NBCSN Wednesday Night Rivalry will feature a potential Eastern Conference playoff preview between two teams that have been renewed because of better coaching and leadership. The New York Rangers and the Washington Capitals have the looks of teams that are not just headed for the playoffs, but also teams that are thriving under the positive cultures that have been created by their respective head coaches. The Caps and Rangers will faceoff from the Verizon Center Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
Head coaches Alain Vigneault of the Rangers and Barry Trotz of the Capitals have quickly remade the expectations of their respective teams, let alone playing styles and dressing room vibes.
Torts Reform
In taking over as head coach of the Rangers last season, Vigneault inherited a dispirited team that had the life sucked out of it by John Tortorella. Not only were the Rangers an unwatchable bore with Tortorella’s paint dry hockey tactics, but the players had grown weary of his antics and publicly called out teammates.
Vigneault has brought a cool and polished demeanor that is a perfect fit for the Rangers and their image. Vigneault has also brought a much more entertaining style of play to the Rangers that has unleashed their considerable talent. The Rangers had a discombobulated offensive style under Tortorella with a power play that was a liability. Tortorella’s entire focus was on shot blocking and defense , which made for a horrible lack of offensive coordination, was not only bad for the eyes, but it also held down players such as left wing Rick Nash.
Under Vigneault, Nash is dominating like he did as a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Nash has a team high 38 goals and has been powerful in front of the net.
Great Eight Buys In
This summer, Trotz took over a Washington team that had the opposite problem of the Rangers in that their entire focus was on the power play under former head coach Adam Oates. Left wing Alex Ovechkin played a 70-foot game that was entirely focused on cheating on the offensive end and ignoring the back check. As team captain, Ovechkin’s loafing on the back check set a particularly bad example that was fully followed by his Caps teammates.
When Trotz arrived, he was charged with getting The Great Eight to accept the responsibility of playing a full 200-foot game. Ovechkin has made a full buy-in and has been downright inspiring with his hard digging on the back check and his full commitment to playing a complete game. The Great Eight has found that playing defense can help create offense. Ovechkin has 44 goals and is a plus-12 on the season. In fact, The Great Eight is well on his way to the Hart Trophy with plenty of momentum as he has six goals and two assists in his last five games.
In this era of shutdown drone system oriented hockey, Ovechkin has proven to be a refreshing alternative as a player that can actually take over a game with dominance on offense and individual flair.
The Anonymous Cap
Lost in the Ovechkin hype has been Washington center Niklas Backstrom, who is tied for the team lead in points with 69. The seven year center iceman is quietly in the background of The Great Eight, but is also one of the most complete centers in the game. Backstrom has also made the full commitment to a 200 foot game after slumping to a minus-20 last year. Backstrom is at plus-six and is within range of topping his career high of 68 assists set in 2010.
Can Cam the Man Keep it Going?
The Rangers continue to thrive without the injured King Henrik Lundqvist in goal. Backup Cam Talbot, the first year netminder out of Alabama-Huntsville of all places, has been stellar in filling in for the King. Talbot has caught fire with a .943 save percentage in his last five games and the Rangers have won six out of their last eight games. The Rangers will no doubt give the reigns back to Lundqvist when he returns but it is a comfort to them that they can continue to excel with Talbot between the pipes.
Holtby Raises the Bar
Washington goaltender Braden Holtby is having a career year which has inspired confidence that he can be a playoff asset. Holtby has a .925 save percentage on the season with a whopping seven shutouts and has a .945 save percentage in his last five games.
