Father Time isn't defeating Rick Nash, but bad luck may be
After picking up just one win in their first eight games, the New York Rangers have turned their season around, compiling a record of 13-4-0 in their last 17 contests, putting them on the cusp of a playoff spot.
The turnaround can largely be credited to their offense, as they've averaged 3.76 goals per game during that 17-game stretch. This comes in spite of the fact that their most decorated offensive player, Rick Nash, is having the worst offensive season of his career with just seven goals and eight assists in 29 games.
This would lead many to assume that the 33-year-old is washed up and that a game now built more around speed than power has simply passed him by. The underlying numbers would suggest differently, however.
Excluding Saturday's game, Nash is smashing his previous career high in individual high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes (iHDCF/60) at five-on-five. His 6.34 iHDCF/60 this season is 1.31 better than his previous best since Natural Stat Trick began recording the statistic in 2007-08.
From a league-wide perspective, Nash's iHDCF/60 is the fifth-best in the NHL among players who have played at least 20 games.
| Rank | Player | iHDCF/60 (5v5) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Patric Hornqvist (PIT) | 6.88 |
| 2. | Zach Hyman (TOR) | 6.73 |
| 3. | Cam Atkinson (CBJ) | 6.56 |
| 4. | Joonas Donskoi (SJ) | 6.38 |
| 5. | Rick Nash (NYR) | 6.34 |
If the speed of the game has truly become too much for the 6-foot-4 Nash to handle, how would he be generating the most high-danger scoring chances of his career?
Throughout Nash's whole career, he's been a pure goal-scorer. He's made a living off his ability to finish around the net. It seems hard to believe that his shot or offensive instincts have undergone some sort of decline, so there's only one logical reason as to why he's not capitalizing on his chances: poor puck luck.
Nash has simply been snakebitten. His 7.7 shooting percentage would be the worst single-season mark of his career, and 4.4 percent worse than his career average.
If Nash can start getting some long overdue bounces to fall his way, it would make the Rangers' offense that much more prolific and would go a long way in propelling them to an eighth straight playoff appearance.