win get away from us.
“Everything favors us, but it’s up to us to take advantage of it. You can’t say we’re in position to take advantage of the schedule, and then not take advantage.
“We’ve failed in situations before. It’s getting later in the year. We can’t fail now.” *Because of the weather, Rangers remained in St. Louis and practiced at noon before flying home … The team did not take a morning skate on Thursday, did not practice on Friday, and did not skate yesterday morning, either. “It’s tough to say whether not skating helped,” said Stevens, “but I don’t think anybody missed it.”