The article critiques the Rangers' management of their roster under coach Peter Laviolette, particularly his decision to move Mika Zibanejad from center to wing, ostensibly to exploit perceived matchups. While this created an initial potent top line with JT Miller and Artemi Panarin, it detracted from overall depth, leaving the third line ineffective with severe 5v5 struggles. Opponents capitalized on this arrangement by targeting weak matchups, illustrating a tactical oversight that hampered the Rangers' capability to generate secondary scoring and maintain defensive integrity.
Laviolette’s lineup decisions undermined the Rangers' center depth, moving Zibanejad to wing while ineffective trio failed to generate scoring, leaving team vulnerable.
The Rangers' third line struggled greatly at 5v5, failing to establish any presence in the offensive zone, which neutralized matchup advantages against opposing teams.
With Laviolette's line changes, the strong offensive capabilities of Miller, Zibanejad, and Panarin diminished the depth of the Rangers and exploited defensive weaknesses.
As coaches tailored matchups, the Rangers could not capitalize on their center depth, leading to a reliance on their top players and a lack of scoring depth.
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