Game 38: Vinny Lettieri’s debut

Credit: AP / Paul Sancya)After a much better performance against Washington on Wednesday, the Rangers are in Detroit to try to build on that win. The biggest change in that game was the improved play at their own blue line. The Rangers stood up and didn’t allow controlled zone entries. That stymied the Caps’ high powered offense.

The other big change was the controlled exits once they had the puck. The Caps weren’t playing aggressively, so the Rangers didn’t have to constantly flip the puck out of the DZ and hope their forwards chased it down. That’s the type of hockey the Rangers are going to need to play to be successful. Luckily Detroit isn’t that good, so they have another game to…