Quick Thoughts on the Blueshirts

After thinking about the New York Rangers being shut out again on home ice, this time by a score of 5-0 by the New York Islanders on Saturday night, I sent an email to friend and fan of the show, the great Stan Fischler, yesterday.

Stan, also known as the "Hockey Maven", covers the Rangers for The Hockey News, so he is certainly aware of the team's inconsistent play this season. That is why I wanted to drop him a line and share my thoughts on the club with him.

Here is what I told him when it comes to the Rangers:

- The Rangers cannot win on home ice because they appear to focus on impressing their fans. The team looks to make perfect plays instead of the right ones, they try to make beautiful passes rather than putting the puck on the net, and they seem to care about the name on the back of their respective jerseys rather than the one on the front.

- Why can't the Blueshirts transfer the way they play on the road to Madison Square Garden? When they play away from home, they keep things simple, put pucks in the net, play smart defensively, and more importantly, they win games.

- While goaltender Igor Shesterkin has not been terrible, something seems to happen to him when he allows a goal. He becomes fragile and his body language between the pipes show that he is a goaltender who gets rattled too easily. As a goaltender, he should know by now that he cannot be perfect and that instead, he needs to learn how to have a short memory and move on to stopping the next shot.

- Speaking of Shesterkin, his team puts a lot of pressure on him on home ice. There have been a few home games where he has been sensational between the pipes, but because his teammates cannot buy a goal on home ice, his heroic efforts are wasted.

- Last thought on the team's goaltending: Jonathan Quick has been terrific to start the season. As of this writing (Monday, November 10), the 39-year-old netminder is 3-1 with a 1.26 goals-against average, a .950 save percentage, and one shutout. Yes, he cannot be the team's starting goaltender and carry a large load like he used to, but head coach Mike Sullivan should consider using Quick more.

- What is going on with Alexis Lafreniere? He does not produce consistently, his effort on the ice seems to be one that is lackadaisical, and it looks like he is trying to get by on the big pile of dough that he was given at the start of last season.

- It is clear that the Rangers miss Vincent Trocheck. They miss his hustle, his offense, his effort everywhere on the ice, and his leadership.

- There is no doubt that team captain J.T. Miller is frustrated. He is not producing like he should, the team is not playing well enough to be considered a contender, and the team's effort as a whole this season has been abysmal. Hopefully, the return of Trocheck will help take some of the pressure off of Miller, so that he can focus on helping the club win by producing, playing hard, and being a true leader both on and off the ice.