Quick Hits – Rangers vs  Canadiens 10/28/17

Here is the Fulltilt quick hits recap of the Rangers 5-4 loss to the Canadians.

Alain Vigneault- The team came out and had an embarrassing first period. They were out shot 19-2 and outscored 3-0. Montreal forward Brendan Gallagher spent the period bumping Goalie Ondrej Pavelac, and getting his stick on as many Rangers as he could. And, he did all this without retaliation. Any team can start a game poorly, but that there isn’t a sense of urgency at this point is damning. They have constructed a team that has virtually no mean streak. And this is why Gallagher can feel he can do whatever he wants to whoever he wants without fear of any response. The biggest problem to me, is after 12 games (8 points), you cannot point to any one thing and say that this team is doing it well. No facet of their game of hockey is strong. That is a big time indictment.

Kevin Hayes- His line with Jesper Fast and Jimmy Vesey was nonexistent. They could not have generated less. Its possible that this line has run its’ course. Again, Vigneault seems slow to react on a change here.

JT Miller- On paper, when you see 2 assists, you may say that Miller had a pretty good game. He was ok. But what is disturbing is he had no shots on goal. On the season, he has 13 shots on goal. This is entirely too few for top 6 wing. Miller has size and hands and does not use these attributes well at all. He is a very creative passer, on a team with a lot of passers, and not enough finishers.

Ondrej Pavelec- The Blueshirts backup netminder was solid for the most part. The 3 first period goals could not be blamed on the goalie. On the fourth and fifth goals, Pavelac could have held the puck. Especially on the game winning goal, when Pavelec actually chose not to freeze the puck when he should have. The momentum was all Rangers, as the Bell Centre crowd had turned on the home team, after they blew the lead in the third. His rebound control, also, was not good. All of that said, he was forced to face 43 shots by a team that has been one of the worst in the league offensively.

Nash (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Rick Nash- Nash had a strong game on both sides of the puck. He is one of the few Rangers that have consistently shown heart every game. He took the puck to the net hard and often. His passion was evident on both his goal and assist. He has a “won’t be denied” attitude, and displays almost every shift. If this team had 18 skaters that played like him, they would be in first in their division, not last. His point production is bound to go up, as it seems his luck has started to change for the better.

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