Rangers hurt by ‘let us play’ officiating Gerard Gallant endorsed

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NHL officiating seems to have moved into its playoff form more than two months before the playoffs actually begin. The preseason advisory about cracking down on cross-checks has been inoperable for a few weeks, already. Referees are in the “Let the boys play,” mode. Who needs rules?

The Rangers were beaten 1-0 in Pittsburgh on Saturday afternoon when Evgeni Malkin scored a power-play goal at 5:09 of the third period after Ryan Lindgren had been cited for hooking Sidney Crosby on a play that was more innocent than at least a half-dozen that had preceded it and had gone without notice.

Sometimes, you are no doubt aware, “Who needs rules?” is superseded by “Crosby Rules.” The latter could, of course, be interpreted in two ways, because while there may be Crosby Rules, it’s also true that for the most part, Crosby does rule.

There were three, two-minute sets of four-on-four play in the second period but only four power plays — two for each side — in the testy contest that did at times rise to the level of playoff intensity.

When it was over, Gerard Gallant was asked about the call on Lindgren. The head coach not only took no umbrage over the penalty but endorsed the work of referees Steve Kozari and Tom Chmielewski.

Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren (55) commits a hooking penalty on Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) during the third period at PPG Paints Arena.
Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren (55) commits a hooking penalty on Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87).
Charles LeClaire/USA TODAY Sports

“[Lindgren] gets under [Crosby’s] hands, it’s tough, there were hardly any power plays, the refs let us play, which I like to see a lot of times,” Gallant said. “I wish it wouldn’t have been called, obviously, but it’s a tough game to call and it’s a fast game.

“We got a power play later and had a chance to score, so … I’m not blaming the refs. They worked hard.”

As an old-school guy, Gallant may like the approach under which refs “let us play.” But that wouldn’t seem to necessarily suit the Rangers, whose secondary strength is power play. Their singular strength, if you are not aware, is called Igor Shesterkin, whose routinely superior game in Saturday’s ABC telecast may have elevated his Hart Trophy profile.

Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (31) bats away the puck for the save on Penguins right wing Bryan Rust's (17) shot during the second period at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh on Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022.
Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin bats away the puck for the save on Penguins right wing Bryan Rust’s shot.
Archie Carpenter/UPI/Shutterstock

But anyway, the Rangers entered Sunday night’s match at the Garden against the Canucks ranked fourth in the NHL in power play efficiency at 25.9 percent. The club’s work with the man-advantage has made up for its tepid play at five-on-five, ranking 22nd by scoring 2.2 goals per 60:00. The Blueshirts are the only team in playoff position of the 14 lowest-ranked teams in five-on-five production per 60:00.

Think about that for a moment. Think about how reliant the Rangers have become on their power play. Which is why it is not great, Bob, that the Blueshirts are 21st in the league in power-play opportunities per game, at 2.83.

And do you know what is much less great than that? OK, I will tell you. It is that the Rangers have been awarded/drawn/earned a total of only eight man-advantages in their first five games since returning from their winter recess. They were on the PP once in each of the first two games, and twice in each of the last three matches.

A measure of this is surely on the Rangers, who generally have not had the puck enough and have not been hard enough below the hash marks and in front of the net to force the opposition to commit penalties. But a portion of this also rests on the changing methodology of officiating that is tilting to the 7/8 range on the leniency scale.

Here’s this: When awarded three power plays or more in a game, the Rangers have gone 18-4-3. But in games when they’ve gotten two or fewer man-advantages, the Blueshirts are 15-10-2.  

Plus: When scoring two or more PPGs in a match, the Blueshirts are 6-1-1. It’s surprising, isn’t it, that they have scored multiple PPGs in so few games? But that’s a function of not drawing bunches of opportunities. When the Rangers get a single PPG, they are 15-3-3. Thus, 21-4-4 with at least one power-play goal and 12-10-1 when held off the board.  

The Rangers' Adam Fox #23, Chris Kreider #20, and Mika Zibanejad #93 huddle during the third period against the Penguins at PPG PAINTS Arena on Feb. 26, 2022 in Pittsburgh.
The Rangers’ Adam Fox #23, Chris Kreider #20, and Mika Zibanejad #93 huddle during the third period against the Penguins.
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When a team tells you what they are, believe them. This Rangers team has spent the first 52 games telling you that they will thrive on the man-advantage where they present a loaded first unit featuring Chris Kreider, who leads the league with 17 PPGs, plus Mika Zibanejad, Artemi Panarin, Adam Fox and Ryan Strome.

Panarin and Strome’s recent downturns have affected the PP, on which the Rangers were blanked in the two games (0-for-4) leading into Sunday. But the combination of their own style and of the NHL’s seemingly early adoption of playoff-style officiating has not helped, either.

Gallant might want to rethink his qualified endorsement of “Letting the boys play.”

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