WASHINGTON – The most disturbing aspect of the Rangers’ season hasn’t been the team’s inability to score goals commensurate with its talent. It hasn’t been their season-long futility on the power play, either.
Rather, it has been the number of games in which the sixth-place Blueshirts have been outworked by their opponents, the number of times they have failed to come away with the puck in one-on-one battles, most notably in the defensive zone.
The team that emerged from the lockout wearing blue collars as well as blue shirts has given way to a club whose consistent work ethic has slipped, and that even with – perhaps ironically so – the steady replacement of east-west oriented athletes (read: European) with north-south players (read: North American).
The Rangers were beaten in a wild 5-4 game here last night when Mike Green beat Henrik Lundqvist at 3:41 of overtime after Brendan Shanahan fell down trying to accept a pass inside the right offensive blue line, sending the victorious Capitals away on their second two-on-one within 45 seconds.
The goal ended one of the Blueshirts’ most brain-dead games of the season, for it was one in which they repeatedly turned over the puck and left Lundqvist and the defense scrambling throughout. It was also a night on which the Caps constantly emerged with the puck out of scrums and one-on-ones in all of the rink’s battle zones.
“We talked what we were doing wrong after the second period, but then we kept turning the puck over,” said Shanahan, whose goal at 12:43 of the tied the game 4-4 about five minutes after Martin Straka’s second of the night had tied it at 3-3. “The forwards didn’t get the puck in deep, the defense as a group didn’t use our net well, and we committed far too many turnovers.
“We kept trying to make play after play and when we couldn’t, our ‘D’ would be pinned in our own end for two minute shifts. Even if we had won, we would have dedicated ourselves to classroom work (today).”
Bookend wingers Petr Prucha and Ryan Callahan, who have one goal combined in their last 44 man-games, were miserable in all three zones. Jaromir Jagr was in and out. Marcel Hossa added little aside from his PK work. Michal Rozsival, who hasn’t approached his 2006-07 standard, was nowhere. Jason Strudwick scuffled. The wilting fourth line of Blair Betts, Ryan Hollweg and Colton Orr, wilted.
When Sean Avery returns – probably Tuesday against the Penguins – that not only will increase the Rangers’ battle-level, but also will allow Tom Renney to scratch at least one forward a night. By carrying the minimum 12 healthy forwards, there’s no internal competition for a spot. The same 12 play on, regardless of worthiness.
“We didn’t show a lot of poise and we didn’t show a lot of maturity,” said Renney, whose team blew at 2-0, first-period lead and is 1-3-1 in the last five and 4-5-2 in the last 11. “We got the lead, and we got comfortable.
“In this league, you don’t get anywhere without hard work.”
The Rangers might want to study that today in their classroom.
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Michael Nylander missed his third straight with an injury the Caps refused to disclose in direct violation of NHL policy. The Post has learned that No. 92, expected to return this weekend, is suffering from a rotator cuff injury.
OVERTIME Capitals 5 Rangers 4