Nick Alberga of "Leafs Morning Take" joined Steven Ellis and Matt Larkin on "Daily Faceoff Live" to discuss why the New York Rangers could be the team that flutters out and gets knocked out of the first round of the playoffs. With the additions of Vladimir Taranesko and “showtime” Patrick Kane, the Rangers on paper seem destined to go far.
But, Alberga gives his take on why he believes they could be the team to be knocked out of round one dramatically.
Matt Larkin: We’re getting close to determining the playoff picture, if you’re looking at teams who are locking up playoff spots in the higher seeds, is there one in particular you believe is vulnerable for a potential upset in round one?
Nick Alberga: When approaching this question, there are so many varieties of answers you can give out, but I’m going to go with a game I saw last night. That was the New Jersey Devils versus New York Rangers game. I think the Rangers are in big-time trouble and I think it’s more so because of their potential first-round opponent whether it be New Jersey with how it slates up right now or it could even be the Carolina Hurricanes. I do think they might be victims of too many cooks in the kitchen. On paper, the Rangers won the deadline when they picked up Vladimir Tarasenko when they picked up Patrick Kane but then you watch them play and there’s just something off with that team and I can’t figure out what it is. You watch them play some of the better teams in the league and they just don’t quite stack up right. I get last night is the regular season, the Devils always play them strong, so my answer would be the Rangers. I think they’ll be tough specifically against the New Jersey Devils in round one.
More must-reads: