Balance Is The Best Offense

It’s no secret that when the Rangers are on their game they are playing John Tortorella hockey to a “tee.” This team is built around their 2-1-2 forechecking scheme and their ability to separate players from the puck in dirty areas of the ice. It’s their “identity,” as I am sure you’ve heard. But not all of our offense should or will come off of the forecheck. In order to beat elite teams you need to be able to create offense from all areas of the ice and in all types of situations. It is the only way to truly keep opposing defenses honest. Last season much of our offense came from grinding it out during 5-on-5 play. By all means it was great to see, but Gaborik was struggling, and Cally and Dubi couldn’t convert on odd man rushes. If the team wasn’t getting those ugly goals, the result was usually a dried up offense. This season, when the Rangers are winning it is partly because they have been able to create offensive balance. Some shifts we are seeing Stepan and Gaborik create off...