Two takeaways from the Rangers first 2 games that were near perfection

The Rangers first 2 games couldn’t have gone any better. A complete dismantling of the Lightning, which was only “close” because Andrei Vasilevskiy was fantastic, followed by the destruction of another potential Stanley Cup contender in the Minnesota Wild. The Rangers were tested early, and the not only met expectations, they blew them out of the water. There are two clear takeaways from the Rangers first 2 games that make this year different.

Sustained offensive pressure in Rangers first 2 games

We spoke about this on Live From the Blue Seats this week, and it held true last night against Minnesota. In the Rangers first 2 games, it is hard to ignore how much sustained offensive zone time the Rangers have had. There were two main concerns with the Rangers last year, and it burned them in the playoffs:

1. Offense was focused on the perfect opportunity, leading to one-and-done chances that sometimes didn’t even lead to shots on net.
2. The Rangers could not generate much offense off the cycle and forecheck consistently.

Through the Rangers first 2 games, these have not been concerns. It’s only two games, and there are still 80 games to go. So we shouldn’t be getting ahead of ourselves. But the Rangers first 2 games were, again, against a pair of teams in the Stanley Cup conversation. Both teams finished with at least 110 points last year. It’s not like the Rangers did this against the Flyers and Devils.

While offensive zone time is no longer a stat that is publicly available, we can still use our puck possession metrics to get an idea of how the Rangers are doing. And boy, is it good.

If we were able to combine the shot attempts/xGF% with offensive zone time, we’d see the Rangers are spending a large portion of the game in the offensive zone. It’s not just a cycle either, as they are generating a ton of chances. The best defense is a good offense, and the Rangers have taken two top teams to school so far.

Few can compete with the Rangers top four

For the first time in the salary cap era, the Rangers have a top four that is not only good, but perhaps one of the best top four in the league. K’Andre Miller will be joining Adam Fox in the superstar category soon, perhaps even as soon as the middle of the season. He’s already the best left handed defenseman on the team, and he doesn’t even play on the top pair.

How many teams can boast a pair of #1 defensemen? Colorado for sure, but after that we are toying with the definition of a #1 defenseman. While Miller doesn’t play on the Rangers top pair, he doesn’t need to because of Ryan Lindgren. Lindgren-Fox has been established as a top pairing for a few years. Now, the Rangers have another top pair with Miller and Jacob Trouba.

It is exceedingly rare for a team to have four players capable of playing on the top pair, but the Rangers have that. They are also controlling play. All four are well over 50% shot-share (Trouba is the lowest at 55.17%), and all four are above 55% expected-goals rate (Trouba agains the lowest at 57.76%) through the Rangers first 2 games.

Add that to the sustained offensive zone pressure, and it’s no wonder the Rangers first 2 games have been so dominant.

As long as the effort stays consistent and the Rangers find ways to improve some weaker elements of their game (the third pair has been a bit rough, but that’s expected with two kids at under 50 NHL games played), they are going to be very difficult to deal with.

No one wants to play the Rangers. No one wanted to play them last year in the playoffs. And after the Rangers first 2 games, no one wants to play them this season. This team is dangerous, and the sky is the limit.