The Kitchener Rangers have ten games remaining on their regular season schedule. With the playoffs just around the corner, I thought it would be a good time to take the temperature of Ranger Nation.
I asked for any comments, questions or concerns on social media as we headed home so I can share my thoughts, add context and perhaps provide some clarity on all things team related.
Let’s take a look at what people are saying about the East Avenue Blue.
Kitchener Rangers dominance at The Aud
The first response to my post simply said, “There are (five) home games left,” and that led me down a rabbit hole.
In their last ten games, the Rangers have a perfect split, five at home and five on the road. They currently have a 22-5-0-1 record on home ice this season.
An impressive record that could be the Rangers’ best record at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium since 2007-08, when they went 28-4-1-1.
With only five games remaining on home ice, the Rangers should win all five against the Brampton Steelheads, London Knights, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, Owen Sound Attack and Flint Firebirds come within one point of 2007-2008 record
There is still plenty of high-quality competition to challenge the Rangers before they get ready for the playoffs.
Side note: According to my calculations (which I’m not very good at), the Rangers are 430-189-30-22 at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium since 2005-06. That’s a 64% win rate, incredibly impressive over a 20-year period with how much turnover there is in this league.
Stay safe and stay smart
Speaking of quality competition, in addition to the home games against the Knights, Greyhounds, Attack and Firebirds, the Rangers also have play the Windsor SpitfiresGuelph Storm and the Attack are on the road again in this last 10.
That’s seven playoff teams still on the Rangers’ schedule if the league were to start today. We’re approaching the messaging part of the season, which is really just a euphemism for “inflict as much pain as possible.”
While I’m not concerned about the Rangers being pressured as they have physically dominated almost every game since the trade deadline, the Rangers don’t need to do anything extra; their playing does the talking and sends a message in itself.
We saw it when the Spitfires suffered a mental breakdown in a game the Rangers won 7-2, and when the Rangers saw off the Knights in front of the home crowd. Spencer Wolfe said it best on Twitter/X“Just stay healthy and away from the suspensions.”
Are the Rangers the most popular team in the OHL?
Going back even further than the trade deadline, the Rangers were as hot as anyone. Since December 13, they have a record of 22-2-1-2.
However, if we talk about it the most popular team of the momentI think you have to give that up to the Barrie Colts. They are on a 10-game winning streak and have defeated the Brantford Bulldogs and Ottawa 67’s by three or more goals in their last five games. They also scored thirty goals in the last five games. The Rangers are close, but the Colts are firing on all cylinders right now.
A mix of concerns
I had a few rebuttals to my article claiming that the Rangers’ concerns about goaltending in the preseason have disappeared. Shockingly, there was also a mix of comments saying the foul wasn’t good enough, as well as a comment about the blue line.
Related: Kitchener Rangers’ goaltending has put to rest any preseason concerns
However, the mix of comments expressing concern about different aspects of the team suggests they don’t have a glaring weakness. People obviously see the game differently and have different opinions, so if there’s a consensus on the weakness, that’s usually a bad thing. However, when the concerns are spread out, it’s not that concerning, at least from the perspective of a team leading the Western Conference.
My thoughts are very similar to those of Ethaniel Reimerio, who commented on Facebook said”We have almost the second-best defense in the league and a top-six offense, with great leaders and people who work all 60 minutes.”
Just think expectations might be too high if there are a lot of concerns about this team as they have been playing near perfect hockey since mid-December.
The ‘Shoot the Puck’ crowd
The only comment that really surprised me was criticizing the Rangers’ shooting volume, as they have been routinely in the mid-30s most nights since the trade deadline.
But to some extent I can see the point. With how much the Rangers have dominated the puck, they could realistically probably get up to 50 shots a night if they were a team that funneled everything to the net.
However, I think the shift toward teams prioritizing puck possession over shot attempts warrants more discussion. Hockey has changed tremendously in recent years, with NHL teams really starting to understand that the best way to defend is to control the puck as much as possible.
Really, it’s simple. If you have it, your opponent can’t score, and the quickest way to give the puck back is to simply give it up. Most long shots result in a frozen puck and a face-off, or a rebound somewhere, which will most likely lead to a puck battle. It’s pretty much a toss-up whether you regain possession or not.
As fans of the game, we need to adapt to the times and understand that the main goal has shifted to keeping possession of the puck rather than trying to create as many chances as possible (other teams around the OHL are trying to do the latter, resulting in games that resemble athletic contests, rather than the structured, controlled hockey that the Rangers play).
That said, I agree: there are times when passes don’t connect as usual, and the Rangers are slow to adapt to creating pressure the old-fashioned way by funneling pucks. But not so much lately, considering how popular the Rangers’ stars have been.
Side note: If you want to learn about this from someone much more qualified than me, the Washington Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery spoke on the PDOcast about the puck possession shift in hockey. He is definitely worth listening to on this subject.
The Rangers are in a great spot heading into the home stretch of the season. I appreciate all the comments and questions. We’ll be back as soon as the Rangers get ready for their first round match.
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