Maturity, Two Goal Leads & Other Rants

Tom Renney says the Rangers lack maturity and that is why the Rangers can't hold on to two goal leads. Nonsense. The Rangers can't hold on to two goal leads because mainly they can't build on the lead. The power play isn't functioning. I say functioning because if you don't shoot you can't score. They are now two for their last twenty eight on the PP. That is .08% a far cry from their season average of 18.8%. Its the same old stuff on the PP with Renney rounding up the usual suspects as they play tic-tac-toe. The Garden chant of shoot the puck has kind of boosted the shot total but what do they do when they hit the road. The top line, the Jagr line, is the biggest culprit. Renney said he put two thumbs up when he heard the crowd's chant. Two thumbs up? Why didn't he put his two feet down and demand they take more shots or change the personnel? Who is the coach here? He should take the responsibility. Instead of accusing the team of lacking maturity why don't he say what's really the problem. He can't coach and this is what scares me if we make the playoffs or we come close. He will be rehired.

So now we are bringing up Ryan Callahan. I understand he may replace Hollweg who has the flu. Too bad. Too bad Hollweg has the flu and too bad that is the only reason Callahan is brought up. I would like to see Callahan replace Isbister. I like Isbister but what has he done, one goal in ten games and is thirty years old. Callahan, a sniper, is twenty two. The other option is to sit Orr if Hollweg can go tomorrow. We need goals right now and not four minutes from Orr, who is an honest straight up guy who sticks up for his team mates. Defensemen David Liffiton has been brought up from Hartford and will replace the injured Rachunek. This gives the Rangers four players brought up from Hartford, five if Callahan plays. The players would be Girardi, Pock, Liffiton, Dubinsky and Callahan. Add this group to Prucha, Hollweg, Betts, Ortmeyer and Lundqvist and the Rangers finally have a young team on the ice. Add Tyutin to this list and this is the kind of a team that the fans would love. Question. What took so long to get it? Necessity.

Not a contender for the playoffs or the Cup you say? I say, so what? Put Avery on the first line with Jagr and Straka. Nylander centers the second line with Shanahan and Prucha. Dubinsky centers Cullen and Callahan and the HBO line of Hollweg, Betts and Ortmeyer. You have speed on every line and at least one sniper on every line except for the fourth line. More importantly you have an infusion of youth and the excitement that youth and talent bring to a hockey game. The fans would love it. Too bad we had to have some injuries to see how good Girardi, Pock and Dubinsky can play. Had this group been brought up earlier in the year we could have seen how good these kids are, now they are in the pressure cooker of a hot playoff race.

You tell me. Make the playoffs with the veterans, no guarantee, or go with the four or five youngsters and see what develops and maybe next year we will have a bona fide contending team?

ICINGS: Atlanta has been on a roll since picking up Keith Tkachuk, 6-2. Tkachuk has played well for the Thrashers with 5 goals and 2 assists in eight games. Jason Strudwick is back from Europe and has been practicing with the Rangers.

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