New York Rangers Winning Ugly but Must Improve to Become Dominant Again

The New York Rangers have their stranglehold.

Now they need to find a way to avoid choking.

It's not that people should doubt the talent or depth on the roster of the defending Eastern Conference champion. But the way they sputtered through three-plus periods of hockey in Pittsburgh on Wednesday night in an eventual 2-1 overtime win against the Penguins, this whole winning ugly thing doesn't bode well for the bright future most predicted for the Rangers.

They are the Presidents' Trophy winners—the regular season's most dominant club. They finished with 53 wins, 49 of them in regulation. They had a league-best plus-60 goal differential.

Yes, they have a 3-1 series lead and head back to the Big Apple with a chance to send the Pens packing. There’s no reason for any sort of panic.

However, the Rangers sure aren't making it look easy, eking out three one-goal victories over the first four games.

The competition they will face in the second round will be much more of a challenge.

The Rangers should probably be dominating the Pens, a team that looks as dysfunctional on defense as some of the non-playoff teams did during the regular season thanks to injuries to all four of their best puck-moving defensemen.

Kris Letang, a potential Norris Trophy finalist, and Christian Ehrhoff, the team's big offseason signing, sit idly on the shelf.

The same goes for their young teammates Derrick Pouliot and Olli Maatta.

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

On both Rangers goals Wednesday at Consol Energy Center, they were able to take advantage of the sloppy scrambling in front of goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. Fleury got no help while Derick Brassard was allowed multiple whacks at a puck on the doorstep to tie the game at 1-1. In overtime, a nearly identical scene played out as Fleury flopped and bodies dropped all around him, and rookie Kevin Hayes was able to fire the puck into the gaping cage.

Despite having three power plays in the first period, the Rangers found themselves behind 8-2 on the shot clock. In those three man-advantages, they managed just one shot.

There is plenty of room for improvement, to say the least.

So far, they've done a nice job of silencing the Penguins' biggest stars. Sidney Crosby has two goals and one assist so far, with both goals coming in the Pens' lone victory. Evgeni Malkin has yet to earn a point in the series.

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

That's a tribute to the way the Rangers have played defensively, but it's also a product of how disparagingly difficult it is for the Penguins to move the puck around without the help they got from their top defensemen in the regular season.

These Rangers need to find a killer instinct. They need to move along before the Penguins become a pest.

It's not a good thing that the Penguins coach still feels confident that his team is just a minor adjustment away from being the team that advances.

And it seems Mike Johnston really believes it. He said during his postgame press conference on NHL Network he was encouraged by his team's first period and play overall.

"It's a tight, tight series," he said. "Am I encouraged? For sure. If you look at the way the whole series has gone, it's just a fine line. It's a 1 or 2 percent difference."

Heck, even the Rangers head coach apparently thinks nothing is going to change in the next game—or few games.

"This series so far has been very competitive and very tight," said Alain Vigneault, who played dumb when told the players revealed that he let them have it in the intermission after the lousy first period.

"That's what playoff hockey is all about, and I'm sure that's what we're going to see next game also."

With the New York Islanders or Washington Capitals up next, teams that both have tremendous defensive corps, the Rangers need to clamp down and make sure the next game is their last of the first round.

They could use the extra rest—and some time to figure out what they need to get back to the way they played during the regular season.

Steve Macfarlane has covered NHL hockey for more than a decade, including seven seasons following the Calgary Flames for the Calgary Sun. Follow him on Twitter at @macfarlaneHKY