After what feels like a decade of the Rangers seemingly being unable to adjust to teams, scores, and other game situations, Peter Laviolette’s late game adjustments last night were a breath of fresh air for fans. With the Rangers holding a big lead after two periods, Laviolette adjusted to be a little more conservative, but not passive or shelling.
The Rangers went from Laviolette’s more aggressive forecheck to a 1-3-1 forecheck in the third period. The Blueshirts used this to clog the neutral zone and prevent the Sabres from gaining speed on zone entries. It worked like a charm, as the Sabres were only able to generate one goal off a broken play, and were unable to generate anything sustainable throughout the third period.
The difference between the 1-3-1 and shelling (1-4) is that the Rangers were still reading and reacting to plays, forcing turnovers, and generating rushes and chances in the third period. Flash back to the Alain Vigneault or John Tortorella days when the Rangers would simply shell and then glass-and-out with a lead, this was a nice change.
The key was the Rangers still looking for chances on offense, and most importantly, being instructed to do so. Shelling leads to blown leads late and frustrated fans. Instead we got a product that kept us in it, and not nervously biting finger nails while clock watching.
One minor quibble: This is not a left-wing lock. It’s a minor difference, but it’s still different. Last night was a 1-3-1, which is a more modern forechecking system. The LW lock isn’t used frequently anymore. Both are effective, and both show good in-game adjustments by Laviolette, and even better execution by the Rangers.
This year’s version of the Rangers will be different from last year’s, if only for the structure. Peter Laviolette’s late game adjustments are a much needed change for a team lacking that critical structure and direction. So far, so good for Laviolette and the Rangers.
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