The effort was better for the New York Rangers on Tuesday night. But the result was the same as it’s often been the past two months. The Rangers lost to the Nashville Predators 2-0 at Bridgestone Arena, their third straight defeat and 11th in 14 games.
It was the second time in the past eight days that the Rangers (15-15-1) lost to the last-overall team in the NHL standings. Eight days earlier, they were defeated 2-1 by the Chicago Blackhawks at Madison Square Garden. On Tuesday, it was the Predators (9-17-6), who had dropped into a last-place tie with the Blackhawks.
“It’s just frustrating right now for everybody,” Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said. “We’re in the business of winning. And when you’re not winning, it’s frustrating.”
Predators goalie Juuse Saros made 25 saves to earn his third shutout of the season, tying him for the League lead. It was his 26th career shutout, and the first time the Rangers were blanked this season.
Saros was buoyed by his teammates, who blocked 28 shots in the game. He was also supported by Jonathan Marchessault and Adam Wilsby, who scored for Nashville, and Steven Stamkos and Filip Forsberg, who each had two assists.
“We had tons of chances and didn’t bury our chances,” Rangers center Vincent Trocheck said postgame.
Igor Shesterkin was solid in goal for the Rangers, finishing with 30 saves.
Defenseman Urho Vaakanainen made his Rangers debut and logged 15:06 TOI. Forward Kaapo Kakko was back in the lineup after being a healthy scratch in a 3-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Sunday. Kakko had three shots on goal in 10:14 TOI.
The Rangers played their second straight game without leading scorer Artemi Panarin, who’s day to day with an upper-body injury.
Related: Mike Rupp blasts Rangers brass for ‘bull—- surrounding the team’
Nashville Predators 2 – New York Rangers 0
Despite a spirited start, one that had the Predators on their heels — they took five icings before the game was even five minutes old — the Rangers once again surrendered the first goal. Chad Ruhwedel got caught inside the offensive blue line and the Predators took off on a 3-on-2 that ended with Marchessault burying a feed from Stamkos at 13:37 of the first period to make it 1-0.
It was the ninth time in the past 14 games that the Rangers gave up the game’s first goal. They’ve lost each of those nine games.
This was particularly frustrating because the Rangers had a strong start, were on their toes and clearly engaged right from the first drop of the puck. They had the early shots advantage and the best scoring chance, when Will Cuylle was stoned by Saros at 7:25 after ripping a shot from between the circles off an Alexis Lafreniere pass.
However, the tide certainly turned in Nashville’s favor after Marchessault’s goal. They ended the first period with six high-danger scoring chances, most coming in the second half of of the period.
The Rangers did have an excellent chance to tie the game late in the first. Saros was caught out of position after Adam Fox weaved around him and passed out in front. Kakko snapped a shot toward the open net, but Wilsby played the role of goalie and blocked the shot, hugging the near post at 18:40.
That was one of 10 blocked shots in the first period for the Predators, and a big reason why they took a 1-0 lead into the intermission.
The Predators upped the ante in the scoreless second period, when they blocked 12 shots. Nashville’s top-ranked penalty kill also short-circuited two Rangers power plays in the middle period, including one midway through the second when New York kept the puck in the offensive zone for the entire two minutes.
Nashville had a 14-8 shots advantage in the second period, including at least four during one sequence when Shesterkin made one pad save after another in tight. Shesterkin also stood tall to deny Colton Sissons on a 3-on-2 opportunity in the second period.
The best scoring chance of the period, though, belonged to the Rangers. Trocheck had a clear short-handed breakaway at 18:25, but Saros made a sensational glove save to protect Nashville’s 1-0 lead.
The third period opened with near goals for each side. Forsberg rang a power-play shot off the post about a minute into the period at one end of the ice. Roughly two minutes later, Lafreniere patiently worked his way around Predators defenseman Brady Skjei, who fell down and allowed a clear lane to the net. However, Saros made a terrific save to rob Lafreniere’s bid to tie the score.
A few minutes later, it was Saros again, this time making a quick save with the toe of his right skate to deny Fox’s low shot ticketed for the far side of the net.
The Predators rewarded Saros for his excellent play, when Wilsby scored his first NHL goal at 12:00 to make it 2-0. The 24-year-old defenseman deked one way, then dashed the other around Reilly Smith to create space inside the blue line. Wilsby then skated in and wired a shot through a Forsberg screen top shelf, stick side to beat Shesterkin.
New York only had seven shots on goal in the third period and was unable to muster much after Nashville secured the two-goal lead. Now it’s on to Dallas to close out their three-game road trip on Friday; the Stars are a major step up in competition after losing to a Predators team that’s now won just twice in its past 10 games (2-5-3).
