3 Rangers takeaways after 3-1 loss to Metro Division rival Hurricanes
The New York Rangers need Santa Claus to drop a few wins in their Christmas stockings.
New York (16-16-1) tumbled back to the NHL version of .500 on Sunday afternoon, losing 3-1 to the Carolina Hurricanes at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers scored 17 seconds into the game, but Jimmy Vesey’s goal was all the offense they produced, losing for the 12th time in their past 16 games (4-12-0).
The Rangers head across the Hudson River for a Monday afternoon game against the Metropolitan Division-leading New Jersey Devils before the NHL takes a three-day holiday break. The Rangers actually have four days off; they don’t play again until beginning a two-game swing through Florida with a visit to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.
The 12-4-1 start that had Rangers fans dreaming of ending three decades without a Stanley Cup is a distant memory. The loss to the Hurricanes was a disappointment after a solid effort in a 3-1 road win against the Dallas Stars on Friday and was the fifth straight time they’ve followed a win with a loss.
Coach Peter Laviolette and his staff had better come up with some answers pretty soon. The Rangers are already 10 points behind the Hurricanes, who are third in the division, and remained six points behind the Ottawa Senators, whose six-game winning streak prior to Sunday’s 3-1 road loss to the Edmonton Oilers has carried them into the second wild card in the Eastern Conference.
Related: Matt Rempe suspended 8 games for boarding, elbowing Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen
3 takeaways from Rangers 3-1 loss to Hurricanes
Here are three takeaways from the Rangers loss on Sunday.
1. What more can Shesterkin do?
One voice from the Garden crowd said it all when it comes to the play of Shesterkin: “You’re worth every penny Igor!”
Carolina dominated play for most of the final 50-55 minutes after the Rangers scored 17 seconds into the game. The reason the Hurricanes scored just twice before Sebastian Aho hit the empty net was Shesterkin, who has allowed just five goals in the Rangers’ three games this week – and lost two of them.
Aho was undoubtedly glad to see a net without Shesterkin in front of it; No. 31 made a fantastic glove save on the Carolina center in the final minute of the second period, leaving Aho skating his head in disbelief. He also foiled Martin Necas, Carolina’s leading scorer, on a 2-on-0 break in the third period to give the Rangers a chance.
Shesterkin finished with 28 saves, a lot less than the 41 he made in Dallas on Friday. But the 28-year-old had Hurricanes in his face for most of the afternoon; Carolina out-attempted New York 70-48 and owned the puck for long stretches, especially in the second period.
2. Power play remains powerless
The Rangers have lived on their special teams and goaltending for most of the past three seasons, two of which have resulted in trips to the Eastern Conference Final. The goaltending is still top-rate and the penalty-killing (12.4 percent after Sunday) is the best in the NHL. But the power play has all but disappeared.
New York was 0-for-4 on Sunday and had just four shots with the man advantage – and the only one that was really dangerous came in the third period, when Pyotr Kochetkov robbed Reilly Smith on a back-door play. The Rangers are 3-for-27 this month, 0-for-15 since scoring on their first opportunity against the Buffalo Sabres on Dec. 11 and 0-for-9 in their three games this week.
“Tonight I thought was execution,” Laviolette said of the latest power-play failures. “They (the Hurricanes) force really hard inside their penalty kill. I actually thought the second unit had a couple really good looks, back-door looks. But I don’t think we executed well enough, and I think some of that has to do with that pressure.”
The Rangers haven’t been below .500 since March 19, 2021, about midway through the COVID-shortened 2021 season. They can’t go on like this and expect to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
3. Quick turnaround
At least the Rangers won’t have much time to worry about this game. They get right back at it on Monday in Newark, facing a Devils team that’s won four of its past five games, including a 3-0 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Prudential Center on Saturday.
The Devils won 5-1 when they came to Madison Square Garden three weeks ago, a game that saw them take a quick early lead and build on it – something the Rangers didn’t do against Carolina.
“Another good team,” defenseman Adam Fox said. “We had a good start (Sunday) and we’re going to need that against them. You give them any room and they’re going to make you pay. I’ve got to get right back on it and end on a good note before the break.”
Speaking of quick starts, there’s a good chance backup goalie Jonathan Quick makes the start Monday against the Devils.
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