I don't know anyone who expected the Rangers to go 81-1. A loss had to come at some point, and I was even prepared for them to lose to the Sharks, but. wow. WOW.
San Jose RW Devin Setoguchi celebrates his second goal of the game
The loss isn't a real surprise to anyone who has been watching the Rangers play. Although they've been winning, their play has been a bit sloppy the past few games. The second period and their penchant for taking bad penalties, in particular, have been worrisome, and both were factors in last night's loss.
Was Tortorella wrong in starting Valiquette? eh. I agree it would've made more sense to have played him against the Leafs and have Hank in against the Sharks, but I don't think we would've won the game even with Hank in the net. Maybe it would've been 5-3, or 4-3, but with the way the rest of the team played, there was no way we would have beaten the Sharks. Yes, Valiquette should have stopped that first goal, but there should have never been a 2-1 in the first place. Heatley was allowed to walk right into the Rangers' zone to score his. Several of the other Sharks' goals happened because a) Valiquette failed to control rebounds; and, mostly, b) apparently no one on the Rangers has ever heard of clearing the crease. There were turnovers; there were countless battles lost along the boards; there were - again - some really stupid STUPID penalties taken by the Rangers.
Whether it was Tortorella's mistake or his wake-up call to the team to get their shit together, I can only hope that the Rangers learn from this game. Take a deep breath, regroup, and go out on Thursday to kick some Devils' asses.
And stop taking so many damn penalties! Sheesh.
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