The Rangers had already been back home for a relatively full night’s sleep when Brett Berard was announced as a healthy scratch ahead of the AHL Wolf Pack’s 4 p.m. Sunday game against the Bridgeport Islanders in Hartford, Conn.
Indeed, the 22-year-old was on his way to New York on his first official Rangers call-up in the wake of a disconcerting end to the varsity club’s four-game trip.
It appears as though the Blueshirts are turning to their AHL affiliate’s leading scorer to provide a shock to the system.
The Rangers presumably would not recall Berard unless there were intention to play him. Just like they wouldn’t have shipped Victor Mancini across the country if he wasn’t going to replace an injured Zac Jones against the Oilers on Saturday night.
Mancini, by the way, was returned along with Chad Ruhwedel to Hartford in a subsequent move. It is a good sign for Jones, but to have Mancini fly out for just one game instead of playing Ruhwedel, who was already on the trip, was a telling decision — especially if only to return Mancini the next day.
It was all very indicative of head coach Peter Laviolette’s evaluation of his blue line.
Berard could be in line to make his NHL debut on Monday night against the Blues at Madison Square Garden.
Laviolette is likely looking to jump-start his team amid a month of middling play by the Rangers, who have made it quite difficult to project exactly how they stack up to the rest of the NHL.
They’ll win games they have no business being in, like the 4-0 victory over Detroit.
A single period can serve as a detriment against any opponent, such as the middle frame in the 6-1 loss to the Sabres.
The power play was ranked 10th in the NHL at the conclusion of this road trip, a low mark for a group that has consistently owned the top spots for a few seasons now.
Most nights, only one line is able to sustain zone time. Defending the rush has become a weakness against teams who excel in that area.
The Rangers had a chance to feel really good about themselves coming away from this road trip.
Instead, the focus is on regrouping ahead of their final two contests — at home against the Blues and away against the Hurricanes — before Thanksgiving.
“It’s tough with these last two games, I think it started off good,” Adam Fox said after the Rangers’ 6-2 loss at Edmonton. “We just kind of lost our way, I think. Those starts are just not going to cut it — especially against a team like [the Oilers]. You get down early and you start pressing, you start pinching a little more, you start staying in and trying to get some offense against some guys that are going to punish you.
“It was good to get those first two wins, but really disappointing the last two games. Got a home game [against the Blues on Monday] to regroup and definitely figure some things out and have a good bounce back.”
The Rangers were outscored, 3-0, and outshot, 41-14, in their last two first periods combined.
For a team that cites offense being the best defense — as a club that is built for it — the Rangers have had zero killer instincts as of late. They have struggled mightily with retrieving the puck, a testament to their one-and-done chances in the offensive zone and repeated losses of puck battles.
It’ll be interesting to see just how long of a leash the Rangers are on under Laviolette, if they continue trending in this direction.
Laviolette certainly has options with his power-play units. The same can be said about his defensive pairings.
The anticipated return of Chytil should buy the lines some more time, especially since the Czech center’s unit with Cuylle and Kaapo Kakko has been arguably their best.
A 12-6-1 record doesn’t feel as good as it looks. The Rangers sounded like a team that knows they’re fortunate for that following Saturday’s loss.
“Urgency,” Vincent Trocheck said of what he attributes the Rangers’ slow starts to. “We’ve been lucky enough to have [Shesterkin and Quick] behind us thus far this season. We’re leaving them out to dry early on.”
