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    • Rangers need to lean on youth instead of collapsing veterans
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    Rangers need to lean on youth instead of collapsing veterans

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    TARRYTOWN – The Rangers coaching staff tried to be patient with the lineup changes they made less than two weeks ago, but after Tuesday’s 6-3 loss to the Winnipeg Jets, there was collective recognition that it just wasn’t working.

    “The way we played at the beginning of the season went off the rails after one or two games, and that’s why we made a change,” head coach Peter Laviolette explained after Wednesday’s practice at the MSG Training Center. “We wanted to give that some time to see what it looked like. When we left the game last night, we made the decision to maybe come back and look at it this way today.”

    The combinations Laviolette rolled out on Wednesday – and will likely do again for Thursday’s 7 p.m. home game against the San Jose Sharks – were very similar to what the Rangers looked like when they started the season 5-0-1.

    Vincent Trocheck returned to center one of the NHL’s most dangerous lines with Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafrenière, while Mika Zibanejad resumed his usual (and admittedly stagnant) spot next to Chris Kreider. On the defensive side, K’Andre Miller and Adam Fox rejoined as a top pair that still ranks second in the league with an xGF of 67.3%, according to moneypuck.com, leaving struggling veterans Ryan Lindgren and Jacob were left behind by default. Trouba went together.

    The problems that have led to Rangers finishing 4-4 ​​in their last eight and looking even worse won’t all be solved by shuffling the chess pieces back and forth, but the evidence certainly suggests that they way better off.

    Before making the changes for their Nov. 3 game against the Islanders, the Blueshirts were tied for fourth in the NHL with an average of 3.9 goals per game while posting a league-best 2.2 allowed. Since then, their scoring average has dropped to 3.25, while the number of goals conceded has risen to 3.5. (And that includes Jonathan Quick’s 37-save shutout on Saturday in Detroit.)

    The underlying figures tell a similar story. The Rangers achieved an xGF of 52.16% through their first ten games, but according to Natural Stat Trick it was only 46.78% through their last four games.

    Mika Zibanejad: Sagging center tells about mental struggle

    Granted, the beginning of that derailment dates back even further, which is what sparked the uproar in the first place. But it only makes the problems worse. Laviolette realized that and adjusted accordingly.

    “I still believe we can clean up the things that seem to be plaguing us,” he said.

    The coach also acknowledged the reality that several young players are outperforming his trusted veterans.

    Zibanejad has been the main target of recent criticism, but it goes far beyond one core member. The Rangers’ top four defensemen are all struggling to varying degrees, with Miller and Trouba putting up particularly poor results as a duo. The focus on that duo has allowed Fox to fly under the radar despite scoring just four points at five-on-five (all assists) all season. He hasn’t had one in the past seven games, while recording an unusually low xGF of 47.89%.

    Trocheck, who is coming off a career year in which he emerged as New York’s most consistent all-around center, has just one 5v5 point in that same span with an xGF of 40.89%. And perhaps the most eye-catching of them all is Kreider, who is stuck with just one 5v5 point with an xGF of 40.59% over 14 full games.

    They are all outshone by the 25 and under crowd of Filip Chytil, Will Cuylle, Kaapo Kakko, Zac Jones and Braden Schneider. In fact, the Cuylle-Chytil-Kakko trio is the only line in the NHL to have logged more than 100 minutes together without being on the ice for a goal against. They outscore their opponents 11-0 and clearly deserve a bigger role.

    One way to do that would be to shave minutes off the Kreider-Zibanejad-Reilly Smith line — at least until they show enough improvement to earn them back.

    “No goals conceded is a pretty good number,” Kakko said. “There have been some good rebounds and a bit of luck in getting points, but we are still getting chances and playing a lot in the (offensive) zone. That builds confidence.”

    Much of the same can be said for the Jones-Schneider pair, who also deserve more ice time.

    They are a more mobile and better puck-moving duo than Lindgren and Trouba, and they have alleviated defensive concerns by being reliable in their own end. The numbers bear that out, with an xGF of 61.3% and a scoring advantage of 6-0 to a TOI of 66:30 combined.

    “They probably need more minutes,” Laviolette said. “I agree.”

    The Rangers need a spark, and they have a handful of hungry youngsters who seem willing to provide that.

    NY Rangers (9-4-1) expected lineup: Game 15 vs. San Jose Sharks (5-9-3)

    When: Thursday, November 14 at 7:00 PM

    Where: Madison Square Garden

    TV/Radio: MSG Network/880 AM

    Forward

    Top line ⊳ Artemi Panarin (LW) ⋄ Vincent Trocheck (C) ⋄ Alexis Lafrenière (RW)

    Second line ⊳ Chris Kreider (LW) ⋄ Mika Zibanejad (C) ⋄ Reilly Smith (RW)

    Third line ⊳ Will Cuylle (LW) ⋄ Filip Chytil (C) ⋄ Kaapo Kakko (RW)

    Fourth line ⊳ Adam Edström (LW) ⋄ Sam Carrick (C) ⋄ Jimmy Vesey (RW)

    Defenders

    Top pair ⊳ K’Andre Miller (L) ⋄ Adam Fox (R)

    Second pair ⊳ Ryan Lindgren (L) ⋄ Jacob Trouba (R)

    Third pair ⊳ Zac Jones (L) ⋄ Braden Schneider (R)

    Goalkeepers

    Starter ⊳ Igor Shesterkin

    Backup ⊳ Jonathan Snel

    Healthy Scratches: F Jonny Brodzinski and D Chad Ruhwedel

    Vincent Z. Mercogliano is the New York Rangers beat reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Read more of his work at lohud.com/sports/rangers/ and follow him on Twitter @vzmercogliano.

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