The New York Rangers have played solid hockey over the last few weeks, and they are in a position where they are a strong favorite to make the playoffs. Playoff hockey is drastically different than the game played during the regular season, particularly because the stakes are that much higher in April, May and June.
The Blueshirts have had success this year because they have found chemistry with different groupings of players, and that is a strategy that bodes well for the regular season. However, Alain Vigneault decided to change things up when the Rangers skated on Saturday in preparation of Sunday's game against the Edmonton Oilers.
Via Andrew Gross, here are the lines:
As you can see, there are some familiar faces in new places, so could this line tinkering be a strategy for the playoffs?
In the playoffs, top defense pairings usually are tasked with shutting down an opponent's top line or top forward duo. This strategy is more useful when a team has a strong defense corps, and in the past, there have been occasions where the nullification of a top forward has spelled doom for a team.
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Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Tom Urtz Jr.
Should Alain Vigneault Tinker with N.Y. Rangers’ Lineup to Prepare for Playoffs?
March 29th, 2014 by Tom Urtz Jr. Leave a reply »
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