Goalies are Overrated: New York Rangers Edition

This group of Rangers make goalies look stellar over and over again. Shooters have to at least put the puck where the goalie isn't. Well, ON NET and where the goalie isn't. Sometimes excessive shots without goals isn't indicative of a great goalie as much as that a team doesn't have good finishers.

Last night's game at the MSG is a perfect example.

Ryan Miller G played a very solid game, but over and over again, the Rangers' poor shooting helped him look great. GREAT. So much so, that he got 2nd Star of the game in a 3 - 2 loss.

I don't want to take anything from Miller...well, not any more than I do to ANY goalie, really. But the Rangers had a lot of chances on their sticks that they put right on him. And when they didn't hit HIM with the puck, they hit the posts/crossbar. And when the net was basically empty, they shot wide.

Let's look at the HIGHLIGHT "saves".
Two early, one from J.T. Miller and one from Victor Stalberg.
JTM: pass from the corner, nice. Beats Miller's vision. Shot goes off left pad before Miller reacts. Five hole was available but missed.
VS: A nice shot from Lindberg off a pass. Juicy rebound. VS's shot goes low, just as Miller reacts by stretching the pad appropriately, as every goalie does. Shot hits the pad just above the ankle bend.

Both of these are considered GREAT. Both of these are mostly the shooter. Stalberg lifts that shot like Horvat did on his very similar chance (Vancouver's first goal) and it's a goal. Shoot low and the goalie has a chance. On JT Miller's goal. This is a chance quick shot and I don't want to overly criticize JT on this one, but Zuccs scores on a very similar chance to tie the game.

Toward the end of the first - we have two more highlight chances from Oscar Lindberg and Kevin Hayes.
OL: Nice pass from behind the goal. Time and space in between the circles. Lindberg goes mid-level for the far post. Miller reacts by drawing his arms IN. The shot goes off the outside of his shoulder. Then Miller reacts with a "dive" toward the puck.
KH: nice pass from Zuccs into the circle below the dot on Miller's right side. Shot is low for the five-hole. Miller drops and saves the puck with his left pad. The five hole was still available - Hayes missed it.

These are nice positional saves. I believe only a bad goalie lets both of these in and in certain circumstances even great goalies let one of these in. In both cases, there are huge holes between the legs. Patrick Kane gets at least one of these.

Early in the second period, Derek Stepan has a chance.
DS: Shot from top by defenseman. Bounce off the boards to Miller's right. Comes nicely to Miller's right below the circle. Shot is on ice into Miller's pad.

I don't think Miller saw the shot.

Ok through the first half of the game. More later, if I have time.

But really, do I need to go on? The Rangers won off a Stephane Matteau-like wrap-around. They should have won 4 or 5 to two. Miller's saves were mostly pedantic. The Rangers missed a wide open net at least three times. They hit the post/crossbar four times. And if the shooter gets blamed for hitting a post and missing the a wide-open net but doesn't get blamed for hitting a goalie - I have to again say that Goalies are Overrated.