The Rangers debut their 2015 playoff selves in Pittsburgh tonight, in front of what should be an energized crowd. It’s well noted that the Rangers are horrendous in Game 2’s, and for some reason, it’s accepted as fact. I don’t know when any type of failure became acceptable, but I digress…

The Rangers need to come out tonight ready to play, similar to how the Ottawa Senators played throughout the first two and a half periods of their game last night: kicking the crap out of everyone and throwing everything at the net. The Rangers love a pretty play, from a wraparound try to a pass through the crease that would be gorgeous in the case that there’s a player there to finish, but the score stays the same whether the goal is pretty or chippy.

This group of Rangers, though not identical to the playoff group from last year, is familiar with one another and familiar with what the team faced last May. When the Rangers were down 3-1 in the EC Semis against (a healthy) Pittsburgh, they played their tails off with their back against the wall. The 2015 Penguins are that desperate team, playing with a sense of urgency that seemed to be lacking in Saturday night’s contest.

It isn’t really conducive to change to single out specific players to blame, but it would be lovely to see some players step up. For one, Dan Boyle is playing quite terribly. Using the #eyetest alone, he can’t match up with neither the speed nor physicality that Pittsburgh is throwing the Rangers’ way. He’s filled in for Kevin Klein on the penalty kill, which, against the Pens power play units, gives me massive amounts of anxiety. He has been knocked around — is this because he’s taking time on the PK and just tired, or is the pairing off, or is he just declining?

The funny part is, when Klein comes back, Matt Hunwick will undoubtedly be scratched in his favor. The Hunwick conversation has been had ad nauseum. Hunwick has been a fantastic temporary fill in, taking Klein’s spot pretty well in his absence, but he hasn’t been phenomenal. Should the Rangers remember how to take advantage of a power play, they’ll need Boyle on the ice. Additionally, I doubt Boyle is the type of player who appreciates a healthy scratch and uses it as motivation (of course, this is pure speculation).

Alain Vigneault confirmed that Klein won’t play in Game 3, but traveled with the team and has been skating, which is a minor — but still some — comfort to the team. Vigneault also hinted that his lineup may change, and confirmed that he will be meeting with the coaching staff before giving any definitive answers (s/t Andrew Gross). So what does that mean? Does James Sheppard, who was sought after by Glen Sather for his performance last year as a member of the Sharks against the Kings see some ice time? Will Vigneault give Chris Summers a look to see how he can contribute in the playoffs? I think the possibility of seeing Sheppard far outweighs seeing Summers, however I think Vigneault is just using this to motivate his players.

A short list of players I think could do better:

– Keith Yandle. Not that he isn’t producing, but that bad penalty Saturday night should be shown to him on loop until he swears on the bouncy house in Arizona that he never does it again.

– Chris Kreider. We know how well he can produce, especially when on a line with Derek Stepan (that goal on Saturday still flashes before my eyes) and JT Miller, who have been more prevalent throughout. I think it’s just a matter of Kreider finding his mojo, and it’ll be beautiful when he does.

– Martin St. Louis. I’m pretty sure MSL forgot how to take a pass or slap a quick one timer into the net. We all know of his offensive capability, and he’s been vocal about wanting to stay a Ranger past this season, now would be the time for him to prove exactly why he should get another contract.

– Dan Boyle. See above.

To close out, in the event that Tanner Glass is benched tomorrow in favor of James Sheppard (this isn’t a matter of disrespecting Glass, I just don’t see who else would be benched), I would love to see Sheppard – Dominic Moore – Jesper Fast lined up against Sidney Crosby’s line. We all saw how Moore got under Sid’s skin last year (topped off with a pretty brutal spear in a very unsportsmanlike area of Dom’s body), and it’s pretty clear that the line could handle themselves against top talent

Game 3 is tonight at 7pm on MSG. Let’s get two in Pittsburgh.

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