New York Rangers Daily: Taking good, bad from bitter OT loss, Evgeni Malkin’s Cup rings stolen
January 1st is supposed to be the day you nurse a hangover. But Jan. 15 will do for the Rangers. And this hangover has nothing to do with having too many adult beverages.
Nope, this one stems from a late-night encounter in the Mile High City, when the Rangers were less than two minutes away from putting a bow on a largely well-played 2-1 win against the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night — one that ended in a head-spinning 3-2 overtime loss.
So much good on the night for the Rangers. But in the end, the negative of not securing two points and failing to nail down a third-straight win — against three elite opponents — outweighed the many positives. And left the Rangers — and likely you, too — with a hazy, muddled feeling when they woke up Wednesday morning.
The Rangers (20-20-3) have not lost in regulation in five straight games (3-0-2). So, that’s something. So is their 4-1-2 mark in the New Year.
But they remain 14th in the Eastern Conference, now five points behind the Columbus Blue Jackets for the second wild card and trail the Boston Bruins by six for the top wild card.
Time to shake it off and be ready for the finale of the three-game road trip in Utah on Friday, a game the Rangers should — and must — win.
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NHL news
Things are going sideways in Pittsburgh, where the Penguins are reeling and coach Mike Sullivan questioned their commitment after a 4-2 loss to Kaapo Kakko and the Seattle Kraken.
Evgeni Malkin returned to the Penguins lineup Tuesday following an injury absence, amid reports his three Stanley Cup rings were stolen in a home robbery.
New Jersey Devils captain Nico Hischier continued his running feud with Florida Panthers with a skirmish in Florida’s 2-1 shootout win Tuesday.
Don’t cross Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper. That’s the lesson two-time Stanley Cup winner Brayden Point learned when he was scratched against the Boston Bruins for missing a team meeting. The Lightning lost 6-2.
The Detroit Red Wings lost for the first time in eight games, 6-3 to the San Jose Sharks, and they also lost former Rangers forward Tyler Motte, who exited in the second period with an upper-body injury after he crashed into the boards.
Los Angeles Kings forward Adrian Kempe was fined $5,000 for slew-footing Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid in a game Monday.
The Islanders were shut out for the sixth time this season, 2-0 by the Ottawa Senators, who’ve won three in a row.
The Washington Capitals kept rolling with a 3-0 home win against the Anaheim Ducks. The Metropolitan Division leaders improved to 5-0-3 in their past eight games.
And how about the Blues Jackets? They won their fifth straight, edging the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 in a shootout.
Watch Kyle Connor record a natural hat trick in the first period of the Winnipeg Jets’ resounding 6-1 win against the Vancouver Canucks.
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