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AP Photo/Frank Franklin II

The Rangers have struggled mightily lately, but are headed into the Christmas break on a high note, with a 3-2 overtime win over the Anaheim Ducks. The Rangers got a little lucky in this game, as Ryan Getzlaf can’t buy a goal this season, but their forecheck created two critical turnovers on rookies that were turned into goals by Derick Brassard. Part of the process returned with the forecheck, although they still had lapses in the defensive zone. Ironically enough, it wasn’t a defensive zone lapse that led to the tying goal, but them’s the breaks sometimes.

When a team hits a slump like this, you kind of just hope points come. The Rangers are not as bad as that slump, but a team that doesn’t possess the puck strongly will be incredibly streaky. A win like this, one where the process started to improve, is one you can point to that may flip the page on their recent play. They forced turnovers with their forecheck, and while the defensive zone coverage needs work, forcing turnovers is their bread and butter. It worked.

As always, you can view the full videos on our video page here. All GIFs are on nyrgifs.comfiltered under the date of the game. On to the goals:

Ducks 1, Rangers 0

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Icing or not, doesn’t excuse defensive breakdowns. Dominic Moore was unable to handle the pass, which led to chaos, which led to Corey Perry getting wide open with room to shoot.

Rangers 1, Ducks 1

Josh Manson simply turned the puck over to Derick Brassard, who buried it. Bad turnover by the kid.

Rangers 2, Ducks 1

Brassard pressured Jiri Sekac into a bad pass that Mats Zuccarello picked off. That led to a 2-on-0, and a quick goal.

No gifs from here on, as GCL crapped out on me.

Ducks 2, Rangers 2

Rickard Rackell took the puck off a breakout from the Ducks zone and used Ryan McDonagh as a screen before ripping it top shelf to tie the game. It was a great shot.

Rangers 3, Ducks 2

An overtime powerplay led to one of the better Dan Boyle displays I’ve seen all year. Boyle directed traffic, and guided Brassard to dish the puck to Zuccarello. Zucc got it to Boyle quickly, but the pass wasn’t clean. Boyle got it back, waited out the defense, and got it back to Zucc for the one-timer for the win.

Shot Attempts

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This game was a bit sloppy for a while, but the Rangers eventually worked the forecheck into more sustained pressure as the game went on. By the time regulation ended, the game had picked up and both teams had some decent chances. The third period was all Rangers though, even if the Ducks tied it late. Reminder that this measures flow of the game.

Scoring Chances

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This is what I alluded to above that the defensive zone coverage still needs more work. The forecheck was back and it led to goals, but the Rangers till left prime opportunities open for the Ducks. That’s not Ranger hockey.

Individual Corsi

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I can’t believe I’m saying this, but the fourth line of Glass/Moore/Etem has been solid. As has Dylan McIlrath, who in my opinion has had the same effect on this year’s defense that Ryan McDonagh had during his rookie year. It’s not just a Keith Yandle effect, he makes plays on his own.

Shot Locations

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The only thing you can take from this chart is that the game itself was relatively boring. And it was. Minimal chances from the inside from both teams.

Shift Chart

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I like to use these to view matchups, but something I noticed this game is Kevin Hayes’ playing time was diminished in the third period. Same with Oscar Lindberg, although he’s prone to penalties. Emerson Etem and Tanner Glass also had little ice time, but I expect that at this point.

The Rangers won. Half of the process started correcting itself. There’s certainly progress. That’s all you can ask for heading into the Christmas break with the slump this team has been in.

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