In many ways, it appears as if Rick Nash is picking up where he usually leaves off, No. 61 getting into open ice, chugging down the wing, trying to get to the net … but not scoring.
Through five games of this embryonic Rangers season, this is the Nash of playoffs past, where he’s generally done everything except put the puck in the net.
Except now, of course, the stakes are not as high.
Except now, it is impossible to miss Mr. Nash’s frustration on the ice, whereas he never, but never allows anyone to — what’s that old TV commercial? — see him sweat in the postseason.
“I’m definitely frustrated,” Nash told The Post in the wake of Thursday’s 3-0 defeat in Montreal. “You want to help and you want to contribute, and I’m always aware that for me, that means scoring goals.
“I feel that I’m creating chances, I feel strong and I’m making plays, but it’s frustrating because I’m not putting pucks in the back of the net.”
The Rangers are 3-2 and/but they have not played acceptably by any measure other than their record. They have spent far too much time in their own zone while unable to create a sustained attack at the other end of the ice. The quick, A-to-B, end-to-end game is malfunctioning. The forecheck rarely comes — though it was better against the Canadiens — and when it does, it goes (away) quickly. The power play has been lousy, the penalty kill, though good in Montreal, a liability.
Defensemen Ryan McDonagh, Dan Girardi and Keith Yandle haven’t come close to playing up to par. Forwards Derick Brassard, Chris Kreider and Kevin Hayes have been noticeable by their respective prolonged absences. Those observers who insist on harping on Tanner Glass are missing the forest for the trees.
Fact is, if not for Henrik Lundqvist’s brilliance out of the gate (and Columbus’ Sergei Bobrovsky’s mediocre opening weekend in their head-to-head matchup), the Rangers could be 0-5 heading into Sunday afternoon’s Garden date with the dreadful Devils that precedes Monday’s match at home against San Jose.
Maybe that’s why coach Alain Vigneault, who seems more urgent than ever, was so peeved following Thursday night’s defeat in which the Blueshirts actually spent more time in the offensive zone than they had in any of the first four games. Of course, their possession time did not lead to much of anything.
Nash is among the least of the Rangers’ problems except for, well, except for the fact he’s stuck on zero in the goal-scoring department. Indeed, this marks the first time in his NHL career, which began in 2002-03, he has gone this many games without a goal to open a season.
Actually, Nash generally has gotten away pretty quickly, never more than last year when No. 61 recorded six goals in the first four games and 12 in the first 15 in carrying the team through much of the autumn and winter on his way to a personal-best 42.
“If I had a stretch like this earlier in my career, maybe I’d take comfort knowing that goals were going to come, but that’s not how I think now,” said Nash, denied on a penalty shot by Bobrovsky in last Saturday’s home opener and robbed by Carey Price on a right wing burst Thursday. “Now I have more of a narrow vision.
“I’m working to get to the inside, finish my checks and play strong defense. I’m simplifying my game.”
Nash leads the Rangers with 19 shots, just as he led the club last year with 304, amounting to about the same four per. Last season, though, Nash had a shooting percentage of 13.8. You don’t need to have gone to Bronx Science to calculate this year’s number.
Vigneault took Nash off of the line with Brassard and Mats Zuccarello in Thursday’s third period, moving him onto the unit with Derek Stepan and Kreider that was intact for nearly all of 2013-14. J.T. Miller moved into the top six, Hayes slid down and the Rangers created less in the final period than they had over the first 40 minutes.
They need more from essentially everyone. They need more goals from Nash. One would be a good, uh, start.