Tag Archives: Rick Nash

Now or Never

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It’s either now or never for the Rangers if they want to secure a playoff spot.

With 6 games remaining in the regular season the Rangers have some work to do before they clinch that 7th or 8th seed. The loss to Philadelphia last night didn’t help separate themselves from the Winnipeg Jets or close the gap on catching the Islanders in the 7th spot.

This season has been very up and down for the Rangers due to injuries and a lack of team chemistry. Many people predicted the Rangers as the favorites to win the cup because of last years performance and the trade for Rick Nash. Now, they’re barely hanging on for a chance to compete in the playoffs.

images“You have to respect the fact that every point could be the difference, so it’s a tough loss, especially this time of the year,” said Henrik Lundqvist. “But it’s still in our hands.”
Even Lundqvist understands that the Rangers backs are up against the wall and they need to keep gaining points these last few weeks to advance.
If there was ever a time for John Tortorella to step up and motivate his team, it’s now. 6 games left on the schedule and two of those games are against the New Jersey Devils, which by no means will be an easy feet since the Devils plan on keeping their rivals out of contention.
The Rangers should talk to some of the New York Giants players from the 2011-12 team for advice on how to gain momentum moving forward. Maybe that’ll spark a late season run for the cup.
Everything is right there for the taking, the Rangers just have to be willing to go and get it.

 

Nash Clutch in the Third

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Rick Nash has proven to be the dynamic difference maker the Rangers were hoping for when they traded for him.

All seven of his goals have come in the third period of games. How does it get more clutch than that?

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His physical ability, size, and stick handling skills have brought a fantastic boost to the Rangers offense. He’s a difference maker when needed to be and provides a spring in each players step when he jumps onto the ice.

The Rangers are 11-5-1 when he’s in the lineup and 0-3-1 when he’s out. That speaks volumes for how much of an important player he is for this franchise.

If the Rangers plan on getting back in the playoff hunt it’ll be behind Nash and a newly resurged captain Ryan Callahan.

The Nash Effect

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What has hurt the Rangers these past few games?

That answer can be summed up with one word, injuries. The Rangers have gone 0-2-1 in the past 3-games and have only managed to gain 1 point.

imgres Does Rich Nash being out of the lineup really hurt the rangers offense?

John Tortorella believes, “I think this is a team that needs something good to happen to it to gain some confidence back I don’t think we’ve played the right way consistently enough, and if we concentrate on that, I think good things will come out way.”

Consistency has been the problem on offense and Nash being out has affected that progression. The other problem the Rangers has faced is their 28th ranked power play. Only scoring 6 goals on the power play this year is an issue that needs to be fixed.

Once Nash returns it’ll provide that spark the Rangers need to get back into playoff contention. Until then they’ve got to find some chemistry and balance in their offense if they want to get back to winning games.